The Project Gutenberg EBook of The 2006 CIA World Factbook, by United States This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: The 2006 CIA World Factbook Author: United States Release Date: December 12, 2008 [EBook #27509] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE 2006 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK *** Produced by Al Haines THE CIA WORLD FACTBOOK 2006 CONTENTS Countries and Locations Field Listings Rank Orders Appendixes Notes and Definitions History of The World Factbook Contributors and Copyright Information Purchasing Information Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ===================================================================== What's New - Country information has been updated as of 19 December 2006. - There have been some significant changes to the latest edition of The World Factbook. The successful secession referendum held in Montenegro in May of 2006 allowed it to legally leave its union with Serbia the following month. These two Balkan countries have now been formally recognized and are listed separately in the Factbook. - In the Government category, the 'Capital' entry has been greatly expanded and now contains up to four subfields, including significant new information having to do with time. The subfields consist of the name of the capital itself, its geographic coordinates, the time difference at the capital from coordinated universal time (UTC), and, if applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special note has been added to highlight those countries that have multiple time zones. - The Transnational issues category now has a "Trafficking in persons" entry. Human trafficking connotes modern-day slavery and this important new field will include information on the most egregious countries (Tier 2 Watch List and Tier 3) as listed in the US State Department's annual report. - A new Appendix G lists Weights and Measures. The appendix includes information on mathematical notation and metric interrelationships, as well as over 400 examples of standard conversion factors. - Revision of some individual country maps, first introduced in the 2001 edition, is continued in this edition. Several regional maps have also been updated to reflect boundary changes and place name spelling changes. ===================================================================== The World Factbook (2006) - Country Listing [Transcriber's note: To search on a country in this file, prefix the country's name with "@", e.g. "@Afghanistan". "Afghanistan" will find all occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.] World A Afghanistan Akrotiri Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Arctic Ocean Argentina Armenia Aruba Ashmore and Cartier Islands Atlantic Ocean Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas, The Bahrain Baker Island Bangladesh Barbados Bassas da India Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Coral Sea Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic D Denmark Dhekelia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Europa Island European Union entry follows Taiwan F Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern and Antarctic Lands G Gabon Gambia, The Gaza Strip Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Glorioso Islands Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City) Honduras Hong Kong Howland Island Hungary I Iceland Iles Eparses India Indian Ocean Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy J Jamaica Jan Mayen Japan Jarvis Island Jersey Johnston Atoll Jordan Juan de Nova Island K Kazakhstan Kenya Kingman Reef Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Midway Islands Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Navassa Island Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway O Oman P Pacific Ocean Pakistan Palau Palmyra Atoll Panama Papua New Guinea Paracel Islands Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Q Qatar R Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Southern Ocean Spain Spratly Islands Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan entry follows Zimbabwe Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tromelin Island Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands W Wake Island Wallis and Futuna West Bank Western Sahara Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Taiwan European Union ===================================================================== Field Listings [Transcriber's note: To search on a field code in this file, prefix the code number with "@", e.g. "@2001". "2001" will find all occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.] Code Field Description 2001 GDP (purchasing power parity) 2002 Population growth rate (%) 2003 GDP - real growth rate (%) 2004 GDP - per capita (PPP) 2006 Dependency status 2007 Diplomatic representation from the US 2008 Transportation - note 2010 Age structure (%) 2011 Geographic coordinates 2012 GDP - composition by sector (%) 2013 Radio broadcast stations 2015 Television broadcast stations 2018 Sex ratio (male(s)/female) 2019 Heliports 2020 Elevation extremes (m) 2021 Natural hazards 2022 People - note 2023 Area - comparative 2024 Military service age and obligation (years of age) 2025 Manpower fit for military service 2026 Manpower reaching military service age annually 2028 Background 2030 Airports - with paved runways 2031 Airports - with unpaved runways 2032 Environment - current issues 2033 Environment - international agreements 2034 Military expenditures - percent of GDP (%) 2038 Electricity - production (kWh) 2042 Electricity - consumption (kWh) 2043 Electricity - imports (kWh) 2044 Electricity - exports (kWh) 2046 Population below poverty line (%) 2047 Household income or consumption by percentage share (%) 2048 Labor force - by occupation (%) 2049 Exports - commodities 2050 Exports - partners (%) 2051 Administrative divisions 2052 Agriculture - products 2053 Airports 2054 Birth rate (births/1,000 population) 2055 Military branches 2056 Budget 2057 Capital 2058 Imports - commodities 2059 Climate 2060 Coastline (km) 2061 Imports - partners (%) 2062 Economic aid - donor 2063 Constitution 2064 Economic aid - recipient 2065 Currency (code) 2066 Death rate (deaths/1,000 population) 2067 Military expenditures - dollar figure 2068 Dependent areas 2070 Disputes - international 2075 Ethnic groups (%) 2076 Exchange rates 2077 Executive branch 2078 Exports 2079 Debt - external 2080 Fiscal year 2081 Flag description 2085 Roadways (km) 2086 Illicit drugs 2087 Imports 2088 Independence 2089 Industrial production growth rate (%) 2090 Industries 2091 Infant mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births) 2092 Inflation rate (consumer prices) (%) 2093 Waterways (km) 2094 Judicial branch 2095 Labor force 2096 Land boundaries (km) 2097 Land use (%) 2098 Languages (%) 2100 Legal system 2101 Legislative branch 2102 Life expectancy at birth (years) 2103 Literacy (%) 2105 Manpower available for military service 2106 Maritime claims 2107 International organization participation 2108 Merchant marine 2109 National holiday 2110 Nationality 2111 Natural resources 2112 Net migration rate (migrant(s)/1,000 population) 2113 Geography - note 2115 Political pressure groups and leaders 2116 Economy - overview 2117 Pipelines (km) 2118 Political parties and leaders 2119 Population 2120 Ports and terminals 2121 Railways (km) 2122 Religions (%) 2123 Suffrage 2124 Telephone system 2125 Terrain 2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 2128 Government type 2129 Unemployment rate (%) 2137 Military - note 2138 Communications - note 2140 Government - note 2142 Country name 2144 Location 2145 Map references 2146 Irrigated land (sq km) 2147 Area (sq km) 2149 Diplomatic representation in the US 2150 Telephones - main lines in use 2151 Telephones - mobile cellular 2153 Internet users 2154 Internet country code 2155 HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) 2156 HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 2157 HIV/AIDS - deaths 2172 Distribution of family income - Gini index 2173 Oil - production (bbl/day) 2174 Oil - consumption (bbl/day) 2175 Oil - imports (bbl/day) 2176 Oil - exports (bbl/day) 2177 Median age (years) 2178 Oil - proved reserves (bbl) 2179 Natural gas - proved reserves (cu m) 2180 Natural gas - production (cu m) 2181 Natural gas - consumption (cu m) 2182 Natural gas - imports (cu m) 2183 Natural gas - exports (cu m) 2184 Internet hosts 2185 Investment (gross fixed) (% of GDP) 2186 Public debt (% of GDP) 2187 Current account balance 2188 Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2193 Major infectious diseases 2194 Refugees and internally displaced persons 2195 GDP (official exchange rate) 2196 Trafficking in persons ====================================================================== Rank Orders [Transcriber's note: To search on a rank order in this file, prefix the rank's name with "@", e.g. "@Population". "Population" will find all occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.] Guide to Rank Order Pages Rank Order pages are presorted lists of data from selected Factbook data fields. Rank Order pages are generally given in descending order -highest to lowest - such as Population and Area. The two exceptions are Unemployment Rate and Inflation Rate, which are in ascending - lowest to highest - order. Rank Order pages are available for the following 47 fields in six of the nine Factbook categories. Geography Area - total People Population Birth rate Death rate Infant mortality rate Life expectancy at birth - total Total fertility rate HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS - deaths Economy GDP (purchasing power parity) GDP - real growth rate GDP - per capita Labor force Unemployment rate Inflation rate (consumer prices) Investment (gross fixed) Public debt Industrial production growth rate Electricity - production Electricity - consumption Oil - production Oil - consumption Oil - exports Oil - imports Oil - proved reserves Natural Gas - production Natural Gas - consumption Natural Gas - exports Natural Gas - imports Natural Gas - proved reserves Current account balance Exports Imports Reserves of foreign exchange and gold Debt - external Communications Telephones - main lines in use Telephones - mobile cellular Internet hosts Internet users Transportation Airports Railways - total Roadways - total Waterways Merchant marine - total Military Military expenditures - dollar figure Military expenditures - percent of GDP Factbook fields with Rank Order pages are easily identified with a small bar chart icon to the right of the data field title. Not all Rank Order pages include the same number of entries because information for a particular field is not available for all countries. In addition, not all data fields are suitable for displaying as Rank Order pages, such as those containing textual information. Textual information is more readily viewed by clicking on the Field Listing icon next to the Data field title. The other icon next to the data field title provides the definition of the field. All of the 'Rank Order' pages can be downloaded as tab-delimited data files and can be opened in other applications such as spreadsheets and databases. To save a Rank Order page in a spreadsheet, first click on the 'Download Datafile' choice above the Rank Order page you selected; then, at the top of your browser window, click on 'File' and 'Save As'. After saving the file, open the spreadsheet, find the saved file, and 'Open' it. Additional Rank Order pages being considered for future updates of the Factbook Web site include: Median age Literacy Population below the poverty line This page was last updated on 4 April, 2006 ===================================================================== Appendixes Appendix A - Abbreviations Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups Appendix C - Selected International Environmental Agreements Appendix D - Cross-Reference list of Country Data Codes Appendix E - Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes Appendix F - Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names Appendix G - Weights and Measures ====================================================================== Notes and Definitions Along with regular information updates, The World Factbook features several new or revised fields. In the Economy category, the Factbook is now reporting national GDP figures in US dollars converted at Official Exchange Rates (OER) in addition to GDP at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) rates, since both measures contain information useful to our readers. Traditionally, only PPP-converted GDP values had been reported. In the Transportation category, the former Highways entry is now Roadways, while Ports and harbors has been retitled Ports and terminals. Abbreviations This information is included in Appendix A: Abbreviations, which includes all abbreviations and acronyms used in the Factbook, with their expansions. Acronyms An acronym is an abbreviation coined from the initial letter of each successive word in a term or phrase. In general, an acronym made up solely from the first letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered in all capital letters (NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an exception would be ASEAN for Association of Southeast Asian Nations). In general, an acronym made up of more than the first letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered with only an initial capital letter (Comsat from Communications Satellite Corporation; an exception would be NAM from Nonaligned Movement). Hybrid forms are sometimes used to distinguish between initially identical terms (WTO: for World Trade Organization and WToO for World Tourism Organization.) Administrative divisions This entry generally gives the numbers, designatory terms, and first- order administrative divisions as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on by BGN are noted. Age structure This entry provides the distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest. Agriculture - products This entry is an ordered listing of major crops and products starting with the most important. Airports This entry gives the total number of airports or airfields recognizable from the air. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, earth, sand, or gravel surfaces) but may include closed or abandoned installations. Airports or airfields that are no longer recognizable (overgrown, no facilities, etc.) are not included. Note that not all airports have accomodations for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control. Airports - with paved runways This entry gives the total number of airports with paved runways (concrete or asphalt surfaces) by length. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are included in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control. Airports - with unpaved runways This entry gives the total number of airports with unpaved runways (grass, dirt, sand, or gravel surfaces) by length. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are included in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control. Appendixes This section includes Factbook-related material by topic. Area This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the sum of all land and water areas delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of the surfaces of all inland water bodies, such as lakes, reservoirs, or rivers, as delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines. Area - comparative This entry provides an area comparison based on total area equivalents. Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states based on area measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of the Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178 sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146 acres). Background This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends. Birth rate This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population. Budget This entry includes revenues, expenditures, and capital expenditures. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Capital This entry gives the name of the seat of government, its geographic coordinates, the time difference relative to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the time observed in Washington, DC, and, if applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special note has been added to highlight those countries that have multiple time zones. Climate This entry includes a brief description of typical weather regimes throughout the year. Coastline This entry gives the total length of the boundary between the land area (including islands) and the sea. Communications This category deals with the means of exchanging information and includes the telephone, radio, television, and Internet host entries. Communications - note This entry includes miscellaneous communications information of significance not included elsewhere. Constitution This entry includes the dates of adoption, revisions, and major amendments. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) UTC is the international atomic time scale that serves as the basis of timekeeping for most of the world. The hours, minutes, and seconds expressed by UTC represent the time of day at the Prime Meridian (0º longitude) located near Greenwich, England as reckoned from midnight. UTC is calculated by the Bureau International des Poids et Measures (BIPM) in Sevres, France. The BIPM averages data collected from more than 200 atomic time and frequency standards located at about 50 laboratories worldwide. UTC is the basis for all civil time with the Earth divided into time zones expressed as positive or negative differences from UTC. UTC is also referred to as "Zulu time." See the Standard Time Zones of the World map included with the Reference Maps. Country data codes see Data codes Country map Most versions of the Factbook provide a country map in color. The maps were produced from the best information available at the time of preparation. Names and/or boundaries may have changed subsequently. Country name This entry includes all forms of the country's name approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (Italy is used as an example): conventional long form (Italian Republic), conventional short form (Italy), local long form (Repubblica Italiana), local short form (Italia), former (Kingdom of Italy), as well as the abbreviation. Also see the Terminology note. Crude oil See entry for oil. Currency (code) This entry identifies the national medium of exchange and, in parenthesis, gives the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 4217 alphabetic currency code for each country. Current account balance This entry records a country's net trade in goods and services, plus net earnings from rents, interest, profits, and dividends, and net transfer payments (such as pension funds and worker remittances) to and from the rest of the world during the period specified. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Data codes This information is presented in Appendix D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes and Appendix E: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes. Date of information In general, information available as of 1 January 2006, was used in the preparation of this edition. Daylight Saving Time (DST) This entry is included for those entities that have adopted a policy of adjusting the official local time forward, usually one hour, from Standard Time during summer months. Such policies are most common in mid-latitude regions. Death rate This entry gives the average annual number of deaths during a year per 1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country, accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population growth. This indicator is significantly affected by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at all ages, as declining fertility results in an aging population. Debt - external This entry gives the total public and private debt owed to nonresidents repayable in foreign currency, goods, or services. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Dependency status This entry describes the formal relationship between a particular nonindependent entity and an independent state. Dependent areas This entry contains an alphabetical listing of all nonindependent entities associated in some way with a particular independent state. Diplomatic representation The US Government has diplomatic relations with 188 independent states, including 187 of the 192 UN members (excluded UN members are Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and the US itself). In addition, the US has diplomatic relations with 1 independent state that is not in the UN, the Holy See, as well as with the EU. Diplomatic representation from the US This entry includes the chief of mission, embassy address, mailing address, telephone number, FAX number, branch office locations, consulate general locations, and consulate locations. Diplomatic representation in the US This entry includes the chief of mission, chancery, telephone, FAX, consulate general locations, and consulate locations. Disputes - international This entry includes a wide variety of situations that range from traditional bilateral boundary disputes to unilateral claims of one sort or another. Information regarding disputes over international terrestrial and maritime boundaries has been reviewed by the US Department of State. References to other situations involving borders or frontiers may also be included, such as resource disputes, geopolitical questions, or irredentist issues; however, inclusion does not necessarily constitute official acceptance or recognition by the US Government. Distribution of family income - Gini index This index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45 degree helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45 degree line. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the closer its Lorenz curve to the 45 degree line and the lower its Gini index, e.g., a Scandinavian country with an index of 25. The more unequal a country's income distribution, the farther its Lorenz curve from the 45 degree line and the higher its Gini index, e.g., a Sub- Saharan country with an index of 50. If income were distributed with perfect equality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the 45 degree line and the index would be zero; if income were distributed with perfect inequality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the horizontal axis and the right vertical axis and the index would be 100. Economic aid - donor This entry refers to net official development assistance (ODA) from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations to developing countries and multilateral organizations. ODA is defined as financial assistance that is concessional in character, has the main objective to promote economic development and welfare of the less developed countries (LDCs), and contains a grant element of at least 25%. The entry does not cover other official flows (OOF) or private flows. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Economic aid - recipient This entry, which is subject to major problems of definition and statistical coverage, refers to the net inflow of Official Development Finance (ODF) to recipient countries. The figure includes assistance from the World Bank, the IMF, and other international organizations and from individual nation donors. Formal commitments of aid are included in the data. Omitted from the data are grants by private organizations. Aid comes in various forms including outright grants and loans. The entry thus is the difference between new inflows and repayments. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Economy This category includes the entries dealing with the size, development, and management of productive resources, i.e., land, labor, and capital. Economy - overview This entry briefly describes the type of economy, including the degree of market orientation, the level of economic development, the most important natural resources, and the unique areas of specialization. It also characterizes major economic events and policy changes in the most recent 12 months and may include a statement about one or two key future macroeconomic trends. Electricity - consumption This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus imports and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution. Electricity - exports This entry is the total exported electricity in kilowatt-hours. Electricity - imports This entry is the total imported electricity in kilowatt-hours. Electricity - production This entry is the annual electricity generated expressed in kilowatt- hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution. Elevation extremes This entry includes both the highest point and the lowest point. Entities Some of the independent states, dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and governments included in this publication are not independent, and others are not officially recognized by the US Government. "Independent state" refers to a people politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory. "Dependencies" and "areas of special sovereignty" refer to a broad category of political entities that are associated in some way with an independent state. "Country" names used in the table of contents or for page headings are usually the short-form names as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names and may include independent states, dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty, or other geographic entities. There are a total of 272 separate geographic entities in The World Factbook that may be categorized as follows: INDEPENDENT STATES 193 Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe OTHER 2 Taiwan, European Union DEPENDENCIES AND AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY 6 Australia - Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island 2 China - Hong Kong, Macau 2 Denmark - Faroe Islands, Greenland 16 France - Bassas da India*, Clipperton Island, Europa Island*, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands*, Guadeloupe, Juan de Nova Island*, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tromelin Island*, Wallis and Futuna (* consolidated in Iles Eparses entry) 2 Netherlands - Aruba, Netherlands Antilles 3 New Zealand - Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau 3 Norway - Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard 17 UK - Akrotiri, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dhekelia, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands 14 US - American Samoa, Baker Island*, Guam, Howland Island*, Jarvis Island*, Johnston Atoll*, Kingman Reef*, Midway Islands*, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll*, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island (* consolidated in United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges entry) MISCELLANEOUS 6 Antarctica, Gaza Strip, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, West Bank, Western Sahara OTHER ENTITIES 5 oceans - Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean 1 World 272 total Environment - current issues This entry lists the most pressing and important environmental problems. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry: Acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation and deposition usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish and plants dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid rain). Acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly to the earth's fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH scale where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are considered alkaline, and values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note - a pH of 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in New England. Aerosol - a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas, smoke, or fog. Afforestation - converting a bare or agricultural space by planting trees and plants; reforestation involves replanting trees on areas that have been cut or destroyed by fire. Asbestos - a naturally occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly used in fireproofing materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic in particulate form. Biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of species, diverse in form and function, at the genetic, organism, community, and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an ecosystem's ability to recover from natural or man-induced disruption. Bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence, abundance, and health reveal the general condition of its habitat. Biomass - the total weight or volume of living matter in a given area or volume. Carbon cycle - the term used to describe the exchange of carbon (in various forms, e.g., as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and geological deposits. Catchments - assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and runoff; an important water management technique in areas with limited freshwater resources, such as Gibraltar. DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was banned in the US in 1972. Defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves artificially; often used in agricultural practices for weed control, and may have detrimental impacts on human and ecosystem health. Deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g., unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without planting new growth. Desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi- arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate change. Dredging - the practice of deepening an existing waterway; also, a technique used for collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g., shellfish) or harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems. Drift-net fishing - done with a net, miles in extent, that is generally anchored to a boat and left to float with the tide; often results in an over harvesting and waste of large populations of non-commercial marine species (by-catch) by its effect of "sweeping the ocean clean". Ecosystems - ecological units comprised of complex communities of organisms and their specific environments. Effluents - waste materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial waste which are released into the environment, subsequently polluting it. Endangered species - a species that is threatened with extinction either by direct hunting or habitat destruction. Freshwater - water with very low soluble mineral content; sources include lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers. Greenhouse gas - a gas that "traps" infrared radiation in the lower atmosphere causing surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. Groundwater - water sources found below the surface of the earth often in naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the source for wells and natural springs. Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by Lesotho and South Africa to redirect Lesotho's abundant water supply into a rapidly growing area in South Africa; while it is the largest infrastructure project in southern Africa, it is also the most costly and controversial; objections to the project include claims that it forces people from their homes, submerges farmlands, and squanders economic resources. Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) - represents the 145,000 Inuits of Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in international environmental issues; a General Assembly convenes every three years to determine the focus of the ICC; the most current concerns are long-range transport of pollutants, sustainable development, and climate change. Metallurgical plants - industries which specialize in the science, technology, and processing of metals; these plants produce highly concentrated and toxic wastes which can contribute to pollution of ground water and air when not properly disposed. Noxious substances - injurious, very harmful to living beings. Overgrazing - the grazing of animals on plant material faster than it can naturally regrow leading to the permanent loss of plant cover, a common effect of too many animals grazing limited range land. Ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3) that resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living organisms. Poaching - the illegal killing of animals or fish, a great concern with respect to endangered or threatened species. Pollution - the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made waste. Potable water - water that is drinkable, safe to be consumed. Salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse process; also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a process that can eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops. Siltation - occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion. Slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in which trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for temporary agriculture; the land is used until its productivity declines at which point a new plot is selected and the process repeats; this practice is sustainable while population levels are low and time is permitted for regrowth of natural vegetation; conversely, where these conditions do not exist, the practice can have disastrous consequences for the environment . Soil degradation - damage to the land's productive capacity because of poor agricultural practices such as the excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers, soil compaction from heavy equipment, or erosion of topsoil, eventually resulting in reduced ability to produce agricultural products. Soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and desertification. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion of the electromagnetic energy emitted by the sun and naturally filtered in the upper atmosphere by the ozone layer; UV radiation can be harmful to living organisms and has been linked to increasing rates of skin cancer in humans. Water-born diseases - those in which bacteria survive in, and are transmitted through, water; always a serious threat in areas with an untreated water supply. Environment - international agreements This entry separates country participation in international environmental agreements into two levels - party to and signed, but not ratified. Agreements are listed in alphabetical order by the abbreviated form of the full name. Environmental agreements This information is presented in Appendix C: Selected International Environmental Agreements, which includes the name, abbreviation, date opened for signature, date entered into force, objective, and parties by category. Ethnic groups This entry provides an ordered listing of ethnic groups starting with the largest and normally includes the percent of total population. Exchange rates This entry provides the official value of a country's monetary unit at a given date or over a given period of time, as expressed in units of local currency per US dollar and as determined by international market forces or official fiat. Executive branch This entry includes several subfields. Chief of state includes the name and title of the titular leader of the country who represents the state at official and ceremonial functions but may not be involved with the day-to-day activities of the government. Head of government includes the name and title of the top administrative leader who is designated to manage the day-to-day activities of the government. For example, in the UK, the monarch is the chief of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. In the US, the president is both the chief of state and the head of government. Cabinet includes the official name for this body of high-ranking advisers and the method for selection of members. Elections includes the nature of election process or accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election. Election results includes the percent of vote for each candidate in the last election. Exports This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise exports on an f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Exports - commodities This entry provides a rank ordering of exported products starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value. Exports - partners This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value. Fiscal year This entry identifies the beginning and ending months for a country's accounting period of 12 months, which often is the calendar year but which may begin in any month. All yearly references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as a noncalendar fiscal year (FY). Flag description This entry provides a written flag description produced from actual flags or the best information available at the time the entry was written. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas do not have flags. Flag graphic Most versions of the Factbook include a color flag at the beginning of the country profile. The flag graphics were produced from actual flags or the best information available at the time of preparation. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas do not have flags. GDP (official exchange rate) This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at offical exchange rates (OER) is the home-currency-denominated annual GDP figure divided by the bilateral average US exchange rate with that country in that year. The measure is simple to compute and gives a precise measure of the value of output. Many economists prefer this measure when gauging the economic power an economy maintains vis- à-vis its neighbors, judging that an exchange rate captures the purchasing power a nation enjoys in the international marketplace. Official exchange rates, however, can be artifically fixed and/or subject to manipulation - resulting in claims of the country having an under- or over-valued currency - and are not necessarily the equivalent of a market-determined exchange rate. Moreover, even if the official exchange rate is market-determined, market exchange rates are frequently established by a relatively small set of goods and services (the ones the country trades) and may not capture the value of the larger set of goods the country produces. Furthermore, OER-converted GDP is not well suited to comparing domestic GDP over time, since appreciation/depreciation from one year to the next will make the OER GDP value rise/fall regardless of whether home-currency-denominated GDP changed. GDP (purchasing power parity) This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries. The measure is difficult to compute, as a US dollar value has to be assigned to all goods and services in the country regardless of whether these goods and services have a direct equivalent in the United States (for example, the value of an ox-cart or non-US military equipment); as a result, PPP estimates for some countries are based on a small and sometimes different set of goods and services. In addition, many countries do not formally participate in the World Bank's PPP project that calculates these measures, so the resulting GDP estimates for these countries may lack precision. For many developing countries, PPP-based GDP measures are multiples of the official exchange rate (OER) measure. The difference between the OER- and PPP-denominated GDP values for most of the weathly industrialized countries are generally much smaller. GDP - composition by sector This entry gives the percentage contribution of agriculture, industry, and services to total GDP. The distribution will total less than 100 percent if the data are incomplete. GDP - per capita (PPP) This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for the same year. GDP - real growth rate This entry gives GDP growth on an annual basis adjusted for inflation and expressed as a percent. GDP methodology In the Economy category, GDP dollar estimates for countries are reported both on an official exchange rate (OER) and a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. Both measures contain information that is useful to the reader. The PPP method involves the use of standardized international dollar price weights, which are applied to the quantities of final goods and services produced in a given economy. The data derived from the PPP method probably provides the best available starting point for comparisons of economic strength and well-being between countries. In contrast, the currency exchange rate method involves a variety of international and domestic financial forces that may not capture the value of domestic output. Furthermore, exchange rates may suddenly go up or down by 10% or more because of market forces or official fiat whereas real output has remained unchanged. On 12 January 1994, for example, the 14 countries of the African Financial Community (whose currencies are tied to the French franc) devalued their currencies by 50%. This move, of course, did not cut the real output of these countries by half. Whereas PPP estimates for OECD countries are quite reliable, PPP estimates for developing countries are often rough approximations. In developing countries with weak currencies, the exchange rate estimate of GDP in dollars is typically one-fourth to one-half the PPP estimate. Most of the GDP estimates for developing countries are based on extrapolation of PPP numbers published by the UN International Comparison Program (UNICP) and by Professors Robert Summers and Alan Heston of the University of Pennsylvania and their colleagues. GDP derived using the OER method should be used for the purpose of calculating the share of items such as exports, imports, military expenditures, external debt, or the current account balance, because the dollar values presented in the Factbook for these items have been converted at official exchange rates, not at PPP. One should use the OER GDP figure to calculate the proportion of, say, Chinese defense expenditures in GDP, because that share will be the same as one calculated in local currency units. Comparison of OER GDP with PPP GDP may also indicate whether a currency is over- or under-valued. If OER GDP is smaller than PPP GDP, the official exchange rate may be undervalued, and vice versa. However, there is no strong historical evidence that market exchange rates move in the direction implied by the PPP rate, at least not in the short- or medium-term. Note: the numbers for GDP and other economic data should not be chained together from successive volumes of the Factbook because of changes in the US dollar measuring rod, revisions of data by statistical agencies, use of new or different sources of information, and changes in national statistical methods and practices. GNP Gross national product (GNP) is the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year, plus income earned by its citizens abroad, minus income earned by foreigners from domestic production. The Factbook, following current practice, uses GDP rather than GNP to measure national production. However, the user must realize that in certain countries net remittances from citizens working abroad may be important to national well-being. GWP This entry gives the gross world product (GWP) or aggregate value of all final goods and services produced worldwide in a given year. Geographic coordinates This entry includes rounded latitude and longitude figures for the purpose of finding the approximate geographic center of an entity and is based on the Gazetteer of Conventional Names, Third Edition, August 1988, US Board on Geographic Names and on other sources. Geographic names This information is presented in Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. It includes a listing of various alternate names, former names, local names, and regional names referenced to one or more related Factbook entries. Spellings are normally, but not always, those approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Alternate names and additional information are included in parentheses. Geography This category includes the entries dealing with the natural environment and the effects of human activity. Geography - note This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of significance not included elsewhere. Gini index See entry for Distribution of family income - Gini index Government This category includes the entries dealing with the system for the adoption and administration of public policy. Government - note This entry includes miscellaneous government information of significance not included elsewhere. Government type This entry gives the basic form of government. Definitions of the major governmental terms are as follows: Anarchy - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought about by the absence of governmental authority. Commonwealth - a nation, state, or other political entity founded on law and united by a compact of the people for the common good. Communism - a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single - often authoritarian - party holds power; state controls are imposed with the elimination of private ownership of property or capital while claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people (i.e., a classless society). Confederacy (Confederation) - a union by compact or treaty between states, provinces, or territories, that creates a central government with limited powers; the constituent entities retain supreme authority over all matters except those delegated to the central government. Constitutional - a government by or operating under an authoritative document (constitution) that sets forth the system of fundamental laws and principles that determines the nature, functions, and limits of that government. Constitutional democracy - a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution. Constitutional monarchy - a system of government in which a monarch is guided by a constitution whereby his/her rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom. Democracy - a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed. Democratic republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them. Dictatorship - a form of government in which a ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a constitution or laws). Ecclesiastical - a government administrated by a church. Emirate - similar to a monarchy or sultanate, but a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of an emir (the ruler of a Muslim state); the emir may be an absolute overlord or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority. Federal (Federative) - a form of government in which sovereign power is formally divided - usually by means of a constitution - between a central authority and a number of constituent regions (states, colonies, or provinces) so that each region retains some management of its internal affairs; differs from a confederacy in that the central government exerts influence directly upon both individuals as well as upon the regional units. Federal republic - a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives. Islamic republic - a particular form of government adoped by some Muslim states; although such a state is, in theory, a theocracy, it remains a republic, but its laws are required to be compatible with the laws of Islam. Maoism - the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism developed in China by Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung), which states that a continuous revolution is necessary if the leaders of a communist state are to keep in touch with the people. Marxism - the political, economic, and social principles espoused by 19th century economist Karl Marx; he viewed the struggle of workers as a progression of historical forces that would proceed from a class struggle of the proletariat (workers) exploited by capitalists (business owners), to a socialist "dictatorship of the proletariat," to, finally, a classless society - Communism. Marxism-Leninism - an expanded form of communism developed by Lenin from doctrines of Karl Marx; Lenin saw imperialism as the final stage of capitalism and shifted the focus of workers' struggle from developed to underdeveloped countries. Monarchy - a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or territory, usually for life and by hereditary right; the monarch may be either a sole absolute ruler or a sovereign - such as a king, queen, or prince - with constitutionally limited authority. Oligarchy - a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power. Parliamentary democracy - a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers - according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament. Parliamentary government (Cabinet-Parliamentary government) - a government in which members of an executive branch (the cabinet and its leader - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor) are nominated to their positions by a legislature or parliament, and are directly responsible to it; this type of government can be dissolved at will by the parliament (legislature) by means of a no confidence vote or the leader of the cabinet may dissolve the parliament if it can no longer function. Parliamentary monarchy - a state headed by a monarch who is not actively involved in policy formation or implementation (i.e., the exercise of sovereign powers by a monarch in a ceremonial capacity); true governmental leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor - who are drawn from a legislature (parliament). Republic - a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on legislation. Socialism - a government in which the means of planning, producing, and distributing goods is controlled by a central government that theoretically seeks a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor; in actuality, most socialist governments have ended up being no more than dictatorships over workers by a ruling elite. Sultanate - similar to a monarchy, but a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of a sultan (the head of a Muslim state); the sultan may be an absolute ruler or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority. Theocracy - a form of government in which a Deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, but the Deity's laws are interpreted by ecclesiastical authorities (bishops, mullahs, etc.); a government subject to religious authority. Totalitarian - a government that seeks to subordinate the individual to the state by controlling not only all political and economic matters, but also the attitudes, values, and beliefs of its population. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) The mean solar time at the Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich, England, with the hours and days, since 1925, reckoned from midnight. GMT is now a historical term having been replaced by UTC on 1 January 1972. See Coordinated Universal Time. Gross domestic product see GDP Gross national product see GNP Gross world product see GWP HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate This entry gives an estimate of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS. The adult prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the total adult population at yearend. HIV/AIDS - deaths This entry gives an estimate of the number of adults and children who died of AIDS during a given calendar year. HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS This entry gives an estimate of all people (adults and children) alive at yearend with HIV infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS. Heliports This entry gives the total number of heliports with hard-surface runways, helipads, or landing areas that support routine sustained helicopter operations exclusively and have support facilities including one or more of the following facilities: lighting, fuel, passenger handling, or maintenance. It includes former airports used exclusively for helicopter operations but excludes heliports limited to day operations and natural clearings that could support helicopter landings and takeoffs. Household income or consumption by percentage share Data on household income or consumption come from household surveys, the results adjusted for household size. Nations use different standards and procedures in collecting and adjusting the data. Surveys based on income will normally show a more unequal distribution than surveys based on consumption. The quality of surveys is improving with time, yet caution is still necessary in making inter-country comparisons. Hydrographic data codes see Data codes Illicit drugs This entry gives information on the five categories of illicit drugs - narcotics, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and cannabis. These categories include many drugs legally produced and prescribed by doctors as well as those illegally produced and sold outside of medical channels. Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, which provides hallucinogens with some sedative properties, and includes marijuana (pot, Acapulco gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, Marinol), hashish (hash), and hashish oil (hash oil). Coca (mostly Erythroxylum coca) is a bush with leaves that contain the stimulant used to make cocaine. Coca is not to be confused with cocoa, which comes from cacao seeds and is used in making chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter. Cocaine is a stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca bush. Depressants (sedatives) are drugs that reduce tension and anxiety and include chloral hydrate, barbiturates (Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, phenobarbital), benzodiazepines (Librium, Valium), methaqualone (Quaalude), glutethimide (Doriden), and others (Equanil, Placidyl, Valmid). Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral change in an individual. Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit chemical substance that results in physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral impairment in an individual. Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self- awareness, and emotion. Hallucinogens include LSD (acid, microdot), mescaline and peyote (mexc, buttons, cactus), amphetamine variants (PMA, STP, DOB), phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust, hog), phencyclidine analogues (PCE, PCPy, TCP), and others (psilocybin, psilocyn). Hashish is the resinous exudate of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Heroin is a semisynthetic derivative of morphine. Mandrax is a trade name for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant. Marijuana is the dried leaf of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Methaqualone is a pharmaceutical depressant, referred to as mandrax in Southwest Asia and Africa. Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain, often induce sleep, and refer to opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic substitutes. Natural narcotics include opium (paregoric, parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin, Roxanol), codeine (Tylenol with codeine, Empirin with codeine, Robitussan AC), and thebaine. Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin (horse, smack), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics include meperidine or Pethidine (Demerol, Mepergan), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), and others (Darvon, Lomotil). Opium is the brown, gummy exudate of the incised, unripe seedpod of the opium poppy. Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source for the natural and semisynthetic narcotics. Poppy straw is the entire cut and dried opium poppy-plant material, other than the seeds. Opium is extracted from poppy straw in commercial operations that produce the drug for medical use. Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant from the buds or leaves of Catha edulis that is chewed or drunk as tea. Quaaludes is the North American slang term for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant. Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild depression, increase energy and activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow, crack), amphetamines (Desoxyn, Dexedrine), ephedrine, ecstasy (clarity, essence, doctor, Adam), phenmetrazine (Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others (Cylert, Sanorex, Tenuate). Imports This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise imports on a c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Imports - commodities This entry provides a rank ordering of imported products starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value. Imports - partners This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value. Independence For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. Dependent areas include the notation "none" followed by the nature of their dependency status. Also see the Terminology note. Industrial production growth rate This entry gives the annual percentage increase in industrial production (includes manufacturing, mining, and construction). Industries This entry provides a rank ordering of industries starting with the largest by value of annual output. Infant mortality rate This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. Inflation rate (consumer prices) This entry furnishes the annual percent change in consumer prices compared with the previous year's consumer prices. International disputes see Disputes - international International organization participation This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates in some other way. International organizations This information is presented in Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups which includes the name, abbreviation, date established, aim, and members by category. Internet country code This entry includes the two-letter codes maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and used by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to establish country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs). Internet hosts This entry lists the number of Internet hosts available within a country. An Internet host is a computer connected directly to the Internet; normally an Internet Service Provider's (ISP) computer is a host. Internet users may use either a hard-wired terminal, at an institution with a mainframe computer connected directly to the Internet, or may connect remotely by way of a modem via telephone line, cable, or satellite to the Internet Service Provider's host computer. The number of hosts is one indicator of the extent of Internet connectivity. Internet users This entry gives the number of users within a country that access the Internet. Statistics vary from country to country and may include users who access the Internet at least several times a week to those who access it only once within a period of several months. Introduction This category includes one entry, Background. Investment (gross fixed) This entry records total business spending on fixed assets, such as factories, machinery, equipment, dwellings, and inventories of raw materials, which provide the basis for future production. It is measured gross of the depreciation of the assets, i.e., it includes invesment that merely replaces worn-out or scrapped capital. Irrigated land This entry gives the number of square kilometers of land area that is artificially supplied with water. Judicial branch This entry contains the name(s) of the highest court(s) and a brief description of the selection process for members. Labor force This entry contains the total labor force figure. Labor force - by occupation This entry lists the percentage distribution of the labor force by occupation. The distribution will total less than 100 percent if the data are incomplete. Land boundaries This entry contains the total length of all land boundaries and the individual lengths for each of the contiguous border countries. When available, official lengths published by national statistical agencies are used. Because surveying methods may differ, country border lengths reported by contiguous countries may differ. Land use This entry contains the percentage shares of total land area for three different types of land use: arable land - land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest; permanent crops - land cultivated for crops like citrus, coffee, and rubber that are not replanted after each harvest; includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber; other - any land not arable or under permanent crops; includes permanent meadows and pastures, forests and woodlands, built-on areas, roads, barren land, etc. Languages This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting with the largest and sometimes includes the percent of total population speaking that language. Legal system This entry contains a brief description of the legal system's historical roots, role in government, and acceptance of International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction. Legislative branch This entry contains information on the structure (unicameral, bicameral, tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and term of office. Elections includes the nature of election process or accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election. Election results includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats held by each party in the last election. Life expectancy at birth This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures. Literacy This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world. Location This entry identifies the country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water. Major infectious diseases This entry lists major infectious diseases likely to be encountered in countries where the risk of such diseases is assessed to be very high as compared to the United States. These infectious diseases represent risks to US government personnel traveling to the specified country for a period of less than three years. The degree of risk is assessed by considering the foreign nature of these infectious diseases, their severity, and the probability of being affected by the diseases present. The diseases listed do not necessarily represent the total disease burden experienced by the local population. The risk to an individual traveler varies considerably by the specific location, visit duration, type of activities, type of accommodations, time of year, and other factors. Consultation with a travel medicine physician is needed to evaluate individual risk and recommend appropriate preventive measures such as vaccines. Diseases are organized into the following six exposure categories shown in italics and listed in typical descending order of risk. Note - The sequence of exposure categories listed in individual country entries may vary according to local conditions. food or waterborne diseases acquired through eating or drinking on the local economy: Hepatitis A - viral disease that interferes with the functioning of the liver; spread through consumption of food or water contaminated with fecal matter, principally in areas of poor sanitation; victims exhibit fever, jaundice, and diarrhea; 15% of victims will experience prolonged symptoms over 6-9 months; vaccine available. Hepatitis E - water-borne viral disease that interferes with the functioning of the liver; most commonly spread through fecal contamination of drinking water; victims exhibit jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, and dark colored urine. Typhoid fever - bacterial disease spread through contact with food or water contaminated by fecal matter or sewage; victims exhibit sustained high fevers; left untreated, mortality rates can reach 20%. vectorborne diseases acquired through the bite of an infected arthropod: Malaria - caused by single-cell parasitic protozoa Plasmodium; transmitted to humans via the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito; parasites multiply in the liver attacking red blood cells resulting in cycles of fever, chills, and sweats accompanied by anemia; death due to damage to vital organs and interruption of blood supply to the brain; endemic in 100, mostly tropical, countries with 90% of cases and the majority of 1.5-2.5 million estimated annual deaths occurring in sub- Saharan Africa. Dengue fever - mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti) viral disease associated with urban environments; manifests as sudden onset of fever and severe headache; occasionally produces shock and hemorrhage leading to death in 5% of cases. Yellow fever - mosquito-borne viral disease; severity ranges from influenza-like symptoms to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever; occurs only in tropical South America and sub-Saharan Africa, where most cases are reported; fatality rate is less than 20%. Japanese Encephalitis - mosquito-borne (Culex tritaeniorhynchus) viral disease associated with rural areas in Asia; acute encephalitis can progress to paralysis, coma, and death; fatality rates 30%. African Trypanosomiasis - caused by the parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma; transmitted to humans via the bite of bloodsucking Tsetse flies; infection leads to malaise and irregular fevers and, in advanced cases when the parasites invade the central nervous system, coma and death; endemic in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa; cattle and wild animals act as reservoir hosts for the parasites. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis - caused by the parasitic protozoa leishmania; transmitted to humans via the bite of sandflies; results in skin lesions that may become chronic; endemic in 88 countries; 90% of cases occur in Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Peru; wild and domesticated animals as well as humans can act as reservoirs of infection. Plague - bacterial disease transmitted by fleas normally associated with rats; person-to-person airborne transmission also possible; recent plague epidemics occurred in areas of Asia, Africa, and South America associated with rural areas or small towns and villages; manifests as fever, headache, and painfully swollen lymph nodes; disease progresses rapidly and without antibiotic treatment leads to pneumonic form with a death rate in excess of 50%. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever - tick-borne viral disease; infection may also result from exposure to infected animal blood or tissue; geographic distribution includes Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe; sudden onset of fever, headache, and muscle aches followed by hemorrhaging in the bowels, urine, nose, and gums; mortality rate is approximately 30%. Rift Valley fever - viral disease affecting domesticated animals and humans; transmission is by mosquito and other biting insects; infection may also occur through handling of infected meat or contact with blood; geographic distribution includes eastern and southern Africa where cattle and sheep are raised; symptoms are generally mild with fever and some liver abnormalities, but the disease may progress to hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, or ocular disease; fatality rates are low at about 1% of cases. Chikungunya - mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti) viral disease associated with urban environments, similar to Dengue Fever; characterized by sudden onset of fever, rash, and severe joint pain usually lasting 3-7 days, some cases result in persistent arthritis. water contact diseases acquired through swimming or wading in freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers: Leptospirosis - bacterial disease that affects animals and humans; infection occurs through contact with water, food, or soil contaminated by animal urine; symptoms include high fever, severe headache, vomiting, jaundice, and diarrhea; untreated, the disease can result in kidney damage, liver failure, meningitis, or respiratory distress; fatality rates are low but left untreated recovery can take months. Schistosomiasis - caused by parasitic trematode flatworm Schistosoma; fresh water snails act as intermediate host and release larval form of parasite that penetrates the skin of people exposed to contaminated water; worms mature and reproduce in the blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and intestines releasing eggs, which become trapped in tissues triggering an immune response; may manifest as either urinary or intestinal disease resulting in decreased work or learning capacity; mortality, while generally low, may occur in advanced cases usually due to bladder cancer; endemic in 74 developing countries with 80% of infected people living in sub-Saharan Africa; humans act as the reservoir for this parasite. aerosolized dust or soil contact disease acquired through inhalation of aerosols contaminated with rodent urine: Lassa fever - viral disease carried by rats of the genus Mastomys; endemic in portions of West Africa; infection occurs through direct contact with or consumption of food contaminated by rodent urine or fecal matter containing virus particles; fatality rate can reach 50% in epidemic outbreaks. respiratory disease acquired through close contact with an infectious person: Meningococcal meningitis - bacterial disease causing an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord; one of the most important bacterial pathogens is Neisseria meningitidis because of its potential to cause epidemics; symptoms include stiff neck, high fever, headaches, and vomiting; bacteria are transmitted from person to person by respiratory droplets and facilitated by close and prolonged contact resulting from crowded living conditions, often with a seasonal distribution; death occurs in 5-15% of cases, typically within 24-48 hours of onset of symptoms; highest burden of meningococcal disease occurs in the hyperendemic region of sub-Saharan Africa known as the "Meningitis Belt" which stretches from Senegal east to Ethiopia. animal contact disease acquired through direct contact with local animals: Rabies - viral disease of mammals usually transmitted through the bite of an infected animal, most commonly dogs; virus affects the central nervous system causing brain alteration and death; symptoms initially are non-specific fever and headache progressing to neurological symptoms; death occurs within days of the onset of symptoms. Manpower available for military service This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for the country and assumes that every individual is fit to serve. Manpower fit for military service This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for the country and who are not otherwise disqualified for health reasons; accounts for the health situation in the country and provides a more realistic estimate of the actual number fit to serve. Manpower reaching military service age annually This entry gives the number of draft-age males and females entering the military manpower pool in any given year and is a measure of the availability of draft-age young adults. Map references This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference map on which a country may be found. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some smaller countries. Maritime claims This entry includes the following claims, the definitions of which are excerpted from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which alone contains the full and definitive descriptions: territorial sea - the sovereignty of a coastal state extends beyond its land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea in the UNCLOS (Part II); this sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea as well as its underlying seabed and subsoil; every state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles; the normal baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea is the low-water line along the coast as marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal state; the UNCLOS describes specific rules for archipelagic states. contiguous zone - according to the UNCLOS (Article 33), this is a zone contiguous to a coastal state's territorial sea, over which it may exercise the control necessary to: prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea; punish infringement of the above laws and regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea; the contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured (e.g. the US has claimed a 12-nautical mile contiguous zone in addition to its 12-nautical mile territorial sea). exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - the UNCLOS (Part V) defines the EEZ as a zone beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which a coastal state has: sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the seabed and its subsoil, and with regard to other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the production of energy from the water, currents, and winds; jurisdiction with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations, and structures; marine scientific research; the protection and preservation of the marine environment; the outer limit of the exclusive economic zone shall not exceed 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. continental shelf - the UNCLOS (Article 76) defines the continental shelf of a coastal state as comprising the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to that distance; the continental margin comprises the submerged prolongation of the landmass of the coastal state, and consists of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise; wherever the continental margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline, coastal states may extend their claim to a distance not to exceed 350 nautical miles from the baseline or 100 nautical miles from the 2500 meter isobath; it does not include the deep ocean floor with its oceanic ridges or the subsoil thereof. exclusive fishing zone - while this term is not used in the UNCLOS, some states (e.g., the United Kingdom) have chosen not to claim an EEZ, but rather to claim jurisdiction over the living resources off their coast; in such cases, the term exclusive fishing zone is often used; the breadth of this zone is normally the same as the EEZ or 200 nautical miles. Median age This entry is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. Currently, the median age ranges from a low of about 15 in Uganda and Gaza Strip to 40 or more in several European countries and Japan. See the entry for "Age structure" for the importance of a young versus an older age structure and, by implication, a low versus a higher median age. Merchant marine Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total, ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries. Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume of a ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship between GRT and DWT. Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers. Foreign-owned are ships that fly the flag of one country but belong to owners in another. Registered in other countries are ships that belong to owners in one country but fly the flag of another. Military This category includes the entries dealing with a country's military structure, manpower, and expenditures. Military - note This entry includes miscellaneous military information of significance not included elsewhere. Military branches This entry lists the service branches subordinate to defense ministries or the equivalent (typically ground, naval, air, and marine forces). Military expenditures - dollar figure This entry gives spending on defense programs in US dollars for the most recent year available; dollar figures for military expenditures should be treated with caution because of different price patterns and accounting methods among nations, as well as wide variations in the strength of different currencies. Military expenditures - percent of GDP This entry gives spending on defense programs for the most recent year available as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP); the GDP is calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). Military service age and obligation This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of sevice obligation. Money figures All money figures are expressed in contemporaneous US dollars unless otherwise indicated. National holiday This entry gives the primary national day of celebration - usually independence day. Nationality This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens - noun and adjective. Natural gas - consumption This entry is the total natural gas consumed in cubic meters (cu m). The discrepancy between the amount of natural gas produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes and other complicating factors. Natural gas - exports This entry is the total natural gas exported in cubic meters (cu m). Natural gas - imports This entry is the total natural gas imported in cubic meters (cu m). Natural gas - production This entry is the total natural gas produced in cubic meters (cu m). The discrepancy between the amount of natural gas produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes and other complicating factors. Natural gas - proved reserves This entry is the stock of proved reserves of natural gas in cubic meters (cu m). Proved reserves are those quantities of natural gas, which, by analysis of geological and engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence to be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under current economic conditions. Natural hazards This entry lists potential natural disasters. Natural resources This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance. Net migration rate This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall level of population change. High levels of migration can cause problems such as increasing unemployment and potential ethnic strife (if people are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force, perhaps in certain key sectors (if people are leaving). Oil - consumption This entry is the total oil consumed in barrels per day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors. Oil - exports This entry is the total oil exported in barrels per day (bbl/day), including both crude oil and oil products. Oil - imports This entry is the total oil imported in barrels per day (bbl/day), including both crude oil and oil products. Oil - production This entry is the total oil produced in barrels per day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors. Oil - proved reserves This entry is the stock of proved reserves of crude oil in barrels (bbl). Proved reserves are those quantities of petroleum which, by analysis of geological and engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence to be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under current economic conditions. People This category includes the entries dealing with the characteristics of the people and their society. People - note This entry includes miscellaneous demographic information of significance not included elsewhere. Personal Names - Capitalization The Factbook capitalizes the surname or family name of individuals for the convenience of our users who are faced with a world of different cultures and naming conventions. The need for capitalization, bold type, underlining, italics, or some other indicator of the individual's surname is apparent in the following examples: MAO Zedong, Fidel CASTRO Ruz, George W. BUSH, and TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al- Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah. By knowing the surname, a short form without all capital letters can be used with confidence as in President Castro, Chairman Mao, President Bush, or Sultan Tunku Salahuddin. The same system of capitalization is extended to the names of leaders with surnames that are not commonly used such as Queen ELIZABETH II. For Vietnamese names, the given name is capitalized because officials are referred to by their given name rather than by their surname. For example, the president of Vietnam is Tran Duc LUONG. His surname is Tran, but he is referred to by his given name - President LUONG. Personal Names - Spelling The romanization of personal names in the Factbook normally follows the same transliteration system used by the US Board on Geographic Names for spelling place names. At times, however, a foreign leader expressly indicates a preference for, or the media or official documents regularly use, a romanized spelling that differs from the transliteration derived from the US Government standard. In such cases, the Factbook uses the alternative spelling. Personal Names - Titles The Factbook capitalizes any valid title (or short form of it) immediately preceding a person's name. A title standing alone is not capitalized. Examples: President PUTIN and President BUSH are chiefs of state. In Russia, the president is chief of state and the premier is the head of the government, while in the US, the president is both chief of state and head of government. Petroleum See entries under Oil. Petroleum products See entries under Oil. Pipelines This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products. Political parties and leaders This entry includes a listing of significant political organizations and their leaders. Political pressure groups and leaders This entry includes a listing of organizations with leaders involved in politics, but not standing for legislative election. Population This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about future trends. The total population presents one overall measure of the potential impact of the country on the world and within its region. Note: starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic estimates for some countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken into account the effects of the growing impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These countries are currently: The Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Population below poverty line National estimates of the percentage of the population falling below the poverty line are based on surveys of sub-groups, with the results weighted by the number of people in each group. Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations. For example, rich nations generally employ more generous standards of poverty than poor nations. Population growth rate The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative. The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure (e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources (e.g., food, water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can be seen as threatening by neighboring countries. Ports and terminals This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered. Public debt This entry records the cumulatiive total of all government borrowings less repayments that are denominated in a country's home currency. Public debt should not be confused with external debt, which reflects the foreign currency liabilities of both the private and public sector and must be financed out of foreign exchange earnings. Radio broadcast stations This entry includes the total number of AM, FM, and shortwave broadcast stations. Railways This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge: broad, standard, narrow, and dual. Other gauges are listed under note. Reference maps This section includes world and regional maps. Refugees and internally displaced persons This entry includes those persons residing in a country as refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs). The definition of a refugee according to a United Nations Convention is "a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well- founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution." The UN established the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1950 to handle refugee matters worldwide. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has a different, operational definition for a Palestinian refugee: "a person whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict." However, UNHCR also assists some 400,000 Palestinian refugees not covered under the UNRWA definition. The term "internally displaced person" is not specifically covered in the UN Convention; it is used to describe people who have fled their homes for reasons similar to refugees, but who remain within their own national territory and are subject to the laws of that state. Religions This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. Reserves of foreign exchange and gold This entry gives the dollar value for the stock of all financial assets that are available to the central monetary authority for use in meeting a country's balance of payments needs as of the end-date of the period specified. This category includes not only foreign currency and gold, but also a country's holdings of Special Drawing Rights in the International Monetary Fund, and its reserve position in the Fund. Roadways This entry gives the total length of the road network and includes the length of the paved and unpaved portions. Sex ratio This entry includes the number of males for each female in five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage patterns and fertility patterns. Eventually, it could cause unrest among young adult males who are unable to find partners. Suffrage This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted. Telephone numbers All telephone numbers in The World Factbook consist of the country code in brackets, the city or area code (where required) in parentheses, and the local number. The one component that is not presented is the international access code, which varies from country to country. For example, an international direct dial telephone call placed from the US to Madrid, Spain, would be as follows: 011 [34] (1) 577-xxxx, where 011 is the international access code for station-to-station calls; 01 is for calls other than station-to-station calls, [34] is the country code for Spain, (1) is the city code for Madrid, 577 is the local exchange, and xxxx is the local telephone number. An international direct dial telephone call placed from another country to the US would be as follows: international access code + [1] (202) 939-xxxx, where [ 1] is the country code for the US, (202) is the area code for Washington, DC, 939 is the local exchange, and xxxx is the local telephone number. Telephone system This entry includes a brief general assessment of the system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry: Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense). CB - citizen's band mobile radio communications. Cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are radio transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio frequency and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in its area (cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a telephone exchange. Central American Microwave System - a trunk microwave radio relay system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each other. Coaxial cable - a multichannel communication cable consisting of a central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made available within the insulated space by the use of a large number of carrier frequencies. Comsat - Communications Satellite Corporation (US). DSN - Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network or Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense Communications System (US Department of Defense). Eutelsat - European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Paris). Fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a thread of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the signal (voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of light. GSM - a global system for mobile (cellular) communications devised by the Groupe Special Mobile of the pan-European standardization organization, Conference Europeanne des Posts et Telecommunications (CEPT) in 1982. HF - high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-kHz range. Inmarsat - International Maritime Satellite Organization (London); provider of global mobile satellite communications for commercial, distress, and safety applications at sea, in the air, and on land. Intelsat - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Washington, DC). Intersputnik - International Organization of Space Communications (Moscow); first established in the former Soviet Union and the East European countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with earth stations in North America, Africa, and East Asia. Landline - communication wire or cable of any sort that is installed on poles or buried in the ground. Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency. Marisat - satellites of the Comsat Corporation that participate in the Inmarsat system. Medarabtel - the Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) providing a modern telecommunications network, primarily by microwave radio relay, linking Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen; it was initially started in Morocco in 1970 by the Arab Telecommunications Union (ATU) and was known at that time as the Middle East Mediterranean Telecommunications Network. Microwave radio relay - transmission of long distance telephone calls and television programs by highly directional radio microwaves that are received and sent on from one booster station to another on an optical path. NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an analog cellular telephone system that was developed jointly by the national telecommunications authorities of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). Orbita - a Russian television service; also the trade name of a packet- switched digital telephone network. Radiotelephone communications - the two-way transmission and reception of sounds by broadcast radio on authorized frequencies using telephone handsets. PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation (Greenwich, CT). SAFE - South African Far East Cable Satellite communication system - a communication system consisting of two or more earth stations and at least one satellite that provide long distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if the earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system. Satellite earth station - a communications facility with a microwave radio transmitting and receiving antenna and required receiving and transmitting equipment for communicating with satellites. Satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an earth station permitting communication between them, either one-way (down link from satellite to earth station - television receive-only transmission) or two-way (telephone channels). SHF - super high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-MHz range. Shortwave - radio frequencies (from 1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall above the commercial broadcast band and are used for communication over long distances. Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites in Mexico's system of international telecommunications in the Western Hemisphere. Statsionar - Russia's geostationary system for satellite telecommunications. Submarine cable - a cable designed for service under water. TAT - Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity submarine coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America. Telefax - facsimile service between subscriber stations via the public switched telephone network or the international Datel network. Telegraph - a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated electric impulse transmission. Telex - a communication service involving teletypewriters connected by wire through automatic exchanges. Tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in which the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of the incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional antennas are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals; reliable over-the-horizon communications are realized for distances up to 600 miles in a single hop; additional hops can extend the range of this system for very long distances. Trunk network - a network of switching centers, connected by multichannel trunk lines. UHF - ultra high frequency; any radio frequency in the 300- to 3,000- MHz range. VHF - very high frequency; any radio frequency in the 30- to 300-MHz range. Telephones - main lines in use This entry gives the total number of main telephone lines in use. Telephones - mobile cellular This entry gives the total number of mobile cellular telephone subscribers. Television broadcast stations This entry gives the total number of separate broadcast stations plus any repeater stations. Terminology Due to the highly structured nature of the Factbook database, some collective generic terms have to be used. For example, the word Country in the Country name entry refers to a wide variety of dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and other entities in addition to the traditional countries or independent states. Military is also used as an umbrella term for various civil defense, security, and defense activities in many entries. The Independence entry includes the usual colonial independence dates and former ruling states as well as other significant nationhood dates such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or state succession that are not strictly independence dates. Dependent areas have the nature of their dependency status noted in this same entry. Terrain This entry contains a brief description of the topography. Time Difference This entry is expressed in The World Factbook in two ways. First, it is stated as the difference in hours between the capital of an entity and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) during Standard Time. Additionally, the difference in time between the capital of an entity and that observed in Washington, D.C. is also provided. Note that the time difference assumes both locations are simultaneously observing Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time. Time zones Ten countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, and the United States) and the island of Greenland observe more than one official time depending on the number of designated time zones within their boundaries. An illustration of time zones throughout the world and within countries can be seen in the Standard Time Zones of the World map included in the Reference Maps section of The World Factbook. Total fertility rate This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age. The total fertility rate (TFR) is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential for population change in the country. A rate of two children per woman is considered the replacement rate for a population, resulting in relative stability in terms of total numbers. Rates above two children indicate populations growing in size and whose median age is declining. Higher rates may also indicate difficulties for families, in some situations, to feed and educate their children and for women to enter the labor force. Rates below two children indicate populations decreasing in size and growing older. Global fertility rates are in general decline and this trend is most pronounced in industrialized countries, especially Western Europe, where populations are projected to decline dramatically over the next 50 years. Trafficking in persons Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. The International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues, estimates that 12.3 million people worldwide are enslaved in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, sexual servitude, and involuntary servitude at any given time. Human trafficking is a multi- dimensional threat, depriving people of their human rights and freedoms, risking global health, promoting social breakdown, inhibiting development by depriving countries of their human capital, and helping fuel the growth of organized crime. In 2000, the US Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), reauthorized in 2003 and 2005, which provides tools for the US to combat trafficking in persons, both domestically and abroad. One of the law¿s key components is the creation of the US Department of State¿s annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which assesses the government response in some 150 countries with a significant number of victims trafficked across their borders who are recruited, harbored, transported, provided, or obtained for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Countries in the annual report are rated in three tiers, based on government efforts to combat trafficking. The countries identified in this entry are those listed in the 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report as Tier 2 Watch List or Tier 3 based on the following definitions: Tier 2 Watch List countries do not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but are making significant efforts to do so, and meet one of the following criteria: 1. they display a high or significantly increasing number victims, 2. they have failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons, or, 3. they have committed to take action over the next year. Tier 3 countries neither satisfy the minimum standards for the elimination of traffiking nor demonstrate a significant effort to do so. Countries in this tier are subject to potential non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions. Transnational issues This category includes four entries - Disputes - international, Refugees and internally displaced persons, Trafficking in persons, and Illicit drugs - that deal with current issues going beyond national boundaries. Transportation This category includes the entries dealing with the means for movement of people and goods. Transportation - note This entry includes miscellaneous transportation information of significance not included elsewhere. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) See entry for Coordinated Universal Time. Unemployment rate This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted. Waterways This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water. Weights and Measures This information is presented in Appendix G: Weights and Measures and includes mathematical notations (mathematical powers and names), metric interrelationships (prefix; symbol; length, weight, or capacity; area; volume), and standard conversion factors. Years All year references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as fiscal year (FY). The calendar year is an accounting period of 12 months from 1 January to 31 December. The fiscal year is an accounting period of 12 months other than 1 January to 31 December. Note: Information for the US and US dependencies was compiled from material in the public domain and does not represent Intelligence Community estimates. This page was last updated on 19 December 2006 ===================================================================== A Brief History of Basic Intelligence and The World Factbook The Intelligence Cycle is the process by which information is acquired, converted into intelligence, and made available to policymakers.  Information is raw data from any source, data that may be fragmentary, contradictory, unreliable, ambiguous, deceptive, or wrong.  Intelligence is information that has been collected, integrated, evaluated, analyzed, and interpreted. Finished intelligence is the final product of the Intelligence Cycle ready to be delivered to the policymaker. The three types of finished intelligence are: basic, current, and estimative. Basic intelligence provides the fundamental and factual reference material on a country or issue. Current intelligence reports on new developments. Estimative intelligence judges probable outcomes. The three are mutually supportive: basic intelligence is the foundation on which the other two are constructed; current intelligence continually updates the  inventory of knowledge; and estimative intelligence revises overall interpretations of country and issue prospects for guidance of basic and  current intelligence. The World Factbook, The President's Daily Brief, and the National Intelligence Estimates are examples of the three types of finished intelligence. The United States has carried on foreign intelligence activities since the days of George Washington but only since World War II have they been coordinated on a government-wide basis. Three programs have highlighted the development of coordinated basic intelligence since that time: (1) the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS), (2) the National Intelligence Survey (NIS), and (3) The World Factbook. During World War II, intelligence consumers realized that the production of basic intelligence by different components of the US Government resulted in a great duplication of effort and conflicting information. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought home to leaders in Congress and the executive branch the need for integrating departmental reports to national policymakers. Detailed and coordinated information was needed not only on such major powers as Germany and Japan, but also on places of little previous interest. In the Pacific Theater, for example, the Navy and Marines had to launch amphibious operations against many islands about which information was unconfirmed or nonexistent. Intelligence authorities resolved that the United States should never again be caught unprepared. In 1943, Gen. George B. Strong (G-2), Adm. H. C. Train (Office of Naval Intelligence - ONI), and Gen. William J. Donovan (Director of the Office of Strategic Services - OSS) decided that a joint effort should be initiated. A steering committee was appointed on 27 April 1943 that recommended the formation of a Joint Intelligence Study Publishing Board to assemble, edit, coordinate, and publish the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS). JANIS was the first interdepartmental basic intelligence program to fulfill the needs of the US Government for an authoritative and coordinated appraisal of strategic basic intelligence. Between April 1943 and July 1947, the board published 34 JANIS studies. JANIS performed well in the war effort, and numerous letters of commendation were received, including a statement from Adm. Forrest Sherman, Chief of Staff, Pacific Ocean Areas, which said, "JANIS has become the indispensable reference work for the shore-based planners." The need for more comprehensive basic intelligence in the postwar world was well expressed in 1946 by George S. Pettee, a noted author on national security. He wrote in The Future of American Secret Intelligence (Infantry Journal Press, 1946, page 46) that world leadership in peace requires even more elaborate intelligence than in war. "The conduct of peace involves all countries, all human activities - not just the enemy and his war production." The Central Intelligence Agency was established on 26 July 1947 and officially began operating on 18 September 1947. Effective 1 October 1947, the Director of Central Intelligence assumed operational responsibility for JANIS. On 13 January 1948, the National Security Council issued Intelligence Directive (NSCID) No. 3, which authorized the National Intelligence Survey (NIS) program as a peacetime replacement for the wartime JANIS program. Before adequate NIS country sections could be produced, government agencies had to develop more comprehensive gazetteers and better maps. The US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) compiled the names; the Department of the Interior produced the gazetteers; and CIA produced the maps. The Hoover Commission's Clark Committee, set up in 1954 to study the structure and administration of the CIA, reported to Congress in 1955 that: "The National Intelligence Survey is an invaluable publication which provides the essential elements of basic intelligence on all areas of the world. There will always be a continuing requirement for keeping the Survey up-to-date." The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The Factbook was first made available on the Internet in June 1997. The year 2006 marks the 59th anniversary of the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency and the 63nd year of continuous basic intelligence support to the US Government by The World Factbook and its two predecessor programs. This page was last updated on 28 November, 2006 ===================================================================== Contributors and Copyright Information The World Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of US Government officials, and the style, format, coverage, and content are designed to meet their specific requirements. Information is provided by Antarctic Information Program (National Science Foundation), Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center (Department of Defense), Bureau of the Census (Department of Commerce), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Department of Labor), Central Intelligence Agency, Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, Defense Intelligence Agency (Department of Defense), Department of Energy, Department of State, Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior), Maritime Administration (Department of Transportation), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (Department of Defense), Naval Facilities Engineering Command (Department of Defense), Office of Insular Affairs (Department of the Interior), Office of Naval Intelligence (Department of Defense), US Board on Geographic Names (Department of the Interior), US Transportation Command (Department of Defense), Oil & Gas Journal, and other public and private sources. The Factbook is in the public domain. Accordingly, it may be copied freely without permission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The official seal of the CIA, however, may NOT be copied without permission as required by the CIA Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. section 403m). Misuse of the official seal of the CIA could result in civil and criminal penalties. Comments and queries are welcome and may be addressed to: Central Intelligence Agency Attn.: Office of Public Affairs Washington, DC 20505 Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM Eastern Standard Time Telephone: [1] (703) 482-0623 FAX: [1] (703) 482-1739 ===================================================================== Purchasing Information The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) publishes The World Factbook in printed and Internet versions. US Government officials may obtain information about availability of the Factbook from their organizations or through liaison channels to the CIA. Other users may obtain sales information about printed copies from the following: Superintendent of Documents P. O. Box 371954 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) Telephone: [1] (202) 512-1800; toll free: [1] (866) 512-1800 FAX: [1] (202) 512-2104 http://bookstore.gpo.gov/ National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) Telephone: [1] (800) 553-6847 (only in the US); [1] (703) 605-6000 (for outside US) FAX: [1] (703) 605-6900 http://www.ntis.gov/ The World Factbook can be accessed on the Internet at: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html This page was last updated on 23 March, 2006 ===================================================================== Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) The World Factbook staff thanks you for your comments, suggestions, updates, kudos, and corrections over the past years. The willingness of readers from around the world to share their observations and specialized knowledge is very helpful as we try to produce the best possible publications. Please feel free to continue to write and e-mail e-mail us. When submitting corrections or updates to the Factbook, please include your source(s) of information. At least two Factbook staffers review every submitted item. The sheer volume of correspondence precludes detailed personal replies, but we sincerely appreciate your time and interest in the Factbook. If you include your e-mail address we will at least acknowledge your note. Thank you again. Answers to many frequently asked questions (FAQs) are explained in the Notes and Definitions section in The World Factbook. Please review this section to see if your question is already answered there. In addition, we have compiled the following list of FAQs to answer other common questions. Select from the following categories to narrow your search: General Geography Spelling and Pronunciation Policies and Procedures Technical General Can you provide additional information for a specific country? The staff cannot provide data beyond what appears in The World Factbook. The format and information in the Factbook are tailored to the specific requirements of US Government officials and content is focused on their current and anticipated needs. The staff welcomes suggestions for new entries. How often is The World Factbook updated? Formerly our Web site (and the published Factbook) were only updated annually. Beginning in November 2001 we instituted a new system of more frequent online updates. The World Factbook is currently updated every two weeks. The annual printed version of the Factbook is usually released about midyear. US Government officials may obtain information about Factbook availability from their own organizations or through liaison channels to the CIA. Other users may obtain sales information through the following channels: Superintendent of Documents P. O. Box 371954 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Telephone: [1] (202) 512-1800 FAX: [1] (202) 512-2250 http://bookstore.gpo.gov National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Telephone: [1] (800) 553-6847 (only in the US); [1] (703) 605-6000 (for outside US) FAX: [1] (703) 605-6900 http://www.ntis.gov Can I use some or all of The World Factbook for my Web site (book, research project, homework, etc.)? The World Factbook is in the public domain and may be used freely by anyone at anytime without seeking permission. However, US Code prohibits use of the CIA seal in a manner which implies that the CIA approved, endorsed, or authorized such use. If you have any questions about your intended use, you should consult with legal counsel. Further information on The World Factbook's use is described on the Contributors and Copyright Information page. As a courtesy, please cite The World Factbook when used. Why doesn't The World Factbook include information on states, departments, provinces, etc., in the country format? The World Factbook provides national-level information on countries, territories, and dependencies, but not subnational administrative units within a country. A good encyclopedia should provide state/province-level information. Is it possible to access older editions of The World Factbook to do comparative research and trend analysis? Only the current version is available for browsing on the CIA Web site. In the future, the staff hopes to post electronic versions of The World Factbook as far back as 1986. Hardcopy editions for earlier years are available from libraries. Would it be possible to set up a partnership or collaboration between the producers of The World Factbook and other organizations or individuals? The World Factbook does not partner with other organizations or individuals, but we do welcome comments and suggestions that such groups or persons choose to provide. Geography I can't find a geographic name for a particular country. Why not? The World Factbook is not a gazetteer (a dictionary or index of places, usually with descriptive or statistical information) and cannot provide more than the names of the administrative divisions (in the Government category) and major cities/towns (on the country maps). Our expanded Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names, however, includes many of the world's major geographic features as well as historic (former) names of countries and cities mentioned in The World Factbook. Why are Taiwan and the European Union listed out of alphabetical order at the end of the Factbook entries? Taiwan is listed after the regular entries because even though the mainland People's Republic of China claims Taiwan, elected Taiwanese authorities de facto administer the island and reject mainland sovereignty claims. With the establishment of diplomatic relations with China on January 1, 1979, the US Government recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China. The European Union (EU) is not a country, but it has taken on many nation-like attributes and these are likely to be expanded in the future. A more complete explanation on the inclusion of the EU into the Factbook may be found in the Preliminary statement. Since we have an ambassador who represents the US at the Vatican, why is this entity not listed in the Factbook? Vatican City is found under Holy See. The term "Holy See" refers to the authority, jurisdiction, and sovereignty vested in the Pope and his advisors to direct the worldwide Catholic Church. The Holy See has a legal personality that allows it to enter into treaties as the juridical equal of a state and to send and receive diplomatic representatives. Vatican City, created in 1929 to administer properties belonging to the Holy See in Rome, is recognized under international law as a sovereign state, but it does not send or receive diplomatic representatives. Consequently, Holy See is included as a Factbook entry, with Vatican City cross-referenced in the Geographic Names appendix. Why is Palestine not listed in The World Factbook? The areas that could potentially form a future Palestinian state -- the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- do appear in the Factbook. These areas are presently Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian 1995 Interim Agreement; their permanent status is to be determined through further negotiation. Why are the Golan Heights not shown as part of Israel or Northern Cyprus with Turkey? Territorial occupations/annexations not recognized by the United States Government are not shown on US Government maps. Why don't you include information on entities such as Tibet, Kashmir, or Kosovo? The World Factbook provides information on the administrative divisions of a country as recommended by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). The BGN is a component of the US Government that develops policies, principles, and procedures governing the spelling, use, and application of geographic names--domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and undersea. Its decisions enable all departments and agencies of the US Government to have access to uniform names of geographic features. Also included in the Factbook are entries on parts of the world whose status has not yet been resolved (e.g., West Bank, Spratly Islands). Specific regions within a country or areas in dispute among countries are not covered. What do you mean when you say that a country is "doubly landlocked"? A doubly landlocked country is one that is separated from an ocean or an ocean-accessible sea by two intervening countries. Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are the only countries that fit this definition. Spelling and Pronunciation Why is the spelling of proper names such as rulers, presidents, and prime ministers in The World Factbook different than their spelling in my country? The Factbook staff applies the names and spellings from the Chiefs of State link on the CIA Web site. The World Factbook is prepared using the standard American English computer keyboard and does not use any special characters, symbols, or most diacritical markings in its spellings. Surnames are always spelled with capital letters; they may appear first in some cultures. The spelling of geographic names, features, cities, administrative divisions, etc. in the Factbook differs from those used in my country. Why is this? The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) recommends and approves names and spellings. The BGN is the component of the United States Government that develops policies, principles, and procedures governing the spelling, use, and application of geographic names--domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and undersea. Its decisions enable all departments and agencies of the US Government to use uniform names of geographic features. (A note is usually included where changes may have occurred but have not yet been approved by the BGN). The World Factbook is prepared using the standard American English computer keyboard and does not use any special characters, symbols, or most diacritical markings in its spellings. Why doesn't The World Factbook include pronunciations of country or leader names? There are too many variations in pronunciation among English-speaking countries, not to mention English renditions of non-English names, for pronunciations to be included. American English pronunciations are included for some countries like Qatar and Kiribati. Why is the name of the Labour party misspelled? When American and British spellings of common English words differ, The World Factbook always uses the American spelling, even when these common words form part of a proper name in British English. Policies and Procedures What is The World Factbook's source for a specific subject field? The Factbook staff uses many different sources to publish what we judge are the most reliable and consistent data for any particular category. Space considerations preclude a listing of these various sources. The names of some geographic features provided in the Factbook differ from those used in other publications. For example, in Asia the Factbook has Burma as the country name, but in other publications Myanmar is used; also, the Factbook uses Sea of Japan whereas other publications label it East Sea. What is your policy on naming geographic features? The Factbook staff follows the guidance of the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). The BGN is the component of the United States Government that develops policies, principles, and procedures governing the spelling, use, and application of geographic names--domestic, foreign, Antarctic, and undersea. Its decisions enable all departments and agencies of the US Government to have access to uniform names of geographic features. The position of the BGN is that the names Burma and Sea of Japan be used in official US Government maps and publications. Why is most of the statistical information in the Factbook given in metric units, rather than the units standard to US measure? US Federal agencies are required by the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-168) and by Executive Order 12770 of July 1991 to use the International System of Units, commonly referred to as the metric system or SI. In addition, the metric system is used by over 95 percent of the world's population. Why don't you include information on minimum and maximum temperature extremes? The Factbook staff judges that this information would only be useful for some (generally smaller) countries. Larger countries can have large temperature extremes that do not represent the landmass as a whole. In the future, such a category may be adopted listing the extremes, but also adding a normal temperature range found throughout most of a country's territory. What information sources are used for the country flags? Flag designs used in The World Factbook are those recognized by the protocol office of the US Department of State. Why do your GDP (Gross Domestic Product) statistics differ from other sources? We have two sets of GDP dollar estimates in The World Factbook , one derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations and the other derived using official exchange rates (OER). Other sources probably use one of the two. See the Notes and Definitions section on GDP and GDP methodology for more information. On the CIA Web site, Chiefs of State is updated weekly, but the last update for the Factbook was an earlier date. Why the discrepancy? Although Chiefs of State and The World Factbook both appear on the CIA Web site, they are produced and updated by separate staffs. Chiefs of State includes fewer countries but more leaders, and is updated more frequently than The World Factbook, which has a much larger database, and includes all countries. Some percentage distributions do not add to 100. Why not? Because of rounding, percentage distributions do not always add precisely to 100%. Rounding of numbers always results in a loss of precision--i.e., error. This error becomes apparent when percentage data are totaled, as the following two examples show: Original Data Rounded to whole integer Example 1 43.2 43 30.4 30 26.4 26 ---- -- 100.0 99 Example 2 42.8 43 31.6 32 25.6 26 ---- -- 100.0 101 When this occurs, we do not force the numbers to add exactly to 100, because doing so would introduce additional error into the distribution. What rounding convention does The World Factbook use? In deciding on the number of digits to present, the Factbook staff assesses the accuracy of the original data and the needs of US Government officials. All of the economic data are processed by computer--either at the source or by the Factbook staff. The economic data presented in The Factbook, therefore, follow the rounding convention used by virtually all numerical software applications, namely, any digit followed by a "5" is rounded up to the next higher digit, no matter whether the original digit is even or odd. Thus, for example, when rounded to the nearest integer, 2.5 becomes 3, rather than 2, as occurred in some pre-computer rounding systems. Why do you list "Independence" dates for countries like France, Germany, and the United Kingdom? For most countries, this entry presents the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For other countries, the date may be some other significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or state succession and so may not strictly be an "Independence" date. Dependent entities have the nature of their dependency status noted in this same entry. Technical Does The World Factbook comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act regarding accessibility of Web pages? The World Factbook home page has a link entitled "Text/Low Bandwidth Version." The country data in the text version is fully accessible. We believe The World Factbook is compliant with the Section 508 law in both fact and spirit. If you are experiencing difficulty, please use our comment form to provide us details of the specific problem you are experiencing and the assistive software and/or hardware that you are using so that we can work with our technical support staff to find and implement a solution. We welcome visitors' suggestions to improve accessibility of The World Factbook and the CIA Web site. I am using the Factbook online and it is not working. What is wrong? Hundreds of "Factbook" look-alikes exist on the Internet. The Factbook site at: www.cia.gov is the only official site. When I attempt to download a PDF (Portable Document Format) map file (or some other map) the file has no image. Can you fix this? Some of the files on The World Factbook Web site are large and could take several minutes to download on a dial-up connection. The screen might be blank during the download process. When I open a map on The World Factbook site, it is fuzzy or granular, or too big or too small. Why? Adjusting the resolution setting on your monitor should correct this problem. Is The World Factbook country data available in machine-readable format? All I can find is HTML, but I'm looking for simple tabular data. The Factbook Web site now features "Rank Order" pages for selected Factbook entries. "Rank Order" pages are available for those data fields identified with a small bar chart icon located next to the title of the data entry. In addition, all of the "Rank Order" pages can be downloaded as tab-delimited data files that can be opened in other applications such as spreadsheets and databases. This page was last updated on 23 August, 2006 ===================================================================== @Afghanistan Introduction Afghanistan Background: Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, but withdrew 10 years later under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A civil war between mujahedin factions erupted following the 1992 fall of the Communist regime. The Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy, seized Kabul in 1996 and most of the country outside of opposition Northern Alliance strongholds by 1998. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. In late 2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution and a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. On 7 December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The National Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2005. Geography Afghanistan Location: Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 65 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas Land boundaries: total: 5,529 km border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest Elevation extremes: lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones Land use: arable land: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 87.66% (2005) Irrigated land: 27,200 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor) People Afghanistan Population: 31,056,997 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,095,117/female 6,763,759) 15-64 years: 53% (male 8,436,716/female 8,008,463) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 366,642/female 386,300) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.6 years male: 17.6 years female: 17.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.67% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 46.6 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 20.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 160.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 164.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 155.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.34 years male: 43.16 years female: 43.53 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.69 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk countrywide below 2,000 meters from March through November animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Nationality: noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan Ethnic groups: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4% Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1% Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 36% male: 51% female: 21% (1999 est.) People - note: of the estimated 4 million refugees in October 2001, 2.3 million have returned Government Afghanistan Country name: conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan Government type: Islamic republic Capital: name: Kabul geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 12 E time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Daykondi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Panjshir, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs) National holiday: Independence Day, 19 August (1919) Constitution: new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004 Legal system: according to the new constitution, no law should be "contrary to Islam"; the state is obliged to create a prosperous and progressive society based on social justice, protection of human dignity, protection of human rights, realization of democracy, and to ensure national unity and equality among all ethnic groups and tribes; the state shall abide by the UN charter, international treaties, international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; former King ZAHIR Shah holds the honorific, "Father of the Country," and presides symbolically over certain occasions, but lacks any governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government cabinet: 27 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a second round; a president can only be elected for two terms; election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote - Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANOONI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ 11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda JALAL 1.2% Legislative branch: the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for five-year terms, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third elected from provincial councils for four-year terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year terms - provincial councils elected temporary members to fill these seats until district councils are formed, and one-third presidential appointees for five-year terms; the presidential appointees will include 2 representatives of Kuchis and 2 representatives of the disabled; half of the presidential appointees will be women) note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held for the Wolesi Jirga by September 2009; next to be held for the provincial councils to the Meshrano Jirga by September 2008) election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system used in the election did not make use of political party slates; most candidates ran as independents Judicial branch: the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts (note - nine supreme court justices were appointed in the interim in January 2005 pending National Assembly selection of the constitutionally mandated justices); there is also a minister of justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes Political parties and leaders: note - includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice: Afghan Millat [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; De Afghanistan De Solay Ghorzang Gond [Shahnawaz TANAI]; De Afghanistan De Solay Mili Islami Gond [Shah Mahmood Polal ZAI]; Harakat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Asif MOHSINEE]; Hezb-e-Aarman-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Iihaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE]; Hezb-e-Aazadee Afghanistan [Abdul MALIK]; Hezb-e-Adalat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Kabeer MARZBAN]; Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Wahid [Mohammad Wasil RAHEEMEE]; Hezb-e-Afghan Watan Islami Gond; Hezb-e-Congra-e-Mili Afghanistan [Latif PEDRAM]; Hezb-e-Falah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad ZAREEF]; Hezb-e-Hambastagee Mili Jawanan-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil KARZAI]; Hezb-e-Hamnbatagee-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq NEMAT]; Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir AATASH]; Hezb-e-Harak-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said Hssain ANWARY]; Hezb-e-Ifazat Az Uqoq-e-Bashar Wa Inkishaf-e-Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATEE]; Hezb-e-Istiqlal-e-Afghanistan [Dr. Gh. Farooq NIJZRABEE]; Hezb-e-Jamhoree Khwahan [Sibghatullah SANJAR]; Hezb-e-Kar Wa Tawsiha-e-Afghanistan [Zulfiar OMID]; Hezb-e-Libral-e-Aazadee Khwa-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ajmal SOHAIL]; Hezb-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rasheed AARYAN]; Hezb-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Aqwam-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANEE]; Hezb-e-Nuhzhat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Ahmad Wali MASOUD]; Hezb-e-Paiwand-e-Mili Afghanistan [Said Mansoor NADIRI]; Hezb-e-Rastakhaiz-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Said ZAHIR]; Hezb-e-Refah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASEEQ]; Hezb-e-Risalat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Noor Aqa ROEEN]; Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ]; Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mili Wa Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Usman SALIGZADA]; Hezb-e-Sulh-e-Mili Islami Aqwam-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Qahir SHARYATEE]; Hezb-e-Sulh Wa Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Qadir IMAMEE]; Hezb-e-Tafahum-e-Wa Democracy Afghanistan [Ahamad SHAHEEN]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim KHALILI]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rasheed JALILI]; Jamahat-ul-Dahwat ilal Qurhan-wa-Sunat-ul-Afghanistan [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Jombesh-e Milli [Abdul Rashid DOSTAM]; Mahaz-e-Mili Islami Afghanistan [Said Ahmad GAILANEE]; Majmah-e-Mili Fahaleen-e-Sulh-e-Afghanistan [Shams ul Haq Noor SHAMS]; Nuhzat-e-Aazadee Wa Democracy Afghanistan [Abdul Raqeeb Jawid KUHISTANEE]; Nuhzat-e-Hambastagee Mili Afghanistan [Peer Said Ishaq GAILANEE]; Sazman-e-Islami Afghanistan-e-Jawan [Siad Jawad HUSSAINEE]; Tahreek Wahdat-e-Mili [Sultan Mahmood DHAZI] (30 Sep 2004) Political pressure groups and leaders: Jamiat-e Islami (Society of Islam) [former President Burhanuddin RABBANI]; Ittihad-e Islami (Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan) [Abdul Rasul SAYYAF]; there are also small monarchist, communist, and democratic groups International organization participation: AsDB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Said Tayeb JAWAD chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] 202-483-6410 FAX: [1] 202-483-6488 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald E. NEUMANN embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul mailing address: 6180 Kabul Place, Dulles, VA 20189-6180 telephone: [00 93] (20) 230-0436 FAX: [00 93] (20) 230-1364 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and green, with a gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bold Islamic inscription above Economy Afghanistan Economy - overview: Afghanistan's economic outlook has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 because of the infusion of over $8 billion in international assistance, recovery of the agricultural sector and growth of the service sector, and the reestablishment of market institutions. Real GDP growth is estimated to have slowed in the last fiscal year primarily because adverse weather conditions cut agricultural production, but is expected to rebound over 2005-06 because of foreign donor reconstruction and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan remains extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, farming, and trade with neighboring countries. It will probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from its current status, among the lowest in the world. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs, but the Afghan government and international donors remain committed to improving access to these basic necessities by prioritizing infrastructure development, education, housing development, jobs programs, and economic reform over the next year. Growing political stability and continued international commitment to Afghan reconstruction create an optimistic outlook for continuing improvements in the Afghan economy in 2006. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade may account for one-third of GDP and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy challenges. Other long-term challenges include: boosting the supply of skilled labor, reducing vulnerability to severe natural disasters, expanding health services, and rebuilding a war torn infrastructure. GDP (purchasing power parity): $21.5 billion (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $7.095 billion GDP - real growth rate: 14% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $800 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38% industry: 24% services: 38% note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.) Labor force: 15 million (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry: 10% services: 10% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 40% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 53% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.3% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $269 million expenditures: $561 million; including capital expenditures of $41.7 million note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order Trust Fund (FY04-05 budget est.) Agriculture - products: opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 905 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36.3% hydro: 63.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.042 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 200 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 5,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 99.96 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Exports: $471 million; note - not including illicit exports or reexports (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems Exports - partners: US 25.3%, Pakistan 20.9%, India 20.8%, Finland 4% (2005) Imports: $3.87 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products Imports - partners: Pakistan 23.9%, US 11.8%, Germany 6.8%, India 6.5%, Turkey 5.1%, Turkmenistan 5%, Russia 4.7%, Kenya 4.4% (2005) Debt - external: $8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has $500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004) Economic aid - recipient: international pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09 Currency (code): afghani (AFA) Currency code: AFA Exchange rates: afghanis per US dollar - 541 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003), 41 (2002), 66 (2001) note: in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency stabilized at about 50 afghanis to the dollar; before 2002, the market rate varied widely from the official rate Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March Communications Afghanistan Telephones - main lines in use: 100,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.2 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service domestic: telephone service is improving with the licensing of four wireless telephone service providers by 2005; approximately 4 in 100 Afghans own a wireless telephone; telephone main lines remain limited. international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity Radio broadcast stations: AM 21, FM 23, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and English) (2003) Radios: 167,000 (1999) Television broadcast stations: at least 10 (one government-run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 34 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e-Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998) Televisions: 100,000 (1999) Internet country code: .af Internet hosts: 22 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 30,000 (2005) Communications - note: in March 2003, 'af' was established as Afghanistan's domain name; Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public "telekiosks" in Kabul (2002) Transportation Afghanistan Airports: 46 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Heliports: 9 (2006) Pipelines: gas 466 km (2006) Roadways: total: 34,789 km paved: 8,231 km unpaved: 26,558 km (2003) Waterways: 1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2005) Ports and terminals: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan Military Afghanistan Military branches: Afghan National Army (includes Afghan Air Force) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 22-49: 4,952,812 females age 22-49: 4,663,963 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 22-49: 2,662,946 females age 22-49: 2,508,574 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 275,362 females age 22-49: 259,935 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $122.4 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Afghanistan Disputes - international: most Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been repatriated, but thousands still remain in Iran, many at their own choosing; Coalition and Pakistani forces continue to patrol remote tribal areas to control the borders and stem organized terrorist and other illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings between Pakistani and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments; regional conflicts over water-sharing arrangements with Amu Darya and Helmand River states Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 200,000-300,000 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and west due to drought and instability) (2005) Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of opium; cultivation dropped 48% to 107,400 hectares in 2005; better weather and lack of widespread disease returned opium yields to normal levels, meaning potential opium production declined by only 10% to 4,475 metric tons; if the entire poppy crop were processed, it is estimated that 526 metric tons of heroin could be processed; source of hashish; many narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source of instability and some antigovernment groups profit from the trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through informal financial networks This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Akrotiri Introduction Akrotiri Background: By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. Geography Akrotiri Location: peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus Geographic coordinates: 34 37 N, 32 58 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 123 sq km note: includes a salt lake and wetlands Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 47.4 km border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km Coastline: 56.3 km Climate: temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters Environment - current issues: shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base Geography - note: British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus People Akrotiri Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,300 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there Languages: English, Greek Government Akrotiri Country name: conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area conventional short form: Akrotiri Dependency status: overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus Capital: name: Episkopi Cantonment; also serves as capital of Dhekelia geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Constitution: Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 Legal system: the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defence elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: the flag of the UK is used Economy Akrotiri Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. Communications Akrotiri Radio broadcast stations: FM 1 note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) Television broadcast stations: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) Military Akrotiri Military - note: Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Albania Introduction Albania Background: Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU. Albania, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a strong supporter of the global war on terrorism. Geography Albania Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 20 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 28,748 sq km land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: total: 720 km border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172 km, Serbia 115 km Coastline: 362 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower Land use: arable land: 20.1% permanent crops: 4.21% other: 75.69% (2005) Irrigated land: 3,530 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) People Albania Population: 3,581,655 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.8% (male 464,954/female 423,003) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,214,942/female 1,158,562) 65 years and over: 8.9% (male 148,028/female 172,166) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.9 years male: 28.3 years female: 29.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.52% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -4.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 20.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.43 years male: 74.78 years female: 80.34 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian Ethnic groups: Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.) note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization) Religions: Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice Languages: Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects Literacy: definition: age 9 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 93.3% female: 79.5% (2003 est.) Government Albania Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Albania conventional short form: Albania local long form: Republika e Shqiperise local short form: Shqiperia former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania Government type: emerging democracy Capital: name: Tirana (Tirane) geographic coordinates: 41 20 N, 19 50 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Qarku i Beratit, Qarku i Dibres, Qarku i Durresit, Qarku i Elbasanit, Qarku i Fierit, Qarku i Gjirokastres, Qarku i Korces, Qarku i Kukesit, Qarku i Lezhes, Qarku i Shkodres, Qarku i Tiranes, Qarku i Vlores Independence: 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire) National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1912) Constitution: adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998 Legal system: has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President of the Republic Alfred MOISIU (since 24 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 24 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Alfred MOISIU elected president; People's Assembly vote by number - total votes 116, for 97, against 19 Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote for four-year terms) elections: last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD 56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and district courts Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Nikolle LESI]; Communist Party of Albania or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Neritan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIU]; Liberal Union Party or PBL [Arjan STAROVA]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or BNK [Adriatik ALIMADHI]; New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Renewed Democratic Party or PDRN [Dashamir SHEHI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy Party or PDS [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Union for Human Rights Party or PBDNj [Vangjel DULE] Political pressure groups and leaders: Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement [Erion VELIAJ]; Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA] International organization participation: BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aleksander SALLABANDA chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942 FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marcie B. RIES embassy: Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana mailing address: US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20189-9510 telephone: [355] (4) 247285 FAX: [355] (4) 232222 Flag description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center Economy Albania Economy - overview: Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to spur economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for about one-quarter of GDP, is held back because of frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment, to clarify property rights, and to consolidate small plots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment, which make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment. The planned construction of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission and distribution facilities will help relieve the energy shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side: growth was strong in 2003-05 and inflation is not a problem. GDP (purchasing power parity): $18.87 billion note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50% of official GDP (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $8.657 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.2% industry: 18.8% services: 57.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 58% industry: 19% services: 23% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 14.3% official rate, but may exceed 30% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 25% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 28.2 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 22.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.96 billion expenditures: $2.377 billion; including capital expenditures of $500 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower Industrial production growth rate: 3.1% (2004 est.) Electricity - production: 5.68 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.9% hydro: 97.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 6.76 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 200 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 1.08 billion kWh (2004 est.) Oil - production: 3,600 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - imports: 21,600 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 185.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 30 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 30 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-416 million (2005 est.) Exports: $650.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco Exports - partners: Italy 72.4%, Greece 10.5%, Serbia and Montenegro 5% (2005) Imports: $2.473 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals Imports - partners: Italy 29.3%, Greece 16.4%, Turkey 7.5%, China 6.6%, Germany 5.4%, Russia 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.461 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.55 billion (2004) Economic aid - recipient: ODA: $366 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2003 est.) Currency (code): lek (ALL) Currency code: ALL Exchange rates: leke per US dollar - 102.649 (2005), 102.78 (2004), 121.863 (2003), 140.155 (2002), 143.485 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Albania Telephones - main lines in use: 255,000 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.259 million (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains the lowest in Europe with roughly seven lines per 100 people; however, cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003 two companies were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of Albania's Balkan neighbors international: country code - 355; inadequate fixed main lines; adequate cellular connections; international traffic carried by fiber optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2003) Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 46 (3 national, 62 local), shortwave 1 (2005) Radios: 1 million (2001) Television broadcast stations: 65 (3 national, 62 local); note - 2 cable networks (2005) Televisions: 700,000 (2001) Internet country code: .al Internet hosts: 430 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (2001) Internet users: 75,000 (2005) Transportation Albania Airports: 11 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2006) Railways: total: 447 km standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 18,000 km paved: 7,020 km unpaved: 10,980 km (2002) Waterways: 43 km (2006) Merchant marine: total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 52,987 GRT/79,863 DWT by type: cargo 23, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Turkey 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Georgia 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore Military Albania Military branches: General Staff Headquarters, Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air Defense Command, Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command Military service age and obligation: 19 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 809,524 females age 19-49: 784,199 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 668,526 females age 19-49: 648,334 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 37,407 females age 19-49: 34,587 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $56.5 million (FY02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.49% (FY02) Transnational Issues Albania Disputes - international: the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; thousands of unemployed Albanians emigrate annually to nearby Italy and other developed countries Illicit drugs: increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Algeria Introduction Algeria Background: After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a crack down on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. The government later allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-98 and which resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. However, small numbers of armed militants persist in confronting government forces and conducting ambushes and occasional attacks on villages. The army placed Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA in the presidency in 1999 in a fraudulent election but claimed neutrality in his 2004 landslide reelection victory. Longstanding problems continue to face BOUTEFLIKA in his second term, including the ethnic minority Berbers' ongoing autonomy campaign, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing - although significantly degraded - activities of extremist militants. Algeria must also diversify its petroleum-based economy, which has yielded a large cash reserve but which has not been used to redress Algeria's many social and infrastructure problems. Geography Algeria Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 3 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 2,381,740 sq km land: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 6,343 km border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km Coastline: 998 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm Climate: arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer Terrain: mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain Elevation extremes: lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m highest point: Tahat 3,003 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc Land use: arable land: 3.17% permanent crops: 0.28% other: 96.55% (2005) Irrigated land: 5,690 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season Environment - current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan) People Algeria Population: 32,930,091 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 4,722,076/female 4,539,713) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 11,133,802/female 10,964,502) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 735,444/female 834,554) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.9 years male: 24.7 years female: 25.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.22% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 17.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.61 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 29.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 33.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.26 years male: 71.68 years female: 74.92 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% ; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,100 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: cutaneous leishmaniasis is a high risk in some locations (2005) Nationality: noun: Algerian(s) adjective: Algerian Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1% note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools Religions: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1% Languages: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70% male: 78.8% female: 61% (2003 est.) Government Algeria Country name: conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria conventional short form: Algeria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah local short form: Al Jaza'ir Government type: republic Capital: name: Algiers geographic coordinates: 36 47 N, 2 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 48 provinces (wilayat, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France) National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 November (1954) Constitution: 8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996 Legal system: socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Abdelaziz BELKHADEM cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA reelected president for second term; percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA 85%, Ali BENFLIS 6.4%, Abdellah DJABALLAH 5% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consisting of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats - formerly 380 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Council of Nations (Senate) (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve six-year terms; the constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three years) elections: National People's Assembly - last held 30 May 2002 (next to be held in 2007); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 30 December 2003 (next to be held in 2006) election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 199, RND 47, Islah 43, MSP 38, PT 21, FNA 8, EnNahda 1, PRA 1, MEN 1, independents 30; Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI]; National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National Democratique) or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA, secretary general]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR]; National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA]; National Liberation Front or FLN [Abdelaziz BELKHADEM, secretary general]; National Reform Movement or Islah (formerly MRN) [Abdellah DJABALLAH]; National Renewal Party or PRA [Yacine TERKMANE]; Progressive Republican Party [Khadir DRISS]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SADI]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Fatah RABEI]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boudjerra SOLTANI]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN] note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997 Political pressure groups and leaders: The Algerian Human Rights League or LADH or LADDH [Yahia Ali ABDENOUR]; SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET] International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Amine KHERBI chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. FORD embassy: 04 Chemin Cheikh Bachir Ibrahimi El-Biar 16030, Algiers mailing address: B. P. 408, Alger-Gare, 16030 Algiers telephone: [213] (021) 69-12-55 FAX: [213] (021) 69-39-79 Flag description: two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion) Economy Algeria Economy - overview: The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the seventh-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second-largest gas exporter; it ranks 14th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent years, along with macroeconomic policy reforms supported by the IMF, have helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic indicators. Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses and building up record foreign exchange reserves. Real GDP has risen due to higher oil output and increased government spending. The government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy sector, however, has had little success in reducing high unemployment and improving living standards. The population is becoming increasingly restive due to the lack of jobs and housing and frequently stages protests, which have resulted in arrests and injuries, including some deaths as government forces intervened to restore order. Structural reform within the economy, such as development of the banking sector and the construction of infrastructure, moves ahead slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucratic resistance. GDP (purchasing power parity): $235.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $85.31 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10.1% industry: 60% services: 29.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 10.15 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 17.1% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 25% (2005 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.8% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.3 (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 22.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $42.05 billion expenditures: $30.75 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.8 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 30.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle Industries: petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing Industrial production growth rate: 8% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 26.99 billion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.7% hydro: 0.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 24.9 billion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - exports: 400 million kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - imports: 200 million kWh (2003 est.) Oil - production: 1.373 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 246,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 1.127 million bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 12.46 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 82.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 21.32 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 57.98 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 4.531 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $18.79 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $49.59 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97% Exports - partners: US 22.8%, Italy 16.2%, Spain 10.4%, France 10%, Canada 8%, Brazil 6.1%, Belgium 4.4%, Germany 4.2% (2005) Imports: $22.53 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods Imports - partners: France 28.2%, Italy 7.8%, Spain 7.1%, China 6.6%, Germany 6.3%, US 5.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $56.58 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $19.45 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $122.8 million (2002 est.) Currency (code): Algerian dinar (DZD) Currency code: DZD Exchange rates: Algerian dinars per US dollar - 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003), 79.682 (2002), 77.215 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Algeria Telephones - main lines in use: 2.572 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 13.661 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: telephone density in Algeria is very low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the number of fixed main lines increased in the last few years to nearly 2.6 million, but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers; much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth stations are planned) international: country code - 213; submarine cables - 5; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat, Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999) Radios: 7.1 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 3.1 million (1997) Internet country code: .dz Internet hosts: 1,202 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 1.92 million (2005) Transportation Algeria Airports: 142 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 52 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 90 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 1,344 km; gas 85,946 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,213 km; oil 6,496 km (2005) Railways: total: 3,973 km standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 104,000 km paved: 71,656 km unpaved: 32,344 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or over) 744,406 GRT/766,764 DWT by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 10, chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 9, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 13 (UK 13) (2006) Ports and terminals: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda Military Algeria Military branches: National Popular Army (ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian National Navy (MRA), Air Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2005) Military service age and obligation: 19-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (6 months basic training, 12 months civil projects) (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 8,033,049 females age 19-49: 7,926,351 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 6,590,079 females age 19-49: 6,711,285 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 374,639 females age 19-49: 369,021 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Algeria Disputes - international: Algeria supports the exiled Sahrawi Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Western Saharan Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria; Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; in an attempt to improve relations, Morocco, in mid-2004, unilaterally lifted the requirement that Algerians visiting Morocco possess entry visas - a gesture not reciprocated by Algeria; Algeria remains concerned about armed bandits operating throughout the Sahel who sometimes destabilize southern Algerian towns; dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the FLN's assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 102,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf) IDPs: 400,000-600,000 (conflict between government forces, Islamic insurgents) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Algeria is a transit and destination country for men, women, and children from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; many victims willingly migrate to Algeria en route to European countries with the help of smugglers, where they are often forced into prostitution, labor, and begging to pay off their smuggling debt; armed militants reportedly traffic women for sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude, and children may be trafficked for forced labor as domestic servants or street vendors tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Algeria took no steps to assess the scope of trafficking in the country and reported no investigations or prosecutions for trafficking offenses this year This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @American Samoa Introduction American Samoa Background: Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered" by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year. Geography American Samoa Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand Geographic coordinates: 14 20 S, 170 00 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 199 sq km land: 199 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 116 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October); little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island) Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Lata Mountain 964 m Natural resources: pumice, pumicite Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 15% other: 75% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons common from December to March Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines Geography - note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean People American Samoa Population: 57,794 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.7% (male 10,388/female 9,654) 15-64 years: 62.4% (male 18,698/female 17,350) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 633/female 1,071) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 23.2 years male: 22.9 years female: 23.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.19% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.46 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 3.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -21.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.07 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.05 years male: 72.48 years female: 79.82 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: American Samoan(s) (US nationals) adjective: American Samoan Ethnic groups: native Pacific islander 92.9%, Asian 2.9%, white 1.2%, mixed 2.8%, other 0.2% (2000 census) Religions: Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30% Languages: Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific islander 2.1%, other 2% note: most people are bilingual (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 97% (1980 est.) Government American Samoa Country name: conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa conventional short form: American Samoa abbreviation: AS Dependency status: unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior Government type: NA Capital: name: Pago Pago geographic coordinates: 14 16 S, 170 42 W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western Independence: none (territory of the US) National holiday: Flag Day, 17 April (1900) Constitution: ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967 Legal system: NA Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 7 April 2003) cabinet: Cabinet made up of 12 department directors elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as American Samoa, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 and 16 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Togiola TULAFONO elected governor; percent of vote - Togiola TULAFONO 55.7%, Afoa Moega LUTU 44.3% Legislative branch: bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected by popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats; members are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 18 note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA (Democrat) reelected as delegate Judicial branch: High Court (chief justice and associate justices are appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [Oreta M. TOGAFAU]; Republican Party [Tautai A. F. FAALEVAO] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US) Flag description: blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the outer side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club Economy American Samoa Economy - overview: American Samoa has a traditional Polynesian economy in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US with which American Samoa conducts most of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism is a promising developing sector. GDP (purchasing power parity): $510.1 million (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $333.8 million GDP - real growth rate: 3% NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 17,630 (2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 34% industry: 33% services: 33% (1990) Unemployment rate: 29.8% (2005) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Budget: revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US grants) expenditures: $127 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97) Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock Industries: tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 130 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 120.9 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 4,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $445.6 million (FY04 est.) Exports - commodities: canned tuna 93% (2004 est.) Exports - partners: Indonesia 28.2%, India 22.3%, Australia 15.3%, Japan 11.2%, NZ 7.1% (2005) Imports: $308.8 million (FY04 est.) Imports - commodities: materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6% (2004 est.) Imports - partners: Australia 66%, Samoa 13.8%, NZ 10.8% (2005) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: important financial support from the US, more than $40 million in 1994 Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications American Samoa Telephones - main lines in use: 15,000 (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,377 (1999) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station international: country code - 684; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat-Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2006) Radios: 57,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (Low Power TV); note - one cable TV station (2006) Televisions: 14,000 (1997) Internet country code: .as Internet hosts: 1,456 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation American Samoa Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 185 km (2004) Ports and terminals: Pago Pago Military American Samoa Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues American Samoa Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Andorra Introduction Andorra Background: For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from 1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of Urgel). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy. Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes. Geography Andorra Location: Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 468 sq km land: 468 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 120.3 km border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers Terrain: rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys Elevation extremes: lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead Land use: arable land: 2.13% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.87% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: avalanches Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal Environment - international agreements: party to: Hazardous Wastes signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in the Pyrenees People Andorra Population: 71,201 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.7% (male 5,456/female 4,994) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 26,632/female 24,172) 65 years and over: 14% (male 4,918/female 5,029) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.9 years male: 41.2 years female: 40.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.89% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 6.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 83.51 years male: 80.61 years female: 86.61 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Andorran(s) adjective: Andorran Ethnic groups: Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998) Religions: Roman Catholic (predominant) Languages: Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese Literacy: definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Government Andorra Country name: conventional long form: Principality of Andorra conventional short form: Andorra local long form: Principat d'Andorra local short form: Andorra Government type: parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally by coprinces' representatives Capital: name: Andorra la Vella geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, Escaldes-Engordany, La Massana, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria Independence: 1278 (formed under the joint suzerainty of the French count of Foix and the Spanish bishop of Urgel) National holiday: Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278) Constitution: Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991, approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 4 May 1993 Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Philippe MASSONI (since 26 July 2002); Spanish Coprince Bishop Joan Enric VIVES i SICILIA (since 12 May 2003), represented by Nemesi MARQUES i OSTE (since NA) head of government: Executive Council President Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA (since 27 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive Council president elections: Executive Council president elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held April-May 2009) election results: Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA elected executive council president; percent of General Council vote - NA Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each of the seven parishes; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held March-April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 41.2%, PS 38.1%, CDA-S21 11%, other 9.7%; seats by party - PLA 14, PS 12, CDA-S21 2 Judicial branch: Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional Political parties and leaders: Andorran Democratic Center Party or CDA (formerly Democratic Party or PD); Century 21 or S21 [Enric TARRADO]; Liberal Party of Andorra or PLA (formerly Liberal Union or UL) [Albert PINTAT]; Social Democratic Party or PS (formerly part of National Democratic Group or AND) [Jaume BARTUMEU CASSANY] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: CE, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF, OIF (associate member), OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jelena V. PIA-COMELLA chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064 FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630 Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: [34] (3) 280-2227; FAX: [34] (3) 205-5206 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem Economy Andorra Economy - overview: Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its partial "tax haven" status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs) and as a non-EU member for agricultural products. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.84 billion (2004) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $24,000 (2004) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 48,740 (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 0.34% industry: 19.63% services: 80.03% (2004) Unemployment rate: 0% (1996 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2004) Budget: revenues: $373.5 million expenditures: $373.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) Agriculture - products: small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep Industries: tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - production by source: NA Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - exports: NA kWh Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower Exports: $145 million f.o.b. (2004) Exports - commodities: tobacco products, furniture Exports - partners: Spain 58%, France 34% (2004) Imports: $1.077 billion (1998) Imports - commodities: consumer goods, food, electricity Imports - partners: Spain 51.5%, France 22.3%, US 0.3% (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: none Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Andorra Telephones - main lines in use: 35,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 64,600 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and Spain Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 16,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997) Televisions: 27,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ad Internet hosts: 14,944 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 21,900 (2005) Transportation Andorra Roadways: total: 269 km paved: 198 km unpaved: 71 km Military Andorra Military branches: no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,418 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 14,721 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 369 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain Transnational Issues Andorra Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Angola Introduction Angola Background: Angola is slowly rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on power. DOS SANTOS has pledged to hold legislative elections in 2006. Geography Angola Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 18 30 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1,246,700 sq km land: 1,246,700 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 5,198 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province), Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km Coastline: 1,600 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April) Terrain: narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m Natural resources: petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium Land use: arable land: 2.65% permanent crops: 0.23% other: 97.12% (2005) Irrigated land: 800 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau Environment - current issues: overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo People Angola Population: 12,127,071 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 2,678,185/female 2,625,933) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 3,291,954/female 3,195,688) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 148,944/female 186,367) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18 years male: 18 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.45% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 45.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 24.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 3.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 185.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 197.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 172.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 38.62 years male: 37.47 years female: 39.83 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.35 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 240,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 21,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Angolan(s) adjective: Angolan Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22% Religions: indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.) Languages: Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.8% male: 82.1% female: 53.8% (2001 est.) Government Angola Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Angola conventional short form: Angola local long form: Republica de Angola local short form: Angola former: People's Republic of Angola Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime Capital: name: Luanda geographic coordinates: 8 48 S, 13 14 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire Independence: 11 November 1975 (from Portugal) National holiday: Independence Day, 11 November (1975) Constitution: 11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11 August 1980, 6 March 1991, and 26 August 1992; note - a new constitution will likely be passed following the next legislative election Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; recently modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Fernando de Piedade Dias DOS SANTOS was appointed Prime Minister on 6 December 2002 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by universal ballot for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive or discontinuous term) under the 1992 constitution; President DOS SANTOS originally elected (in 1979) without opposition under a one-party system and stood for reelection in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held September 2006 or 2007) election results: Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI 40.1%, making a run-off election necessary; the run-off was not held and SAVIMBI's National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) repudiated the results of the first election; the civil war resumed leaving DOS SANTOS in his current position as the president Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220 seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held September 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 54%, UNITA 34%, other 12%; seats by party - MPLA 129, UNITA 70, PRS 6, FNLA 5, PLD 3, other 7 Judicial branch: Supreme Court and separate provincial courts (judges are appointed by the president) Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Analia de Victoria PEREIRA]; National Front for the Liberation of Angola or FNLA [disputed leadership: Lucas NGONDA, Holden ROBERTO]; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola or UNITA [Isaias SAMAKUVA] (largest opposition party); Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola or MPLA [Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS] (ruling party in power since 1975); Social Renewal Party or PRS [disputed leadership: Eduardo KUANGANA, Antonio MUACHICUNGO] note: about a dozen minor parties participated in the 1992 elections but only won a few seats; they and the other 115 smaller parties have little influence in the National Assembly Political pressure groups and leaders: Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC [N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE] note: FLEC's small-scale, highly factionalized armed struggle for the independence of Cabinda Province has largely ended International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKITI chancery: 2108 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1258 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Cynthia EFIRD embassy: number 32 Rua Houari Boumedienne (in the Miramar area of Luanda), Luanda mailing address: international mail: Caixa Postal 6468, Luanda; pouch: US Embassy Luanda,US Department of State, 2550 Luanda Place, Washington, DC 20521-2550 telephone: [244] (222) 64-1000 FAX: [244] (222) 64-1232 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle) Economy Angola Economy - overview: Angola's high growth rate is driven by its oil sector, with record oil prices and rising petroleum production. Oil production and its supporting activities contribute about half of GDP and 90% of exports. Increased oil production supported 12% growth in 2004 and 19% growth in 2005. A postwar reconstruction boom and resettlement of displaced persons has led to high rates of growth in construction and agriculture as well. Much of the country's infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil war. Remnants of the conflict such as widespread land mines still mar the countryside even though an apparently durable peace was established after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in February 2002. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for half of the population, but half of the country's food must still be imported. In 2005, the government started using a $2 billion line of credit from China to rebuild Angola's public infrastructure, and several large-scale projects are scheduled for completion by 2006. The central bank in 2003 implemented an exchange rate stabilization program using foreign exchange reserves to buy kwanzas out of circulation, a policy that was more sustainable in 2005 because of strong oil export earnings, and has significantly reduced inflation. Consumer inflation declined from 325% in 2000 to about 18% in 2005, but the stabilization policy places pressure on international net liquidity. To fully take advantage of its rich national resources - gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will need to continue reforming government policies and to reduce corruption. The government has made sufficient progress on reforms recommended by the IMF such as promoting greater transparency in government spending but continues to be without a formal monitoring agreement with the institution. GDP (purchasing power parity): $45.32 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $24.35 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 19.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.6% industry: 65.8% services: 24.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 5.58 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 85% industry and services: 15% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half the population (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: 70% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 23% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 30.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $8.5 billion expenditures: $10 billion; including capital expenditures of $963 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 38.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest products; fish Industries: petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite, uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing; food processing, brewing, tobacco products, sugar; textiles; ship repair Industrial production growth rate: 13.5% (2004) Electricity - production: 2.24 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36.4% hydro: 63.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.9 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 1.6 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 46,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 25 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 720 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 720 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 45.87 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $4.054 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $26.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, gas, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton Exports - partners: US 39.8%, China 29.6%, France 7.8%, Chile 5.4%, Taiwan 4.4% (2005) Imports: $8.165 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods Imports - partners: South Korea 20.8%, Portugal 13.6%, US 12.7%, South Africa 7.5%, Brazil 5.6%, France 5.3%, China 5.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.197 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $9.401 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $383.5 million (1999) Currency (code): kwanza (AOA) Currency code: AOA Exchange rates: kwanza per US dollar - 88.6 (2005), 83.541 (2004), 74.606 (2003), 43.53 (2002), 22.058 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Angola Telephones - main lines in use: 94,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,094,100 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: telephone service limited mostly to government and business use; HF radiotelephone used extensively for military links domestic: limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 244; satellite earth stations - 29; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 21, FM 6, shortwave 7 (2000) Radios: 815,000 (2000) Television broadcast stations: 6 (2000) Televisions: 196,000 (2000) Internet country code: .ao Internet hosts: 2,525 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 172,000 (2005) Transportation Angola Airports: 244 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 31 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 213 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 95 under 914 m: 81 (2006) Pipelines: gas 235 km; liquid petroleum gas 122 km; oil 867 km; oil/gas/water 5 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,761 km narrow gauge: 2,638 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 51,429 km paved: 5,349 km unpaved: 46,080 km (2001) Waterways: 1,300 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,343 GRT/4,643 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1 registered in other countries: 5 (Bahamas 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Cabinda, Luanda, Soyo Military Angola Military branches: Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra, MdG), Air and Air Defense Forces (FANA) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years plus time for training (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 2,548,455 females age 17-49: 2,462,601 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 1,282,195 females age 17-49: 1,256,390 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 126,694 females age 17-49: 123,586 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 8.8% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Angola Disputes - international: many Cabinda exclave secessionists have sought shelter in neighboring states Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 13,510 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 40,000-60,000 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs already have returned) (2005) Illicit drugs: used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for Western Europe and other African states This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Anguilla Introduction Anguilla Background: Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency. Geography Anguilla Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 63 10 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about half the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 61 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds Terrain: flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m Natural resources: salt, fish, lobster Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October) Environment - current issues: supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system Geography - note: the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles People Anguilla Population: 13,477 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.8% (male 1,557/female 1,510) 15-64 years: 70.4% (male 4,878/female 4,608) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 412/female 512) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 31.2 years male: 31.2 years female: 31.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.57% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 14.17 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 20.32 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.28 years male: 74.35 years female: 80.3 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Anguillan(s) adjective: Anguillan Ethnic groups: black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%, other 1.5% (2001 Census) Religions: Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, other Protestant 30.2%, Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.7%, other 5.2%, none or unspecified 4.3% (2001 Census) Languages: English (official) Literacy: definition: age 12 and over can read and write total population: 95% male: 95% female: 95% (1984 est.) Government Anguilla Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Anguilla Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: NA Capital: name: The Valley geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 04 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK) Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: Anguilla Day, 30 May Constitution: Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew N. GEORGE (since 10 July 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March 2000) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the House of Assembly elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7 elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, ANSA 19.2%, AUM 19.4%, APP 9.5%, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA 2, AUM 1 Judicial branch: High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court) Political parties and leaders: Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Hubert HUGHES]; The Anguilla United Front or AUF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor BANKS], a coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla National Alliance or ANA; Anguilla Progressive Party or APP [Roy ROGERS]; Anguilla Strategic Alternative or ANSA [Edison BAIRD] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS (associate), UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background with blue wavy water below Economy Anguilla Economy - overview: Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector, has contributed to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector, which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions. GDP (purchasing power parity): $108.9 million (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $108.9 million GDP - real growth rate: 10.2% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,800 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 18% services: 78% (2002 est.) Labor force: 6,049 (2001) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%, manufacturing 3%, construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, commerce 36%, services 29% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 8% (2002) Population below poverty line: 23% (2002) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% Budget: revenues: $22.8 million expenditures: $22.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising Industries: tourism, boat building, offshore financial services Industrial production growth rate: 3.1% (1997 est.) Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA Electricity - consumption: 42.6 million kWh Current account balance: $-42.87 million Exports: $14.56 million (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum Exports - partners: UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2004) Imports: $129.9 million (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles Imports - partners: US, Puerto Rico, UK (2004) Debt - external: $8.8 million (1998) Economic aid - recipient: $9 million (2004 est.) Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Currency code: XCD Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) note: fixed rate since 1976 Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Anguilla Telephones - main lines in use: 6,200 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,800 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: modern internal telephone system international: country code - 1-264; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 3,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: 1,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ai Internet hosts: 403 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 3,000 (2002) Transportation Anguilla Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: 105 km paved: 65 km unpaved: 40 km (2002) Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Blowing Point, Road Bay Military Anguilla Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 3,614 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 2,986 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 120 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Anguilla Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Antarctica Introduction Antarctica Background: Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south of the Antarctic Circle. Not until 1840 was it established that Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands. Several exploration "firsts" were achieved in the early 20th century. Following World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific research on the continent. A number of countries have set up year-round research stations on Antarctica. Seven have made territorial claims, but not all countries recognize these claims. In order to form a legal framework for the activities of nations on the continent, an Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies nor gives recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in 1959, it entered into force in 1961. Geography Antarctica Location: continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle Geographic coordinates: 90 00 S, 0 00 E Map references: Antarctic Region Area: total: 14 million sq km land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km ice-covered) (est.) note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US Land boundaries: 0 km note: see entry on Disputes - international Coastline: 17,968 km Maritime claims: Australia, Chile, and Argentina claim Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rights or similar over 200 nm extensions seaward from their continental claims, but like the claims themselves, these zones are not accepted by other countries; 21 of 28 Antarctic consultative nations have made no claims to Antarctic territory (although Russia and the US have reserved the right to do so) and do not recognize the claims of the other nations; also see the Disputes - international entry Climate: severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing Terrain: about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent Elevation extremes: lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,555 m highest point: Vinson Massif 4,897 m note: the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater Natural resources: iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small uncommercial quantities; none presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%) (2005) Natural hazards: katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf Environment - current issues: in 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the Antarctic ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million square kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased ultraviolet light passing through the hole damages the DNA of icefish, an Antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion earlier was shown to harm one-celled Antarctic marine plants; in 2002, significant areas of ice shelves disintegrated in response to regional warming Geography - note: the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; mostly uninhabitable People Antarctica Population: no indigenous inhabitants, but there are both permanent and summer-only staffed research stations note: 26 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, operate through their National Antarctic Program a number of seasonal-only (summer) and year-round research stations on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty); these stations' population of persons doing and supporting science or engaged in the management and protection of the Antarctic region varies from approximately 4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000 personnel, including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research, are present in the waters of the treaty region; peak summer (December-February) population - 3,822 total; Argentina 417, Australia 213, Brazil 40, Bulgaria 15, Chile 224, China 70, Ecuador 22, Finland 20, France 123, Germany 78, India 65, Italy 112, Japan 150, South Korea 60, NZ 85, Norway 44, Peru 28, Poland 40, Russia 429, South Africa 80, Spain 28, Sweden 20, Ukraine 24, UK 205, US 1,170, Uruguay 60 (2005-2006); winter (June-August) station population - 1,028 total; Argentina 176, Australia 62, Brazil 12, Chile 88, China 29, France 37, Germany 9, India 25, Italy 2, Japan 40, South Korea 15, NZ 10, Norway 7, Poland 12, Russia 148, South Africa 10, Ukraine 12, UK 37, US 288, Uruguay 9 (2005); research stations operated within the Antarctic Treaty area (south of 60 degrees south latitude) by members of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP): year-round stations - 37 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 3, China 2, France 1, Germany 1, India 1, Japan 1, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Norway 1, Poland 1, Russia 5, South Africa 1, Ukraine 1, UK 2, US 3, Uruguay 1, Italy and France jointly 1 (2005); seasonal-only (summer) stations - 15 total; Australia 1, Bulgaria 1, Chile 1, Ecuador 1, Finland 1, Germany 1, Italy 1, Japan 1, Norway 1, Peru 1, Russia 1, Spain 2, Sweden 1, UK 1 (2005-2006); in addition, during the austral summer some nations have numerous occupied locations such as tent camps, summer-long temporary facilities, and mobile traverses in support of research Government Antarctica Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antarctica Government type: Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica; the 28th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2005; at these periodic meetings, decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; at the end of 2005, there were 45 treaty member nations: 28 consultative and 17 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 21 non-claimant nations; the US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims; the US does not recognize the claims of others; Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; the years in parentheses indicate when a consultative member-nation acceded to the Treaty and when it was accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1975/1983), Bulgaria (1978/1998) China (1983/1985), Ecuador (1987/1990), Finland (1984/1989), Germany (1979/1981), India (1983/1983), Italy (1981/1987), Japan, South Korea (1986/1989), Netherlands (1967/1990), Peru (1981/1989), Poland (1961/1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1982/1988), Sweden (1984/1988), Ukraine (1992/2004), Uruguay (1980/1985), and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1962/1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1962/1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1996), and Venezuela (1999); note - Czechoslovakia acceded to the Treaty in 1962 and separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993; Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through six specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, 5) area protection and management and 6) liability arising from environmental emergencies; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina Legal system: Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, may apply extraterritorially; some US laws directly apply to Antarctica; for example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute: the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation into the US of certain items from Antarctica; violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in fines and one year in prison; the National Science Foundation and Department of Justice share enforcement responsibilities; Public Law 95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in 1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty; for more information, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone: (703) 292-8030, or visit their website at www.nsf.gov; more generally, access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees south latitude, is subject to a number of relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by the states party to the Antarctic Treaty Economy Antarctica Economy - overview: Fishing off the coast and tourism, both based abroad, account for Antarctica's limited economic activity. Antarctic fisheries in 2003-04 (1 July-30 June) reported landing 136,262 metric tons (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Antarctic Treaty area). Unregulated fishing, particularly of Patagonian toothfish, is a serious problem. The CCAMLR determines the recommended catch limits for marine species. A total of 23,175 tourists visited in the 2004-05 Antarctic summer, up from the 19,486 visitors the previous year. Nearly all of them were passengers on commercial (nongovernmental) ships and several yachts that make trips during the summer. Most tourist trips last approximately two weeks. Communications Antarctica Telephones - main lines in use: 0; note - information for US bases only (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: general assessment: local systems at some research stations domestic: commercial cellular networks operating in a small number of locations international: country code - 672; via satellite (including mobile Inmarsat and Iridium systems) from all research stations, ships, aircraft, and most field parties Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 2, shortwave 1, note - information for US bases only (2002) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 1 (cable system with six channels; American Forces Antarctic Network-McMurdo) note: information for US bases only (2002) Televisions: several hundred at McMurdo Station (US) note: information for US bases only (2001) Internet country code: .aq Internet hosts: 7,757 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Transportation Antarctica Airports: 20 note: there are no developed public access airports or landing facilities; 28 stations or remote field locations, operated by 11 National Antarctic Programs from nations party to the Antarctic Treaty, have restricted aircraft landing facilities comprising a total of 11 runways and 22 skiways for fixed-wing aircraft; some stations have both runways and skiways; commercial enterprises operate two aircraft landing facilities at one station; helicopter pads are available at all 37 year-round and 15 seasonal stations operated by National Antarctic Programs; the 11 runways are suitable for wheeled, fixed-wing aircraft: three are gravel, four blue-ice, two sea-ice and two compacted snow; of these, five are 3 km in length, two are between 2 km and 3 km in length, three are between 1 km and 2 km in length and one is less than 1 km in length; the 22 snow surface skiways are limited to use by ski-equipped, fixed-wing aircraft; of these, three are equal to or greater than 3 km in length, one is between 2 km and 3 km in length, nine are between 1 km and 2 km in length, five are less than 1 km in length, and four are of unknown or variable length; snow surface skiways are generally prepared and maintained during specific periods only and during summer; all aircraft landing facilities subject to severe restrictions and limitations resulting from extreme seasonal and geographic conditions; aircraft landing facilities do not meet ICAO standards; advance approval from the respective governmental or nongovernmental operating organization required for using their facilities; landed aircraft are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty; guidelines for the operation of aircraft near concentrations of birds in Antarctica were adopted in 2004; relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by states party to the Antarctic Treaty regulating access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude South, have to be complied with (see information under "Legal System"); an Antarctic Flight Information Manual (AFIM) providing up-to-date details of Antarctic air facilities and procedures is maintained and published by the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 28 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 4 length unknown or variable: 4 (2006) Heliports: 37 note: all 37 year-round and 15 seasonal stations operated by National Antarctic Programs stations have restricted helicopter landing facilities (helipads) (2006) Ports and terminals: there are no developed ports and harbors in Antarctica; most coastal stations have offshore anchorages, and supplies are transferred from ship to shore by small boats, barges, and helicopters; a few stations have a basic wharf facility; US coastal stations include McMurdo (77 51 S, 166 40 E), and Palmer (64 43 S, 64 03 W); government use only except by permit (see Permit Office under "Legal System"); all ships at port are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty; offshore anchorage is sparse and intermittent; relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by the states parties to the Antarctic Treaty regulating access to the Antarctic Treaty area, to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude south, have to be complied with (see "Legal System"); The Hydrographic Committee on Antarctica (HCA), a special hydrographic commission of International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area; it coordinates and facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate charts and other aids to navigation in support of safety of navigation in region; membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member State whose government has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources and/or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area; members of HCA are Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and the UK (2005) Military Antarctica Military - note: the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes Transnational Issues Antarctica Disputes - international: Antarctic Treaty freezes claims (see Antarctic Treaty Summary in government type entry); Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK claim land and maritime sectors (some overlapping) for a large portion of the continent; the US and many other states do not recognize these territorial claims and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia reserve the right to do so); no claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west; several states with territorial claims in Antarctica have expressed their intention to submit data to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to extend their continental shelf claims to adjoining undersea ridges This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Antigua and Barbuda Introduction Antigua and Barbuda Background: The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. Geography Antigua and Barbuda Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico Geographic coordinates: 17 03 N, 61 48 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) land: 442.6 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 153 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism Land use: arable land: 18.18% permanent crops: 4.55% other: 77.27% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts Environment - current issues: water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor People Antigua and Barbuda Population: 69,108 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.6% (male 9,716/female 9,375) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 23,801/female 23,524) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 1,020/female 1,672) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 30 years male: 29.5 years female: 30.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.55% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -6.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 18.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.16 years male: 69.78 years female: 74.66 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan Ethnic groups: black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian Religions: Christian (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic) Languages: English (official), local dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 85.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) Government Antigua and Barbuda Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Saint John's geographic coordinates: 17 06 N, 61 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981) Constitution: 1 November 1981 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir James B. CARLISLE (since 10 June 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13 Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); member Caribbean Court of Justice Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; National Democratic Congress [Tillman THOMAS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP) Political pressure groups and leaders: Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122 FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda Flag description: red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band Economy Antigua and Barbuda Economy - overview: Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals. GDP (purchasing power parity): $750 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $905 million GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $10,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.8% industry: 22% services: 74.3% (2002) Labor force: 30,000 Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 7% industry: 11% services: 82% (1983) Unemployment rate: 11% (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $123.7 million expenditures: $145.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1997 est.) Electricity - production: 100 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 93 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 3,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-83.4 million Exports: $46.81 million (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% Exports - partners: Spain 34%, Germany 20.7%, Italy 7.7%, Singapore 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2005) Imports: $378 million (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil Imports - partners: US 21.1%, China 16.4%, Germany 13.3%, Singapore 12.7%, Spain 6.5% (2005) Debt - external: $427.3 million; note - data are for public external debt, not total external debt (2000) Economic aid - recipient: $1.65 million (2004) Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Currency code: XCD Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) note: fixed rate since 1976 Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Antigua and Barbuda Telephones - main lines in use: 38,000 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 54,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: good automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-268; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 36,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997) Televisions: 31,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ag Internet hosts: 2,231 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 20,000 (2005) Transportation Antigua and Barbuda Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,165 km paved: 384 km unpaved: 781 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 1,011 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,452,503 GRT/9,783,309 DWT by type: bulk carrier 40, cargo 596, chemical tanker 7, container 321, liquefied gas 11, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 21 foreign-owned: 984 (Australia 1, Bangladesh 4, Belgium 4, Colombia 2, Denmark 14, Estonia 12, France 1, Germany 858, Iceland 8, Isle of Man 2, Latvia 5, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 3, Netherlands 14, Norway 11, NZ 1, Poland 3, Russia 6, Singapore 1, Slovenia 6, Switzerland 4, Turkey 8, UK 7, US 7, Vietnam 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Saint John's Military Antigua and Barbuda Military branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscript military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,952 females age 18-49: 18,360 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 14,859 females age 18-49: 14,947 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 507 females age 18-49: 494 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Antigua and Barbuda Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Arctic Ocean Introduction Arctic Ocean Background: The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean. Geography Arctic Ocean Location: body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle Geographic coordinates: 90 00 N, 0 00 E Map references: Arctic Region Area: total: 14.056 million sq km note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US Coastline: 45,389 km Climate: polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow Terrain: central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that, on average, is about 3 meters thick, although pressure ridges may be three times that thickness; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge) Elevation extremes: lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales) Natural hazards: ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack Geography - note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months Economy Arctic Ocean Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals. Transportation Arctic Ocean Ports and terminals: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US) Transportation - note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways Transnational Issues Arctic Ocean Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Argentina Introduction Argentina Background: In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. Eventually, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their own way, but the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were subsequently heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, but most particularly Italy and Spain, which provided the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. After World War II, an era of Peronist authoritarian rule and interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the resignation of several interim presidents. Successful negotiations with the IMF allowed Argentina to sidestep some fiscal discipline measures normally imposed in such circumstances. Since 2003, the government's efforts to stem the crisis have led to rapid economic recovery. Geography Argentina Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay Geographic coordinates: 34 00 S, 64 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 2,766,890 sq km land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 30,200 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 9,665 km border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km Coastline: 4,989 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border Elevation extremes: lowest point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz) highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza) Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium Land use: arable land: 10.03% permanent crops: 0.36% other: 89.61% (2005) Irrigated land: 15,500 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding Environment - current issues: environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere People Argentina Population: 39,921,833 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.2% (male 5,153,164/female 4,921,625) 15-64 years: 64.1% (male 12,804,376/female 12,798,731) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 1,740,118/female 2,503,819) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 29.7 years male: 28.8 years female: 30.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.96% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 14.73 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.12 years male: 72.38 years female: 80.05 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Argentine(s) adjective: Argentine Ethnic groups: white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3% Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.1% male: 97.1% female: 97.1% (2003 est.) Government Argentina Country name: conventional long form: Argentine Republic conventional short form: Argentina local long form: Republica Argentina local short form: Argentina Government type: republic Capital: name: Buenos Aires geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 27 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur, Tucuman note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain) National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810) Constitution: 1 May 1853; revised August 1994 Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Nestor KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); Vice President Daniel SCIOLI (since 25 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Nestor KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); Vice President Daniel SCIOLI (since 25 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 27 April 2003 (next election to be held in 2007) election results: results of the presidential election of 27 April 2003: Carlos Saul MENEM 24.3%, Nestor KIRCHNER 22%, Ricardo Lopez MURPHY 16.4%, Adolfo Rodriguez SAA 14.4%, Elisa CARRIO 14.2%, other 8.7%; the subsequent runoff election slated for 25 May 2003 was awarded to KIRCHNER by default after MENEM withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the election Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently one-third of the members elected every two years to a six-year term) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to a four-year term) elections: Senate - last held 23 October 2005 (next to be held in 2007); Chamber of Deputies - last held last held 23 October 2005 (next to be held in 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - FV 45.1%, FJ 17.2%, UCR 7.5%, other 30.2%; seats by bloc or party - FV 14, FJ 3, UCR 2, other 5; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - FV 29.9%, UCR 8.9%, ARI 7.2%, PJ 6.7%, PRO 6.2%, FJ 3.9%, other 37.2%; seats by bloc or party - FV 50, UCR 10, ARI 8, PJ 9, PRO 9, FJ 7, other 34 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval by the Senate) Political parties and leaders: Alternative for a Republic of Equals or ARI [Elisa CARRIO]; Front for Victory or FV [Nestor KIRCHNER]; Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad coalition of approximately 12 parties including RECREAR); Justicialist Front or FJ [Eduardo DUHALDE]; Justicialist Party or PJ (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Roberto IGLESIAS]; Republican Initiative Alliance or PRO (including Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Ricardo LOPEZ MURPHY] and Commitment for Change or CPC [Mauricio MACRI]); Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH]; several provincial parties Political pressure groups and leaders: Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); business organizations; Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a radical union for employed and unemployed workers); General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor movement; Piquetero groups (popular protest organizations that can be either pro or anti-government); Roman Catholic Church; students International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Octavio BORDON chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400 FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Earl Anthony WAYNE embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires mailing address: international mail: use street address; APO address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034 telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533 FAX: [54] (11) 5777-4240 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May Economy Argentina Economy - overview: Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Over the past decade, however, the country has suffered problems of inflation, external debt, capital flight, and budget deficits. Growth in 2000 was a negative 0.8%, as both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the government's ability to pay debts and maintain the peso's fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. The economic situation worsened in 2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive withdrawals from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and investor confidence. Government efforts to achieve a "zero deficit," to stabilize the banking system, and to restore economic growth proved inadequate in the face of the mounting economic problems. The peso's peg to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso was floated in February. The exchange rate plunged and real GDP fell by 10.9% in 2002, but by mid-year the economy had stabilized, albeit at a lower level. GDP expanded by about 9% per year from 2003 to 2005. Growth is being led by a revival in domestic demand, solid exports, and favorable external conditions. The government boosted spending ahead of the October 2005 midterm congressional elections, but strong revenue performance allowed Argentina to maintain a budget surplus. Inflation has been rising steadily and reached 12.3 percent in 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $543.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $182 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 9.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.5% industry: 35.8% services: 54.7% (2004 est.) Labor force: 15.34 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 11.6% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 38.5% (June 2005) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA Distribution of family income - Gini index: 52.2 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $42.63 billion expenditures: $39.98 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 72.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel Industrial production growth rate: 7.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 87.16 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 52.2% hydro: 40.8% nuclear: 6.7% other: 0.2% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 82.97 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 2.07 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 1.561 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 745,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 450,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 2.95 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 41.04 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 34.58 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 6.05 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 663.5 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $5.448 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $40 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles Exports - partners: Brazil 15.3%, US 10.8%, Chile 10.5%, China 8.3% (2005) Imports: $28.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics Imports - partners: Brazil 34.6%, US 16.8%, China 5.4%, Germany 5.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $28.09 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $118.2 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $10 billion (2001 est.) Currency (code): Argentine peso (ARS) Currency code: ARS Exchange rates: Argentine pesos per US dollar - 2.9037 (2005), 2.9233 (2004), 2.9006 (2003), 3.0633 (2002), 0.9995 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Argentina Telephones - main lines in use: 8.8 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 22.1 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunications technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is improving; however, telephone density is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally available will take time domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding international: country code - 54; satellite earth stations - 112; Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two international gateways near Buenos Aires (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998) Radios: 24.3 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 7.95 million (1997) Internet country code: .ar Internet hosts: 1,612,423 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 33 (2000) Internet users: 10 million (2005) Transportation Argentina Airports: 1,381 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 154 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 65 914 to 1,523 m: 50 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,227 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 49 914 to 1,523 m: 587 under 914 m: 587 (2006) Pipelines: gas 29,804 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 10,373 km; refined products 8,540 km; unknown (oil/water) 13 km (2006) Railways: total: 31,902 km broad gauge: 20,858 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified) standard gauge: 2,885 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified) narrow gauge: 7,922 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km 0.750-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 229,144 km paved: 68,809 km (including 734 km of expressways) unpaved: 160,335 km (2004) Waterways: 11,000 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or over) 435,969 GRT/707,767 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 10, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 21, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 11 (Chile 6, UK 4, Uruguay 1) registered in other countries: 24 (Bolivia 1, Chile 1, Liberia 7, Panama 9, Paraguay 3, Uruguay 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Punta Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin, San Nicolas Military Argentina Military branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic (includes naval aviation and naval infantry), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 8,981,886 females age 18-49: 8,883,756 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 7,316,038 females age 18-49: 7,442,589 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 344,575 females age 18-49: 334,649 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.3 billion (FY99) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (FY00) Military - note: the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military is now implementing "Plan 2000," aimed at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive (2005) Transnational Issues Argentina Disputes - international: Argentina continues to assert its claims to the UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly occupying the Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed no longer to seek settlement by force; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and Chilean claims (see Antarctic disputes); unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; action by the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, for mapping and demarcating the disputed boundary in the Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur) remains pending Trafficking in persons: current situation: Argentina is primarily a destination country for women and children trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation with most victims trafficked internally, from rural to urban areas, for exploitation in prostitution; foreign women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation come primarily from Paraguay, but also from Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Chile; Bolivians are trafficked for forced labor; Argentine women and girls are also trafficked to neighboring countries for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Argentina failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking particularly in the key area of prosecutions; government efforts to improve interagency anti-trafficking coordination did not achieve significant progress in moving cases against traffickers through the judicial system; the government made progress in other areas, by submitting anti-trafficking legislation to Congress in August 2005 and sensitizing provincial and municipal government officials to the trafficking problem Illicit drugs: used as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Armenia Introduction Armenia Background: Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. Geography Armenia Location: Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 45 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 29,800 sq km land: 28,400 sq km water: 1,400 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: total: 1,254 km border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: highland continental, hot summers, cold winters Terrain: Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley Elevation extremes: lowest point: Debed River 400 m highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m Natural resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina Land use: arable land: 16.78% permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.21% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,860 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts Environment - current issues: soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range People Armenia Population: 2,976,372 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.5% (male 322,189/female 286,944) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 949,975/female 1,085,484) 65 years and over: 11.1% (male 133,411/female 198,369) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 30.4 years male: 27.8 years female: 33.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.19% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.07 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -5.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.17 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 22.47 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.84 years male: 68.25 years female: 76.02 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.33 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,600 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Armenian(s) adjective: Armenian Ethnic groups: Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census) Religions: Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3% Languages: Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.4% female: 98% (2003 est.) Government Armenia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Armenia conventional short form: Armenia local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun local short form: Hayastan former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: Yerevan geographic coordinates: 40 11 N, 44 30 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan Independence: 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1991) Constitution: adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005 Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Andranik MARGARYAN (since 12 May 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February and 5 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed with the majority support of the National Assembly; the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program election results: Robert KOCHARIAN reelected president; percent of vote - Robert KOCHARIAN 67.5%, Stepan DEMIRCHYAN 32.5% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; 90 members elected by party list, 41 by direct vote) elections: last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held in the spring of 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Republican Party 23.5%, Justice Bloc 13.6%, Rule of Law 12.3%, ARF (Dashnak) 11.4%, National Unity Party 8.8%, United Labor Party 5.7%; seats by faction - Republican Party 39, Rule of Law 20, Justice Bloc 14, ARF (Dashnak) 11, National Unity 7, United Labor 6, People's Deputy Group 16, independent (not in faction or group) 18; note - as of 10 March 2006; voting blocs in the legislature are more properly termed factions and can be composed of members of several parties; seats by faction change frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves independent Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court) Political parties and leaders: Agro-Industrial Party [Vladimir BADALYAN]; Armenia Party [Myasnik MALKHASYAN]; Armenian National Movement or ANM [Alex ARZUMANYAN, chairman]; Armenian Ramkavar Liberal Party or HRAK [Harutyun MIRZAKHANYAN, chairman]; Armenian Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Levon MKRTCHYAN]; Democratic Party [Aram SARKISYAN]; Justice Bloc (comprised of the Democratic Party, National Democratic Party, National Democratic Union, the People's Party, and the Republic Party) [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; National Democratic Party [Shavarsh KOCHARIAN]; National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN]; National Revival Party [Albert BAZEYAN]; National Unity Party [Artashes GEGHAMYAN, chairman]; People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; Republic Party [Aram SARKISYAN, chairman]; Republican Party or RPA [Andranik MARGARYAN]; Rule of Law Party [Samvel BALASANYAN]; Union of Constitutional Rights [Hrant KHACHATURYAN]; United Labor Party [Gurgen ARSENYAN] Political pressure groups and leaders: Yerkrapah Union [Manvel GRIGORIAN] International organization participation: ACCT (observer), AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Anthony F. GODFREY embassy: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 375082 mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State, 7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020 telephone: [374](10) 464-700 FAX: [374](10) 464-742 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange Economy Armenia Economy - overview: Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. The agricultural sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated technology. The privatization of industry has been at a slower pace, but has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration. Armenia is a food importer, and its mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite) are small. The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed economic system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2005. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. Armenia also has managed to slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Armenia's unemployment rate, however, remains high, despite strong economic growth. The chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in the early and mid-1990s have been offset by the energy supplied by one of its nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia is now a net energy exporter, although it does not have sufficient generating capacity to replace Metsamor, which is under international pressure to close. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in 2005, but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. Investment in the construction and industrial sectors is expected to continue in 2006 and will help to ensure annual average real GDP growth of about 13.9%. GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.45 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.868 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 13.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.9% industry: 34.3% services: 41.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.2 million (2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 45% industry: 25% services: 30% (2002 est.) Unemployment rate: 31.6% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 43% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 41.3% (2004) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 41.3 (2004) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $786.1 million expenditures: $930.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock Industries: diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 6.317 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 42.3% hydro: 27% nuclear: 30.7% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 4.374 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - exports: 650 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2003) Electricity - imports: 463 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2005) Oil - consumption: 40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.685 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - imports: 1.685 billion cu m (2005 est.) Current account balance: $-118 million (2005 est.) Exports: $800 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy Exports - partners: Germany 15.6%, Netherlands 13.7%, Belgium 12.8%, Russia 12.2%, Israel 11.5%, US 11.2%, Georgia 4.8% (2005) Imports: $1.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds Imports - partners: Russia 13.5%, Belgium 8%, Germany 7.9%, Ukraine 7%, Turkmenistan 6.3%, US 6.2%, Israel 5.8%, Iran 5%, Romania 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $754.9 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.819 billion (20 September 2005) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $254 million (2004) Currency (code): dram (AMD) Currency code: AMD Exchange rates: drams per US dollar - 457.69 (2005), 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003), 573.35 (2002), 555.08 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Armenia Telephones - main lines in use: 582,500 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 320,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service) international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 850,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters) (1998) Televisions: 825,000 (1997) Internet country code: .am Internet hosts: 8,163 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2001) Internet users: 150,000 (2005) Transportation Armenia Airports: 13 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,002 km (2006) Railways: total: 845 km broad gauge: 845 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified) note: some lines are out of service (2005) Roadways: total: 7,633 km paved: 7,633 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways) (2003) Military Armenia Military branches: Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Force (NKSDF), Air Force, Air Defense Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 to 27 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 722,836 females age 18-49: 795,084 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 551,938 females age 18-49: 656,493 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 31,774 females age 18-49: 31,182 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $135 million (FY01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 6.5% (FY01) Transnational Issues Armenia Disputes - international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s, has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; border with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh dispute; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy; tens of thousands of Armenians emigrate, primarily to Russia, to seek employment Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 235,101 (Azerbaijan) IDPs: 50,000 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Armenia is a major source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to the UAE and Turkey; traffickers, many of them women, route victims directly into Dubai or through Moscow; profits derived from the trafficking of Armenian victims reportedly increased dramatically from 2005 tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Armenia has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts, particularly in the areas of enforcement, trafficking-related corruption, and victim protection; the government increased implementation of its anti-trafficking law, but failed to impose significant penalties for convicted traffickers and failed to vigorously investigate and prosecute ongoing and widespread allegations of public officials' complicity in trafficking; victim protection efforts remain in early, formative stages and a lack of sensitivity for victims remains a problem, particularly in the judiciary Illicit drugs: illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Aruba Introduction Aruba Background: Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. Geography Aruba Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela Geographic coordinates: 12 30 N, 69 58 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 68.5 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m Natural resources: NEGL; white sandy beaches Land use: arable land: 10.53% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005) Irrigated land: 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) Natural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) People Aruba Population: 71,891 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.5% (male 7,175/female 6,849) 15-64 years: 68.2% (male 23,894/female 25,140) 65 years and over: 12.3% (male 3,616/female 5,217) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.5 years male: 36.4 years female: 40.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.44% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.28 years male: 75.95 years female: 82.78 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch Ethnic groups: mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% Religions: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish Literacy: definition: NA total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA% Government Aruba Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba Dependency status: member country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Oranjestad geographic coordinates: 12 33 N, 70 06 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March Constitution: 1 January 1986 Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last held 2005 (next to be held by 2009) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held by in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 1 Judicial branch: Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WToO (associate) Diplomatic representation in the US: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba Flag description: blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner Economy Aruba Economy - overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The newly re-elected government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.258 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.258 billion GDP - real growth rate: 2.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $21,800 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.4% NA% industry: 33.3% NA% services: 66.3% NA% Labor force: 41,500 (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining Unemployment rate: 6.9% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2005) Budget: revenues: $507.9 million expenditures: $577.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) Public debt: 46.3% of GDP Agriculture - products: aloes; livestock; fish Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 770 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 716.1 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 2,363 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 6,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $80 million f.o.b.; note - includes oil reexports (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment Exports - partners: Netherlands 33.5%, Panama 16.7%, Colombia 11.9%, US 11.3%, Venezuela 10.1%, Netherlands Antilles 9% (2005) Imports: $875 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs Imports - partners: US 55.9%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.8% (2005) Debt - external: $478.6 million (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $-11.3 million (2004) Currency (code): Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) Currency code: AWG Exchange rates: Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Aruba Telephones - main lines in use: 37,100 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 98,400 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 50,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: 20,000 (1997) Internet country code: .aw Internet hosts: 11,548 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: 24,000 (2002) Transportation Aruba Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 800 km paved: 513 km unpaved: 287 km Ports and terminals: Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas Military Aruba Military branches: no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Netherlands Navy and Marines, Coast Guard Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 16,278 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 13,219 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 520 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Transnational Issues Aruba Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Ashmore and Cartier Islands Introduction Ashmore and Cartier Islands Background: These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve. Geography Ashmore and Cartier Islands Location: Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island Geographic coordinates: 12 14 S, 123 05 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island Area - comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 74.1 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical Terrain: low with sand and coral Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983 People Ashmore and Cartier Islands Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island (July 2006 est.) People - note: the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem Government Ashmore and Cartier Islands Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services Legal system: the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia) Flag description: the flag of Australia is used Economy Ashmore and Cartier Islands Economy - overview: no economic activity Transportation Ashmore and Cartier Islands Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Ashmore and Cartier Islands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force Transnational Issues Ashmore and Cartier Islands Disputes - international: Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia has closed the surrounding waters to Indonesian traditional fishing and created a national park in the region while continuing to prospect for hydrocarbons in the vicinity This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Atlantic Ocean Introduction Atlantic Ocean Background: The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude. Geography Atlantic Ocean Location: body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the Western Hemisphere Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 W Map references: Political Map of the World Area: total: 76.762 million sq km note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Labrador Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies Area - comparative: slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US Coastline: 111,866 km Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin Elevation extremes: lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m highest point: sea level 0 m Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones Natural hazards: icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December) Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea Geography - note: major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean Economy Atlantic Ocean Economy - overview: The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea). Transportation Atlantic Ocean Ports and terminals: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden) Transportation - note: Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US Transnational Issues Atlantic Ocean Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Australia Introduction Australia Background: Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. Geography Australia Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean Geographic coordinates: 27 00 S, 133 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 7,686,850 sq km land: 7,617,930 sq km water: 68,920 sq km note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 25,760 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum Land use: arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland) permanent crops: 0.04% other: 93.81% (2005) Irrigated land: 25,450 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires Environment - current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Geography - note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating tropical sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most consistent winds in the world People Australia Population: 20,264,082 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.6% (male 2,031,313/female 1,936,802) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 6,881,863/female 6,764,709) 65 years and over: 13.1% (male 1,170,589/female 1,478,806) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 36.9 years male: 36 years female: 37.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.85% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.51 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 3.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.5 years male: 77.64 years female: 83.52 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 14,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian Ethnic groups: Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% Religions: Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census) Languages: English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Australia Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia Government type: federal parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Canberra geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 08 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March (ended first Sunday in April 2006) note: Australia is divided into three time zones Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) National holiday: Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Constitution: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 Legal system: based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003) head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister Mark VAILE (since 6 July 2005) cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all territory members are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential voting to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives) elections: Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held no later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be called no later than November 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 39, Australian Labor Party 28, Democrats 4, Australian Greens 4, Family First Party 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 87, Australian Labor Party 60, independents 3 Judicial branch: High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) Political parties and leaders: Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party [Jodeen CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [Mark VAILE] International organization participation: ANZUS, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr. embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 mailing address: APO AP 96549 telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600 FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970 consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories; on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars Economy Australia Economy - overview: Australia has an enviable Western-style capitalist economy with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. Rising output in the domestic economy, robust business and consumer confidence, and rising exports of raw materials and agricultural products are fueling the economy. Australia's emphasis on reforms, low inflation, and growing ties with China are other key factors behind the economy's strength. The impact of drought, weak foreign demand, and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up from $8 billion in 2002, to $18 billion in 2003, $13 billion in 2004, and nearly $17 billion in 2005. Housing prices probably peaked in 2005, diminishing the prospect that interest rates would be raised to prevent a speculative bubble. Conservative fiscal policies have kept Australia's budget in surplus from 2002 to 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $635.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $612.8 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $31,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.8% industry: 26.2% services: 70% (2004 est.) Labor force: 10.42 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3.6% industry: 21.2% services: 75.2% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 5.1% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.2 (1994) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $249.8 billion expenditures: $240.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 16.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel Industrial production growth rate: 1.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 237 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 8.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0.9% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 221 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 530,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 875,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 523,400 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 530,800 bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 35.6 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 25.08 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 9.744 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 2.549 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-42.09 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $103 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment Exports - partners: Japan 20.3%, China 11.5%, South Korea 7.9%, US 6.7%, NZ 6.5%, India 5% (2005) Imports: $119.6 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products Imports - partners: US 13.9%, China 13.7%, Japan 11%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $43.26 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $323.4 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $894 million (FY99/00) Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD) Currency code: AUD Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Australia Telephones - main lines in use: 11.46 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 18.42 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 25.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 104 (1997) Televisions: 10.15 million (1997) Internet country code: .au Internet hosts: 7,772,888 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 571 (2002) Internet users: 14,663,622 (2006) Transportation Australia Airports: 455 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 311 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 133 914 to 1,523 m: 143 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 144 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 111 under 914 m: 15 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: condensate/gas 546 km; gas 31,323 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 4,808 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2006) Railways: total: 47,738 km broad gauge: 4,015 km 1.600-m gauge standard gauge: 28,662 km 1.435-m gauge (1,397 km electrified) narrow gauge: 14,831 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified) dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 810,641 km paved: 336,962 km unpaved: 473,679 km (2004) Waterways: 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2002) Merchant marine: total: 53 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,361,000 GRT/1,532,874 DWT by type: bulk carrier 17, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 17 (Canada 1, France 3, Germany 3, Japan 1, Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 3) registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 2, Bermuda 3, Fiji 1, Hong Kong 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2, Netherlands 1, NZ 2, Panama 3, Portugal 1, Singapore 7, Tonga 1, UK 3, US 2, Vanuatu 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne, Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney Military Australia Military branches: Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary service; women allowed to serve in Army combat units in non-combat support roles (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 4,943,676 females age 18-49: 4,821,264 Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 4,092,717 females age 16-49: 3,983,447 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 142,158 females age 16-49: 135,675 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $17.84 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.7% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Australia Disputes - international: East Timor and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; East Timor dispute hampers creation of a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia (see also Ashmore and Cartier Islands dispute); regional states express concern over Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted its claims to UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental margin from both its mainland and Antarctic claims Illicit drugs: Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Austria Introduction Austria Background: Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Geography Austria Location: Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia Geographic coordinates: 47 20 N, 13 20 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 83,870 sq km land: 82,444 sq km water: 1,426 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maine Land boundaries: total: 2,562 km border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers Terrain: in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping Elevation extremes: lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m Natural resources: oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower Land use: arable land: 16.59% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 82.56% (2005) Irrigated land: 40 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: landslides; avalanches; earthquakes Environment - current issues: some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere People Austria Population: 8,192,880 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.4% (male 645,337/female 614,602) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,782,712/female 2,749,620) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 567,752/female 832,857) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.9 years male: 39.8 years female: 42 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.09% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.76 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.07 years male: 76.17 years female: 82.11 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 10,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian Ethnic groups: Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census) Languages: German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA Government Austria Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich Government type: federal republic Capital: name: Vienna geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna) Independence: 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed) National holiday: National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and the passage of the law on permanent neutrality Constitution: 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945) Legal system: civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held April 2010); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6% note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least 3 representatives; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2010) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%; seats by party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7 Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof Political parties and leaders: Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Joerg HAIDER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] Political pressure groups and leaders: Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human rights International organization participation: ACCT (observer), AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Susan R. McCAW embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0 FAX: [43] (1) 3100682 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red Economy Austria Economy - overview: Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU economies. The current government has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining government, creating a more competitive business environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment location, pursuing a balanced budget, and implementing effective pension reforms. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe have held the economy to growth rates of 0.4% in 2002, 1.4% in 2003, 2.4% in 2004, and 1.8% in 2005. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, particularly the new EU members, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging population. GDP (purchasing power parity): $265.8 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $293.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $32,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 30.4% services: 67.8% (2004 est.) Labor force: 3.49 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3% industry: 27% services: 70% (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 5.2% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 5.9% (2004) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 22.5% (2004) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 31 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $148.6 billion expenditures: $154.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 65.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber Industries: construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 4.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 63.69 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 29.3% hydro: 67.2% nuclear: 0% other: 3.5% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 64.78 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 13.53 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 16.63 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 17,810 bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 249,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 30,140 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 152,600 bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 84.3 million bbl (2004) Natural gas - production: 1.96 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - consumption: 9.01 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 7.05 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 23.2 billion cu m (2004) Current account balance: $1.467 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $122.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs Exports - partners: Germany 31.2%, Italy 8.7%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 5.2%, France 4.2% (2005) Imports: $118.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs Imports - partners: Germany 45.9%, Italy 6.6%, Switzerland 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $11.83 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $510.6 billion (30 June 2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $681 million (2004) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Austria Telephones - main lines in use: 3.705 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 8.16 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: there are 45 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001) Radios: 6.08 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 4.25 million (1997) Internet country code: .at Internet hosts: 2,062,035 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 37 (2000) Internet users: 4.65 million (2005) Transportation Austria Airports: 55 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 25 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 15 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2006) Railways: total: 6,011 km standard gauge: 5,568 km 1.435-m gauge (3,427 km electrified) narrow gauge: 21 km 1.000-m gauge; 422 km 0.760-m gauge (109 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 133,718 km paved: 133,718 km (including 1,677 km of expressways) (2003) Waterways: 358 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,072 GRT/44,437 DWT by type: cargo 6, container 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2) registered in other countries: 14 (Liberia 13, Malta 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna Military Austria Military branches: Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory military service obligation will be reduced from eight months to six (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,914,800 females age 18-49: 1,870,134 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,550,441 females age 18-49: 1,515,365 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 48,967 females age 18-49: 46,633 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.497 billion (FY01/02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (2004) Transnational Issues Austria Disputes - international: Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Azerbaijan Introduction Azerbaijan Background: Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 528,000 internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the promise of widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains largely unfulfilled. Geography Azerbaijan Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range Geographic coordinates: 40 30 N, 47 30 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 86,600 sq km land: 86,100 sq km water: 500 sq km note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991 Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maine Land boundaries: total: 2,013 km border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km est.) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: dry, semiarid steppe Terrain: large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina Land use: arable land: 20.62% permanent crops: 2.61% other: 76.77% (2005) Irrigated land: 14,550 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: droughts Environment - current issues: local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked People Azerbaijan Population: 7,961,619 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.8% (male 1,046,501/female 1,011,492) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,573,134/female 2,706,275) 65 years and over: 7.8% (male 246,556/female 377,661) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.7 years male: 26.3 years female: 29.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.66% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 20.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 81.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 76.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.85 years male: 59.78 years female: 68.13 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,400 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Azerbaijani(s), Azeri(s) adjective: Azerbaijani, Azeri Ethnic groups: Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9% (1999 census) note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region Religions: Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.) note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower Languages: Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.5% female: 98.2% (2003 est.) Government Azerbaijan Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan conventional short form: Azerbaijan local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi local short form: Azarbaycan former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: Baku (Baki, Baky) geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 51 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika) rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu, Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu, Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu, Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu, Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu, Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu, Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu, Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi Independence: 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918) Constitution: adopted 12 November 1995 Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since 10 November 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008); prime minister and first deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly election results: Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote - Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, YES 2, Motherland 2, other parties with single seats 7, independents 42, undetermined 4 Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform" faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Party for Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice Party [Ilyas ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA]; Motherland Party; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Yeni Azerbaijan Party; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar MAMMADLI, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV] note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties Political pressure groups and leaders: Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces (UPAF) International organization participation: AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yashar ALIYEV chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911 Consulate(s) general: Los Angeles Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Anne E. DERSE embassy: 83 Azadliyg Prospecti, Baku AZ1007 mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050 telephone: [994] (12) 4980-335 through 337 FAX: [994] (12) 4656-671 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band Economy Azerbaijan Economy - overview: Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production declined through 1997, but has registered an increase every year since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies is scheduled to begin pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large offshore field in early 2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built from Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Economists estimate that by 2010 revenues from this project will double the country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly being replaced. Several other obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector, the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the pervasive corruption. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil wealth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $42.99 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $10.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 26.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14.1% industry: 45.7% services: 40.2% (2002 est.) Labor force: 5.45 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 41% industry: 7% services: 52% (2001) Unemployment rate: 1.1% official rate (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 49% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 27.8% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.5 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 54.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.18 billion expenditures: $2.986 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 11.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats Industries: petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles Industrial production growth rate: 40% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 20 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.7% hydro: 10.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 20.25 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 700 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 2.35 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 477,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 123,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 589 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 5.13 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 9.2 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 1 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $167.3 million (2005 est.) Exports: $6.117 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs Exports - partners: Italy 30.3%, France 9.4%, Russia 6.6%, Turkey 6.3%, Turkmenistan 6.3%, Georgia 4.8%, Israel 4.5%, Croatia 4.1% (2005) Imports: $4.656 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals Imports - partners: Russia 17%, UK 9.1%, Singapore 9.1%, Turkey 7.4%, Germany 6.1%, Turkmenistan 5.8%, Ukraine 5.4%, China 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.192 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.873 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $140 million (2000 est.) Currency (code): Azerbaijani manat (AZM) Currency code: AZM Exchange rates: Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004), 4,910.73 (2003), 4,860.82 (2002), 4,656.58 (2001) note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000 old manats equal to 1 new manat Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Azerbaijan Telephones - main lines in use: 1,091,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.242 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 14 main lines per 100 persons is low (2002) domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2 (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 175,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997) Televisions: 170,000 (1997) Internet country code: .az Internet hosts: 880 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 678,800 (2005) Transportation Azerbaijan Airports: 36 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 27 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 3,190 km; oil 2,436 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,957 km broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 27,016 km paved: 12,698 km (including 128 km of expressways) unpaved: 14,318 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 84 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,395 GRT/436,666 DWT by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 43, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 3 registered in other countries: 4 (Georgia 2, Malta 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Baku (Baki) Military Azerbaijan Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces Military service age and obligation: men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,961,973 females age 18-49: 2,033,186 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,314,955 females age 18-49: 1,676,408 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 82,358 females age 18-49: 78,067 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $121 million (FY99) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% (FY99) Transnational Issues Azerbaijan Disputes - international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratify Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 8,367 (Russia) IDPs: 528,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005) Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bahamas, The Introduction Bahamas, The Background: Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. Geography Bahamas, The Location: Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba Geographic coordinates: 24 15 N, 76 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 13,940 sq km land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 3,542 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream Terrain: long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber, arable land Land use: arable land: 0.58% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 99.13% (2005) Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage Environment - current issues: coral reef decay; solid waste disposal Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited People Bahamas, The Population: 303,770 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.5% (male 41,799/female 41,733) 15-64 years: 66.1% (male 98,847/female 102,074) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 7,891/female 11,426) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.8 years male: 27.1 years female: 28.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.64% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 17.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 24.68 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.6 years male: 62.24 years female: 69.03 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5,600 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian Ethnic groups: black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% Religions: Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census) Languages: English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) Government Bahamas, The Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Nassau geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay Independence: 10 July 1973 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 10 July (1973) Constitution: 10 July 1973 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the Parliament and call elections at any time elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4 Judicial branch: Privy Council (London); Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; magistrates courts Political parties and leaders: Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: vacant chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side Economy Bahamas, The Economy - overview: The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2001-03. The current government has presided over a period of economic recovery and an upturn in large-scale private sector investments in tourism. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors. GDP (purchasing power parity): $6.105 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.783 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $20,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.) Labor force: 176,300 (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 10.2% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 9.3% (2004) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: 27% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.2% ( 2004) Budget: revenues: $1.03 billion expenditures: $1.03 billion; including capital expenditures of $130 million (FY04/05) Agriculture - products: citrus, vegetables; poultry Industries: tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.81 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.683 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 23,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $469.3 million (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables Exports - partners: US 31%, Spain 29.7%, Poland 9.3%, Germany 5.6%, Guatemala 4.1% (2005) Imports: $1.82 billion (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals Imports - partners: US 22.5%, South Korea 20.2%, Spain 7.8%, Brazil 7.1%, Italy 6.5%, Germany 5.4% (2005) Debt - external: $342.6 million (2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $5 million (2004) Currency (code): Bahamian dollar (BSD) Currency code: BSD Exchange rates: Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Bahamas, The Telephones - main lines in use: 139,900 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 186,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: modern facilities domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 2 (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006) Radios: 215,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (2006) Televisions: 67,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bs Internet hosts: 591 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 19 (2000) Internet users: 93,000 (2005) Transportation Bahamas, The Airports: 64 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 29 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 22 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 2,693 km paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 1,177 ships (1000 GRT or over) 37,743,270 GRT/50,918,747 DWT by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 253, cargo 250, chemical tanker 64, container 79, liquefied gas 35, livestock carrier 2, passenger 115, passenger/cargo 34, petroleum tanker 175, refrigerated cargo 114, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 5, vehicle carrier 30 foreign-owned: 1,093 (Angola 5, Australia 2, Belgium 13, Canada 18, China 3, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 59, Estonia 1, Finland 8, France 37, Germany 22, Greece 232, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 1, India 1, Indonesia 4, Ireland 2, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 51, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 17, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 24, Nigeria 2, Norway 259, Philippines 1, Poland 15, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 12, Singapore 12, Slovenia 1, Spain 12, Sweden 6, Switzerland 2, Thailand 1, Turkey 8, UAE 16, UK 69, Uruguay 2, US 121, Venezuela 1) registered in other countries: 4 (Barbados 1, Liberia 1, Panama 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point Military Bahamas, The Military branches: Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Marines, Air Wing (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 73,121 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 44,309 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 2,804 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Bahamas, The Disputes - international: disagrees with the US on the alignment of the maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic privation and political instability Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bahrain Introduction Bahrain Background: In 1782, the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. Sheikh HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa, who came to power in 1999, has pushed economic and political reforms and has worked to improve relations with the Shia community. In February 2001, Bahraini voters approved a referendum on the National Action Charter - the centerpiece of Sheikh HAMAD's political liberalization program. In February 2002, Sheikh HAMAD pronounced Bahrain a constitutional monarchy and changed his status from amir to king. In October 2002, Bahrainis elected members of the lower house of Bahrain's reconstituted bicameral legislature, the National Assembly. Geography Bahrain Location: Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia Geographic coordinates: 26 00 N, 50 33 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 665 sq km land: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 161 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls Land use: arable land: 2.82% permanent crops: 5.63% other: 91.55% (2005) Irrigated land: 40 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts; dust storms Environment - current issues: desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources, groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean People Bahrain Population: 698,585 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.4% (male 96,567/female 94,650) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 280,272/female 202,451) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 12,753/female 11,892) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 29.4 years male: 32.4 years female: 25.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.45% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 17.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.14 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.38 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female total population: 1.26 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 16.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.45 years male: 71.97 years female: 77 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 600 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini Ethnic groups: Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census) Religions: Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census) Languages: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.1% male: 91.9% female: 85% (2003 est.) Government Bahrain Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain conventional short form: Bahrain local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn local short form: Al Bahrayn former: Dilmun Government type: constitutional hereditary monarchy Capital: name: Manama geographic coordinates: 26 13 N, 50 35 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK) National holiday: National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of independence from British protection Constitution: new constitution 14 February 2002 Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969) head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa (since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members directly elected to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next election to be held in September 2006) election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Sunni Islamists 12, Shia grouping 7, other groupings and independents 21 note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14 February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25 December 2002 Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court Political parties and leaders: political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law Political pressure groups and leaders: Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97 and have recently engaged in protests and marches, demanding that more power be vested in the elected Council of Representatives and that the government do more to decrease unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Muhammad al-BALUSHI chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William T. MONROE embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: [973] 1724-2700 FAX: [973] 1727-0547 Flag description: red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam Economy Bahrain Economy - overview: Petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. In 2005 Bahrain and the US ratified a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. GDP (purchasing power parity): $15.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $11.01 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $23,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.5% industry: 38.7% services: 60.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 380,000 note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1% industry: 79% services: 20% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 15% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $4.662 billion expenditures: $3.447 billion; including capital expenditures of $700 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 33.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, ship repairing, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.) Electricity - production: 7.345 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 6.83 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 188,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 26,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 124 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2002 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2002 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 92.03 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $1.531 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $11.17 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles Exports - partners: Saudi Arabia 3.3%, US 2.6%, UAE 2.3% (2005) Imports: $7.83 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, chemicals Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 36.4%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 6.4%, US 5.4%, UK 5%, UAE 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.432 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $6.814 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $150 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from the UAE and Kuwait (2002) Currency (code): Bahraini dinar (BHD) Currency code: BHD Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003), 0.376 (2002), 0.376 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Bahrain Telephones - main lines in use: 196,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 748,700 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 973; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 1 (1997) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 338,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 (1997) Televisions: 275,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bh Internet hosts: 2,165 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 152,700 (2005) Transportation Bahrain Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2006) Roadways: total: 3,498 km paved: 2,768 km unpaved: 730 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 235,449 GRT/339,728 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 3 (Kuwait 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Mina' Salman, Sitrah Military Bahrain Military branches: Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Navy, Air Force, National Guard Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 202,126 females age 18-49: 151,734 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 161,372 females age 18-49: 125,488 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 6,013 females age 18-49: 5,852 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $627.7 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.9% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Bahrain Disputes - international: none Trafficking in persons: current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men and women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly to work as laborers or domestic servants, but may be subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude when faced with exorbitant recruitment and transportation fees, withholding of their passports, restrictions on their movement, non-payment of wages, and physical or sexual abuse; Eastern European women are also believed to be trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain's efforts to address trafficking in persons are based largely on pledges of future efforts; the government did not enact a comprehensive anti-trafficking law extending labor protection to domestic workers This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bangladesh Introduction Bangladesh Background: Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development. Geography Bangladesh Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Iowa Land boundaries: total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km Coastline: 580 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin Climate: tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal Land use: arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005) Irrigated land: 47,250 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season Environment - current issues: many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal People Bangladesh Population: 147,365,352 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.9% (male 24,957,997/female 23,533,894) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 47,862,774/female 45,917,674) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,731,578/female 2,361,435) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 22.2 years male: 22.2 years female: 22.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.09% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 29.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 60.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.46 years male: 62.47 years female: 62.45 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 650 (2001 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations water contact disease: leptospirosis animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Nationality: noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998) Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.) Government Bangladesh Country name: conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh local short form: Banladesh former: East Bengal, East Pakistan Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 25 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet Independence: 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh National holiday: Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh Constitution: 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002); note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at presidential direction - to supervise the elections head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election to be held by 2007); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve five-year terms elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held no later than January 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) Political parties and leaders: Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ARF, AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Shamsher Mobin CHOWDHURY chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500 FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744 Flag description: green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh Economy Bangladesh Economy - overview: Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. One encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several years. GDP (purchasing power parity): $305.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $63.56 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 19.9% industry: 19.8% services: 60.3% (2004 est.) Labor force: 66.6 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 63% industry: 11% services: 26% (FY95/96) Unemployment rate: 2.5% (includes underemployment) (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 45% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 31.8 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $5.993 billion expenditures: $8.598 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 44.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar Industrial production growth rate: 6.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 17.42 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 93.7% hydro: 6.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 16.2 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 6,825 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 84,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 28.45 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 11.9 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 11.9 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 300.2 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $37 million (2005 est.) Exports: $9.372 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood (2001) Exports - partners: US 23.6%, Germany 13.5%, UK 9.4%, France 6.4% (2005) Imports: $12.97 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000) Imports - partners: India 14.1%, China 13.5%, Kuwait 8.5%, Singapore 6.2%, Japan 4.1%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.825 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $20.63 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $1.575 billion (2000 est.) Currency (code): taka (BDT) Currency code: BDT Exchange rates: taka per US dollar - 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.807 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Bangladesh Telephones - main lines in use: 1.07 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 9 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern country domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) Radios: 6.15 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 15 (1999) Televisions: 770,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bd Internet hosts: 469 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (2000) Internet users: 300,000 (2005) Transportation Bangladesh Airports: 16 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,604 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,768 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 239,226 km paved: 22,726 km unpaved: 216,500 km (2003) Waterways: 8,372 km note: includes 5,635 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2005) Merchant marine: total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 341,733 GRT/485,840 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 29, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3 foreign-owned: 1 (China 1) registered in other countries: 10 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Comoros 1, Malta 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Chittagong, Mongla Port Military Bangladesh Military branches: Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 35,170,019 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 26,841,255 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.01 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Bangladesh Disputes - international: discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh resists India's attempts to fence or wall off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary inspection in 2005 revealed 92 pillars are missing; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 20,402 (Burma) IDPs: 61,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2005) Illicit drugs: transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Barbados Introduction Barbados Background: The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. Geography Barbados Location: Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela Geographic coordinates: 13 10 N, 59 32 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 97 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October) Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas Land use: arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2005) Irrigated land: 50 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: easternmost Caribbean island People Barbados Population: 279,912 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 28,160/female 28,039) 15-64 years: 71.1% (male 97,755/female 101,223) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,508/female 15,227) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34.6 years male: 33.4 years female: 35.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.37% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 11.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.79 years male: 70.79 years female: 74.82 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.5% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,500 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) Ethnic groups: black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6% Religions: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% Languages: English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.) Government Barbados Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Bridgetown geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may be given parish status Independence: 30 November 1966 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966) Constitution: 30 November 1966 Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 7 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May 2003) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2008) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services) Political parties and leaders: Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON] Political pressure groups and leaders: Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE] International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York consulate(s): Los Angeles Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950 FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident) Economy Barbados Economy - overview: Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly due to a decline in tourism. Growth was positive in 2005, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.815 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.964 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $17,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.) Labor force: 128,500 (2001 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10% industry: 15% services: 75% (1996 est.) Unemployment rate: 10.7% (2003 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.5% (2003 est.) Budget: revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export Industrial production growth rate: -3.2% (2000 est.) Electricity - production: 819 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 761.7 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 1,000 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 29.17 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 29.17 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 141.6 million cu m (1 January 2002) Exports: $209 million (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components Exports - partners: US 18.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 15%, UK 12.1%, Saint Lucia 8.4%, Jamaica 7.9%, Grenada 4.6%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.6% (2005) Imports: $1.476 billion (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components Imports - partners: NZ 45.9%, US 20.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12% (2005) Debt - external: $668 million (2003) Economic aid - recipient: $9.1 million (1995) Currency (code): Barbadian dollar (BBD) Currency code: BBD Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Barbados Telephones - main lines in use: 134,900 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 206,200 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 237,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus two cable channels) (2004) Televisions: 76,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bb Internet hosts: 282 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 19 (2000) Internet users: 160,000 (2005) Transportation Barbados Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,600 km paved: 1,600 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 433,390 GRT/664,998 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 32, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 57 (Bahamas, The 1, Canada 8, Greece 11, Lebanon 1, Monaco 1, Norway 29, UAE 1, UK 5) registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bridgetown Military Barbados Military branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Coast Guard (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; volunteers at earlier age with parental consent; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 71,524 females age 18-49: 72,302 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 54,510 females age 18-49: 54,889 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005) Transnational Issues Barbados Disputes - international: in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration that will result in a binding award challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters and the southern limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Belarus Introduction Belarus Background: After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Alexander LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue. Geography Belarus Location: Eastern Europe, east of Poland Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 28 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 207,600 sq km land: 207,600 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas Land boundaries: total: 2,900 km border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime Terrain: generally flat and contains much marshland Elevation extremes: lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m Natural resources: forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay Land use: arable land: 26.77% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 72.63% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,310 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes People Belarus Population: 10,293,011 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.7% (male 825,823/female 791,741) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 3,490,442/female 3,682,950) 65 years and over: 14.6% (male 498,976/female 1,003,079) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 37.2 years male: 34.5 years female: 39.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.06% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.16 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.08 years male: 63.47 years female: 74.98 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.43 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,000 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian Ethnic groups: Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census) Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) Languages: Belarusian, Russian, other Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.8% female: 99.5% (2003 est.) Government Belarus Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus' local short form: Byelarus' former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship Capital: name: Minsk geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk, Vitsyebsk note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers Independence: 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union Constitution: 15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKIY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits allowing president to run in a third election held on 19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%, Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the president, all for four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 and 31 October 2004; international observers widely denounced the elections as flawed and undemocratic, based on massive government falsification; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat, after many opposition candidates were disqualified for technical reasons election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives) Political parties and leaders: pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolai ULAKHOVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Party of Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir ALEXANDROVICH] opposition parties: 10 Plus Coalition [Alyaksandr MILINKEVICH], includes: Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Syarhey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatol LYABEDKA]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson] other opposition includes: Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Nardonaya Hromada or BSDP NH [Alyaksandr KOZULIN, chairman]; Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular Accord [Sergei YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR] Political pressure groups and leaders: Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Alyaksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; Lenin Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dzmitryy DASHKEVICH, Syarhey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS] International organization participation: BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604 FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Karen B. STEWART embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002 mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723 telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348 FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853 Flag description: red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red Economy Belarus Economy - overview: Belarus's economy in 2005 posted 8% growth. The government has succeeded in lowering inflation over the past several years. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in 2005, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Trade with European countries increased. Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. During 2005, the government re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure by central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world. Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting foreign investment, which remains low. Growth has been strong in recent years, despite the roadblocks in a tough, centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Belarus continues to receive heavily discounted oil and natural gas from Russia. Much of Belarus' growth can be attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices. GDP (purchasing power parity): $73.09 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $26.69 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 9.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.3% industry: 31.6% services: 59.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.3 million (31 December 2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 14% industry: 34.7% services: 51.3% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005) Population below poverty line: 27.1% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 5.1% highest 10%: 20% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 30.4 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $5.903 billion expenditures: $6.343 billion; including capital expenditures of $180 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators Industrial production growth rate: 15.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 30 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 34.3 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 800 million kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 7 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 36,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - consumption: 252,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 14,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - imports: 360,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Natural gas - production: 250 million cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 20.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 20.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Current account balance: $852 million (2005 est.) Exports: $16.14 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs Exports - partners: Russia 38.5%, Ukraine 7.8%, Poland 7.1%, Latvia 4.2%, UK 4.1%, China 4.1% (2005) Imports: $16.94 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals Imports - partners: Russia 57.9%, Germany 9.7%, Ukraine 6.4%, Poland 5.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.215 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $4.662 billion (30 June 2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $194.3 million (1995) Currency (code): Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR) Currency code: BYB/BYR Exchange rates: Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003), 1,790.92 (2002), 1,390 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Belarus Telephones - main lines in use: 3,284,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.098 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom, is the sole provider of fixed line local and long distance service; modernization of the network to digital switching progressing slowly domestic: fixed line penetration is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved; four GSM wireless networks are experiencing rapid growth; strict government controls on telecommunications technologies international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations Radio broadcast stations: AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998) Radios: 3.02 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 2.52 million (1997) Internet country code: .by Internet hosts: 33,641 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 23 (2002) Internet users: 3,394,400 (2005) Transportation Belarus Airports: 86 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 41 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 35 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 5,223 km; oil 2,321 km; refined products 1,686 km (2006) Railways: total: 5,512 km broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified) standard gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2005) Roadways: total: 93,055 km paved: 93,055 km (2003) Waterways: 2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003) Ports and terminals: Mazyr Military Belarus Military branches: Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,520,644 females age 18-49: 2,564,696 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,657,984 females age 18-49: 2,102,793 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 85,202 females age 18-49: 82,037 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $420.5 million (2006) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY02) Transnational Issues Belarus Disputes - international: 1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security; the whole boundary with Latvia and more than half the boundary with Lithuania remains undemarcated; discussions toward economic and political union with Russia proceed slowly Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Belgium Introduction Belgium Background: Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. Geography Belgium Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands Geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 30,528 sq km land: 30,278 sq km water: 250 sq km Area - comparative: about the size of Maryland Land boundaries: total: 1,385 km border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km Coastline: 66.5 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit continental shelf: median line with neighbors Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: North Sea 0 m highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m Natural resources: construction materials, silica sand, carbonates Land use: arable land: 27.42% permanent crops: 0.69% other: 71.89% note: includes Luxembourg (2005) Irrigated land: 400 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes Environment - current issues: the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO People Belgium Population: 10,379,067 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 883,254/female 846,099) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 3,450,879/female 3,389,565) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 746,569/female 1,062,701) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.9 years male: 39.6 years female: 42.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.13% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.38 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.77 years male: 75.59 years female: 82.09 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 10,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian Ethnic groups: Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% Religions: Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% Languages: Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Belgium Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium conventional short form: Belgium local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie local short form: Belgique/Belgie Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Brussels geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities Independence: 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declares independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to the throne) National holiday: 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I Constitution: 7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003 (next to be held no later than May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit 15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH 5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5, VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR 11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit 23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8, Ecolo 4, other 2 note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its own legislative assembly Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice Council) Political parties and leaders: Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Jo VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN! (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A [Johan Vande LANOTTE]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now associated with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank VANHECKE] Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Isabelle DURANT, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Reform Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; other minor parties Political pressure groups and leaders: Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York consulate(s): Atlanta Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710 telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111 FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France Economy Belgium Economy - overview: This modern, private-enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-05. GDP (purchasing power parity): $322.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $350.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $31,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 24% services: 74.9% (2004 est.) Labor force: 4.77 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1.3% industry: 24.5% services: 74.2% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 8.4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 4% (1989 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 23% (1996) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 25 (1996) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $180.4 billion expenditures: $180.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.56 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 94.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum Industrial production growth rate: -0.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 78.77 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 38.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 59.3% other: 1.8% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 79.66 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 8.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 14.7 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 13,060 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 624,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 450,000 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 1.042 million bbl/day (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 15.48 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 15.4 billion cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $6.305 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $269.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs Exports - partners: Germany 19.4%, France 17.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 8.2%, US 6.4%, Italy 5.3% (2005) Imports: $264.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products Imports - partners: Netherlands 17.8%, Germany 17.2%, France 11.4%, UK 6.8%, Ireland 6.5%, US 5.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $12 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $980.1 billion (30 June 2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.072 billion (2002) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Belgium Telephones - main lines in use: 4.801 million (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 9.46 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network international: country code - 32; submarine cables - 5; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2005) Radio broadcast stations: FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 8.075 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 4.72 million (1997) Internet country code: .be Internet hosts: 2,870,770 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 61 (2000) Internet users: 5.1 million (2005) Transportation Belgium Airports: 43 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 25 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,561 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,521 km standard gauge: 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 149,757 km paved: 117,110 km (including 1,747 km of expressways) unpaved: 32,647 km (2003) Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003) Merchant marine: total: 66 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,952,159 GRT/6,521,645 DWT by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 4, chemical tanker 2, container 10, liquefied gas 15, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 4, Greece 4, UK 2) registered in other countries: 113 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas 13, Bermuda 4, Cyprus 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 6, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 2, Greece 12, Hong Kong 3, Luxembourg 9, Malta 10, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 4, Panama 11, Portugal 8, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 12, Sweden 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge Military Belgium Military branches: Belgian Armed Forces: Land, Naval, and Air Operations Commands (2005) Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise approx. 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 2,436,736 females age 16-49: 2,369,463 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 1,998,003 females age 16-49: 1,940,918 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 64,263 females age 16-49: 61,402 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.999 billion (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (2003) Transnational Issues Belgium Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a strengthening of legislation, the country remains vulnerable to money laundering related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Belize Introduction Belize Background: Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increasing urban crime. Geography Belize Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 45 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts Land boundaries: total: 516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km Coastline: 386 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower Land use: arable land: 3.05% permanent crops: 1.39% other: 95.56% (2005) Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean People Belize Population: 287,730 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678) 15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.6 years male: 19.5 years female: 19.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.31% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 28.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.3 years male: 66.43 years female: 70.26 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.4% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,600 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean Ethnic groups: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% Religions: Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000) Languages: English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.1% male: 94.1% female: 94.1% (2003 est.) Government Belize Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Belmopan geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1981) Constitution: 21 September 1981 Legal system: English law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1 each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; members are appointed for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held March 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) Political parties and leaders: People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman] Political pressure groups and leaders: Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM] International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163 FAX: [501] 223-0802 Flag description: blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland Economy Belize Economy - overview: In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy the tourism industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 5% in 1999-2005. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.778 billion (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $908 million (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14.2% industry: 15.2% services: 61.2% (2004 est.) Labor force: 90,000 note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 27% industry: 18% services: 55% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 12.9% (2003) Population below poverty line: 33% (1999 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 17.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $262 million expenditures: $329 million; including capital expenditures of $70 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments Industries: garment production, food processing, tourism, construction Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (1999) Electricity - production: 120 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 59.9% hydro: 40.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 111.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 6,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-180 million (2005 est.) Exports: $349.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood Exports - partners: US 30.6%, UK 25%, France 4.8% (2005) Imports: $622.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco Imports - partners: US 31%, Mexico 11.6%, Russia 8.8%, Cuba 6%, Guatemala 5.6%, China 4.6%, Spain 4.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $87 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.362 billion (June 2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Belizean dollar (BZD) Currency code: BZD Exchange rates: Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Belize Telephones - main lines in use: 33,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 93,100 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: above-average system domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 133,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997) Televisions: 41,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bz Internet hosts: 3,905 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 35,000 (2005) Transportation Belize Airports: 43 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Roadways: total: 2,872 km paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1999) Waterways: 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 285 ships (1000 GRT or over) 985,464 GRT/1,322,629 DWT by type: bulk carrier 36, cargo 203, chemical tanker 7, container 4, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 225 (China 103, Croatia 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 3, Germany 3, Greece 2, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 2, Indonesia 2, Italy 4, Japan 2, North Korea 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 6, Lithuania 1, Malaysia 1, Mexico 1, Norway 2, Poland 2, Russia 36, Singapore 6, Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 11, UAE 5, Ukraine 7, US 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Belize City Military Belize Military branches: Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 61,201 females age 18-49: 60,048 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 44,238 females age 18-49: 43,633 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 3,213 females age 18-49: 3,100 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $19 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Belize Disputes - international: Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS seeks to revive the 2002 failed Belize-Guatemala Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK financial package Trafficking in persons: current situation: Belize is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked mainly from Central America, and exploited in prostitution; children are trafficked to Belize for labor exploitation; Belize's largely unmonitored borders with Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico facilitate the movement of illegal migrants who are vulnerable to traffickers; girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, sometimes with the consent and complicity of their close relatives; there are unconfirmed reports that Indian and Chinese migrants are trafficked for involuntary servitude in homes and shops tier rating: Tier 3 - Belize has failed to show evidence of significant law enforcement or victim protection efforts Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Benin Introduction Benin Background: Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. Geography Benin Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Land boundaries: total: 1,989 km border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km Coastline: 121 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber Land use: arable land: 23.53% permanent crops: 2.37% other: 74.1% (2005) Irrigated land: 120 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands People Benin Population: 7,862,944 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 2,067,248/female 2,138,957) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.6 years male: 17.2 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.73% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 79.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 84.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 74.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.04 years male: 51.9 years female: 54.22 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 68,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 5,800 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese Ethnic groups: African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 33.6% male: 46.4% female: 22.6% (2002 est.) Government Benin Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local long form: Republique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey Government type: republic Capital: name: Porto-Novo (official capital) geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cotonou (seat of government) Administrative divisions: 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: National Day, 1 August (1960) Constitution: December 1990 Legal system: based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011) election results: YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD, AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD; Key Force or FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS; Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute Party-Congress of People for Progress Alliance or Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or NA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU] note: approximately 20 additional minor parties Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone: [229] 30-06-50 FAX: [229] 30-06-70 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side Economy Benin Economy - overview: The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years, but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in increased smuggling and criminality in the border region. GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.419 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.34 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 31.6% industry: 13.8% services: 54.6% (2004 est.) Labor force: 3.211 million Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 33% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $766.8 million expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock Industries: textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement Industrial production growth rate: 8.3% (2001 est.) Electricity - production: 69 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 14.2% hydro: 85.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 538.2 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 474 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 400 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.218 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-400 million (2005 est.) Exports: $826.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa Exports - partners: China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005) Imports: $1.043 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products Imports - partners: France 21.8%, Ghana 7.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, China 6.7%, UK 5.2%, Belgium 4.9%, Togo 4.5%, Thailand 4.2%, Nigeria 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $676 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.6 billion (2000) Economic aid - recipient: $342.6 million (2000) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Currency code: XOF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Benin Telephones - main lines in use: 76,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 386,700 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) Radios: 660,000 (2000) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001) Televisions: 66,000 (2000) Internet country code: .bj Internet hosts: 867 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2002) Internet users: 425,000 (2005) Transportation Benin Airports: 5 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Railways: total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 16,000 km paved: 1,400 km unpaved: 14,600 km (2005) Waterways: 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005) Ports and terminals: Cotonou Military Benin Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force Military service age and obligation: 21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 21-49: 1,295,230 females age 21-49: 1,301,936 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 21-49: 749,774 females age 21-49: 751,329 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 76,661 females: 75,068 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $100.9 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Benin Disputes - international: Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over sections of riverine boundary involving disputed villages and squatters; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve maritime and land boundary disputes, but clashes among rival gangs along the border persist; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly regulated financial infrastructure This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bermuda Introduction Bermuda Background: Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the issue. Geography Bermuda Location: North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US) Geographic coordinates: 32 20 N, 64 45 W Map references: North America Area: total: 53.3 sq km land: 53.3 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about one-third the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 103 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter Terrain: low hills separated by fertile depressions Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Town Hill 76 m Natural resources: limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: hurricanes (June to November) Environment - current issues: sustainable development Geography - note: consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995 People Bermuda Population: 65,773 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,146/female 6,098) 15-64 years: 69.2% (male 22,562/female 22,954) 65 years and over: 12.2% (male 3,479/female 4,534) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.2 years male: 39.3 years female: 41 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.61% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.4 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.96 years male: 75.85 years female: 80.1 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.297% (2005) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 163 (2005) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 392 (2005) Nationality: noun: Bermudian(s) adjective: Bermudian Ethnic groups: black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2000 census) Religions: Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%, other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%, none 14% (2000 census) Languages: English (official), Portuguese Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (2005 est.) Government Bermuda Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: parliamentary; self-governing territory Capital: name: Hamilton geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 46 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: Bermuda Day, 24 May Constitution: 8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003 Legal system: English law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir John VEREKER (since 11 April 2002) head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006); Deputy Premier Paula COX cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms) elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts Political parties and leaders: Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Wayne FURBERT] Political pressure groups and leaders: Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES] International organization participation: Caricom (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCO Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342 FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233 Flag description: red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag Economy Bermuda Economy - overview: Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world, more than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies relocated to the island following 11 September 2001 and again after Hurricane Katrina, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited with only 20% of the land being arable. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.5 billion (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 4.6% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $69,900 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 10% services: 89% (2002 est.) Labor force: 38,360 (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%, professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%, sales 7%, services 19% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 2.1% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 19% (2000) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (November 2005) Budget: revenues: $738 million expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05) Agriculture - products: bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey Industries: international business, tourism, light manufacturing Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 682.5 million kWh (2005) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 616.7 million kWh (2005) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2005) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2005) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 4,658 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $1.469 billion (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: reexports of pharmaceuticals Exports - partners: France 65.6%, Spain 11.7%, US 4.5% (2005) Imports: $982 million (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals Imports - partners: Kazakhstan 51%, France 19%, South Korea 10.2%, US 7.6% (2005) Debt - external: $160 million (FY99/00) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Bermudian dollar (BMD) Currency code: BMD Exchange rates: Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Bermuda Telephones - main lines in use: 56,000 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 49,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: good domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optic trunk lines international: country code - 1-441; submarine cables - 3 (fiber optic); satellite earth stations - 3 (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) Radios: 82,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (2005) Televisions: 66,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bm Internet hosts: 8,114 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 20 (2000) Internet users: 39,000 (2005) Transportation Bermuda Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 447 km paved: 447 km note: public roads - 225 km; private roads - 222 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 132 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,873,728 GRT/8,688,692 DWT by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 1, container 24, liquefied gas 23, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 116 (Australia 3, Belgium 4, France 1, Germany 21, Greece 2, Hong Kong 10, Indonesia 1, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Monaco 2, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Sweden 14, Switzerland 2, UK 9, US 27) registered in other countries: 6 (Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Hamilton, Saint George Military Bermuda Military branches: no regular military forces Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 15,151 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 12,165 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 408 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.03 million (2001) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.11% (FY00/01) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Bermuda Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bhutan Introduction Bhutan Background: In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding some border land to British India. Under British influence, a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned the areas of Bhutan annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. A refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of the refugees are housed in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. In March 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the government's draft constitution - which would introduce major democratic reforms - and pledged to hold a national referendum for its approval. A referendum date has yet to be named. Geography Bhutan Location: Southern Asia, between China and India Geographic coordinates: 27 30 N, 90 30 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 47,000 sq km land: 47,000 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about half the size of Indiana Land boundaries: total: 1,075 km border countries: China 470 km, India 605 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas Terrain: mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna Elevation extremes: lowest point: Drangme Chhu 97 m highest point: Kula Kangri 7,553 m Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate Land use: arable land: 2.3% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 97.27% (2005) Irrigated land: 400 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season Environment - current issues: soil erosion; limited access to potable water Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes People Bhutan Population: 2,279,723 note: other estimates range as low as 810,000 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.9% (male 458,801/female 426,947) 15-64 years: 57.1% (male 671,057/female 631,078) 65 years and over: 4% (male 46,217/female 45,623) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.4 years male: 20.2 years female: 20.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.1% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 33.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 98.41 deaths/1,000 live births male: 96.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 100.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.78 years male: 55.02 years female: 54.53 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (1999 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural) adjective: Bhutanese Ethnic groups: Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15% Religions: Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25% Languages: Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47% male: 60% female: 34% (2003 est.) Government Bhutan Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan conventional short form: Bhutan local long form: Druk Gyalkhap local short form: Druk Yul Government type: monarchy; special treaty relationship with India Capital: name: Thimphu geographic coordinates: 27 28 N, 89 39 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Dagana, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang note: there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse Independence: 8 August 1949 (from India) National holiday: National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907) Constitution: no written constitution or bill of rights; note - in 2001, the king commissioned the drafting of a constitution, and in March 2005 publicly unveiled it; is awaiting national referendum Legal system: based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: each family has one vote in village-level elections; note - in late 2003 Bhutan's legislature passed a new election law Executive branch: chief of state: King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sangay NGEDUP (since 5 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed, five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July 1998 grant the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three-year terms) elections: local elections last held August 2005 (next to be held in 2008) election results: NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: no legal parties Political pressure groups and leaders: Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community; United Front for Democracy (exiled) International organization participation: AsDB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Bhutan has a Permanent Mission to the UN; address: 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; FAX [1] (212) 826-2998; the Bhutanese mission to the UN has consular jurisdiction in the US consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India) Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side Economy Bhutan Economy - overview: The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than 90% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on India's financial assistance. The industrial sector is technologically backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources. Model education, social, and environment programs are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. Each economic program takes into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. For example, the government, in its cautious expansion of the tourist sector, encourages visits by upscale, environmentally conscientious tourists. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.9 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $840.5 million GDP - real growth rate: 5.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,400 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25.8% industry: 37.9% services: 36.3% (2002 est.) Labor force: NA note: major shortage of skilled labor Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 93% industry: 2% services: 5% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $346.6 million expenditures: including capital expenditures of $NA note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of Bhutan's budget expenditures (FY95/96 est.) Public debt: 81.4% of GDP Agriculture - products: rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs Industries: cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide Industrial production growth rate: 9.3% (1996 est.) Electricity - production: 1.882 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.1% hydro: 99.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 250.3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 1.51 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 10 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 1,100 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $154 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) Exports - commodities: electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones, spices Exports - partners: Japan 33.2%, Germany 13.6%, France 13.5%, South Korea 7.8%, US 7.7%, Thailand 5.8%, Italy 5.1% (2005) Imports: $196 million c.i.f. (2000 est.) Imports - commodities: fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice Imports - partners: Hong Kong 68.4%, Mexico 20.8%, France 3.9% (2005) Debt - external: $593 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $78 million substantial aid from India and other nations Currency (code): ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR) Currency code: BTN; INR Exchange rates: ngultrum per US dollar - 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.186 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Bhutan Telephones - main lines in use: 32,700 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 37,800 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: telecommunications facilities are poor domestic: very low teledensity; domestic service is very poor especially in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003 international: country code - 975; international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India; satellite earth station - 1 (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2006) Radios: 37,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2006) Televisions: 11,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bt Internet hosts: 7,567 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: 25,000 (2005) Transportation Bhutan Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 8,050 km paved: 4,991 km unpaved: 3,059 km (2003) Military Bhutan Military branches: Royal Bhutan Army: Royal Bodyguard, Royal Bhutan Police (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 483,860 females age 18-49: 453,683 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 314,975 females age 18-49: 296,833 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 23,939 females age 18-49: 21,979 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $8.29 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Bhutan Disputes - international: approximately 105,000 Bhutanese have lived decades as refugees in Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees camps; Bhutan cooperates with India to expel Indian separatists This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bolivia Introduction Bolivia Background: Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands. Geography Bolivia Location: Central South America, southwest of Brazil Geographic coordinates: 17 00 S, 65 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 1,098,580 sq km land: 1,084,390 sq km water: 14,190 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Montana Land boundaries: total: 6,743 km border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid Terrain: rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m Natural resources: tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower Land use: arable land: 2.78% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.03% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,320 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding in the northeast (March-April) Environment - current issues: the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection Geography - note: landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru People Bolivia Population: 8,989,046 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 35% (male 1,603,982/female 1,542,319) 15-64 years: 60.4% (male 2,660,806/female 2,771,807) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 182,412/female 227,720) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 21.8 years male: 21.2 years female: 22.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.45% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 23.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 51.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 55.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.84 years male: 63.21 years female: 68.61 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 4,900 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian Ethnic groups: Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15% Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5% Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.2% male: 93.1% female: 81.6% (2003 est.) Government Bolivia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia Government type: republic Capital: name: La Paz (adminstrative capital) geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Sucre (constitutional capital) Administrative divisions: 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija Independence: 6 August 1825 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 6 August (1825) Constitution: 2 February 1967; revised in August 1994 Legal system: based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single) Executive branch: chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7% Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 69 are directly elected from their districts and 61 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MAS 73, PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases) Political parties and leaders: Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel PANTOJA]; Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Marshal of Ayacucho Institutional Vanguard or VIMA [Freddy ZABALA]; Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ Zamora]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE Huanca]; Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Socialist Party or PS [Jeres JUSTINIANO] Political pressure groups and leaders: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman LOAYZA] International organization participation: CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMISET, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gustavo GUZMAN Saldana chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410 FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712 consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Philip S. GOLDBERG embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032 telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000 FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band Economy Bolivia Economy - overview: Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4% in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence. In 2003, violent protests against the pro-foreign investment economic policies of President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial natural gas law that imposes on the oil and gas firms significantly higher taxes as well as new contracts that give the state control of their operations. Bolivian officials are in the process of implementing the law; meanwhile, foreign investors have stopped investing and have taken the first legal steps to secure their investments. Real GDP growth in 2003-05 - helped by increased demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia's fiscal position has improved in recent years, but the country remains dependent on foreign aid from multilateral lenders and foreign governments to meet budget shortfalls. In 2005, the G8 announced a $2 billion debt-forgiveness plan over the next few decades that should help reduce some fiscal pressures on the government in the near term. GDP (purchasing power parity): $25.82 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $9.657 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.8% industry: 35.2% services: 52% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.22 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 64% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 32% (1999) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 60.6 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 12.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.848 billion expenditures: $3.189 billion; including capital expenditures of $741 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber Industries: mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing Industrial production growth rate: 5.7% (2004 est.) Electricity - production: 4.25 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44.4% hydro: 54% nuclear: 0% other: 1.5% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 3.963 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 10 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 42,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 48,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 6.72 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.74 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 2.9 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 679.6 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $462 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.371 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin Exports - partners: Brazil 41.2%, US 14.1%, Colombia 8.8%, Argentina 7.6%, Peru 5.5% (2005) Imports: $1.845 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans Imports - partners: Brazil 21.9%, Argentina 16.7%, US 13.8%, Chile 6.9%, Peru 6.5%, Japan 6.1%, China 5.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.798 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $6.309 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $221 million (2005 est.) Currency (code): boliviano (BOB) Currency code: BOB Exchange rates: bolivianos per US dollar - 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002), 6.6069 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Bolivia Telephones - main lines in use: 646,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.421 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999) Radios: 5.25 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 48 (1997) Televisions: 900,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bo Internet hosts: 20,085 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2000) Internet users: 480,000 (2005) Transportation Bolivia Airports: 1,084 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,068 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 60 914 to 1,523 m: 207 under 914 m: 797 (2006) Pipelines: gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,519 km narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 60,762 km paved: 4,314 km (including 11 km of expressways) unpaved: 56,448 km (2003) Waterways: 10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 127,297 GRT/198,525 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 10 foreign-owned: 10 (Argentina 1, China 1, Egypt 2, Iran 1, Singapore 3, Taiwan 1, Yemen 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Puerto Aguirre (on the Paraguay/Parana waterway, at the Bolivia/Brazil border); also, Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay Military Bolivia Military branches: Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; one estimate holds that 40% of the armed forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under the age of 16; conscript tour of duty - 12 months (2002) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,923,234 females age 18-49: 2,007,315 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,311,414 females age 18-49: 1,502,177 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 101,101 females age 18-49: 98,671 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $130 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Bolivia Disputes - international: Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities Trafficking in persons: current situation: Bolivia is a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, as well as to Spain; children are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation, forced mining, and agricultural labor; illegal migrants from Asia transiting Bolivia are vulnerable as trafficking victims tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bolivia has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in the areas of prosecutions and victim protection Illicit drugs: world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 26,500 hectares under cultivation in August 2005, an 8% increase from 2004; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported mostly to or through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to European drug markets; cultivation steadily increasing despite eradication and alternative crop programs; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bosnia and Herzegovina Introduction Bosnia and Herzegovina Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government comprised of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments were charged with overseeing most government functions. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) was established to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. In 1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission was to deter renewed hostilities. European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR in December 2004; their mission is to maintain peace and stability throughout the country. Geography Bosnia and Herzegovina Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia Geographic coordinates: 44 00 N, 18 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 51,129 sq km land: 51,129 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia Land boundaries: total: 1,459 km border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 225 km, Serbia 302 km Coastline: 20 km Maritime claims: no data available Climate: hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast Terrain: mountains and valleys Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maglic 2,386 m Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests, hydropower Land use: arable land: 19.61% permanent crops: 1.89% other: 78.5% (2005) Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes Environment - current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; water shortages and destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro (Montenegro), and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east People Bosnia and Herzegovina Population: 4,498,976 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.5% (male 359,739/female 336,978) 15-64 years: 70.1% (male 1,590,923/female 1,564,665) 65 years and over: 14.4% (male 265,637/female 381,034) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.4 years male: 37.2 years female: 39.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.35% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 13.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78 years male: 74.39 years female: 81.88 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.22 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 900 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s) adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian Ethnic groups: Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000) note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam Religions: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14% Languages: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.6% male: 98.4% female: 91.1% (2000 est.) Government Bosnia and Herzegovina Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina local long form: none local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Government type: emerging federal democratic republic Capital: name: Sarajevo geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally supervised district* - Brcko district (Brcko Distrikt)*, the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska; note - Brcko district is in northeastern Bosnia and is an administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the district remains under international supervision Independence: 1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence was completed 1 March 1992; independence was declared 3 March 1992) National holiday: National Day, 25 November (1943) Constitution: the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution now in force; note - each of the entities also has its own constitution Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal Executive branch: chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Nebojsa RADMANOVIC (chairman since 6 November 2006; presidency member since 1 October 2006 - Serb); other members of the three-member presidency rotating (every eight months): Zeljko KOMSIC (since 1 October 2006 - Croat) and Haris SILAJDZIC (since 1 October 2006 - Bosniak) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adnan TERZIC (since 20 December 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman; approved by the National House of Representatives elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one Croat, one Serb) are elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term, but then ineligible for four years); the member with the most votes becomes the chairman unless he or she was the incumbent chairman at the time of the election, but the chairmanship rotates every eight months; election last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); the chairman of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the National House of Representatives election results: percent of vote - Nebojsa RADMANOVIC with 53.3% of the Serb vote; Zeljko KOMSIC received 39.6% of the Croat vote; Haris SILAJDZIC received 62.8% of the Bosniak vote note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Niko LOZANCIC (since 27 January 2003); Vice Presidents Sahbaz DZIHANOVIC (since in 2003) and Desnica RADIVOJEVIC (since in 2003); President of the Republika Srpska: Milan JELIC (since 9 November 2006) Legislative branch: bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the national House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats - elected by proportional representation, 28 seats allocated from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats from the Republika Srpska; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve four-year terms); note - Bosnia's election law specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order administrative division entity legislatures elections: national House of Representatives - elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); House of Peoples - last constituted in January 2003 (next to be constituted in 2007) election results: national House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDA 9, SBiH 8, SNSD 7, SDP 5, SDS 3, HDZ-BH 3, other 7; House of Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - NA note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that consists of a House of Representatives (98 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDA 28, SBiH 24, SDP 17, HDZ-BH 8, HDZ100 7, other 14; and a House of Peoples (60 seats - 30 Bosniak, 30 Croat); last constituted December 2002; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2010); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SNSD 41, SDS 17, PDP 8, DNS 4, SBH 4, SPRS 3, SDA 3, other 3; as a result of the 2002 constitutional reform process, a 28-member Republika Srpska Council of Peoples (COP) was established in the Republika Srpska National Assembly including eight Croats, eight Bosniaks, eight Serbs, and four members of the smaller communities Judicial branch: BH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members: four members are selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the president of the European Court of Human Rights); BH State Court (consists of nine judges and three divisions - Administrative, Appellate and Criminal - having jurisdiction over cases related to state-level law and appellate jurisdiction over cases initiated in the entities); note - a War Crimes Chamber opened in March 2005 note: the entities each have a Supreme Court; each entity also has a number of lower courts; there are 10 cantonal courts in the Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has five municipal courts Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD [Milorad DODIK]; Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Civic Democratic Party or GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croat Christian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HKDU [Marin TOPIC]; Croat Party of Rights or HSP [Zvonko JURISIC]; Croat Peasants Party or HSS [Marko TADIC]; Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HDZ-BH [Dragan COVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union 100 or HDZ100; Croatian Peoples Union [Milenko BRKIC]; Democratic National Union or DNZ [Rifet DOLIC]; Democratic Peoples Alliance or DNS [Marko PAVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Rasim KADIC]; New Croat Initiative or NHI [Kresimir ZUBAK]; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBiH [Haris SILAJDZIC]; Party for Democratic Action or SDA [Sulejman TIHIC]; Party of Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen IVANIC]; Serb Democratic Party or SDS [Dragan CAVIC]; Serb Radical Party of the Republika Srpska or SRS-RS [Milanko MIHAJLICA]; Serb Radical Party-Dr. Vojislav Seselj or SRS-VS [Radislav KANJERIC]; Social Democratic Party of BIH or SDP [Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA]; Social Democratic Union or SDU [Sejfudin TOKIC]; Socialist Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS [Petar DJOKIC] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: BIS, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bisera TURKOVIC chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas L. McELHANEY embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo mailing address: use street address telephone: [387] (33) 445-700 FAX: [387] (33) 659-722 branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar Flag description: a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle Economy Bosnia and Herzegovina Economy - overview: Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to Macedonia as the poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation. Although agriculture is almost all in private hands, farms are small and inefficient, and the republic traditionally is a net importer of food. Industry remains greatly overstaffed, a holdover from the socialist economic structure of Yugoslavia. TITO had pushed the development of military industries in the republic with the result that Bosnia was saddled with a host of industrial firms with little commercial potential. The interethnic warfare in Bosnia caused production to plummet by 80% from 1992 to 1995 and unemployment to soar. With an uneasy peace in place, output recovered in 1996-99 at high percentage rates from a low base; but output growth slowed in 2000-02. Part of the lag in output was made up in 2003-05. National-level statistics are limited and do not capture the large share of black market activity. The konvertibilna marka (convertible mark or BAM)- the national currency introduced in 1998 - is pegged to the euro, and confidence in the currency and the banking sector has increased. Implementation of privatization, however, has been slow, and local entities only reluctantly support national-level institutions. Banking reform accelerated in 2001 as all the Communist-era payments bureaus were shut down; foreign banks, primarily from Western Europe, now control most of the banking sector. A sizeable current account deficit and high unemployment rate remain the two most serious economic problems. The country receives substantial amounts of reconstruction assistance and humanitarian aid from the international community but will have to prepare for an era of declining assistance. GDP (purchasing power parity): $23.09 billion note: Bosnia has a large informal sector that could also be as much as 50% of official GDP (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $8.495 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14.2% industry: 30.8% services: 55% (2002) Labor force: 1.026 million (2001) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 45.5% official rate; grey economy may reduce actual unemployment to 25-30% (31 December 2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 25% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 26.2 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $4.373 billion expenditures: $4.401 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 29% of GDP Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock Industries: steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining Industrial production growth rate: 5.5% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 10.51 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 53.5% hydro: 46.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 8.849 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 3.2 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 2.271 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 21,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 160 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 300 million cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $-2.087 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $2.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: metals, clothing, wood products Exports - partners: Croatia 18.4%, Italy 17.1%, Slovenia 14.6%, Germany 12.8%, Austria 6.5%, Hungary 5.2%, China 4.2% (2005) Imports: $6.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Croatia 24.7%, Germany 13.7%, Slovenia 13.1%, Italy 11%, Austria 6.9%, Hungary 5.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.531 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.116 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $650 million (2001 est.) Currency (code): marka (BAM) Currency code: BAM Exchange rates: marka per US dollar - 1.5727 (2005), 1.5752 (2004), 1.7329 (2003), 2.0782 (2002), 2.1857 (2001) note: the marka is pegged to the euro Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Bosnia and Herzegovina Telephones - main lines in use: 968,900 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.594 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: telephone and telegraph network needs modernization and expansion; many urban areas are below average as contrasted with services in other former Yugoslav republics domestic: NA international: country code - 387; no satellite earth stations Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 940,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 33 (plus 277 repeaters) (September 1995) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .ba Internet hosts: 31,490 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 806,400 (2005) Transportation Bosnia and Herzegovina Airports: 28 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Heliports: 5 (2006) Railways: total: 608 km (777 km electrified) standard gauge: 608 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 21,846 km paved: 11,425 km (4,686 km of interurban roads) unpaved: 10,421 km (2005) Waterways: Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use limited (2006) Ports and terminals: Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje Military Bosnia and Herzegovina Military branches: VF Army (the air and air defense forces are subordinate commands within the Army), VRS Army (the air and air defense forces are subordinate commands within the Army) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; 16 years of age in times of war; 18 years of age for Republika Srpska; 17 years of age for voluntary military service in the Federation and in the Republika Srpska; by law, military obligations cover all healthy men between the ages of 18 and 60, and all women between the ages of 18 and 55; service obligation is four months (July 2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,119,508 females age 18-49: 1,079,435 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 910,539 females age 18-49: 881,446 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 32,942 females age 18-49: 31,466 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $234.3 million (FY02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.5% (FY02) Transnational Issues Bosnia and Herzegovina Disputes - international: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro have delimited most of their boundary, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute; discussions continue with Croatia on several small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinder ratification of the 1999 border agreement Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 19,213 (Croatia) IDPs: 309,200 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Muslims displaced in 1992-95 war) (2005) Illicit drugs: minor transit point for marijuana and opiate trafficking routes to Western Europe; remains highly vulnerable to money-laundering activity given a primarily cash-based and unregulated economy, weak law enforcement, and instances of corruption This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Botswana Introduction Botswana Background: Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease. Geography Botswana Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 24 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 600,370 sq km land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas Land boundaries: total: 4,013 km border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver Land use: arable land: 0.65% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.34% (2005) Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility Environment - current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country People Botswana Population: 1,639,833 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.3% (male 319,531/female 309,074) 15-64 years: 57.9% (male 460,692/female 488,577) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 23,374/female 38,585) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.4 years male: 18.8 years female: 20 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.04% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 23.08 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 29.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 53.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 52.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 33.74 years male: 33.9 years female: 33.56 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 37.3% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 33,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Nationality: noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) Ethnic groups: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7% Religions: Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census) Languages: Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.8% male: 76.9% female: 82.4% (2003 est.) Government Botswana Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Botswana conventional short form: Botswana local long form: Republic of Botswana local short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland Government type: parliamentary republic Capital: name: Gaborone geographic coordinates: 24 45 S, 25 55 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966) Constitution: March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009); vice president appointed by the president election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 permanent members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 are appointed by the majority party, and 2, the President and Attorney-General, serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 51.7%, BNF 26.1%, BCP 16.6%, other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1 Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district) Political parties and leaders: Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa KOOSALETSE]; Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS; New Democratic Front or NDF note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Katherine H. CANAVAN embassy: address NA, Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 353982 FAX: [267] 312782 Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center Economy Botswana Economy - overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $10,000 in 2005. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for 70-80% of export earnings. Tourism, financial services, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 23.8%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects. GDP (purchasing power parity): $17.53 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $9.046 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $10,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.4% industry: 46.9% (including 36% mining) services: 50.7% (2003 est.) Labor force: 288,400 formal sector employees (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 23.8% (2004) Population below poverty line: 30.3% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 63 (1993) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.766 billion expenditures: $3.767 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 6.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 891 million kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.641 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002) Electricity - imports: 1.39 billion kWh (2002) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 16,000 bbl/day (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $1.584 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $3.68 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles Exports - partners: European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2004) Imports: $3.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products Imports - partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2004) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $6.309 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $519 million (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $73 million (1995) Currency (code): pula (BWP) Currency code: BWP Exchange rates: pulas per US dollar - 5.1104 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003), 6.3278 (2002), 5.8412 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Botswana Telephones - main lines in use: 132,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 823,100 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile cellular service is growing fast international: country code - 267; two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001) Radios: 252,720 (2000) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001) Televisions: 31,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bw Internet hosts: 5,499 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2001) Internet users: 60,000 (2002) Transportation Botswana Airports: 85 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 55 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Railways: total: 888 km narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 25,233 km paved: 8,867 km unpaved: 16,366 km (2003) Military Botswana Military branches: Botswana Defense Force (includes an air wing) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 350,649 females age 18-49: 361,642 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 136,322 females age 18-49: 136,315 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 21,103 females age 18-49: 21,379 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $325.5 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Botswana Disputes - international: commission established with Namibia has yet to resolve small residual disputes along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; downstream Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam at Popavalle (Popa Falls); Botswana has built electric fences to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans who flee to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has long supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing their short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bouvet Island Introduction Bouvet Island Background: This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named. No claim was made until 1825, when the British flag was raised. In 1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied the island the previous year. In 1971, Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters were designated a nature reserve. Since 1977, Norway has run an automated meteorological station on the island. Geography Bouvet Island Location: island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) Geographic coordinates: 54 26 S, 3 24 E Map references: Antarctic Region Area: total: 49 sq km land: 49 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 29.6 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 4 nm Climate: antarctic Terrain: volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible Elevation extremes: lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Olav Peak 935 m Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (93% ice) (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve People Bouvet Island Population: uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Government Bouvet Island Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bouvet Island Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo Legal system: the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply Flag description: the flag of Norway is used Economy Bouvet Island Economy - overview: no economic activity; declared a nature reserve Communications Bouvet Island Internet country code: .bv Internet hosts: 6 (2006) Communications - note: automatic meteorological station Transportation Bouvet Island Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Bouvet Island Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway Transnational Issues Bouvet Island Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Brazil Introduction Brazil Background: Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822 and a republic in 1889. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem. Geography Brazil Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 55 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 8,511,965 sq km land: 8,456,510 sq km water: 55,455 sq km note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the US Land boundaries: total: 16,884.4 km border countries: Argentina 1,261 km, Bolivia 3,423 km, Colombia 1,644 km, French Guiana 730.4 km, Guyana 1,606 km, Paraguay 1,365 km, Peru 2,995 km, Suriname 593 km, Uruguay 1,068 km, Venezuela 2,199 km Coastline: 7,491 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber Land use: arable land: 6.93% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.18% (2005) Irrigated land: 29,200 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south Environment - current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador People Brazil Population: 188,078,227 note: Brazil conducted a census in August 2000, which reported a population of 169,799,170; that figure was about 3.3% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau, and is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.8% (male 24,687,656/female 23,742,998) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 63,548,331/female 64,617,539) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 4,712,675/female 6,769,028) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.2 years male: 27.5 years female: 29 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.04% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 28.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.97 years male: 68.02 years female: 76.12 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 660,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 15,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Brazilian(s) adjective: Brazilian Ethnic groups: white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2000 census) Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census) Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 86.1% female: 86.6% (2003 est.) Government Brazil Country name: conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil conventional short form: Brazil local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil local short form: Brasil Government type: federative republic Capital: name: Brasilia geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in February note: Brazil is divided into four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha islands Administrative divisions: 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal) National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822) Constitution: 5 October 1988 Legal system: based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not vote Executive branch: chief of state: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 1 October 2006 with runoff 29 October 2006 (next to be held 3 October 2010 and, if necessary, 31 October 2010) election results: Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (PT) reelected president - 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17% Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each state and federal district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held October 2010 for two-thirds of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PFL 1, PDT 1, PSB 1, PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; total seats following election - PFL 18, PMDB 15, PSDB 15, PT 11, PDT 5, PTB 4, PSB 3, PL 3, PCdoB 2, PRB 2, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB 65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13, PSC 9, other 17 Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70 Political parties and leaders: Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Flavio de CASTRO MARTINEZ]; Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy Fidelix DA CRUZ]; Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Tasso JEREISSATI]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Federal Deputy Eduardo Henrique Accioly CAMPOS]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS [leader NA]; Liberal Party or PL [Federal Deputy Valdemar COSTA Neto]; National Order Reconstruction Party or PRONA [Federal Deputy Dr. Eneas Ferreira CARNEIRO]; Partido Municipalista Renovador or PMR [Natal Wellington Rodrigues FURUCHO]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Federal Deputy Roberto FREIRE]; Progressive Party or PP [Federal Deputy Pedro CORREA]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge ABDALA NOSSEIS]; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose Ribeiro BERZOINI] Political pressure groups and leaders: Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions and federations; large farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical Christian churches and the Catholic Church International organization participation: AfDB, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto P. ABDENUR chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700 FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030 telephone: [55] (61) 3312-7000 FAX: [55] (61) 3225-9136 consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo consulate(s): Recife Flag description: green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress) Economy Brazil Economy - overview: Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. From 2001-03 real wages fell and Brazil's economy grew, on average only 2.2% per year, as the country absorbed a series of domestic and international economic shocks. That Brazil absorbed these shocks without financial collapse is a tribute to the resiliency of the Brazilian economy and the economic program put in place by former President CARDOSO and strengthened by President LULA DA SILVA. In 2004, Brazil enjoyed more robust growth that yielded increases in employment and real wages. The three pillars of the economic program are a floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and tight fiscal policy, all reinforced by a series of IMF programs. The currency depreciated sharply in 2001 and 2002, which contributed to a dramatic current account adjustment; in 2003 to 2005, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains - particularly in agriculture - also contributed to the surge in exports, and Brazil in 2005 surpassed the previous year's record export level. While economic management has been good, there remain important economic vulnerabilities. The most significant are debt-related: the government's largely domestic debt increased steadily from 1994 to 2003 - straining government finances - before falling as a percentage of GDP in 2005, while Brazil's foreign debt (a mix of private and public debt) is large in relation to Brazil's small (but growing) export base. Another challenge is maintaining economic growth over a period of time to generate employment and make the government debt burden more manageable. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.536 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $619.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.4% industry: 40% services: 51.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 90.41 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 20% industry: 14% services: 66% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 9.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 22% (1998 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 31.27% (2002) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 59.7 (2004) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $140.6 billion expenditures: $172.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) Public debt: 51.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 387.5 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 8.3% hydro: 82.7% nuclear: 4.4% other: 4.6% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 359.6 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 6 million kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 37.4 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2004) Oil - production: 2.01 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 1.61 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: 241,700 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 572,600 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 15.12 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 15.79 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 21.74 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - imports: 5.947 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 240 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $14.19 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $115.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos Exports - partners: US 19.6%, China 7.5%, Argentina 6.9%, Germany 5.3%, Mexico 4.3% (2005) Imports: $78.02 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil Imports - partners: US 19.7%, Germany 8.7%, Argentina 8.2%, China 6.2%, Nigeria 6.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $53.8 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $188 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $30 billion (2002) Currency (code): real (BRL) Currency code: BRL Exchange rates: reals per US dollar - 2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003), 2.9208 (2002), 2.3577 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Brazil Telephones - main lines in use: 42.382 million (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 86.21 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: good working system domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations international: country code - 55; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999) Radios: 71 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 138 (1997) Televisions: 36.5 million (1997) Internet country code: .br Internet hosts: 6,508,431 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2000) Internet users: 25.9 million (2005) Transportation Brazil Airports: 4,276 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 714 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 24 1,524 to 2,437 m: 164 914 to 1,523 m: 464 under 914 m: 54 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3,562 1,524 to 2,437 m: 81 914 to 1,523 m: 1,634 under 914 m: 1,847 (2006) Heliports: 417 (2006) Pipelines: condensate/gas 244 km; gas 11,669 km; liquid petroleum gas 341 km; oil 5,212 km; refined products 4,755 km (2006) Railways: total: 29,252 km broad gauge: 4,877 km 1.600-m gauge (939 km electrified) standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge narrow gauge: 23,785 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified) dual gauge: 396 km 1.000 m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 1,724,929 km paved: 94,871 km unpaved: 1,630,058 km (2000) Waterways: 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 137 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,038,923 GRT/3,057,820 DWT by type: bulk carrier 21, cargo 21, chemical tanker 8, container 8, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 47, roll on/roll off 8 foreign-owned: 15 (Chile 1, Germany 7, Norway 2, Spain 4, UK 1) registered in other countries: 5 (Ghana 1, Liberia 3, Marshall Islands 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria Military Brazil Military branches: Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil (MB), includes Naval Air and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - nine to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 45,586,036 females age 19-49: 45,728,704 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 33,119,098 females age 19-49: 38,079,722 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,785,930 females age 19-49: 1,731,648 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9.94 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Brazil Disputes - international: unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute with Uruguay over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada boundary streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina; in 2004 Brazil submitted its claims to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to extend its maritime continental margin Trafficking in persons: current situation: Brazil is a source and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation within Brazil and to destinations in South America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Japan, the US, and the Middle East, and for men trafficked within the country for forced agricultural labor; child sex tourism is a problem within the country, particularly in the resort areas and coastal cities of Brazil's northeast; foreign victims from Bolivia, Peru, China, and Korea are trafficked to Brazil for labor exploitation in factories tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Brazil has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to fight trafficking, specifically for its failure to apply effective criminal penalties against traffickers who exploit forced labor Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis; trace amounts of coca cultivation in the Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for Europe; also used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @British Indian Ocean Territory Introduction British Indian Ocean Territory Background: Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. Geography British Indian Ocean Territory Location: archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E Map references: Political Map of the World Area: total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands Area - comparative: land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 698 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds Terrain: flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation) Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m Natural resources: coconuts, fish, sugarcane Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility People British Indian Ocean Territory Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2006 est.) Government British Indian Ocean Territory Country name: conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London Legal system: the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag Economy British Indian Ocean Territory Economy - overview: All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The country makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps. Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Currency (code): both the British Pound (GBP) and the US Dollar (USD) are accepted Communications British Indian Ocean Territory Telephones - main lines in use: NA Telephone system: general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .io Internet hosts: 65 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Transportation British Indian Ocean Territory Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: NA paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia Ports and terminals: Diego Garcia Military British Indian Ocean Territory Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 Transnational Issues British Indian Ocean Territory Disputes - international: Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001 the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1965 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest island in the chain; This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @British Virgin Islands Introduction British Virgin Islands Background: First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. Geography British Virgin Islands Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N, 64 30 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 153 sq km land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke Area - comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 80 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments) Geography - note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico People British Virgin Islands Population: 23,098 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.5% (male 2,403/female 2,331) 15-64 years: 74.3% (male 8,811/female 8,340) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 636/female 577) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 31.4 years male: 31.6 years female: 31.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.97% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 14.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 9.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 16.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.68 years male: 75.56 years female: 77.84 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander Ethnic groups: black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed Religions: Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991) Languages: English (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% Government British Virgin Islands Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing Government type: NA Capital: name: Road Town geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK) Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: Territory Day, 1 July Constitution: 1 June 1977, amended in 2000 Legal system: English law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Dr. Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5 Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction Political parties and leaders: Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) Economy British Virgin Islands Economy - overview: The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959. GDP (purchasing power parity): $853.4 million (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $839.7 million GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2002 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $38,500 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) Labor force: 12,770 (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% Unemployment rate: 3.6% (1997) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2005) Budget: revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital expenditures of $33.8 million (1997) Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 34.55 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 32.13 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 410 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $134.3 million Exports: $25.3 million (2002) Exports - commodities: rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand Exports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004) Imports: $187 million (2002 est.) Imports - commodities: building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery Imports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004) Debt - external: $36.1 million (1997) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications British Virgin Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 11,700 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,000 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 9,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) Televisions: 4,000 (1997) Internet country code: .vg Internet hosts: 525 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 4,000 (2002) Transportation British Virgin Islands Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 177 km paved: 177 km (2002) Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Road Town Military British Virgin Islands Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 6,410 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 5,295 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 201 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues British Virgin Islands Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Brunei Introduction Brunei Background: The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in the developing world. Geography Brunei Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia Geographic coordinates: 4 30 N, 114 40 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 5,770 sq km land: 5,270 sq km water: 500 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware Land boundaries: total: 381 km border countries: Malaysia 381 km Coastline: 161 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy Terrain: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber Land use: arable land: 2.08% permanent crops: 0.87% other: 97.05% (2005) Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare Environment - current issues: seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia Environment - international agreements: party to: Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost an enclave within Malaysia People Brunei Population: 379,444 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 54,411/female 52,134) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 138,129/female 123,017) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,584/female 6,169) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.4 years male: 28 years female: 26.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.87% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.79 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 3.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 12.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.01 years male: 72.57 years female: 77.59 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 200 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Bruneian(s) adjective: Bruneian Ethnic groups: Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12% Religions: Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs and other 10% Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.9% male: 96.3% female: 91.4% (2002) Government Brunei Country name: conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam conventional short form: Brunei local long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam local short form: Brunei Government type: constitutional sultanate Capital: name: Bandar Seri Begawan geographic coordinates: 4 52 S, 114 55 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong Independence: 1 January 1984 (from UK) National holiday: National Day, 23 February (1984); note - 1 January 1984 was the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was the date of independence from British protection Constitution: 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984) Legal system: based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas Suffrage: none Executive branch: chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Cabinet Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarch; deals with executive matters; note - there is also a Religious Council (members appointed by the monarch) that advises on religious matters, a Privy Council (members appointed by the monarch) that deals with constitutional matters, and the Council of Succession (members appointed by the monarch) that determines the succession to the throne if the need arises elections: none; the monarch is hereditary Legislative branch: Legislative Council met on 25 September 2004 for first time in 20 years with 21 members appointed by the Sultan; passed constitutional amendments calling for a 45-seat council with 15 elected members; Sultan dissolved council on 1 September 2005 and appointed a new council with 29 members as of 2 September 2005 elections: last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA) Judicial branch: Supreme Court - chief justice and judges are sworn in by monarch for three-year terms; Judicial Committee of Privy Council in London is final court of appeal for civil cases; Shariah courts deal with Islamic laws (2006) Political parties and leaders: Brunei Solidarity National Party (PPKB) [Haji Mohd HATTA bin Haji Zainal Abidin]; National Development Party (NDP) [YASSIN Affendi]; People's Awareness Party (PAKAR) [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin Haji Ahmad] note: parties are small and have limited activity (2005) Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, C, EAS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Pengiran Anak Dato PUTEH chancery: 3520 International Court NW #300, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1838 FAX: [1] (202) 885-0560 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Emil SKODON embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan, BS8811 mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam telephone: [673] 222-0384 FAX: [673] 222-5293 Flag description: yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side; the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands Economy Brunei Economy - overview: This small, well-to-do economy encompasses a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for nearly half of GDP and more than 90% of government revenues. Per capita GDP is far above most other Third World countries, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and free education through the university level and subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion, although it became a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum. Plans for the future include upgrading the labor force, reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and tourist sectors, and, in general, further widening the economic base beyond oil and gas. GDP (purchasing power parity): $6.842 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.486 billion GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $23,600 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.6% industry: 56.1% services: 40.3% (2004 est.) Labor force: 146,300 note: includes foreign workers and military personnel; temporary residents make up about 40% of labor force (2003 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 2.9% industry: 61.1% services: 36% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 4.8% (2004) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (2004) Budget: revenues: $3.765 billion expenditures: $4.815 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, eggs Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction Industrial production growth rate: 7.3% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 2.906 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.726 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004) Oil - production: 200,800 bbl/day (2005) Oil - consumption: 10,770 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 192,700 bbl/day (2005) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 1.255 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 11.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.73 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 9 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 390.8 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Exports: $4.514 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil, natural gas, refined products Exports - partners: Japan 36.8%, Indonesia 19.3%, South Korea 12.7%, US 9.5%, Australia 9.3% (2005) Imports: $1.641 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals Imports - partners: Singapore 32.7%, Malaysia 23.3%, Japan 6.9%, UK 5.3%, Thailand 4.5%, South Korea 4.1% (2005) Debt - external: $0 $NA Economic aid - recipient: $770,000 (2004) Currency (code): Bruneian dollar (BND) Currency code: BND Exchange rates: Bruneian dollars per US dollar - 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Brunei Telephones - main lines in use: 90,000 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 205,900 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to East Asia, Europe, and the US domestic: every service available international: country code - 673; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine cable links to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore (2001) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2 (transmitting on 18 different frequencies), shortwave 0 note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) station transmits two FM signals with English and Nepali service (2006) Radios: 329,000 (1998) Television broadcast stations: 4; note - including two UHF stations broadcasting a subscription service (2006) Televisions: 201,900 (1998) Internet country code: .bn Internet hosts: 27 (2005) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 56,000 (2005) Transportation Brunei Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Pipelines: gas 672 km; oil 463 km (2006) Roadways: total: 2,525 km paved: 2,338 km unpaved: 187 km (2000) Waterways: 209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 465,937 GRT/413,393 DWT by type: liquefied gas 8 foreign-owned: 8 (UK 8) (2006) Ports and terminals: Lumut, Muara, Seria Military Brunei Military branches: Royal Brunei Armed Forces: Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 103,885 females age 18-49: 93,024 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 85,045 females age 18-49: 77,436 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 3,478 females age 18-49: 3,342 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $290.7 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.1% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Brunei Disputes - international: in 2003 Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalemated prompting consideration of international legal adjudication; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; Brunei established an exclusive economic fishing zone encompassing Louisa Reef in southern Spratly Islands in 1984 but makes no public territorial claim to the offshore reefs; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants Illicit drugs: drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory death penalty This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Bulgaria Introduction Bulgaria Background: The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and is slated to join the EU in 2007. Geography Bulgaria Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey Geographic coordinates: 43 00 N, 25 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 110,910 sq km land: 110,550 sq km water: 360 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee Land boundaries: total: 1,808 km border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km Coastline: 354 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Musala 2,925 m Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land Land use: arable land: 29.94% permanent crops: 1.9% other: 68.16% (2005) Irrigated land: 5,880 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: earthquakes, landslides Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Geography - note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia People Bulgaria Population: 7,385,367 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 13.9% (male 527,881/female 502,334) 15-64 years: 68.7% (male 2,496,054/female 2,579,680) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 527,027/female 752,391) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.8 years male: 38.7 years female: 42.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.86% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 14.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -4.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 19.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.3 years male: 68.68 years female: 76.13 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.38 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 346 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census) Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census) Languages: Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98.2% (2003 est.) Government Bulgaria Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria local long form: Republika Balgariya local short form: Balgariya Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Sofia geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol Independence: 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire) National holiday: Liberation Day, 3 March (1878) Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991 Legal system: civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Georgi PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August 2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivaylo KALFIN, Daniel VULCHEV, and Emel ETEM (since 16 August 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly election results: Georgi PURVANOV reelected president; percent of vote - Georgi PURVANOV 77.3%, Volen SIDEROV 22.7%; Sergei STANISHEV elected prime minister, result of legislative vote - 168 to 67 Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held June 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%; seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, UDF 20, ATAKA 17, DSB 17, BPU 13, independents 4 Judicial branch: Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary) Political parties and leaders: ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack National Union); Attack National Union [Volen Siderov]; Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Petar STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by UDF) Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas International organization participation: ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John Ross BEYRLE embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; note - the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed Economy Bulgaria Economy - overview: Bulgaria, a former communist country soon to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. Minerals, including coal, copper, and zinc, play an important role in industry. In 1997, macroeconomic stability was reinforced by the imposition of a fixed exchange rate of the lev against the German D-mark - the currency is now fixed against the euro - and the negotiation of an IMF standby agreement. Low inflation and steady progress on structural reforms improved the business environment; Bulgaria has averaged 4% growth since 2000 and has begun to attract significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain the largest challenges for Bulgaria. GDP (purchasing power parity): $71.67 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $25.79 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $9,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.3% industry: 30.4% services: 60.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 3.34 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 11% industry: 32.7% services: 56.3% (3rd qtr. 2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 9.9% (2005) Population below poverty line: Below $2.15 per day (PPP) 4% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 23.7% (2001) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 31.9 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2005) Investment (gross fixed): 23.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $11.18 billion expenditures: $10.9 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 31.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock Industries: electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel Industrial production growth rate: 7.9% (2005) Electricity - production: 45 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 47.8% hydro: 8.1% nuclear: 44.1% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 25.1 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 6.8 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 1.3 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 1,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 98,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 85,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 15 million bbl (1 January 2005) Natural gas - production: 1.13 million cu m (2003) Natural gas - consumption: 3.1 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2003) Natural gas - imports: 2.9 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 5.67 billion cu m (1 January 2005) Current account balance: $-3.919 billion (2005) Exports: $11.67 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels Exports - partners: Italy 12%, Turkey 10.5%, Germany 9.8%, Greece 9.5%, France 4.6% (2005) Imports: $16.78 billion f.o.b. (2005) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials Imports - partners: Russia 15.6%, Germany 13.6%, Italy 9%, Turkey 6.1%, Greece 5%, France 4.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $8.695 billion (2005) Debt - external: $15.32 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $475 million per year in EU pre-accession aid (2004-06) Currency (code): lev (BGL) Currency code: BGN Exchange rates: leva per US dollar - 1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Bulgaria Telephones - main lines in use: 2,483,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 6.245 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: extensive but antiquated domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential; telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay international: country code - 359; direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) Radio broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001) Radios: 4.51 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 3.31 million (1997) Internet country code: .bg Internet hosts: 184,975 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 200 (2001) Internet users: 2.2 million (2005) Transportation Bulgaria Airports: 217 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 132 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 96 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 85 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 72 (2006) Heliports: 4 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,505 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2006) Railways: total: 4,294 km standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified) narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 102,016 km paved: 93,855 km (including 328 km of expressways) unpaved: 8,161 km (2003) Waterways: 470 km (2006) Merchant marine: total: 75 ships (1000 GRT or over) 872,653 GRT/1,294,877 DWT by type: bulk carrier 40, cargo 17, chemical tanker 4, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, Russia 1) registered in other countries: 41 (Cambodia 1, Comoros 1, Malta 13, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17, Slovakia 7, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Burgas, Varna Military Bulgaria Military branches: Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Bulgarian Air Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months; as of May 2006, 67% of the Bulgarian Army comprised of professional soldiers; conscription into the Army to end as of 1 January 2008; Air and Air Defense Forces and Naval Forces will become fully professional by end of 2006 (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,661,211 females age 18-49: 1,660,982 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,302,037 females age 18-49: 1,365,126 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 51,023 females age 18-49: 48,651 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $356 million (FY02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% (2003) Transnational Issues Bulgaria Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Burkina Faso Introduction Burkina Faso Background: Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries. Geography Burkina Faso Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 2 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Colorado Land boundaries: total: 3,193 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt Land use: arable land: 17.66% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 82.12% (2005) Irrigated land: 250 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: recurring droughts Environment - current issues: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas People Burkina Faso Population: 13,902,972 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.8% (male 3,267,202/female 3,235,190) 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 3,513,559/female 3,538,623) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 140,083/female 208,315) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.5 years male: 16.3 years female: 16.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 45.62 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 15.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 91.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 99.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.85 years male: 47.33 years female: 50.42 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.47 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 300,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 29,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe Ethnic groups: Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani Religions: Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% Languages: French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 26.6% male: 36.9% female: 16.6% (2003 est.) Government Burkina Faso Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Burkina Faso local long form: none local short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta Government type: parliamentary republic Capital: name: Ouagadougou geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 45 provinces; Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komondjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koulpelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Noumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondoma, Zoundweogo Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: Republic Day, 11 December (1958) Constitution: 2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991 formally adopted; amended April 2000 Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law Suffrage: universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Paramanga Ernest YONLI (since 6 November 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 November 2005 (next to be held in 2010); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005; prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president; percent of popular vote - Blaise COMPAORE 80.3%, Benewende Stanislas SANKARA 4.9% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDP 57, RDA-ADF 17, PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, other 17 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Confederation for Federation and Democracy or CFD [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Nayabtigungou Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Socialist Party or PS; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO] Political pressure groups and leaders: Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tertius ZONGO chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jeanine E. JACKSON embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4 mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - US Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440 telephone: [226] 50-30-67-23 FAX: [226] 50-30-38-90, 50-31-23-68 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Burkina Faso Economy - overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. About 90% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which is vulnerable to harsh climatic conditions. Cotton is the key crop and the government has joined with other cotton producing countries in the region to lobby for improved access to Western markets. GDP growth has largely been driven by increases in world cotton prices. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the CFA franc currency devaluation in January 1994, the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies; exports and economic growth have increased. The government devolved macroeconomic policy and inflation targeting to the West African regional central bank (BCEAO), but maintains control over fiscal and microeconomic policies, including implementing reforms to encourage private investment. The bitter internal crisis in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire continues to hurt trade and industrial prospects and deepens the need for international assistance. GDP (purchasing power parity): $16.66 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.405 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 32.2% industry: 19.6% services: 48.2% (2004 est.) Labor force: 5 million note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 45% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 46.8% (1994) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 48.2 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.033 billion expenditures: $1.382 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold Industrial production growth rate: 14% (2001 est.) Electricity - production: 375.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 69.9% hydro: 30.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 349.3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 8,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-460 million (2005 est.) Exports: $395 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cotton, livestock, gold Exports - partners: China 38.3%, Singapore 12.6%, Thailand 5.7%, Ghana 5.2%, Taiwan 4.4% (2005) Imports: $992 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum Imports - partners: France 24.2%, Cote d'Ivoire 23.7%, Togo 6.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $764 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.85 billion (2003) Economic aid - recipient: $468.4 million (2003) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Currency code: XOF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Burkina Faso Telephones - main lines in use: 97,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 572,200 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: all services only fair domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002) Radios: 394,020 (2000) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002) Televisions: 131,340 (2002) Internet country code: .bf Internet hosts: 399 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 64,600 (2005) Transportation Burkina Faso Airports: 34 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Railways: total: 622 km narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge note:: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote D'Ivoire (2005) Roadways: total: 12,506 km paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1999) Military Burkina Faso Military branches: Army, Air Force of Burkina Faso (Force Aerienne de Burkina Faso), National Gendarmerie (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 20 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,651,687 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,530,324 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $74.83 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Burkina Faso Disputes - international: two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Benin accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; Burkina Faso border regions remain a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in local fighting; the Ivoirian Government accuses Burkina Faso of sheltering Ivoirian rebels This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Burma Introduction Burma Background: Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently transferred to house arrest, where she remains virtually incommunicado. In November 2005, the junta extended her detention for at least another six months. Her supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed. Geography Burma Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand Geographic coordinates: 22 00 N, 98 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 678,500 sq km land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas Land boundaries: total: 5,876 km border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km Coastline: 1,930 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April) Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands Elevation extremes: lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower Land use: arable land: 14.92% permanent crops: 1.31% other: 83.77% (2005) Irrigated land: 18,700 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts Environment - current issues: deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes People Burma Population: 47,382,633 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.4% (male 6,335,236/female 6,181,216) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 16,011,723/female 16,449,626) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 1,035,853/female 1,368,979) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27 years male: 26.4 years female: 27.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.81% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 17.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 61.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 72.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.97 years male: 58.07 years female: 64.03 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 330,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 20,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2005) Nationality: noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.3% male: 89.2% female: 81.4% (2002) Government Burma Country name: conventional long form: Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw Government type: military junta Capital: name: Rangoon (Yangon) geographic coordinates: 16 47 N, 96 10 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Naypyidaw is being established as a government center Administrative divisions: 7 divisions (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne) divisions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon states: Chin State, Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Shan State Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947) Constitution: 3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not include participation of democratic opposition Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992) head of government: Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October 2004) cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by the SPDC; military junta, so named 15 November 1997, assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) elections: none Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by junta to convene election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government), other 60 Judicial branch: remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive Political parties and leaders: National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (pro-regime) [THA KYAW] (at last report); Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; and other smaller parties Political pressure groups and leaders: National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallel government in exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National Union or KNU; several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary] International organization participation: APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT LWIN chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Shari VILLAROSA embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521) mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 379-880, 379-881 FAX: [95] (1) 256-018 Flag description: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, 14 white five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the seven administrative divisions and seven states Economy Burma Economy - overview: Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism," but those efforts stalled, and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Burma does not have monetary or fiscal stability, so the economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including inflation, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, and a distorted interest rate regime. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy, the US imposed new economic sanctions against Burma - including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons. A poor investment climate further slowed the inflow of foreign exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber. Other areas, such as manufacturing and services, are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health and education systems, and corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of December 2005, the largest private banks operate under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be as large as the official economy. Burma's trade with Thailand, China, and India is rising. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, better investment and business climates and an improved political situation are needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism. GDP (purchasing power parity): $80.11 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $7.464 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 56.4% industry: 8.2% services: 35.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 27.75 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 70% industry: 7% services: 23% (2001) Unemployment rate: 5% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 25% (2000 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 11.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $473.3 million expenditures: $716.6 million; including capital expenditures of NA (FY04/05 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products Industries: agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; cement; natural gas Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 7.393 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44.5% hydro: 43.4% nuclear: 0% other: 12.1% (2002) Electricity - consumption: 6.875 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004) Oil - production: 18,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 32,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 3,356 bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: 49,230 bbl/day (2003) Oil - proved reserves: less than 1 billion bbl (2005) Natural gas - production: 9.98 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.569 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 8.424 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 283.2 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $700 million (2005 est.) Exports: $3.111 billion f.o.b. note: official export figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of timber, gems, narcotics, rice, and other products smuggled to Thailand, China, and Bangladesh (2004) Exports - commodities: clothing, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice Exports - partners: Thailand 44.3%, India 12.3%, China 6.8%, Japan 5% (2005) Imports: $3.454 billion f.o.b. note: import figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of consumer goods, diesel fuel, and other products smuggled in from Thailand, China, Malaysia, and India (2004) Imports - commodities: fabric, petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food products Imports - partners: China 28.8%, Thailand 21.8%, Singapore 18.3%, Malaysia 7.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $763 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $6.99 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $127 million (2001 est.) Currency (code): kyat (MMK) Currency code: MMK Exchange rates: kyats per US dollar - 5.761 (2005), 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003), 6.5734 (2002), 6.6841 (2001) note: these are official exchange rates; unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815 kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar, and by year-end 2005, the unofficial exchange rate was 1,075 kyat/US dollar Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Burma Telephones - main lines in use: 476,200 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 183,400 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: barely meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is fair domestic: NA international: country code - 95; satellite earth station - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean), and ShinSat Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1 (2004) Radios: 4.2 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (2004) Televisions: 320,000 (2000) Internet country code: .mm Internet hosts: 42 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 note: as of September 2000, Internet connections were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses (2000) Internet users: 78,000 (2005) Transportation Burma Airports: 85 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 21 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 64 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 32 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,224 km; oil 558 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,955 km narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 27,000 km paved: 3,200 km unpaved: 23,800 km (2005) Waterways: 12,800 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 34 ships (1000 GRT or over) 402,699 GRT/620,642 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 20, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 9 (Germany 5, Japan 4) (2006) Ports and terminals: Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe Military Burma Military branches: Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 12,268,850 females age 18-49: 12,469,771 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 7,946,701 females age 18-49: 8,543,705 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 469,841 females: 455,689 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $39 million (FY97) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY97) Transnational Issues Burma Disputes - international: over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups with substantial numbers of kin beyond its borders; despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; ethnic Karens flee into Thailand to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops; in 2005 Thailand sheltered about 121,000 Burmese refugees; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric dam on the Salween River near the border; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand continue to voice concern over China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province; India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists from hiding in remote Burmese uplands Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 550,000-1,000,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent groups near borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Burma is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for sexual exploitation, domestic service, and forced commercial labor; a significant number of victims are economic migrants who wind up in forced or bonded labor and forced prostitution; to a lesser extent, Burma is a country of transit and destination for women trafficked from China for sexual exploitation; internal trafficking of persons occurs primarily for labor in industrial zones and agricultural estates; internal trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation occurs from villages to urban centers and other areas; the military junta's economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and policy of using forced labor are driving factors behind Burma's large trafficking problem tier rating: Tier 3 - Burma does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium (estimated production in 2004 - 292 metric tons, down 40% from 2003 due to eradication efforts and drought; cultivation in 2004 - 30,900 hectares, a 34% decline from 2003); lack of government will to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption; currently under Financial Action Task Force countermeasures due to continued failure to address its inadequate money-laundering controls (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Burundi Introduction Burundi Background: Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. Over 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in the summer of 2006 but still faces many challenges. Geography Burundi Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo Geographic coordinates: 3 30 S, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 27,830 sq km land: 25,650 sq km water: 2,180 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: total: 974 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January) Terrain: hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m highest point: Heha 2,670 m Natural resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone Land use: arable land: 35.57% permanent crops: 13.12% other: 51.31% (2005) Irrigated land: 210 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding, landslides, drought Environment - current issues: soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile People Burundi Population: 8,090,068 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.3% (male 1,884,825/female 1,863,200) 15-64 years: 51.1% (male 2,051,451/female 2,082,017) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 83,432/female 125,143) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.6 years male: 16.4 years female: 16.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.7% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 42.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 13.46 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 8.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 63.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 70.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 50.81 years male: 50.07 years female: 51.58 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.55 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 250,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 25,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Nationality: noun: Burundian(s) adjective: Burundian Ethnic groups: Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000 Religions: Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10% Languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51.6% male: 58.5% female: 45.2% (2003 est.) Government Burundi Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Burundi conventional short form: Burundi local long form: Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi local short form: Burundi former: Urundi Government type: republic Capital: name: Bujumbura geographic coordinates: 3 23 S, 29 22 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 17 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rurale, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962) Constitution: 28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult Executive branch: chief of state: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Martin NDUWIMANA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2005); Second Vice President Marina BARAMPAMA - Hutu (since 8 September 2006) head of government: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Martin NDUWIMANA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2005); Second Vice President Marina BARAMPAMA - Hutu (since 8 September 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president elections: the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament election results: Pierre NKURUNZIZA was elected president by the parliament by a vote of 151 to 9; note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the legislature Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100 seats - 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi with at least 30% being women; additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (54 seats; 34 by indirect vote to serve five year terms, with remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state) elections: National Assembly - last held 4 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); Senate - last held 29 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD-FDD 58.6%, FRODEBU 21.7%, UPRONA 7.2%, CNDD 4.1%, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2.1%, others 6.2%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 59, FRODEBU 25, UPRONA 10, CNDD 4, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 30, FRODEBU 3, CNDD 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal (there are three in separate locations); Tribunals of First Instance (17 at the province level and 123 small local tribunals) Political parties and leaders: the three national, mainstream, governing parties are: Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Leonce NGENDAKUMANA, president]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy, Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Hussein RADJABU, president]; Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Aloys RUBUKA, president] note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA] Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Celestin NIYONGABO chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574 FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia Newton MOLLER embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura telephone: [257] 223454 FAX: [257] 222926 Flag description: divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below) Economy Burundi Economy - overview: Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with more than 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Economic growth depends on coffee and tea exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports, therefore, rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the population. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 10 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms. GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.404 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $730 million (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 46.3% industry: 20.3% services: 33.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.99 million (2002) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 93.6% industry: 2.3% services: 4.1% (2002 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 68% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 32.9% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.3 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 11.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $215.4 million expenditures: $278 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides Industries: light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing Industrial production growth rate: 18% (2001) Electricity - production: 141.3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.6% hydro: 99.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 141.4 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 10 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 3,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-29 million (2005 est.) Exports: $52 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides Exports - partners: Germany 24.4%, Belgium 11.1%, Netherlands 8%, Switzerland 5.8%, US 4.6%, Pakistan 4% (2005) Imports: $200 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Kenya 12.9%, Tanzania 10.6%, Belgium 10.4%, Italy 8.1%, France 5.4%, Uganda 5.3%, China 5%, India 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $105 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.2 billion (2003) Economic aid - recipient: $105.5 million (2003) Currency (code): Burundi franc (BIF) Currency code: BIF Exchange rates: Burundi francs per US dollar - 1,138 (2005), 1,100.91 (2004), 1,082.62 (2003), 930.75 (2002), 830.35 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Burundi Telephones - main lines in use: 27,700 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 153,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: primitive system domestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) Radios: 440,000 (2001) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001) Televisions: 25,000 (1997) Internet country code: .bi Internet hosts: 160 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 25,000 (2005) Transportation Burundi Airports: 8 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Roadways: total: 14,480 km paved: 1,028 km unpaved: 13,452 km (1999) Waterways: mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2003) Ports and terminals: Bujumbura Military Burundi Military branches: National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationales, FDN): Army (includes Naval Detachment and Air Wing), National Gendarmerie (being disbanded) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 1,676,855 females age 16-49: 1,656,366 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 955,616 females age 16-49: 932,767 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 91,331 females age 16-49: 90,685 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $43.9 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.6% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Burundi Disputes - international: Tutsi, Hutu, other conflicting ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in the Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda in an effort to gain control over populated and natural resource areas; government heads pledge to end conflict, but localized violence continues despite the presence of about 6,000 peacekeepers from the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB) since 2004; although some 150,000 Burundian refugees have been repatriated, as of February 2005, Burundian refugees still reside in camps in western Tanzania as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 48,424 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 145,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cambodia Introduction Cambodia Background: Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863. Cambodia became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the remaining leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. Geography Cambodia Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 105 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 181,040 sq km land: 176,520 sq km water: 4,520 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oklahoma Land boundaries: total: 2,572 km border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km Coastline: 443 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m Natural resources: oil and gas, timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential Land use: arable land: 20.44% permanent crops: 0.59% other: 78.97% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,700 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts Environment - current issues: illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap People Cambodia Population: 13,881,427 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.6% (male 2,497,595/female 2,447,754) 15-64 years: 61% (male 4,094,946/female 4,370,159) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 180,432/female 290,541) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.6 years male: 19.9 years female: 21.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.78% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 26.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 68.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 77.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 59.29 years male: 57.35 years female: 61.32 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.37 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.6% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 170,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 15,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis are high risks in some locations note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US citizens who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005) Nationality: noun: Cambodian(s) adjective: Cambodian Ethnic groups: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4% Religions: Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5% Languages: Khmer (official) 95%, French, English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 73.6% male: 84.7% female: 64.1% (2004 est.) Government Cambodia Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia conventional short form: Cambodia local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic pronunciation) local short form: Kampuchea former: Kingdom of Cambodia, Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, People's Republic of Kampuchea, State of Cambodia Government type: multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Phnom Penh geographic coordinates: 11 33 N, 104 55 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 20 provinces (khaitt, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities* (krong, singular and plural) provinces: Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Krachen, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev municipalities: Keb, Pailin, Phnum Penh, Preah Seihanu Independence: 9 November 1953 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 9 November (1953) Constitution: promulgated 21 September 1993 Legal system: primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing influence of common law in recent years; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985) and Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since 3 February 1992); SOK AN, LU LAY SRENG, TEA BANH, HOR NAMHONG, NHEK BUNCHHAY (since 16 July 2004); KEV PUT REAKSMEI (since 24 October 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers in theory appointed by the monarch; in practice named by the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is chosen by a Royal Throne Council; following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the king Legislative branch: bicameral, consists of the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch, 2 elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by parliamentarians and commune councils; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 27 July 2003 (next to be held in July 2008); Senate - last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 47%, SRP 22%, FUNCINPEC 21%, other 10%; seats by party - CPP 73, FUNCINPEC 26, SRP 24; Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 69%, FUNCINPEC 21%, SRP 10%; seats by party - CPP 45, FUNCINPEC 10, SRP 2 (January 2006) Judicial branch: Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority Political parties and leaders: Cambodian Pracheachon Party (Cambodian People's Party) or CPP [CHEA SIM]; National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [KEV PUT REAKSMEI]; Sam Rangsi Party or SRP [SAM RANGSI] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador EK SEREYWATH chancery: 4530 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7742 FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph A. MUSSOMELI embassy: #1, Street 96, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546 telephone: [855] (23) 728-000 FAX: [855] (23) 728-600 Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band; only national flag to incorporate an actual building in its design Economy Cambodia Economy - overview: In 1999, the first full year of peace in 30 years, the government made progress on economic reforms. The US and Cambodia signed a Bilateral Textile Agreement, which gave Cambodia a guaranteed quota of US textile imports and established a bonus for improving working conditions and enforcing Cambodian labor laws and international labor standards in the industry. From 2001 to 2004, the economy grew at an average rate of 6.4%, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector and tourism. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodia-based textile producers were forced to compete directly with lower-priced producing countries such as China and India. Although initial 2005 GDP growth estimates were less than 3%, better-than-expected garment sector performance led the IMF to forecast 6% growth in 2005. Faced with the possibility that its vibrant garment industry, with more than 200,000 jobs, could be in serious danger, the Cambodian government has committed itself to a policy of continued support for high labor standards in an attempt to maintain favor with buyers. The tourism industry continues to grow rapidly, with foreign visitors surpassing 1 million for the year by September 2005. In 2005, exploitable oil and natural gas deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new revenue stream for the government once commercial extraction begins in the coming years. The long-term development of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian government continues to work with bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs. In December 2004, official donors pledged $504 million in aid for 2005 on the condition that the Cambodian government implement steps to reduce corruption. The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance. More than 50% of the population is 20 years or younger. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure. Fully 75% of the population remains engaged in subsistence farming. GDP (purchasing power parity): $34.08 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.729 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 13.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 35% industry: 30% services: 35% (2004) Labor force: 7 million (2003 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 75% industry: NA% services: NA% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 2.5% (2000 est.) Population below poverty line: 40% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 33.8% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40 (2004 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 23.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $559.4 million expenditures: $772 million; including capital expenditures of $291 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca Industries: tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles Industrial production growth rate: 22% (2002 est.) Electricity - production: 123.7 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 65% hydro: 35% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 115 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 3,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-166 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.663 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear Exports - partners: US 48.6%, Hong Kong 24.4%, Germany 5.6%, Canada 4.6% (2005) Imports: $3.538 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products Imports - partners: Hong Kong 16.1%, China 13.6%, France 12.1%, Thailand 11.2%, Taiwan 10.2%, South Korea 7.5%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4.9%, Japan 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.145 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $800 million (2003 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $504 million pledged in grants and concessional loans for 2005 by international donors Currency (code): riel (KHR) Currency code: KHR Exchange rates: riels per US dollar - 4,092.5 (2005), 4,016.25 (2004), 3,973.33 (2003), 3,912.08 (2002), 3,916.33 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Cambodia Telephones - main lines in use: 36,400 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.062 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; mobile phone coverage is rapidly expanding in rural areas domestic: NA international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 17 (2003) Radios: 1.34 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 11 (including two TV relay stations with French and Vietnamese broadcasts); 12 regional low power TV stations (2006) Televisions: 94,000 (1997) Internet country code: .kh Internet hosts: 1,378 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 41,000 (2005) Transportation Cambodia Airports: 20 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 14 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Railways: total: 602 km narrow gauge: 602 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 12,323 km paved: 1,996 km unpaved: 10,327 km (2000) Waterways: 2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 544 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,777,907 GRT/2,529,708 DWT by type: bulk carrier 41, cargo 443, chemical tanker 11, container 10, livestock carrier 3, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 19, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 407 (Bulgaria 1, Canada 6, China 128, Cyprus 12, Egypt 8, Gabon 1, Greece 8, Hong Kong 15, Indonesia 1, Japan 4, South Korea 23, Latvia 2, Lebanon 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, Russia 105, Singapore 4, Spain 1, Syria 20, Taiwan 2, Turkey 26, UAE 1, Ukraine 17, US 8, Yemen 3, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Phnom Penh Military Cambodia Military branches: Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force (2005) Military service age and obligation: conscription law made effective in October 2006 requires all males between 18-30 to register for military service; service obligation is 18 months (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 3,002,718 females age 18-49: 3,108,254 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,955,141 females age 18-49: 2,048,611 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 175,497 females age 18-49: 172,788 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $112 million (FY01 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3% (FY01 est.) Transnational Issues Cambodia Disputes - international: Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers and Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory; maritime boundary with Vietnam is hampered by unresolved dispute over offshore islands; Cambodia accuses Thailand of obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; in 2004, Cambodian-Laotian and Laotian-Vietnamese boundary commissions re-erected missing markers completing most of their demarcations Trafficking in persons: current situation: Cambodia is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant number of women and children are trafficked to Thailand and Malaysia for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; men are trafficked primarily to Thailand for forced labor in the construction and agricultural sectors, particularly the fishing industry, while women and girls are trafficked for factory and domestic work; children are trafficked to Vietnam and Thailand for the purpose of forced begging; Cambodia is a transit and destination point for women from Vietnam trafficked for sexual exploitation; trafficking for sexual exploitation also occurs within Cambodia's borders, from rural areas to the cities tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cambodia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is committed to making significant efforts to sustain progress over the coming year Illicit drugs: narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving some in the government, military, and police; possible small-scale heroin and methamphetamine production; vulnerable to money laundering due to its cash-based economy and porous borders This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cameroon Introduction Cameroon Background: The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite a slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy headed by President Paul BIYA. Geography Cameroon Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N, 12 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 475,440 sq km land: 469,440 sq km water: 6,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than California Land boundaries: total: 4,591 km border countries: Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km Coastline: 402 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 50 nm Climate: varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north Terrain: diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon) Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower Land use: arable land: 12.54% permanent crops: 2.52% other: 84.94% (2005) Irrigated land: 260 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes Environment - current issues: waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano People Cameroon Population: 17,340,702 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.2% (male 3,614,430/female 3,531,047) 15-64 years: 55.5% (male 4,835,453/female 4,796,276) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 260,342/female 303,154) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.9 years male: 18.7 years female: 19 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.04% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 33.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 13.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 63.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 67.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.16 years male: 50.98 years female: 51.34 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 560,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 49,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Cameroonian(s) adjective: Cameroonian Ethnic groups: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1% Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% Languages: 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79% male: 84.7% female: 73.4% (2003 est.) Government Cameroon Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon conventional short form: Cameroon local long form: Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon former: French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime Capital: name: Yaounde geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest Independence: 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972) Constitution: 20 May 1972 approved by referendum, 2 June 1972 formally adopted; revised January 1996 Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) head of government: Prime Minister Ephraim INONI (since 8 December 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 October 2004 (next to be held by October 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 70.9%, John FRU NDI 17.4%, Adamou Ndam NJOYA 4.5%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.7% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - the president can either lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature elections: last held 23 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RDCP 133, SDF 21, UDC 5, other 21 note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High Court of Justice (consists of nine judges and six substitute judges, elected by the National Assembly) Political parties and leaders: Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]; Democratic Rally of the Cameroon People or RDCP [Paul BIYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]; Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO]; Movement for the Youth of Cameroon or MYC [Dieudonne TINA]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Cameroonian Populations or UPC [Augustin Frederic KODOCK] Political pressure groups and leaders: Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]; Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president] International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790 FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Niels MARQUARDT embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 220 15 00; Consular: [237] 220 16 03 FAX: [237] 220 16 20; Consular FAX: [237] 220 17 52 branch office(s): Douala Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Cameroon Economy - overview: Because of its oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. International oil and cocoa prices have considerable impact on the economy. GDP (purchasing power parity): $39.75 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $15.35 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 44.8% industry: 17% services: 38.2% (2005 est.) Labor force: 6.86 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 70% industry: 13% services: 17% Unemployment rate: 30% (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: 48% (2000 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 36.6% (1996) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44.6 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 17.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.263 billion expenditures: $2.705 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 65.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber Industries: petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1999 est.) Electricity - production: 2.988 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.7% hydro: 97.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.779 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 82,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 85 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m NA cu m Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m NA cu m Natural gas - proved reserves: 110.4 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $39 million (2005 est.) Exports: $3.236 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton Exports - partners: Spain 17.2%, Italy 13.7%, France 9.4%, South Korea 8.1%, UK 8%, Netherlands 7.8%, Belgium 4.8%, US 4.3% (2005) Imports: $2.514 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food Imports - partners: France 25%, Nigeria 12.5%, Belgium 6.6%, China 5.8%, US 5.3%, Thailand 4.7%, Germany 4.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $964.8 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $9.168 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: in January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million; debt relief now totals $1.26 billion Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Currency code: XAF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Cameroon Telephones - main lines in use: 99,400 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.259 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: available only to business and government domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 237; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2002) Radios: 2.27 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002) Televisions: 450,000 (1997) Internet country code: .cm Internet hosts: 39 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 167,000 (2005) Transportation Cameroon Airports: 47 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Pipelines: gas 70 km; liquid petroleum gas 9 km; oil 1,107 km (2006) Railways: total: 987 km narrow gauge: 987 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 80,932 km paved: 5,398 km unpaved: 75,534 km (2002) Waterways: navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2005) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 38,613 GRT/68,820 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Douala, Limboh Terminal Military Cameroon Military branches: Cameroon Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (1999) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 3,525,307 females age 18-49: 3,461,406 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,946,767 females age 18-49: 1,834,600 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 191,619 females age 18-49: 187,082 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $230.2 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Cameroon Disputes - international: ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission, which continues to meet regularly to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake Chad in the north; implementation of the ICJ ruling on the Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea is impeded by imprecisely defined coordinates and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River; Nigeria initially rejected cession of the Bakassi Peninsula, then agreed, but much of the indigenous population opposes cession; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 39,290 (Chad) 16,686 (Nigeria) 9,634 (Cote d'Ivoire) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Canada Introduction Canada Background: A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Canada's paramount political problem is meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services after a decade of budget cuts. Canada also faces questions about integrity in government following revelations regarding a corruption scandal in the federal government that has helped revive the fortunes of separatists in predominantly francophone Quebec. Geography Canada Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 95 00 W Map references: North America Area: total: 9,984,670 sq km land: 9,093,507 sq km water: 891,163 sq km Area - comparative: somewhat larger than the US Land boundaries: total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska) Coastline: 202,080 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m Natural resources: iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower Land use: arable land: 4.57% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 94.78% (2005) Irrigated land: 7,850 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border People Canada Population: 33,098,932 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.6% (male 2,992,811/female 2,848,388) 15-64 years: 69% (male 11,482,452/female 11,368,286) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,883,008/female 2,523,987) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.9 years male: 37.8 years female: 39.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.88% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 5.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.22 years male: 76.86 years female: 83.74 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 56,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26% Religions: Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census) Languages: English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5% Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Canada Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada Government type: constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation Capital: name: Ottawa geographic coordinates: 45 25 N, 75 40 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November note: Canada is divided into six time zones Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory* Independence: 1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (independence recognized) National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867) Constitution: made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Michaelle JEAN (since 27 September 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Stephen HARPER (since 6 February 2006) cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Commons is automatically designated prime minister by the governor general Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (members appointed by the governor general with the advice of the prime minister and serve until reaching 75 years of age; its normal limit is 105 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (308 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve for up to five-year terms) elections: House of Commons - last held 23 January 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative Party 36.3%, Liberal Party 30.2%, New Democratic Party 17.5%, Bloc Quebecois 10.5%, Greens 4.5%, other 1%; seats by party - Conservative Party 124, Liberal Party 103, New Democratic Party 29, Bloc Quebecois 51, other 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Justice) Political parties and leaders: Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Conservative Party of Canada (a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party) [Stephen HARPER]; Green Party [Elizabeth MAY]; Liberal Party [Stephane DION]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAFTA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael WILSON chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740 FAX: [1] (202) 682-7701 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson consulate(s): Anchorage, Houston, Philadelphia, Princeton (New Jersey), Raleigh, San Jose (California) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David H. WILKINS embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburgh, NY 13669-0430 telephone: [1] (613) 238-5335, 4470 FAX: [1] (613) 688-3082 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg Flag description: two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width), with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square; the official colors of Canada are red and white Economy Canada Economy - overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Top-notch fiscal management has produced consecutive balanced budgets since 1997, although public debate continues over how to manage the rising cost of the publicly funded healthcare system. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the US, which absorbs more than 85% of Canadian exports. Canada is the US' largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.111 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.035 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $33,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2% industry: 29.4% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 16.3 million (December 2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 2%, manufacturing 14%, construction 5%, services 75%, other 3% (2004) Unemployment rate: 6.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 15.9%; note - this figure is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), a calculation that results in higher figures than found in many comparable economies; Canada does not have an official poverty line (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 23.8% (1994) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.1 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $159.6 billion expenditures: $152.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) Public debt: 69.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish Industries: transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum and natural gas Industrial production growth rate: 2.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 566.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 28% hydro: 57.9% nuclear: 12.9% other: 1.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 520.9 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 22 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 33 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 2.4 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 2.3 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: 1.6 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 963,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 178.9 billion bbl note: includes oil sands (2004 est.) Natural gas - production: 165.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 90.95 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 91.52 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 8.73 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.673 trillion cu m (2004) Current account balance: $24.96 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $364.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum Exports - partners: US 84.2%, Japan 2.1%, UK 1.8% (2005) Imports: $317.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods Imports - partners: US 56.7%, China 7.8%, Mexico 3.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $33.02 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $439.8 billion (30 November 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $2.6 billion (2004) Currency (code): Canadian dollar (CAD) Currency code: CAD Exchange rates: Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.2118 (2005), 1.301 (2004), 1.4011 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Canada Telephones - main lines in use: 18.276 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 16.6 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent service provided by modern technology domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations international: country code - 1-xxx; 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004) Radios: 32.3 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 80 (plus many repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 21.5 million (1997) Internet country code: .ca Internet hosts: 3,934,223 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 760 (2000 est.) Internet users: 21.9 million (2005) Transportation Canada Airports: 1,337 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 509 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 151 914 to 1,523 m: 248 under 914 m: 77 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 828 1,524 to 2,437 m: 66 914 to 1,523 m: 355 under 914 m: 407 (2006) Heliports: 319 (2006) Pipelines: crude and reined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980 km (2005) Railways: total: 48,467 km standard gauge: 48,467 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 1,042,300 km paved: 415,600 km (including 17,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 626,700 km (2005) Waterways: 631 km note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2003) Merchant marine: total: 173 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,129,243 GRT/2,716,340 DWT by type: bulk carrier 62, cargo 10, chemical tanker 9, container 2, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 63, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 8 foreign-owned: 7 (Germany 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 1, US 2) registered in other countries: 111 (Australia 1, Bahamas 18, Barbados 8, Cambodia 6, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 28, Liberia 2, Malta 18, Marshall Islands 6, Panama 4, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, US 4, Vanuatu 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Fraser River Port, Halifax, Montreal, Port Cartier, Quebec, Saint John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Vancouver Military Canada Military branches: Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Canada Command (homeland security) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise approximately 11% of Canada's armed forces (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 8,216,510 females age 16-49: 8,034,939 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 6,740,490 females age 16-49: 6,580,868 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 223,821 females age 16-49: 212,900 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9,801.7 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (2003) Transnational Issues Canada Disputes - international: managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; working toward greater cooperation with US in monitoring people and commodities crossing the border; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; transit point for ecstasy entering the US market; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial services sector This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cape Verde Introduction Cape Verde Background: The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cape Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents. Geography Cape Verde Location: Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 24 00 W Map references: Political Map of the World Area: total: 4,033 sq km land: 4,033 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 965 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic Terrain: steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island) Natural resources: salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum Land use: arable land: 11.41% permanent crops: 0.74% other: 87.85% (2005) Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active Environment - current issues: soil erosion; deforestation due to demand for wood used as fuel; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site People Cape Verde Population: 420,979 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.9% (male 80,594/female 79,126) 15-64 years: 55.3% (male 113,450/female 119,423) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 10,542/female 17,844) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.8 years male: 19 years female: 20.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.64% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 24.87 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -11.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 46.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.73 years male: 67.41 years female: 74.15 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.38 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.035% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 775 (2001) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 225 (as of 2001) Nationality: noun: Cape Verdean(s) adjective: Cape Verdean Ethnic groups: Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1% Religions: Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs); Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene) Languages: Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.6% male: 85.8% female: 69.2% (2003 est.) Government Cape Verde Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde conventional short form: Cape Verde local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde local short form: Cabo Verde Government type: republic Capital: name: Praia geographic coordinates: 14 55 N, 23 31 W time difference: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 17 municipalities (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao Miguel, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal Independence: 5 July 1975 (from Portugal) National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1975) Constitution: new constitution came into force 25 September 1992; underwent a major revision on 23 November 1995, substantially increasing the powers of the president; a 1999 revision created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica) Legal system: derived from the legal system of Portugal Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Pedro Verona PIRES (since 22 March 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 12 February 2006 (next to be held February 2011); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president election results: Pedro PIRES reelected president; percent of vote - Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 51.2%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 48.8% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 52.3%, MPD 44%, UCID 2.7%; seats by party - PAICV 41, MPD 29, ADM 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia Political parties and leaders: African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES, chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of PCD, PTS, and UCID); Democratic Christian Party or PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES, chairman]; Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Victor FIDALGO, president]; Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Agostinho LOPES, president]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO, president]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Isaias RODRIGUES, president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM, president] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jose BRITO chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 965-6820 FAX: [1] (202) 965-1207 consulate(s) general: Boston Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roger D. PIERCE embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo n6, Praia mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia telephone: [238] 2-60-89-00 FAX: [238] 2-61-13-55 Flag description: three horizontal bands of light blue (top, double width), white (with a horizontal red stripe in the middle third), and light blue; a circle of 10 yellow five-pointed stars is centered on the hoist end of the red stripe and extends into the upper and lower blue bands Economy Cape Verde Economy - overview: This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented, with commerce, transport, tourism, and public services accounting for 66% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of agriculture in GDP in 2004 was only 12%, of which fishing accounted for 1.5%. About 82% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by foreign aid and remittances from emigrants; remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Economic reforms are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Future prospects depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows, the encouragement of tourism, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development program. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.99 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.128 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.1% industry: 21.9% services: 66% (2004 est.) Labor force: 120,600 Unemployment rate: 21% (2000 est.) Population below poverty line: 30% (2000) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $328.1 million expenditures: $393.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish Industries: food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 44.15 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 41.06 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 1,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-82 million (2005 est.) Exports: $73.35 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides Exports - partners: Spain 38.2%, Portugal 33.2%, US 9.2%, Morocco 5.4% (2005) Imports: $500 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels Imports - partners: Portugal 41.5%, Italy 8%, Netherlands 7.3%, Spain 5.5%, France 4.8%, Belgium 4.7%, Brazil 4.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $150 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $325 million (2002) Economic aid - recipient: $136 million (1999) Currency (code): Cape Verdean escudo (CVE) Currency code: CVE Exchange rates: Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004), 97.703 (2003), 117.168 (2002), 123.228 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Cape Verde Telephones - main lines in use: 71,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 81,700 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: effective system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995 domestic: major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT); fiber optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providing Internet access and ISDN services; cellular service introduced in 1998 international: country code - 238; 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 22 (and 12 low power repeaters), shortwave 0 (2002) Radios: 100,000 (2002 est.) Television broadcast stations: 1 (and 7 repeaters) (2002) Televisions: 15,000 (2002 est.) Internet country code: .cv Internet hosts: 234 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 25,000 (2005) Transportation Cape Verde Airports: 7 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,350 km paved: 932 km unpaved: 418 km (2000) Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,300 GRT/7,726 DWT by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4 foreign-owned: 2 (Spain 1, UK 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Mindelo, Praia, Tarrafal Military Cape Verde Military branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast Guard (includes maritime air wing) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 84,641 females age 18-49: 87,310 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 65,614 females age 18-49: 73,662 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $7.18 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.7% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Cape Verde Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs moving from Latin America and Asia destined for Western Europe; the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cayman Islands Introduction Cayman Islands Background: The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries, and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies, but when the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency. Geography Cayman Islands Location: Caribbean, three island (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) group in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica Geographic coordinates: 19 30 N, 80 30 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 262 sq km land: 262 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 160 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April) Terrain: low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m Natural resources: fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism Land use: arable land: 3.85% permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: hurricanes (July to November) Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments Geography - note: important location between Cuba and Central America People Cayman Islands Population: 45,436 note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.7% (male 4,708/female 4,700) 15-64 years: 70.9% (male 15,707/female 16,504) 65 years and over: 8.4% (male 1,793/female 2,024) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 37.2 years male: 36.8 years female: 37.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.56% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 17.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.07 years male: 77.45 years female: 82.74 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Caymanian(s) adjective: Caymanian Ethnic groups: mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20% Religions: United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic Languages: English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.) Government Cayman Islands Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cayman Islands Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: British crown colony Capital: name: George Town (on Grand Cayman) geographic coordinates: 19 20 N, 81 23 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: Constitution Day, first Monday in July Constitution: 1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994 Legal system: British common law and local statutes Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Governor Stuart JACK (since 23 November 2005) head of government: Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS (since 18 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor Leader of Government Business Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1 Judicial branch: Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal Political parties and leaders: no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections; United Democratic Party or UDP [leader McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [leader Kurt TIBBETTS] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS Economy Cayman Islands Economy - overview: With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 1998, including almost 600 banks and trust companies; banking assets exceed $500 billion. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 1.2 million in 1997, with 600,000 from the US. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.939 billion (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 0.9% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $43,800 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.) Labor force: 23,450 (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1.4% industry: 12.6% services: 86% (1995) Unemployment rate: 4.4% (2004) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (2004) Budget: revenues: $423.8 million expenditures: $392.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) Agriculture - products: vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming Industries: tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 441.9 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 411 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 2,450 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $2.52 million (2004) Exports - commodities: turtle products, manufactured consumer goods Exports - partners: mostly US (2004) Imports: $866.9 million (2004) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods Imports - partners: US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2004) Debt - external: $70 million (1996) Economic aid - recipient: $390,000 $NA Currency (code): Caymanian dollar (KYD) Currency code: KYD Exchange rates: Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.82 (29 October 2001), 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Cayman Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 38,000 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 17,000 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: reasonably good system domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003 reflected in falling prices and improving services international: country code - 1-345; 2 submarine fiber optic cables (Maya-1, Cayman-Jamaica); satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 36,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 with cable system (2004) Televisions: 7,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ky Internet hosts: 8,611 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 9,909 (2003) Transportation Cayman Islands Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 785 km paved: 785 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 132 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,746,290 GRT/4,366,790 DWT by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 14, chemical tanker 42, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 23, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 130 (Denmark 5, Germany 13, Greece 21, Italy 12, Japan 1, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 4, Norway 2, Philippines 1, Singapore 10, Sweden 9, UK 10, US 41) (2006) Ports and terminals: Cayman Brac, George Town Military Cayman Islands Military branches: no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 10,703 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 8,600 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 257 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Cayman Islands Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Central African Republic Introduction Central African Republic Background: The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and May of 2005 in which General BOZIZE was affirmed as president. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. Geography Central African Republic Location: Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 21 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas Land boundaries: total: 5,203 km border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest Elevation extremes: lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower Land use: arable land: 3.1% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 96.75% (2005) Irrigated land: 20 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa People Central African Republic Population: 4,303,356 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 907,629/female 897,153) 15-64 years: 53.9% (male 1,146,346/female 1,173,268) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 71,312/female 107,648) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.4 years male: 18 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.53% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 33.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 18.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 85.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 92.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 78.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.54 years male: 43.46 years female: 43.62 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.41 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 13.5% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 260,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 23,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African Ethnic groups: Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2% Religions: indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51% male: 63.3% female: 39.9% (2003 est.) Government Central African Republic Country name: conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire abbreviation: CAR Government type: republic Capital: name: Bangui geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: Republic Day, 1 December (1958) Constitution: ratified by popular referendum 5 December 2004; effective 27 December 2004 Legal system: based on French law Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup) head of government: Prime Minister Elie DOTE (since 13 June 2005); note - Celestin GAOMBALET resigned 11 June 2005 cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: under the new constitution, the president elected to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 13 March and 8 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority election results: Francois BOZIZE elected president; percent of second round balloting - Francois BOZIZE (KNK) 64.6%, Martin ZIGUELE (MLPC) 35.4% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 13 March 2005 and 8 May 2005 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD 9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%, independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7, PSD 6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (3 judges appointed by the president, 3 by the president of the National Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Jacques MBOLIEDAS]; Central African Democratic Assembly or RDC [Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA]; Democratic Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [Ange-Felix PATASSE] (the party of deposed president); National Convergence or KNK; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel GOUMBA]; People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY]; National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OIF, OPCW, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires James PANOS embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: [236] 61 02 00 FAX: [236] 61 44 94 note: the embassy is currently operating with a minimal staff Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band Economy Central African Republic Economy - overview: Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, for 40%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization, with GDP growth at only 0.5% in 2004 and 2.5% in 2005. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.677 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.462 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.) Labor force: NA Unemployment rate: 8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (1993) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 61.3 (1993) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (2001 est.) Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Agriculture - products: cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber Industries: gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2002) Electricity - production: 106 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 19.8% hydro: 80.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 98.58 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 2,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $131 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco Exports - partners: Belgium 34.1%, France 9.5%, Spain 8.5%, Italy 7.9%, China 6.9%, Indonesia 6.2%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 4.6%, US 4.4%, Turkey 4.4% (2005) Imports: $203 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals Imports - partners: France 16.7%, Netherlands 10.4%, Cameroon 9.8%, US 7.4% (2005) Debt - external: $1.06 billion (2002 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $59.8 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2002 est.) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Currency code: XAF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Central African Republic Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 60,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: fair system domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002) Radios: 283,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001) Televisions: 18,000 (1997) Internet country code: .cf Internet hosts: 10 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 9,000 (2005) Transportation Central African Republic Airports: 50 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 47 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Roadways: total: 23,810 km (1999) Waterways: 2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2005) Ports and terminals: Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga Military Central African Republic Military branches: Central African Armed Forces (FACA): Ground Forces, Military Air Service; General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG), Republican Guard, National Police (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is two years (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 853,760 females age 18-49: 835,426 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 416,091 females age 18-49: 383,056 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $16.37 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Central African Republic Disputes - international: about 30,000 refugees fleeing the 2002 civil conflict in the CAR still reside in southern Chad; periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan persist Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 19,470 (Sudan) 1,864 (Chad) 6,484 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 200,000 (unrest following coup in 2003) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Central African Republic is a source and destination country for children trafficked for domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and forced labor in shops and commercial labor activities; while the majority of child victims are trafficked within the country, some are also trafficked to and from Cameroon and Nigeria tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - the Central African Republic failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons during 2005, specifically its inadequate law enforcement response to trafficking crimes This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Chad Introduction Chad Background: Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution, and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which sporadically flares up despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In 2005 new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and have made probing attacks into eastern Chad. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits. Geography Chad Location: Central Africa, south of Libya Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 19 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1.284 million sq km land: 1,259,200 sq km water: 24,800 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of California Land boundaries: total: 5,968 km border countries: Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197 km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical in south, desert in north Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m Natural resources: petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt Land use: arable land: 2.8% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 97.18% (2005) Irrigated land: 300 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping Geography - note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel People Chad Population: 9,944,201 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.9% (male 2,396,393/female 2,369,261) 15-64 years: 49.3% (male 2,355,940/female 2,550,535) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 107,665/female 164,407) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16 years male: 15.3 years female: 16.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.93% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 45.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 16.38 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 91.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 100.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 82.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.52 years male: 45.88 years female: 49.21 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.8% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 200,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 18,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Chadian(s) adjective: Chadian Ethnic groups: 200 distinct groups; in the north and center: Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim; in the south: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang, Moussei, Massa, most of whom are Christian or animist; about 1,000 French citizens live in Chad Religions: Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7% Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic total population: 47.5% male: 56% female: 39.3% (2003 est.) Government Chad Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Chad conventional short form: Chad local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad local short form: Tchad/Tshad Government type: republic Capital: name: N'Djamena geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 15 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile note: instead of 14 prefectures, there may be a new administrative structure of 28 departments (departments, singular - department) and 1 city*; Assongha, Baguirmi, Bahr El Gazal, Bahr Koh, Batha Oriental, Batha Occidental, Biltine, Borkou, Dababa, Ennedi, Guera, Hadjer Lamis, Kabia, Kanem, Lac, Lac Iro, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Boneye, Mayo-Dallah, Monts de Lam, N'Djamena*, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile Oriental, Tandjile Occidental, Tibesti Independence: 11 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 11 August (1960) Constitution: passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno (since 4 December 1990) head of government: Prime Minister Pascal YOADIMNADJI (since 3 February 2005) cabinet: Council of State, members appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year term; if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second round of voting; last held 3 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 64.7%, Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE 15.1%, Albert Pahimi PADACKE 7.8%, Mahamat ABDOULAYE 7.1%, Brahim KOULAMALLAH 5.3%; note - a June 2005 national referendum altered the constitution removing presidential term limits and permitting Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno to run for reelection Legislative branch: bicameral according to constitution, consists of a National Assembly (155 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate (not yet created and size unspecified, members to serve six-year terms, one-third of membership renewable every two years) elections: National Assembly - last held 21 April 2002 (next to be held by April 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, URD 5, UNDR 3, other 11 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts Political parties and leaders: Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR]; National Rally for Development and Progress or RNDP [Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE]; National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]; Party for Liberty and Development or PLD [Ibni Oumar Mahamat SALEH]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Mahamat Saleh AHMAT, chairman]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lol Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [Jean ALINGUE]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Adam BECHIR chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marc M. WALL embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena telephone: [235] 516-211 FAX: [235] 515-654 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France Economy Chad Economy - overview: Chad's primarily agricultural economy will continue to be boosted by major foreign direct investment projects in the oil sector that began in 2000. Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and livestock raising for its livelihood. Chad's economy has long been handicapped by its landlocked position, high energy costs, and a history of instability. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for most public and private sector investment projects. A consortium led by two US companies has been investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves - estimated at 1 billion barrels - in southern Chad. The nation's total oil reserves has been estimated to be 2 billion barrels. Oil production came on stream in late 2003. Chad began to export oil in 2004. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's non-oil export earnings. GDP (purchasing power parity): $13.98 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.799 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 33.5% industry: 25.9% services: 40.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.719 million Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing) industry and services: 20% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 80% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $765.2 million expenditures: $653.3 million; including capital expenditures of $146 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels Industries: oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1995) Electricity - production: 120 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 111.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 225,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,450 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-602 million (2005 est.) Exports: $3.016 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cotton, cattle, gum arabic, oil Exports - partners: US 78.1%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 4.1% (2005) Imports: $749.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles Imports - partners: France 21.1%, Cameroon 15.5%, US 12.1%, Belgium 6.8%, Portugal 4.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $297 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.5 billion (2003 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $238.3 million received; note - $125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank; ODA $246.9 million (2003 est.) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Currency code: XAF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Chad Telephones - main lines in use: 13,000 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 210,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: primitive system domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2002) Radios: 1.67 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002) Televisions: 10,000 (1997) Internet country code: .td Internet hosts: 9 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 35,000 (2005) Transportation Chad Airports: 52 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 7 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 21 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Pipelines: oil 205 km (2006) Roadways: total: 33,400 km paved: 267 km unpaved: 33,133 km (1999) Waterways: Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2002) Military Chad Military branches: Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale Tchadienne, ANT), Air Force, Gendarmerie (2004) Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for conscripts, with three-year service obligation; 18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to one year of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 1,527,580 females age 20-49: 1,629,510 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 794,988 females age 20-49: 849,500 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 94,536 females age 20-49: 93,521 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $68.95 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Chad Disputes - international: since the expulsions of residents from Darfur in 2003 by Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military, about 200,000 refugees remain in eastern Chad; Chad remains an important mediator in the Sudanese civil conflict, reducing tensions with Sudan arising from cross-border banditry; Chadian Aozou rebels reside in southern Libya; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 224,924 (Sudan), 29,683 (Central African Republic) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Chile Introduction Chile Background: Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central and southern Chile; the latter were not completely subjugated by Spain until the early 1880s. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-84), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern lands. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation. Geography Chile Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru Geographic coordinates: 30 00 S, 71 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 756,950 sq km land: 748,800 sq km water: 8,150 sq km note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez Area - comparative: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana Land boundaries: total: 6,339 km border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km Coastline: 6,435 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200/350 nm Climate: temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south Terrain: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower Land use: arable land: 2.62% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 96.95% (2005) Irrigated land: 19,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis Environment - current issues: widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions People Chile Population: 16,134,219 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.7% (male 2,035,278/female 1,944,754) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 5,403,525/female 5,420,497) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 555,075/female 775,090) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 30.4 years male: 29.5 years female: 31.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.94% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.23 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 8.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.77 years male: 73.49 years female: 80.21 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 26,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,400 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Chilean(s) adjective: Chilean Ethnic groups: white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2% Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL% Languages: Spanish Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.2% male: 96.4% female: 96.1% (2003 est.) Government Chile Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Chile conventional short form: Chile local long form: Republica de Chile local short form: Chile Government type: republic Capital: name: Santiago geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March Administrative divisions: 13 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810) Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005 Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held 15 January 2006 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique 46.5% Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats elected by popular vote; members serve eight-year terms - one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8), independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI 34, RN 20), independent 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Chile ("Alianza") or APC (including National Renewal or RN [Sergio DIEZ Urzia] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Jovino NOVOA Vasquez]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy ("Concertacion") or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Adolfo ZALDIVAR Larrain], Socialist Party or PS [Ricardo NUNEZ], Party for Democracy or PPD [Victor BARRUETO], Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER] Political pressure groups and leaders: revitalized university student federations at all major universities; Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations International organization participation: APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mariano FERNANDEZ chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 530-4104, 530-4106, 530-4107 FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Craig A. KELLY embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago mailing address: APO AA 34033 telephone: [56] (2) 232-2600 FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled to achieve independence; design was influenced by the US flag Economy Chile Economy - overview: Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of 1999, exports and economic activity had begun to recover, and growth rebounded to 4.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.1% in 2001 and 2.1% in 2002, largely due to lackluster global growth and the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Chile's economy began a slow recovery in 2003, growing 3.2%, and accelerated to 6.1% in 2004-05, while Chile maintained a low rate of inflation. GDP growth benefited from high copper prices, solid export earnings (particularly forestry, fishing, and mining), and stepped-up foreign direct investment. Unemployment, however, remains stubbornly high. Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile signed a free trade agreement with China in November 2005, and it already has several trade deals signed with other nations and blocs, including the European Union, Mercosur, South Korea, and Mexico. Record-high copper prices helped to strengthen the peso to a 5½-year high, as of December 2005, and will boost GDP in 2006. GDP (purchasing power parity): $189.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $115.6 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $11,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 49.3% services: 44.7% (2005 est.) Labor force: 6.3 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 13.6% industry: 23.4% services: 63% (2003) Unemployment rate: 8.1% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 18.2% (2005) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 47% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 57.1 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 22.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $29.2 billion expenditures: $24.75 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.33 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 7.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 45.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 47% hydro: 51.5% nuclear: 0% other: 1.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 44.13 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 2 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 4,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 228,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day Oil - imports: 221,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 150 million bbl (1 January 2004) Natural gas - production: 1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 7.06 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2002) Natural gas - imports: 5.337 billion cu m (2002 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 97.98 billion cu m (1 January 2004) Current account balance: $702.7 million (2005 est.) Exports: $38.03 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine Exports - partners: US 15.8%, Japan 11.5%, China 11.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, South Korea 5.5%, Brazil 4.4%, Italy 4.2%, Mexico 4% (2005) Imports: $30.09 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas Imports - partners: Argentina 14.8%, US 14.6%, Brazil 11.7%, China 7.8%, South Korea 4.8%, Yemen 4.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $16.93 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $47.45 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $0 (2002) Currency (code): Chilean peso (CLP) Currency code: CLP Exchange rates: Chilean pesos per US dollar - 560.09 (2005), 609.37 (2004), 691.43 (2003), 688.94 (2002), 634.94 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Chile Telephones - main lines in use: 3,435,900 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 10.57 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with three earth stations international: country code - 56; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 180 (eight inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (one inactive) (1998) Radios: 5.18 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 3.15 million (1997) Internet country code: .cl Internet hosts: 506,055 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (2000) Internet users: 6.7 million (2005) Transportation Chile Airports: 363 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 73 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 290 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 58 under 914 m: 216 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,567 km; gas/lpg 42 km; liquid petroleum gas 539 km; oil 1,003 km; refined products 757 km; unknown (oil/water) 97 km (2006) Railways: total: 6,585 km broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified) narrow gauge: 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 79,605 km paved: 16,080 km (including 407 km of expressways) unpaved: 63,525 km (2001) Merchant marine: total: 46 ships (1000 GRT or over) 649,091 GRT/898,110 DWT by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 6, chemical tanker 10, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 3 foreign-owned: 1 (Argentina 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Argentina 6, Brazil 1, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 9) (2006) Ports and terminals: Antofagasta, Arica, Huasco, Iquique, Lirquen, San Antonio, San Vicente, Valparaiso Military Chile Military branches: Army of the Nation, National Navy (Armada de Chile, includes naval air, marine corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACh), Chilean Carabineros (National Police) (2006) Military service age and obligation: all male citizens 18-45 are obligated to perform military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy and Air Force (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 3,815,761 females age 18-49: 3,780,864 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 3,123,281 females age 18-49: 3,128,277 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 140,084 females age 18-49: 134,518 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.91 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Chile Disputes - international: Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian gas and other commodities; Peru proposes changing its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; action by the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, for mapping and demarcating the disputed boundary in the Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur) remains pending Illicit drugs: important transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe; economic prosperity and increasing trade have made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits, especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone, but a new anti-money-laundering law improves controls; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @China Introduction China Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Geography China Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 105 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 9,596,960 sq km land: 9,326,410 sq km water: 270,550 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the US Land boundaries: total: 22,117 km border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km Coastline: 14,500 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m Natural resources: coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest) Land use: arable land: 14.86% permanent crops: 1.27% other: 83.87% (2005) Irrigated land: 545,960 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence Environment - current issues: air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak People China Population: 1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.8% (male 145,461,833/female 128,445,739) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 482,439,115/female 455,960,489) 65 years and over: 7.7% (male 48,562,635/female 53,103,902) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 32.7 years male: 32.3 years female: 33.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.59% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 13.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 23.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.58 years male: 70.89 years female: 74.46 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 840,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 44,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Chinese (singular and plural) adjective: Chinese Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1% Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.) Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.9% male: 95.1% female: 86.5% (2002) Government China Country name: conventional long form: People's Republic of China conventional short form: China local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo local short form: Zhongguo abbreviation: PRC Government type: Communist state Capital: name: Beijing geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 116 24 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural) provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan) autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet) municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau Independence: 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic established) National holiday: Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949) Constitution: most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 Legal system: based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Executive Vice Premier HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premiers WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003) cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC) elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress election results: HU Jintao elected president by the 10th National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (four delegates voted against him, four abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the 10th National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote); two seats were vacant Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms) elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be held late 2007-February 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts) Political parties and leaders: Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP Political pressure groups and leaders: no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the China Democracy Party as subversive groups International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BCIE, BIS, CDB, EAS, FAO, G-24 (observer), G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr. embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831 FAX: [86] (10) 6532-3178 consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau, Shanghai, Shenyang Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner Economy China Economy - overview: China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion. The process continues with key moves in 2005 including the sale of equity in China's largest state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond markets. The restructuring of the economy and resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2005 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income and 150 million Chinese fall below international poverty lines. Economic development has generally been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior, and there are large disparities in per capita income between regions. The government has struggled to: (a) sustain adequate job growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) contain environmental damage and social strife related to the economy's rapid transformation. From 100 to 150 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. One demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer Internet use, with more than 100 million users at the end of 2005. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable expansion in world trade and has been an important factor in the growth of urban jobs. In July 2005, China revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. Reports of shortages of electric power in the summer of 2005 in southern China receded by September-October and did not have a substantial impact on China's economy. More power generating capacity is scheduled to come on line in 2006 as large scale investments are completed. Thirteen years in construction at a cost of $24 billion, the immense Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River will be essentially completed in 2006 and will revolutionize electrification and flood control in the area. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2005 approved the draft 11th Five-Year Plan and the National People's Congress is expected to give final approval in March 2006. The plan calls for a 20% reduction in energy consumption per unit of GDP by 2010 and an estimated 45% increase in GDP by 2010. The plan states that conserving resources and protecting the environment are basic goals, but it lacks details on the policies and reforms necessary to achieve these goals. GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.883 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.225 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 10.2% (official data) (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.5% industry: 47.3% services: 40.3% note: industry includes construction (2005 est.) Labor force: 791.4 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 49% industry: 22% services: 29% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 9% official registered unemployment in urban areas in 2004; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas; an official Chinese journal estimated overall unemployment (including rural areas) for 2003 at 20% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 10% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 30.4% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 44.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $392.1 billion expenditures: $424.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 24.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish Industries: mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites Industrial production growth rate: 29.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 2.19 trillion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 80.2% hydro: 18.5% nuclear: 1.2% other: 0.1% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.17 trillion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 10.6 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 1.546 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 3.504 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 6.391 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: 340,300 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 3.226 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 18.26 billion bbl (2004) Natural gas - production: 35.02 billion cu m (2003) Natural gas - consumption: 33.44 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 2.79 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 2.53 trillion cu m (2004) Current account balance: $160.8 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $752.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and steel Exports - partners: US 21.4%, Hong Kong 16.3%, Japan 11%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany 4.3% (2005) Imports: $631.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, optical and medical equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel Imports - partners: Japan 15.2%, South Korea 11.6%, Taiwan 11.2%, US 7.4%, Germany 4.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $825.6 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $252.8 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): yuan (CNY); note - also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB) Currency code: CNY Exchange rates: yuan per US dollar - 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications China Telephones - main lines in use: 350.433 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 393.428 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place international: country code - 86; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000) Radio broadcast stations: AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998) Radios: 417 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations, and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997) Televisions: 400 million (1997) Internet country code: .cn Internet hosts: 232,780 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 123 million (2006) Transportation China Airports: 486 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 403 over 3,047 m: 56 2,438 to 3,047 m: 127 1,524 to 2,437 m: 138 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 60 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 83 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 39 (2006) Heliports: 32 (2006) Pipelines: gas 22,664 km; oil 15,256 km; refined products 6,106 km (2006) Railways: total: 74,408 km standard gauge: 74,408 km 1.435-m gauge (19,303 km electrified) (2004) Roadways: total: 1,809,829 km paved: 1,447,682 km (with at least 29,745 km of expressways) unpaved: 362,147 km (2003) Waterways: 123,964 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 1,723 ships (1000 GRT or over) 21,405,633 GRT/32,411,260 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 387, cargo 695, chemical tanker 45, combination ore/oil 1, container 152, liquefied gas 31, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 83, petroleum tanker 261, refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 14 foreign-owned: 13 (Hong Kong 7, Japan 3, South Korea 2, Norway 1) registered in other countries: 1,191 (Bahamas 3, Bangladesh 1, Belize 103, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 128, Cyprus 11, Georgia 2, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 274, India 2, North Korea 1, Liberia 35, Malaysia 1, Malta 14, Mongolia 4, Norway 3, Panama 420, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 103, Sierra Leone 2, Singapore 23, Thailand 1, Tuvalu 23, unknown 33) (2006) Ports and terminals: Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai Military China Military branches: People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes airborne forces), and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (PAP); Reserve and Militia Forces (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 18-22 years of age for women who meet requirements for specific military jobs (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 342,956,265 females age 18-49: 324,701,244 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 281,240,272 females age 18-49: 269,025,517 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 13,186,433 females age 18-49: 12,298,149 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $81.48 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues China Disputes - international: in 2005, China and India began drafting principles to resolve all aspects of their extensive boundary and territorial disputes together with a security and foreign policy dialogue to consolidate discussions related to the boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; recent talks and confidence-building measures have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; about 90,000 ethnic Tibetan exiles reside primarily in India as well as Nepal and Bhutan; China asserts sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratlys but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratlys and in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan have become more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared equidistance line in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is considered indefinite; China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans; China and Russia prepare to demarcate the boundary agreed to in October 2004 between the long-disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 299,287 (Vietnam) estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: China is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking in China is internal, but there is also international trafficking of Chinese citizens; women are lured through false promises of legitimate employment into commercial sexual exploitation in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan; Chinese men and women are smuggled to countries throughout the world at enormous personal expense and then forced into commercial sexual exploitation or exploitative labor to repay debts to traffickers; women and children are trafficked into China from Mongolia, Burma, North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage, and sexual slavery; most North Koreans enter northeastern China voluntarily, but others reportedly are trafficked into China from North Korea; domestic trafficking remains the most significant problem in China, with an estimated minimum of 10,000-20,000 victims trafficked each year; the actual number of victims could be much greater; some experts believe that the serious and prolonged imbalance in the male-female birth ratio may now be contributing to Chinese and foreign girls and women being trafficked as potential brides tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to address transnational trafficking; while the government provides reasonable protection to internal victims of trafficking, protection for Chinese and foreign victims of transnational trafficking remain inadequate Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Christmas Island Introduction Christmas Island Background: Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. Geography Christmas Island Location: Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia Geographic coordinates: 10 30 S, 105 40 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 138.9 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April) Terrain: steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m Natural resources: phosphate, beaches Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard Environment - current issues: loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining Geography - note: located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean People Christmas Island Population: 1,493 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0% (2006 est.) Birth rate: NA Death rate: NA Net migration rate: NA Sex ratio: NA Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: NA HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island Ethnic groups: Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001) Religions: Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) Languages: English (official), Chinese, Malay Literacy: NA Government Christmas Island Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island Dependency status: non-self governing territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services Government type: NA Capital: name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 18 44 N, 64 19 W time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia) Independence: none (territory of Australia) National holiday: Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Constitution: Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 Legal system: under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia Legislative branch: unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: none Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia) Flag description: territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island; the flag of Australia is used for official purposes Economy Christmas Island Economy - overview: Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future. GDP (purchasing power parity): $NA Labor force: NA Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Agriculture - products: NA Industries: tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA Exports: $NA Exports - commodities: phosphate Exports - partners: Australia, NZ (2004) Imports: $NA Imports - commodities: consumer goods Imports - partners: principally Australia (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD) Currency code: AUD Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Christmas Island Telephones - main lines in use: NA Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - one INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006) Radios: 1,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 0; note - TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia (2006) Televisions: 600 (1997) Internet country code: .cx Internet hosts: 2,368 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 464 (2001) Transportation Christmas Island Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 142 km paved: 32 km unpaved: 110 km (2006) Ports and terminals: Flying Fish Cove Military Christmas Island Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia Transnational Issues Christmas Island Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Clipperton Island Introduction Clipperton Island Background: This isolated island was named for John CLIPPERTON, a pirate who made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in 1855, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France, which took possession in 1935. Geography Clipperton Island Location: Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico Geographic coordinates: 10 17 N, 109 13 W Map references: Political Map of the World Area: total: 6 sq km land: 6 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 12 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 11.1 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, wet season (May to October) Terrain: coral atoll Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all coral) (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: reef 12 km in circumference People Clipperton Island Population: uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Government Clipperton Island Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Clipperton Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Clipperton former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion Dependency status: possession of France; administered by France from French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply Flag description: the flag of France is used Economy Clipperton Island Economy - overview: Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic activity is tuna fishing. Transportation Clipperton Island Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Clipperton Island Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Clipperton Island Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cocos (Keeling) Islands Introduction Cocos (Keeling) Islands Background: There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. Geography Cocos (Keeling) Islands Location: Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 96 50 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 14 sq km land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island Area - comparative: about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 26 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year Terrain: flat, low-lying coral atolls Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: cyclone season is October to April Environment - current issues: fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs Geography - note: islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation People Cocos (Keeling) Islands Population: 574 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0% (2006 est.) Birth rate: NA Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: NA Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: NA HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Cocos Islander(s) adjective: Cocos Islander Ethnic groups: Europeans, Cocos Malays Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) Languages: Malay (Cocos dialect), English Literacy: NA Government Cocos (Keeling) Islands Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands Dependency status: non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services Government type: NA Capital: name: West Island geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 55 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia) Independence: none (territory of Australia) National holiday: Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Constitution: Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 Legal system: based upon the laws of Australia and local laws Suffrage: NA Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia Legislative branch: unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: none Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia) Flag description: the flag of Australia is used Economy Cocos (Keeling) Islands Economy - overview: Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry. GDP (purchasing power parity): $NA Labor force: NA Labor force - by occupation: note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others Unemployment rate: 60% (2000 est.) Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Agriculture - products: vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts Industries: copra products and tourism Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA Exports: $NA Exports - commodities: copra Exports - partners: Australia (2004) Imports: $NA Imports - commodities: foodstuffs Imports - partners: Australia (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD) Currency code: AUD Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Cocos (Keeling) Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 287 (1992) Telephones - mobile cellular: note - analog cellular service available Telephone system: general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system domestic: NA international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 INTELSAT satellite earth station Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 300 (1992) Television broadcast stations: NA Televisions: NA Internet country code: .cc Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 22 km paved: 10 km unpaved: 12 km (2006) Ports and terminals: Port Refuge Military Cocos (Keeling) Islands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force Transnational Issues Cocos (Keeling) Islands Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Colombia Introduction Colombia Background: Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. Paramilitary groups challenge the insurgents for control of territory and the drug trade. Most paramilitary members have demobilized since 2002 in an ongoing peace process, although their commitment to ceasing illicit activity is unclear. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. Geography Colombia Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 72 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 6,004 km border countries: Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 1,496 km (est.), Venezuela 2,050 km Coastline: 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower Land use: arable land: 2.01% permanent crops: 1.37% other: 96.62% (2005) Irrigated land: 9,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea People Colombia Population: 43,593,035 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.3% (male 6,683,079/female 6,528,563) 15-64 years: 64.5% (male 13,689,384/female 14,416,439) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 996,022/female 1,279,548) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 26.3 years male: 25.4 years female: 27.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.46% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 20.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 20.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.99 years male: 68.15 years female: 75.96 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.54 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 190,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3,600 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Colombian(s) adjective: Colombian Ethnic groups: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% Languages: Spanish Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 92.4% female: 92.6% (2003 est.) Government Colombia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Colombia conventional short form: Colombia local long form: Republica de Colombia local short form: Colombia Government type: republic; executive branch dominates government structure Capital: name: Bogota geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada Independence: 20 July 1810 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 20 July (1810) Constitution: 5 July 1991 Legal system: based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and is gradually being implemented; judicial review of executive and legislative acts Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002) cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the two dominant parties - the PL and PSC - and independents elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez reelected president; percent of vote - Alvaro URIBE Velez 62%, Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz 22%, Horacio SERPA Uribe 12%, other 4% Legislative branch: bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010); House of Representatives - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSUN 20, PC 18, PL 17, CR 15, PDI 11, other parties 21; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 36, PSUN 30, PC 29, CR 20, PDA 42, other parties 42 Judicial branch: four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of criminal law; judges are selected by their peers from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of administrative law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the constitution; rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the constitution, and international treaties); Superior Judicial Council (administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms) Political parties and leaders: Clandestine Communist Party of Colombia or PCC [Jaime CAICEDO]; Colombian Conservative Party or PC [Carlos HOLGUIN Sardi]; Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Samuel MORENO Rojas]; Liberal Party or PL [Cesar GAVIRIA]; Social National Unity Party or PSUN [Juan Manuel SANTOS] note: Colombia has about 60 formally recognized political parties, most of which do not have a presence in either house of Congress Political pressure groups and leaders: two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National Liberation Army or ELN; largest illegal paramilitary group, a roughly organized umbrella group of disparate paramilitary forces, is United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC International organization participation: BCIE, CAN, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carolina BARCO Isakson chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338 FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo 3831 mailing address: Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO AA 34038 telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811 FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197 Flag description: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center Economy Colombia Economy - overview: Colombia's economy has been on a recovery trend during the past two years despite a serious armed conflict. The economy continues to improve thanks to austere government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth strategy, and an improved security situation in the country. Ongoing economic problems facing President URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. New exploration is needed to offset declining oil production. On the positive side, several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by URIBE, which succeeded in reducing the public-sector deficit below 1.5% of GDP. The government's economic policy and democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector. Coffee prices have recovered from previous lows as the Colombian coffee industry pursues greater market shares in developed countries such as the United States. GDP (purchasing power parity): $341.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $97.73 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.5% industry: 34.2% services: 53.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 20.52 million (2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 22.7% industry: 18.7% services: 58.5% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 11.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 49.2% (2005) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 7.9% highest 10%: 34.3% (2004) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 53.8 (2005) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $46.82 billion expenditures: $48.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 49.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp Industries: textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds Industrial production growth rate: 3.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 50.43 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 26% hydro: 72.7% nuclear: 0% other: 1.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 48.83 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 1.082 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 48.4 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 512,400 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 270,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 1.492 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 6.08 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 6.08 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 127.6 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-1.931 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $19.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers Exports - partners: US 41.8%, Venezuela 9.9%, Ecuador 6.3% (2005) Imports: $18 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity Imports - partners: US 28.5%, Mexico 8.3%, China 7.6%, Brazil 6.5%, Venezuela 5.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $14.96 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $32.35 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Colombian peso (COP) Currency code: COP Exchange rates: Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,320.75 (2005), 2,628.61 (2004), 2,877.65 (2003), 2,504.24 (2002), 2,299.63 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Colombia Telephones - main lines in use: 7,678,800 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 21.85 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system in many respects domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities international: country code - 57; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables Radio broadcast stations: AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999) Radios: 21 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997) Televisions: 4.59 million (1997) Internet country code: .co Internet hosts: 581,877 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 18 (2000) Internet users: 4.739 million (2005) Transportation Colombia Airports: 984 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 101 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 883 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 275 under 914 m: 572 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: gas 4,360 km; oil 6,140 km; refined products 3,158 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,304 km standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 110,000 km paved: 26,000 km unpaved: 84,000 km (2000) Waterways: 18,000 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 17 ships (1000 GRT or over) 42,413 GRT/58,737 DWT by type: cargo 13, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 3 registered in other countries: 7 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Panama 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Muelles El Bosque, Puerto Bolivar, Santa Marta, Turbo Military Colombia Military branches: Army (Ejercito Nacional), National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes naval aviation, marines, and coast guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 10,212,456 females age 18-49: 10,561,562 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 6,986,228 females age 18-49: 8,794,465 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 389,735 females age 18-49: 383,146 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.3 billion (FY01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (FY01) Transnational Issues Colombia Disputes - international: Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; dispute with Venezuela over maritime boundary and Los Monjes Islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics, guerrilla, and paramilitary activities penetrate all of its neighbors' borders and have created a serious refugee crisis with over 300,000 persons having fled the country, mostly into neighboring states Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 2,900,000 - 3,400,000 (conflict between government and FARC; drug wars) (2004) Illicit drugs: illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator (cultivation of coca in 2004 was 114,100 hectares, virtually unchanged from 2003, but down one-third from its peak of 169,800 ha); producing a potential of 430 mt of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca derivatives; supplying most of the US market and the great majority of cocaine to other international drug markets; important supplier of heroin to the US market; opium poppy cultivation fell 50% between 2003 and 2004 to 2,100 hectares yielding a potential 3.8 metric tons of pure heroin, mostly for the US market; in 2004, aerial eradication treated over 130,000 hectares of coca but aggressive replanting on the part of growers means Colombia remains a key producer; a significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market peso exchange This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Comoros Introduction Comoros Background: Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangement named the 2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001, voters approved a new constitution and presidential elections took place in the spring of 2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its own president and a new union president took office in May 2002. Geography Comoros Location: Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique Geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 44 15 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 2,170 sq km land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 340 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) Terrain: volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: 35.87% permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano Environment - current issues: soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel People Comoros Population: 690,948 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 148,009/female 147,038) 15-64 years: 54.3% (male 185,107/female 190,139) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,672/female 10,983) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.87% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 36.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 72.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 81.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.33 years male: 60 years female: 64.72 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.03 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.12% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran Ethnic groups: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava Religions: Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% Languages: Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.) Government Comoros Country name: conventional long form: Union of the Comoros conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores Government type: republic Capital: name: Moroni geographic coordinates: 11 41 S, 43 16 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), Domoni*, Fomboni*, Moheli (Mwali), Moroni*, Moutsamoudou* Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1975) Constitution: 23 December 2001 Legal system: French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006); head of government: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006); cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three main islands in the Union; election last held 14 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2010); prime minister appointed by the president; note - the post of Prime Minister has been vacant since May 2002 election results: Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI elected president; percent of vote - Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI 58.0%, Ibrahim HALIDI 28.3%, Mohamed DJAANFAMI 13.7% Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the 18 by universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years); elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CdIA 12, CRC 6; note - 15 additional seats are filled by deputies from local island assemblies Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of the republic) Political parties and leaders: Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros [AZALI Assowmani]; Camp of the Autonomous Islands (a coalition of parties organized by the island Presidents in opposition to the Union President); Front National pour la Justice or FNJ [Ahmed RACHID] (Islamic party in opposition); Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud M. ABOUD chancery: Mission to the US, 336 East 45th Street (2nd floor), New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637 Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros); the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam Economy Comoros Economy - overview: One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. Increased foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP. GDP (purchasing power parity): $441 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $402 million (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40% industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.) Labor force: 144,500 (1996 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% Unemployment rate: 20% (1996 est.) Population below poverty line: 60% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $27.6 million expenditures: $NA (2001 est.) Agriculture - products: vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca) Industries: tourism, perfume distillation Industrial production growth rate: -2% (1999 est.) Electricity - production: 18 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.6% hydro: 9.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 16.74 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-17 million (2005 est.) Exports: $34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra Exports - partners: France 27.7%, Singapore 16.8%, Japan 15.1%, Germany 13.7%, US 5.8%, Netherlands 5.1% (2005) Imports: $115 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment Imports - partners: France 20.5%, South Africa 11.7%, UAE 9.1%, Kenya 8%, Pakistan 5%, Mauritius 4.4%, Belgium 4.3%, India 4.1% (2005) Debt - external: $232 million (2000 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $24 million (2003 est.) Currency (code): Comoran franc (KMF) Currency code: KMF Exchange rates: Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 395.6 (2005), 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003), 522.74 (2002), 549.78 (2001) note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Comoros Telephones - main lines in use: 16,900 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 16,100 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) Radios: 90,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: NA Televisions: 1,000 (1997) Internet country code: .km Internet hosts: 5 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 20,000 (2005) Transportation Comoros Airports: 4 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Roadways: total: 880 km paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 121 ships (1000 GRT or over) 564,882 GRT/801,238 DWT by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 85, chemical tanker 1, container 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 72 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 1, Greece 10, India 1, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 1, Pakistan 2, Philippines 1, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Syria 4, Turkey 11, UAE 6, Ukraine 14, US 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Mayotte, Moutsamoudou Military Comoros Military branches: Comoran Defense Force: Comoran Security Force (includes Gendarmerie and Army), Comoran Federal Police (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 138,940 females age 18-49: 139,491 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 98,792 females age 18-49: 106,415 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $12.87 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Comoros Disputes - international: claims French-administered Mayotte This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Congo, Democratic Republic of the Introduction Congo, Democratic Republic of the Background: Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several subsequent sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by an insurrection backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; Joseph KABILA remains as president and is joined by four vice presidents representing the former government, former rebel groups, and the political opposition. The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005, and plans to hold a series of elections in 2006 to determine the presidency and National Assembly seats. Geography Congo, Democratic Republic of the Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 2,345,410 sq km land: 2,267,600 sq km water: 77,810 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 10,730 km border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km Coastline: 37 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors Climate: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October) Terrain: vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m Natural resources: cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber Land use: arable land: 2.86% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.67% (2005) Irrigated land: 110 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes Environment - current issues: poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Geography - note: straddles equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands People Congo, Democratic Republic of the Population: 62,660,551 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.4% (male 14,906,488/female 14,798,210) 15-64 years: 50.1% (male 15,597,353/female 15,793,350) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 632,143/female 933,007) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.2 years male: 16 years female: 16.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.07% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 43.69 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 13.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: fighting between the Congolese Government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DRC in August 1998, which left 2.33 million Congolese internally displaced and caused 412,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 88.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 96.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.46 years male: 50.01 years female: 52.94 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.45 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo Ethnic groups: over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10% Languages: French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba total population: 65.5% male: 76.2% female: 55.1% (2003 est.) Government Congo, Democratic Republic of the Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire abbreviation: DRC Government type: transitional government Capital: name: Kinshasa geographic coordinates: 4 18 S, 15 18 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium) National holiday: Independence Day, 30 June (1960) Constitution: 18 February 2006 Legal system: a new constitution was adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the president elections: under the new constitution the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 30 July 2006 with a second round held on 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: results of 29 October 2006 elections (second round); Joseph KABILA 58%, Jean-Pierre BEMBA Gombo 42% note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, following the latter's assassination in January 2001; negotiations with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free elections held on 30 July 2006 and 29 October 2006 where the poplar vote confirmed Joseph KABILA as president Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly (500 seats; 60 elected by majority vote and 440 by open list proportional representation; members serve 5-year terms) and a Senate (120 seats; members elected by indirect vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: NA; members of the National Assembly were appointed by leaders in the factions integrated into the new government; elections scheduled for 30 July 2006 will establish a new legislature under the February 2006 constitution Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Political parties and leaders: Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR (three factions: MPR-Fait Prive [Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo]; MPR/Vunduawe [Felix VUNDUAWE]; MPR/Mananga [MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo]); Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI (two factions: UFERI [Lokambo OMOKOKO]; UFERI/OR [Adolph Kishwe MAYA]) Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009: note - Consular Office at 1726 M Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691 FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roger MEECE embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (88) 43608 FAX: [243] (88) 43467 Flag description: sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner Economy Congo, Democratic Republic of the Economy - overview: The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of perhaps 3.5 million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The transitional government has reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. Much economic activity lies outside the GDP data. Economic stability improved in 2003-05, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of openness in government policy continues to hamper growth. In 2005, renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most exports, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth. Business and economic prospects are expected to improve once a new government is installed after elections. GDP (purchasing power parity): $40.67 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $7.328 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 55% industry: 11% services: 34% (2000 est.) Labor force: 14.51 million Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (2004 est.) Budget: revenues: $700 million expenditures: $750 million; including capital expenditures of $24 million (2004 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products Industries: mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 6.036 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.8% hydro: 98.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 4.324 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 1.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 10 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 22,000 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 8,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 1.538 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 991.1 million cu m (1 January 2002) Exports: $1.108 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt Exports - partners: Belgium 38.2%, US 17.9%, China 11.7%, France 8%, Finland 7.8%, Chile 4.3% (2005) Imports: $1.319 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels Imports - partners: South Africa 16.5%, Belgium 16.1%, France 9.1%, Zambia 6.9%, Kenya 5.7%, Germany 4.6%, US 4.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005) Debt - external: $10.6 billion (2003 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2.2 billion (FY03/04) Currency (code): Congolese franc (CDF) Currency code: CDF Exchange rates: Congolese francs per US dollar - 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003), 346.49 (2002), 206.62 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Congo, Democratic Republic of the Telephones - main lines in use: 10,600 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.746 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: poor domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001) Radios: 18.03 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 (2001) Televisions: 6.478 million (1997) Internet country code: .cd Internet hosts: 1,778 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2001) Internet users: 140,600 (2005) Transportation Congo, Democratic Republic of the Airports: 234 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 25 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 209 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 94 under 914 m: 97 (2006) Pipelines: gas 54 km; oil 78 km (2006) Railways: total: 5,138 km narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways) (1999) Waterways: 15,000 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,004 GRT/1,640 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Congo, Republic of the 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka Military Congo, Democratic Republic of the Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force Military service age and obligation: 18-45 years of age for military service Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 11,365,610 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 6,464,223 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $103.7 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Congo, Democratic Republic of the Disputes - international: heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledge to end conflict but unchecked tribal, rebel, and militia fighting continues unabated in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, drawing in the neighboring states of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has maintained over 14,000 peacekeepers in the region since 1999; thousands of Ituri refugees from the Congo continue to flee the fighting primarily into Uganda; 90,000 Angolan refugees were repatriated by 2004 with the remainder in the DRC expected to return in 2005; in 2005, DRC and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism to address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels and the DRC providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means and bases to attack Rwandan forces; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 5,277 (Republic of Congo) 11,816 (Rwanda) 18,953 (Uganda) 19,400 (Burundi) 45,226 (Sudan) 98,383 (Angola) IDPs: 2.33 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2005) Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Congo, Republic of the Introduction Congo, Republic of the Background: Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need to hope for new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term. Geography Congo, Republic of the Location: Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 15 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana Land boundaries: total: 5,504 km border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km Coastline: 169 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator Terrain: coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m Natural resources: petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower Land use: arable land: 1.45% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 98.4% (2005) Irrigated land: 20 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: seasonal flooding Environment - current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them People Congo, Republic of the Population: 3,702,314 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.4% (male 864,407/female 853,728) 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 930,390/female 945,545) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,430/female 63,814) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.6 years male: 16.4 years female: 16.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.6% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 42.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 52.8 years male: 51.65 years female: 53.98 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.07 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 90,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 9,700 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Nationality: noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo Ethnic groups: Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3% Religions: Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2% Languages: French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.8% male: 89.6% female: 78.4% (2003 est.) Government Congo, Republic of the Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo Government type: republic Capital: name: Brazzaville geographic coordinates: 4 16 S, 15 17 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 15 August (1960) Constitution: approved by referendum 20 January 2002 Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Political parties and leaders: the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president] (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal); Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO] Political pressure groups and leaders: Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark BIEDLINGMAIER embassy: NA mailing address: NA telephone: [243] (88) 43608 note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa) Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Congo, Republic of the Economy - overview: The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, the reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. Economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. The Republic of Congo may be eligible for an IMF-World Bank heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative in early 2006, provided it meets the strict fiscal and monetary targets set out for it under a new three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) with the IMF. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.585 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.694 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.2% industry: 57% services: 36.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: NA Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.328 billion expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products Industries: petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes Industrial production growth rate: 0% (2002 est.) Electricity - production: 343 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.3% hydro: 99.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 619 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 300 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 267,100 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 5,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 93.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m Natural gas - proved reserves: 90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $493 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.209 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds Exports - partners: China 38.9%, US 29%, Taiwan 11.8%, South Korea 7.2% (2005) Imports: $806.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs Imports - partners: France 25.6%, China 11.3%, US 8.1%, India 8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 5.1%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $273 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5 billion (2000 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $159.1 million (1995) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Currency code: XAF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Congo, Republic of the Telephones - main lines in use: 13,800 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 490,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001) Radios: 341,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002) Televisions: 33,000 (1997) Internet country code: .cg Internet hosts: 46 (2004) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 36,000 (2005) Transportation Congo, Republic of the Airports: 32 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 11 (2006) Pipelines: gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 744 km (2006) Railways: total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 12,800 km paved: 1,242 km unpaved: 11,558 km (1999) Waterways: 4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2005) Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire Military Congo, Republic of the Military branches: Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 688,628 females age 18-49: 685,388 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 406,016 females age 18-49: 394,745 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 38,464 females age 18-49: 38,082 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $85.22 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Congo, Republic of the Disputes - international: about 7,000 Congolese refugees fleeing internal civil conflicts since the mid-1990s still reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 53,834 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 60,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic Lari) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cook Islands Introduction Cook Islands Background: Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965 residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems. Geography Cook Islands Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Geographic coordinates: 21 14 S, 159 46 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 236.7 sq km land: 236.7 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 120 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March Terrain: low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 m Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 8.33% other: 75% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons (November to March) Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km People Cook Islands Population: 21,388 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.1% (male 2,718/female 2,388) 15-64 years: 59.5% (male 4,531/female 4,395) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 489/female 469) (2001 census) Median age: total: 25.3 years male: 24.7 years female: 25.9 years (2001 census) Population growth rate: -1.2% between 1996-2001 (2001 census) Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (2001 census) Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Sex ratio: 107 male(s)/female (2001 census) Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born/woman (2001 census) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander Ethnic groups: Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census) Religions: Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%, Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census) Languages: English (official), Maori Literacy: definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA% People - note: 2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017 Government Cook Islands Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands Dependency status: self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands Government type: self-governing parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Avarua geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none Independence: none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action) National holiday: Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965) Constitution: 4 August 1965 Legal system: based on New Zealand law and English common law Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since 6 September 2005), representative of New Zealand head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Terepai MAOATE (since 9 August 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consisting of a lower house or Legislative Assembly with 25 seats (24 seats representing districts of the Cook Islands and one seat representing Cook Islanders living overseas; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and an upper house or House of Ariki made up of traditional leaders elections: last held 26 September 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Demo 51.9%, CIP 45.5%, independent 2.7%; seats by party - Demo 15, CIP 8, independent 1 note: the House of Ariki advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers Judicial branch: High Court Political parties and leaders: Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA]; Democratic Party or Demo [Dr. Terepai MAOATE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag Economy Cook Islands Economy - overview: Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture, employing about 70% of the working population, provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Black pearls are the Cook Island's leading export. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $183.2 million (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $183.2 million GDP - real growth rate: 0.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $9,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15.1% industry: 9.6% services: 75.3% (2000 est.) Labor force: 6,820 (2001) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 29% industry: 15% services: 56% (1995) Unemployment rate: 13.1% (2005) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $70.95 million expenditures: $69.05 million; including capital expenditures of $5.744 million (FY00/01 est.) Agriculture - products: copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry Industries: fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2002) Electricity - production: 28 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 34.46 million kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $26.67 million Exports: $5.222 million (2005) Exports - commodities: copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing Exports - partners: Australia 34%, Japan 27%, New Zealand 25%, US 8% (2004) Imports: $81.04 million (2005) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods Imports - partners: New Zealand 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2004) Debt - external: $141 million (1996 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995) Currency (code): New Zealand dollar (NZD) Currency code: NZD Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Cook Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 6,200 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,500 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 14,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004) Televisions: 4,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ck Internet hosts: 1,456 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 3,600 (2002) Transportation Cook Islands Airports: 9 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 320 km paved: 33 km unpaved: 287 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 48,422 GRT/51,900 DWT by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 foreign-owned: 5 (Norway 1, NZ 1, Sweden 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Avatiu Military Cook Islands Military branches: no regular military forces; Ministry of Police and Disaster Management (2005) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request Transnational Issues Cook Islands Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Coral Sea Islands Introduction Coral Sea Islands Background: Scattered over more than three-quarters of a million square kilometers of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff on the Willis Islets. Automated weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs. Geography Coral Sea Islands Location: Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia Geographic coordinates: 18 00 S, 152 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: less than 3 sq km land: less than 3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km, with the Willis Islets the most important Area - comparative: NA Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 3,095 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical Terrain: sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays) Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: occasional tropical cyclones Environment - current issues: no permanent fresh water resources Geography - note: important nesting area for birds and turtles People Coral Sea Islands Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological station (2005 est.) Government Coral Sea Islands Country name: conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories Legal system: the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply Executive branch: administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia) Flag description: the flag of Australia is used Economy Coral Sea Islands Economy - overview: no economic activity Communications Coral Sea Islands Communications - note: there are automatic weather stations on many of the isles and reefs relaying data to the mainland Transportation Coral Sea Islands Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Coral Sea Islands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities of visitors Transnational Issues Coral Sea Islands Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Costa Rica Introduction Costa Rica Background: Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including: disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread. Geography Costa Rica Location: Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia Land boundaries: total: 639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km Coastline: 1,290 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m Natural resources: hydropower Land use: arable land: 4.4% permanent crops: 5.87% other: 89.73% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,080 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes Environment - current issues: deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65 People Costa Rica Population: 4,075,261 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.3% (male 590,261/female 563,196) 15-64 years: 66% (male 1,359,750/female 1,329,346) 65 years and over: 5.7% (male 108,041/female 124,667) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 26.4 years male: 26 years female: 26.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.45% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.02 years male: 74.43 years female: 79.74 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 900 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Costa Rican(s) adjective: Costa Rican Ethnic groups: white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% Languages: Spanish (official), English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 95.9% female: 96.1% (2003 est.) Government Costa Rica Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica conventional short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica Government type: democratic republic Capital: name: San Jose geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Constitution: 7 November 1949 Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held February 2010) election results: Oscar ARIAS Sanchez elected president; percent of vote - Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (PLN) 40.9%; Otto SOLIS (PAC) 39.8%, Otto GUEVARA Guth (PML) 8%, Ricardo TOLEDO (PUSC) 3%; note - official results pending the resolution of election challenges Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held February 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLN 25, PAC 18, PML 6, PUSC 4, other 4 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly) Political parties and leaders: Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Gerardo Justo OROZCO Alvarez]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Vladimir DE LA CRUZ]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First or PP [Juan Jose VARGAS Fallas]; Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO Carmona]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Juan Carlos CHAVEZ Mora]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Francisco Antonio PACHECO]; National Patriotic Party or PPN [Daniel Enrique REYNOLDS Vargas]; National Restoration Party or PRN [Carlos AVENDANO]; Nationalist Democratic Alliance or ADN [Jose Miguel VILLALOBOS Umana]; Patriotic Union or UP [Humberto ARCE Salas]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Lorena VASQUEZ Badilla]; Union for Change Party or UPC [Antonio ALVAREZ Desanti]; United Leftist Coalition or IU [Humberto VARGAS Carbonel] Political pressure groups and leaders: Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert BROWN] International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tomas DUENAS chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Hammond (temporary location in Louisiana), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa (temporarily closed), Washington, DC consulate(s): San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mark LANGDALE embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 519-2000 FAX: [506] 519-2305 Flag description: five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just below it near the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA Economy Costa Rica Economy - overview: Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. Low prices for coffee and bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. The reduction of inflation remains a difficult problem because of rises in the price of imports, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The country also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern of public expenditure. Costa Rica is the only signatory to the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that has not ratified it. CAFTA implementation would result in economic reforms and an improved investment climate. GDP (purchasing power parity): $45.67 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $19.38 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $11,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.8% industry: 29.9% services: 61.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.82 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 20% industry: 22% services: 58% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 6.6% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 18% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 36.8% (2002) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 46.5 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.722 billion expenditures: $3.195 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 56.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber Industries: microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products Industrial production growth rate: 5.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 7.726 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.5% hydro: 81.9% nuclear: 0% other: 16.6% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 7.12 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 115 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 50 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-955 million (2005 est.) Exports: $7.005 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment Exports - partners: US 42.6%, Hong Kong 6.9%, Netherlands 6.4%, Guatemala 4.2% (2005) Imports: $9.69 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum Imports - partners: US 41.3%, Japan 5.6%, Venezuela 4.8%, Mexico 4.8%, Ireland 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, China 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.313 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5.049 billion (2005 est.) Currency (code): Costa Rican colon (CRC) Currency code: CRC Exchange rates: Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002), 328.87 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Costa Rica Telephones - main lines in use: 1,388,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.101 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available international: country code - 506; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two submarine cables (1999) Radio broadcast stations: AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002) Radios: 980,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002) Televisions: 525,000 (1997) Internet country code: .cr Internet hosts: 12,751 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (of which only one is legal) (2000) Internet users: 1 million (2005) Transportation Costa Rica Airports: 157 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 125 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 101 (2006) Pipelines: refined products 242 km (2006) Railways: total: 278 km narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 35,889 km paved: 8,075 km unpaved: 27,814 km (2003) Waterways: 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,308 GRT/743 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 2 (2006) Ports and terminals: Caldera, Puerto Limon Military Costa Rica Military branches: no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 997,690 females age 18-49: 968,290 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 829,874 females age 18-49: 809,343 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 41,097 females age 18-49: 39,243 Military expenditures - dollar figure: $83.46 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Costa Rica Disputes - international: in September 2005, Costa Rica took its case before the ICJ to advocate the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa Rican vessels using the Río San Juan over which Nicaragua retains sovereignty Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 8,266 (Colombia) (2005) Illicit drugs: transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cote d'Ivoire Introduction Cote d'Ivoire Background: Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states, but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought runner-up Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remain unresolved. The central government has yet to exert control over the northern regions and tensions remain high between GBAGBO and opposition leaders. Several thousand French and West African troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation process. Geography Cote d'Ivoire Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 5 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 322,460 sq km land: 318,000 sq km water: 4,460 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 3,110 km border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km Coastline: 515 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October) Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest Elevation extremes: lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower Land use: arable land: 10.23% permanent crops: 11.16% other: 78.61% (2005) Irrigated land: 730 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible Environment - current issues: deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated People Cote d'Ivoire Population: 17,654,843 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.8% (male 3,546,674/female 3,653,990) 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 5,024,575/female 4,939,677) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 238,793/female 251,134) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.2 years male: 19.4 years female: 18.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.03% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 35.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 14.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 89.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 105.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 71.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.82 years male: 46.24 years female: 51.48 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 7% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 570,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 47,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations water contact: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Ivoirian(s) adjective: Ivoirian Ethnic groups: Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998) Religions: Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40%, Christian 20-30% (2001) note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%) Languages: French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50.9% male: 57.9% female: 43.6% (2003 est.) Government Cote d'Ivoire Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire local short form: Cote d'Ivoire former: Ivory Coast Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960 Capital: name: Yamoussoukro geographic coordinates: 5 19 N, 4 02 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrative center; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan Administrative divisions: 19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra, Denguele, Dix-Huit Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs, Lagunes, Marahoue, Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe, Savanes, Sud-Bandama, Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou, Zanzan Independence: 7 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 7 August (1960) Constitution: new constitution adopted 4 August 2000 Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Charles Konan BANNY (since 7 December 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held by October 2006, after the government postponed the election); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote - Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other 2.2% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on 14 January 2001 (next to be held by 31 October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2 note: a Senate is scheduled to be created in the next full election in 2006 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: Judicial Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number of members Political parties and leaders: Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Eg Theodore MEL]; Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally or PDCI-RDA [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace or UDPCI [Paul Akoto YAO]; over 20 smaller parties Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Daouda DIABATE chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300 FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS embassy: Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan mailing address: B. P. 1866, Abidjan 01 telephone: [225] 20 21 09 79 FAX: [225] 20 22 32 59 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white, and red; design was based on the flag of France Economy Cote d'Ivoire Economy - overview: Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products and weather conditions. Despite government attempts to diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Growth was negative in 2000-03 because of the difficulty of meeting the conditions of international donors, continued low prices of key exports, and severe civil war. In November 2004, the situation deteriorated when President GBAGBO's troops attacked and killed nine French peacekeeping forces, and the UN imposed an arms embargo. Political turmoil damaged the economy in 2005, with fear among Ivorians spreading, foreign investment shriveling, French businesses and expats fleeing, travel within the country falling, and criminal elements that traffic in weapons and diamonds gaining ground. The government will continue to survive financially off of the sale of cocoa, which represents 90% of foreign exchange earnings. Though the 2005 harvest was largely unaffected by past fighting, the government will likely lose between 10% and 20% of its cocoa harvest to northern rebels, who smuggle the cocoa they control to neighboring countries where cocoa prices are higher. The government remains hopeful that ongoing exploration of Cote d'Ivoire's offshore oil reserves will result in significant production that could boost daily crude output from roughly 33,000 barrels per day (b/d) to over 200,000 b/d by the end of the decade. GDP (purchasing power parity): $27.58 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $16.57 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 27.9% industry: 17.1% services: 55% (2005 est.) Labor force: 6.95 million (68% agricultural) (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 13% in urban areas (1998) Population below poverty line: 37% (1995) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 28.8% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 45.2 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 8.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.434 billion expenditures: $2.83 billion; including capital expenditures of $420 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 64.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber Industries: foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair Industrial production growth rate: 15% (1998 est.) Electricity - production: 5.127 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 61.9% hydro: 38.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 3.418 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 1.35 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 32,900 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 20,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 220 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 1.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 29.73 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-193 million (2005 est.) Exports: $6.49 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish Exports - partners: France 18.3%, US 14.1%, Netherlands 11%, Nigeria 8%, Panama 4.4% (2005) Imports: $4.759 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs Imports - partners: France 27.7%, Nigeria 24.5%, Singapore 6.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.42 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $13.43 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $1 billion (1996 est.) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Currency code: XOF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Cote d'Ivoire Telephones - main lines in use: 257,900 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.19 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: well developed by African standards but operating well below capacity domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized international: country code - 225; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 submarine cables (June 1999) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998) Radios: 2.26 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 14 (1999) Televisions: 1.09 million (2000) Internet country code: .ci Internet hosts: 2,534 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001) Internet users: 160,000 (2005) Transportation Cote d'Ivoire Airports: 35 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 109 km; gas 240 km; oil 112 km (2006) Railways: total: 660 km narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000 meter gauge note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2005) Roadways: total: 80,000 km paved: 6,500 km unpaved: 73,500 km note: includes intercity and urban roads; another 20,000 km of dirt roads are in poor condition and 150,000 km of dirt roads are impassable (2006) Waterways: 980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2005) Ports and terminals: Abidjan, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro Military Cote d'Ivoire Military branches: Cote d'Ivoire Defense and Security Forces (FDSC): Army, Navy, Air Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 3,696,106 females age 18-49: 3,569,967 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,973,265 females age 18-49: 1,911,777 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 189,354 females age 18-49: 192,600 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $246.6 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Cote d'Ivoire Disputes - international: rebel and ethnic fighting against the central government in 2002 has spilled into neighboring states, driven out foreign cocoa workers from nearby countries, and, in 2004, resulted in 6,000 peacekeepers deployed as part of UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) assisting 4,000 French troops already in-country; the Ivorian Government accuses Burkina Faso and Liberia of supporting Ivorian rebels Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 70,402 (Liberia) IDPs: 500,000-800,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2005) Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption; transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US, and for Latin American cocaine destined for Europe and South Africa; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Croatia Introduction Croatia Background: The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. Geography Croatia Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia Geographic coordinates: 45 10 N, 15 30 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 56,542 sq km land: 56,414 sq km water: 128 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia Land boundaries: total: 2,197 km border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 670 km Coastline: 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km) Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast Terrain: geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Dinara 1,830 m Natural resources: oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower Land use: arable land: 25.82% permanent crops: 2.19% other: 71.99% (2005) Irrigated land: 110 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes Environment - current issues: air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Geography - note: controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits People Croatia Population: 4,494,749 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.2% (male 373,638/female 354,261) 15-64 years: 67% (male 1,497,958/female 1,515,314) 65 years and over: 16.8% (male 288,480/female 465,098) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.3 years male: 38.3 years female: 42.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.03% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 11.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.68 years male: 71.03 years female: 78.53 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 200 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 10 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s) adjective: Croatian Ethnic groups: Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census) Languages: Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.5% male: 99.4% female: 97.8% (2003 est.) Government Croatia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Croatia conventional short form: Croatia local long form: Republika Hrvatska local short form: Hrvatska former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia Government type: presidential/parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Zagreb geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 15 58 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad - singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska Zupanija, Brodsko-Posavska Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska Zupanija, Istarska Zupanija, Karlovacka Zupanija, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija, Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija, Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija, Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija, Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija, Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija, Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija, Varazdinska Zupanija, Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija, Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija, Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka Zupanija Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) National holiday: Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 is the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia Constitution: adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001 Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed) Executive branch: chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December 2003) and Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the parliamentary Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held January 2010); the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR (HDZ) 34% in the second round Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat was added in the November 2003 parliamentary elections; members elected from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 23 November 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34, HSS 10, HNS 10, HSP 8, IDS 4, Libra 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3, other 11 note: minority government coalition - HDZ, DC, HSLS, HSU, SDSS Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the Assembly Political parties and leaders: Croatian Bloc or HB [Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Anto KOVACEVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Josip FRISCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party or HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC] (in 2005 party merged with Libra to become Croatian People's Party-Liberal Democrats or NS-LD [Vesna PUSIC]); Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Djurdja ADLESIC]; Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN]; Democratic Centre or DC [Vesna SKARE-OZBOLT]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT (observer), BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Neven JURICA chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899 FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert A. BRADTKE embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb mailing address: use street address telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200 FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered) Economy Croatia Economy - overview: Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia, after Slovenia, was the most prosperous and industrialized area with a per capita output perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav average. The economy emerged from a mild recession in 2000 with tourism, banking, and public investments leading the way. Unemployment remains high, at about 18%, with structural factors slowing its decline. While macroeconomic stabilization has largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of deep resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong support from politicians. Growth, while impressive at about 3% to 4% for the last several years, has been stimulated, in part, through high fiscal deficits and rapid credit growth. The EU accession process should accelerate fiscal and structural reform. GDP (purchasing power parity): $55.79 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $34.94 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $12,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7% industry: 30.8% services: 62.2% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.71 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 2.7% industry: 32.8% services: 64.5% (2004) Unemployment rate: 18% official rate; labor force surveys indicate unemployment around 14% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 11% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 24.5% (2003 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 29 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 28.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $17.69 billion expenditures: $19.35 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 49.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products Industries: chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 11.15 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 33.6% hydro: 66% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 15.81 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 550 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 5.99 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 20,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 90,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 93.6 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 1.85 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 2.99 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 1.08 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 24.72 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-2.541 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels Exports - partners: Italy 21.8%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 14.7%, Germany 10.7%, Slovenia 8.1%, Austria 7.3% (2005) Imports: $18.93 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, transport and electrical equipment; chemicals, fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs Imports - partners: Italy 15.9%, Germany 14.9%, Russia 9.1%, Slovenia 6.8%, Austria 5.8%, China 4.7%, France 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $8.8 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $30.62 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $166.5 million (2002) Currency (code): kuna (HRK) Currency code: HRK Exchange rates: kuna per US dollar - 5.9473 (2005), 6.0358 (2004), 6.7035 (2003), 7.8687 (2002), 8.34 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Croatia Telephones - main lines in use: 1,889,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.984 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be included in the plan for the main trunk international: country code - 385; digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of two fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany, Albania, and Greece Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999) Radios: 1.51 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September 1995) Televisions: 1.22 million (1997) Internet country code: .hr Internet hosts: 18,825 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2000) Internet users: 1,451,100 (2005) Transportation Croatia Airports: 68 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 23 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 37 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,340 km; oil 583 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,726 km standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (1,199 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 28,344 km paved: 24,186 km (including 742 km of expressways) unpaved: 4,158 km (2004) Waterways: 785 km (2006) Merchant marine: total: 72 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,079,286 GRT/1,724,698 DWT by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 11, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo 27, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3 registered in other countries: 36 (Belize 1, Cyprus 2, Liberia 7, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9) (2006) Ports and terminals: Omisalj, Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube) Military Croatia Military branches: Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air and Air Defense Forces (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzrakoplovna Obrana, HRZiPZO), Joint Education and Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police Force supports each of the three Croatian military forces (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with six-month service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service (December 2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,005,058 females age 18-49: 1,008,511 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 725,914 females age 18-49: 823,611 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 29,020 females age 18-49: 27,897 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $620 million (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.39% (2002 est.) Transnational Issues Croatia Disputes - international: discussions continue with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Pirin Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains un-ratified and in dispute; as a European Union peripheral state, neighboring Slovenia must conform to the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 12,600 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95 war) (2005) Illicit drugs: transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cuba Introduction Cuba Background: The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 2,712 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2005. Geography Cuba Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida Geographic coordinates: 21 30 N, 80 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 110,860 sq km land: 110,860 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Land boundaries: total: 29 km border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba Coastline: 3,735 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land Land use: arable land: 27.63% permanent crops: 6.54% other: 65.83% (2005) Irrigated land: 8,700 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common Environment - current issues: air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles People Cuba Population: 11,382,820 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.1% (male 1,117,677/female 1,058,512) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 4,001,161/female 3,999,303) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 554,148/female 652,019) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 35.9 years male: 35.2 years female: 36.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.31% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.41 years male: 75.11 years female: 79.85 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,300 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Cuban(s) adjective: Cuban Ethnic groups: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1% Religions: nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented Languages: Spanish Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97.2% female: 96.9% (2003 est.) People - note: illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border Government Cuba Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cuba conventional short form: Cuba local long form: Republica de Cuba local short form: Cuba Government type: Communist state Capital: name: Havana geographic coordinates: 23 08 N, 82 22 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara Independence: 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902) National holiday: Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration; Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953) Constitution: 24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002 Legal system: based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609 Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly) Political parties and leaders: only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Bernardo GUANCHE Hernandez; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521 Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Michael E. PARMLY; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-3700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center Economy Cuba Economy - overview: The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The government in 2005 strengthened its controls over dollars coming into the economy from tourism, remittances, and trade. External financing has helped growth in the mining, oil, construction, and tourism sectors. GDP (purchasing power parity): $40.06 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $39.51 billion GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.5% industry: 26.1% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.6 million note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 21.2% industry: 14.4% services: 64.4% (2004) Unemployment rate: 1.9% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 11.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $22.11 billion expenditures: $23.65 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock Industries: sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 15.65 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 93.9% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 0% other: 5.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 13.27 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 72,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 205,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 532 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 704 million cu m (2004) Natural gas - consumption: 704 million cu m (2004) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $49 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.388 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee Exports - partners: Netherlands 25.4%, Canada 20.7%, China 9.8%, Spain 6.8% (2005) Imports: $6.916 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals Imports - partners: China 14.9%, Spain 13.9%, Canada 8.6%, US 8.5%, Germany 7.4%, Italy 5.7%, Mexico 5.2%, Japan 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.618 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $12.56 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20 billion owed to Russia (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $68.2 million (1997 est.) Currency (code): Cuban peso (CUP) and Convertible peso (CUC) Currency code: CUP (nonconvertible Cuban peso) and CUC (convertible Cuban peso) Exchange rates: Convertible pesos per US dollar - 0.93 note: Cuba has three currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP), the convertible peso (CUC), and the US dollar (USD), although the dollar is being withdrawn from circulation; in April 2005 the official exchange rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1), both for individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) for each CUC sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC bought; enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1 ratio. Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Cuba Telephones - main lines in use: 849,900 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 134,500 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; wireless service is expensive and remains restricted to foreigners and regime elites, many Cubans procure wireless service illegally with the help of foreigners domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 85% of switches digitized by end of 2004; telephone line density remains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular service expanding international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 3.9 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 58 (1997) Televisions: 2.64 million (1997) Internet country code: .cu Internet hosts: 2,234 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001) Internet users: 190,000 note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets, to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet" (2005) Transportation Cuba Airports: 170 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 78 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 37 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 92 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 62 (2006) Pipelines: gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2006) Railways: total: 4,226 km standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified) note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 60,858 km paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway) unpaved: 31,038 km (1999) Waterways: 240 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 33,932 GRT/48,791 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 11, Spain 1, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas Military Cuba Military branches: Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR): Revolutionary Army (ER), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age; both sexes are eligible for military service (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 2,967,865 females age 17-49: 2,913,559 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 2,441,927 females age 17-49: 2,396,741 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 91,901 females: 87,500 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $694 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (2005 est.) Military - note: Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993 Transnational Issues Cuba Disputes - international: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease Trafficking in persons: current situation: Cuba is a source country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced child labor; Cuba is a major destination for sex tourism, which largely caters to European, Canadian, and Latin American tourists and involves large numbers of minors; there are reports that Cuban women have been trafficked to Mexico for sexual exploitation; forced labor victims also include children coerced into working in commercial agriculture tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Cyprus Introduction Cyprus Background: A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," but it is recognized only by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered talks - between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach an agreement to reunite the divided island - ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an April 2004 referendum. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under direct Republic of Cyprus control, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots. At present, every Cypriot carrying a Cyprus passport has the status of a European citizen; however, EU laws do not apply to north Cyprus. Nicosia continues to oppose EU efforts to establish direct trade and economic links to north Cyprus as a way of encouraging the Turkish Cypriot community to continue to support reunification. Geography Cyprus Location: Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 33 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus) land: 9,240 sq km water: 10 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut Land boundaries: total: NA; note - boundary with Dhekelia is being resurveyed border countries: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia NA Coastline: 648 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters Terrain: central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m Natural resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment Land use: arable land: 10.81% permanent crops: 4.32% other: 84.87% (2005) Irrigated land: 400 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: moderate earthquake activity; droughts Environment - current issues: water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia) People Cyprus Population: 784,301 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.4% (male 81,776/female 78,272) 15-64 years: 68% (male 270,254/female 263,354) 65 years and over: 11.6% (male 39,536/female 51,109) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34.9 years male: 33.9 years female: 35.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.53% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.82 years male: 75.44 years female: 80.31 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 1,000 (1999 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Cypriot(s) adjective: Cypriot Ethnic groups: Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001) Religions: Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4% Languages: Greek, Turkish, English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.6% male: 98.9% female: 96.3% (2003 est.) Government Cyprus Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus conventional short form: Cyprus local long form: Kypriaki Dimokratia/Kibris Cumhuriyeti local short form: Kypros/Kibris note: the Turkish Cypriot community (north Cyprus) refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC) Government type: republic note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which is recognized only by Turkey Capital: name: Nicosia (Lefkosia) geographic coordinates: 35 10 N, 33 22 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note - Turkish Cypriot area's administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of Lefkosia (Nicosia) and Larnaca Independence: 16 August 1960 (from UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these proclamations are only recognized by Turkey National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots celebrate 15 November (1983) as Independence Day Constitution: 16 August 1960; from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer participated in the government; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently since the mid-1960s; in 1975, following the 1974 Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which became the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence in 1983; a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5 May 1985 Legal system: based on common law, with civil law modifications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Tassos PAPADOPOULOS (since 1 March 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; post of vice president is currently vacant; under the 1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot head of government: President Tassos PAPADOPOULOS (since 1 March 2003); note - post of vice president is currently vacant; under the 1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed jointly by the president and vice president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) election results: Tassos PAPADOPOULOS elected president; percent of vote - Tassos PAPADOPOULOS 51.5%, Glafkos KLIRIDIS 38.8%, Alekos MARKIDIS 6.6% note: Mehmet Ali TALAT became "president" of north Cyprus, 24 April 2005, after "presidential" elections on 17 April 2005; results - Mehmet Ali TALAT 55.6%, Dervis EROGLU 22.7%; Ferdi Sabit SOYER is "prime minister"; there is a Council of Ministers (cabinet) in north Cyprus, appointed by the "prime minister" Legislative branch: unicameral - Republic of Cyprus: House of Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to the Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); north Cyprus: Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Republic of Cyprus: last held 27 May 2001 (next to be held 21 May 2006); north Cyprus: last held 14 December 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Republic of Cyprus: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - AKEL 34.71%, DISY 34%, DIKO 14.84%, KISOS 6.51%, others 9.94%; seats by party - AKEL (Communist) 20, DISY 19, DIKO 9, KISOS 4, other 4; north Cyprus: Assembly of the Republic - percent of vote by party - CTP 35.8%, UBP 32.3%, Peace and Democratic Movement 13.4%, DP 12.3%; seats by party - CTP 19, UBP 18, Peace and Democratic Movement 6, DP 7 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed jointly by the president and vice president) note: there is also a Supreme Court in north Cyprus Political parties and leaders: Republic of Cyprus: Democratic Party or DIKO [Tassos PAPADOPOULOS]; Democratic Rally or DISY [Nikos ANASTASIADHIS]; European Democracy or EURO.DE [Prodromos PRODROMOU] (evolved from For Europe which merged with New Horizons); European Party or EURO.KO [Demetris SYLLOURIS]; Fighting Democratic Movement or ADIK [Dinos MIKHAILIDIS]; Green Party of Cyprus [George PERDIKIS]; Movement for Social Democracy United Democratic Union of Center or KISOS [Yannakis OMIROU]; Progressive Party of the Working People or AKEL (Communist Party) [Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS]; United Democrats Movement or EDE [Michalis PAPAPETROU]; north Cyprus: Democratic Party or DP [Serder DENKTASH]; National Birth Party or UDP [Enver EMIN]; National Unity Party or UBP [Dervis EROGLU]; Our Party or BP [Okyay SADIKOGLU]; Patriotic Unity Movement or YBH [Alpay DURDURAN]; Peace and Democratic Movement [Mustafa AKINCI]; Republican Turkish Party or CTP [Mehmet ALI TALAT] Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Cypriot Workers or SEK (pro-West); Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions or Dev-Is; Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions or Turk-Sen; Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation or PEO (Communist controlled) International organization participation: Australia Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Andreas KAKOURIS chancery: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-5772, 462-0873 FAX: [1] (202) 483-6710 consulate(s) general: New York note: representative of the Turkish Cypriot community in the US is Osman ERTUG; office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC; telephone [1] (202) 887-6198 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald L. SCHLICHER embassy: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, 2407 Engomi, Nicosia mailing address: P. O. Box 24536, 1385 Nicosia telephone: [357] (22) 393939 FAX: [357] (22) 780944 Flag description: white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities note: the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" flag has a horizontal red stripe at the top and bottom between which is a red crescent and red star on a white field Economy Cyprus Economy - overview: The Republic of Cyprus has a market economy dominated by the service sector, which accounts for 76% of GDP. Tourism and financial services are the most important sectors; erratic growth rates over the past decade reflect the economy's reliance on tourism, which often fluctuates with political instability in the region and economic conditions in Western Europe. Nevertheless, the economy grew a healthy 3.7% per year in 2004 and 2005, well above the EU average. Cyprus joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM2) in May 2005. The government has initiated an aggressive austerity program, which has cut the budget deficit to below 3% but continued fiscal discipline is necessary if Cyprus is to meet its goal of adopting the euro on 1 January 2008. As in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots, water shortages are a perennial problem; a few desalination plants are now on line. After 10 years of drought, the country received substantial rainfall from 2001-03 alleviating immediate concerns. The Turkish Cypriot economy has roughly one-third of the per capita GDP of the south, and economic growth tends to be volatile, given north Cyprus's relative isolation, bloated public sector, reliance on the Turkish lira, and small market size. The Turkish Cypriot economy grew 15.4% in 2004, fueled by growth in the construction and education sectors, as well as increased employment of Turkish Cypriots in the Republic of Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriots are heavily dependent on transfers from the Turkish Government. Under the 2003-06 economic protocol, Ankara plans to provide around $550 million to the "TRNC." Agriculture and services, together, employ more than half of the work force. GDP (purchasing power parity): Republic of Cyprus: $16.81 billion; north Cyprus: $4.54 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): Republic of Cyprus: $15.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: Republic of Cyprus: 3.8%; north Cyprus: 10.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): Republic of Cyprus: $21,600 (2005 est.); north Cyprus: $7,135 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: Republic of Cyprus: agriculture 3.7%; industry 19.8%; services 76.5% (2005 est.) north Cyprus: agriculture 10.6%; industry 20.5%; services 68.9% (2003 est.) Labor force: Republic of Cyprus: 370,000, north Cyprus: 95,025 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: Republic of Cyprus: agriculture 7.4%, industry 38.2%, services 54.4% (2004 est.) north Cyprus: agriculture 14.5%, industry 29%, services 56.5% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: Republic of Cyprus: 4% (2005 est.); north Cyprus: 5.6% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): Republic of Cyprus: 2.6% (2005 est.); north Cyprus: 9.1% (2004 est.) Investment (gross fixed): Republic of Cyprus: 19.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: Republic of Cyprus - $6.698 billion (2005 est.) expenditures: Republic of Cyprus - $7.122 billion (2005 est.) revenues: $685.7 million; north Cyprus - $231.3 million (2003 est.) expenditures: north Cyprus - $432.8 million (2003 est.) Public debt: Republic of Cyprus: 70.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, vegetables; poultry, pork, lamb; dairy, cheese Industries: tourism, food and beverage processing, cement and gypsum production, ship repair and refurbishment, textiles, light chemicals, metal products, wood, paper, stone, and clay products Industrial production growth rate: Republic of Cyprus: 0.4% (2005 est.); north Cyprus: -0.3% (2002 est.) Electricity - production: Republic of Cyprus: 3.801 billion kWh; north Cyprus: NA kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: Republic of Cyprus: 3.535 billion kWh (2004); north Cyprus: NA kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: Republic of Cyprus: 300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: Republic of Cyprus: 52,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: Republic of Cyprus: $-962.3 million (2005 est.) Exports: Republic of Cyprus: $1.237 billion f.o.b.; north Cyprus: $69 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: Republic of Cyprus: citrus, potatoes, pharmaceuticals, cement, clothing and cigarettes; north Cyprus: citrus, potatoes, textiles Exports - partners: France 17.7%, UK 17%, Greece 12.2%, Germany 5.7% (2005) Imports: Republic of Cyprus: $5.552 billion f.o.b.;; north Cyprus: $415.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: Republic of Cyprus: consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, intermediate goods, machinery, transport equipment; north Cyprus: vehicles, fuel, cigarettes, food, minerals, chemicals, machinery Imports - partners: Greece 17.3%, Italy 10.3%, UK 9%, Germany 8.4%, Israel 7.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Republic of Cyprus: $4.429 billion; north Cyprus $NA (2005 est.) Debt - external: Republic of Cyprus: $10.53 billion; north Cyprus: $NA (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: Republic of Cyprus - $NA; north Cyprus - $700 million from Turkey in grants and loans, which are usually forgiven (2003-06) Currency (code): Republic of Cyprus: Cypriot pound (CYP); Turkish Cypriot area: Turkish New lira (YTL) Currency code: CYP; TRL Exchange rates: Cypriot pounds per US dollar - 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003), 0.6107 (2002), 0.6431 (2001), Turkish lira per US dollar - 1.36 (2005), 1.426 million (2004), 1.501 million (2003), 1.507 million (2002), 1.226 million (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Cyprus Telephones - main lines in use: Republic of Cyprus: 420,000 (2005); north Cyprus: 86,228 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: Republic of Cyprus: 718,800 (2005); north Cyprus: 143,178 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent in both Republic of Cyprus and north Cyprus areas domestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay international: country code - 357 (area administered by Turkish Cypriots uses the country code of Turkey - 90); tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat Radio broadcast stations: Republic of Cyprus: AM 5, FM 76, shortwave 0 north Cyprus: AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2004) Radios: Greek Cypriot area: 310,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area: 56,450 (1994) Television broadcast stations: Republic of Cyprus: 8 north Cyprus: 2 (plus 4 relay) (2004) Televisions: Greek Cypriot area: 248,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area: 52,300 (1994) Internet country code: .cy Internet hosts: 67,589 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000) Internet users: 298,000 (2005) Transportation Cyprus Airports: 16 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Heliports: 10 (2006) Roadways: total: 14,496 km (Republic of Cyprus: 12,146 km; north Cyprus: 2,350 km) paved: Republic of Cyprus: 7,845 km (including 276 km of expressways); north Cyprus: 1,370 km unpaved: Republic of Cyprus: 4,301 km; north Cyprus: 980 km (2005/1996 est.) Merchant marine: total: 884 ships (1000 GRT or over) 19,477,944 GRT/31,157,473 DWT by type: bulk carrier 354, cargo 210, chemical tanker 44, container 145, liquefied gas 8, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 23, petroleum tanker 64, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 9, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 777 (Belgium 1, Canada 2, China 11, Croatia 2, Cuba 2, Denmark 1, Estonia 6, Germany 214, Greece 337, Greenland 1, Hong Kong 1, India 5, Iran 2, Ireland 3, Israel 3, Italy 2, Japan 17, South Korea 1, Latvia 4, Netherlands 18, Norway 16, Philippines 1, Poland 20, Portugal 2, Russia 53, Singapore 1, Slovakia 1, Slovenia 4, Spain 7, Sweden 3, Switzerland 4, Syria 3, UAE 11, UK 6, Ukraine 4, US 7, unknown 1) registered in other countries: 87 (Bahamas 13, Belize 2, Cambodia 12, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 1, Greece 1, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 3, Malta 15, Marshall Islands 15, Norway 2, Panama 14, Portugal 1, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Turkey 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Vasilikos Military Cyprus Military branches: Republic of Cyprus: Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG; includes air and naval elements); north Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot Security Force (GKK) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: Greek Cyriot National Guard (GCNG): males age 18-49: 184,352 females age 18-49: 175,567 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: Greek Cyriot National Guard (GCNG): males age 18-49: 150,750 females age 18-49: 144,344 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: Greek Cyriot National Guard (GCNG): males age 18-49: 6,578 females age 18-49: 6,200 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $384 million (FY02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.8% (FY02) Transnational Issues Cyprus Disputes - international: hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto autonomous entities, the internationally recognized Cypriot Government and a Turkish-Cypriot community (north Cyprus); the 1,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has served in Cyprus since 1964 and maintains the buffer zone between north and south; March 2003 reunification talks failed, but Turkish-Cypriots later opened their borders to temporary visits by Greek Cypriots; on 24 April 2004, the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities voted in simultaneous and parallel referenda on whether to approve the UN-brokered Annan Plan that would have ended the 30-year division of the island by establishing a new "United Cyprus Republic," a majority of Greek Cypriots voted "no"; on 1 May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union still divided, with the EU's body of legislation and standards (acquis communitaire) suspended in the north Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 265,000 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced for over 30 years) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Cyprus is primarily a destination country for a large number of women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic for the purpose of sexual exploitation; traffickers continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas; there were credible reports of female domestic workers from India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines forced to work excessively long hours and denied proper compensation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to address its serious trafficking for sexual exploitation problem; however, it is making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey; some cocaine transits as well; despite a strengthening of anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in offshore sector remains weak This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Czech Republic Introduction Czech Republic Background: Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. Geography Czech Republic Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 78,866 sq km land: 77,276 sq km water: 1,590 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina Land boundaries: total: 2,290.2 km border countries: Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km, Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters Terrain: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country Elevation extremes: lowest point: Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m Natural resources: hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber Land use: arable land: 38.82% permanent crops: 3% other: 58.18% (2005) Irrigated land: 240 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe People Czech Republic Population: 10,235,455 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 755,098/female 714,703) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,656,021/female 3,629,036) 65 years and over: 14.5% (male 576,264/female 904,333) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.3 years male: 37.5 years female: 41.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.06% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.59 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.24 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.22 years male: 72.94 years female: 79.69 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.21 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,500 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 10 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech Ethnic groups: Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census) Languages: Czech Literacy: definition: NA total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Czech Republic Country name: conventional long form: Czech Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska Republika local short form: Cesko Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Prague geographic coordinates: 40 55 N, 21 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) National holiday: Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918) Constitution: ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003) note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years; parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two inconclusive elections in January 2003 head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 4 September 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 4 September 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive; next election to be held January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament) Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 20-21 and 27-28 October 2006 (next to be held October 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 10, others 15, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jan KASAL, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, chairwoman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan HADRAVA, chairman]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK, chairman]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY, chairman]; Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK, chairman]; Path of Change [Jiri LOBKOWITZ, chairman]; SNK-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana HYBASKOVA, chairman] Political pressure groups and leaders: Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH] International organization participation: ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] 257 022 000 FAX: [420] 257 022 809 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia) Economy Czech Republic Economy - overview: The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-05 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3% of GDP as demand for Czech products in the European Union has increased. Inflation is under control. Recent accession to the EU gives further impetus and direction to structural reform. In early 2004 the government passed increases in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits with the intention to bring the public finance gap down to 4% of GDP by 2006, but more difficult pension and healthcare reforms will have to wait until after the next elections. Privatization of the state-owned telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom took place in 2005. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $204.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $109.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $20,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.4% industry: 39.3% services: 57.3% (2004 est.) Labor force: 5.27 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4.1% industry: 37.6% services: 58.3% (2003) Unemployment rate: 7.9% (2005) Population below poverty line: At risk of poverty after social transfers: 8% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.3% highest 10%: 22.4% (1996) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 27.3 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 26.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $48.16 billion expenditures: $53.04 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry Industries: metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments Industrial production growth rate: 5.7% (2005) Electricity - production: 84.33 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 76.1% hydro: 2.9% nuclear: 20% other: 1% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 57.12 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 25.49 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 9.776 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 15,240 bbl/day (2005) Oil - consumption: 202,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 26,670 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 182,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 15 million bbl (1 January 2006) Natural gas - production: 133 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 9.623 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 1 million cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 9.8 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2003) Current account balance: $-2.496 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $78.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003) Exports - partners: Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%, France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005) Imports: $76.59 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003) Imports - partners: Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%, Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $29.36 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $49.14 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2.8 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Currency (code): Czech koruna (CZK) Currency code: CZK Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002), 38.035 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Czech Republic Telephones - main lines in use: 3,217,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 11.776 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar Radio broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000) Radios: 3,159,134 (December 2000) Television broadcast stations: 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000) Televisions: 3,405,834 (December 2000) Internet country code: .cz Internet hosts: 1,267,265 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): more than 300 (2000) Internet users: 5.1 million (2005) Transportation Czech Republic Airports: 121 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 46 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 19 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 49 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006) Railways: total: 9,572 km standard gauge: 9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km electrified) narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 127,747 km paved: 127,747 km (including 518 km of expressways) (2003) Waterways: 664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers) (2005) Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem Military Czech Republic Military branches: Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes air forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; on-going transformation of military service into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription began in January 2004 and is scheduled to be completed by 2007 (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,414,728 females age 18-49: 2,329,412 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,996,631 females age 18-49: 1,923,508 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 66,583 females age 18-49: 63,363 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.17 billion (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.81% FY05 Transnational Issues Czech Republic Disputes - international: in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property; individual Sudeten Germans seek restitution for property confiscated in connection with their expulsion from Czechoslovakia after World War II; Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Denmark Introduction Denmark Background: Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs. Geography Denmark Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn) Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N, 10 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 43,094 sq km land: 42,394 sq km water: 700 sq km note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts Land boundaries: total: 68 km border countries: Germany 68 km Coastline: 7,314 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand Land use: arable land: 52.59% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 47.22% (2005) Irrigated land: 4,490 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes Environment - current issues: air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen People Denmark Population: 5,450,661 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.7% (male 523,257/female 496,697) 15-64 years: 66.1% (male 1,815,240/female 1,787,406) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 355,656/female 472,405) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.8 years male: 38.9 years female: 40.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.33% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.79 years male: 75.49 years female: 80.22 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Dane(s) adjective: Danish Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2% Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) note: English is the predominant second language Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Denmark Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark conventional short form: Denmark local long form: Kongeriget Danmark local short form: Danmark Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Copenhagen geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 2 boroughs* (amtskommuner, singular - amtskommune); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavn (Copenhagen)*, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg note: as a result of an extensive 2005 local government reform, with 2006 being a transition year, 275 municipalities will be merged to 99 by 1 January 2007, and the 14 counties will be reorganized into five regions Independence: first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy National holiday: none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day Constitution: 5 June 1849 adoption of original constitution; a major overhaul of 5 June 1953 allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26 May 1968) head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001) cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or Folketinget (179 seats, including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 29%, Social Democrats 25.9%, Danish People's Party 13.2%, Conservative Party 10.3%, Social Liberal Party 9.2%, Socialist People's Party 6%, Unity List 3.4%; seats by party - Liberal Party 52, Social Democrats 47, Danish People's Party 24, Conservative Party 18, Social Liberal Party 17, Socialist People's Party 11, Unity List 6; note - does not include the 2 seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe Islands Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democrats (was Christian People's Party) [Bodil KORNBEK]; Conservative Party (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party) [Bendt BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Red-Green Unity List (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party) [collective leadership]; Social Democratic Party [Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes called the Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED, leader; Soren BALD, chairman]; Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Friis Arne PETERSEN chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James P. CAIN embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716 telephone: [45] 33 41 71 00 FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23 Flag description: red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden Economy Denmark Economy - overview: This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark has decided not to join 12 other EU members in the euro. Nonetheless, the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro. Economic growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn accelerated through 2005. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish people enjoy living standards topped by no other nation. A major long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to retirees. GDP (purchasing power parity): $189.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $243.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $34,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 24.6% services: 73.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.9 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3% industry: 21% services: 76% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 5.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 23.2 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $144 billion expenditures: $135 billion; including capital expenditures of $4.6 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 37% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish Industries: iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment Industrial production growth rate: 1.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 43.32 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 82.7% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 17.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 31.68 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 15.6 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 7 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 376,900 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 188,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 332,100 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 195,000 bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 1.23 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 7.965 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 5.173 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 3.1 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 73.51 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $7.753 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $84.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, chemicals, furniture, ships, windmills Exports - partners: Germany 17.5%, Sweden 13.2%, UK 8.8%, US 6.4%, France 5.5%, Netherlands 5.3%, Norway 5.1% (2005) Imports: $74.69 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods Imports - partners: Germany 20.5%, Sweden 13.8%, Norway 6.6%, Netherlands 6.6%, UK 6%, China 4.7%, France 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $34.03 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $352.9 billion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $2 billion (2004) Currency (code): Danish krone (DKK) Currency code: DKK Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Denmark Telephones - main lines in use: 3.35 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 5.469 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems international: country code - 45; 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (1997) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 6.02 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998) Televisions: 3.121 million (1997) Internet country code: .dk Internet hosts: 2,415,530 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2000) Internet users: 3,762,500 (2005) Transportation Denmark Airports: 92 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 64 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 61 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 12 km; gas 3,931 km; oil 626 km; oil/gas/water 2 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,673 km standard gauge: 2,673 km 1.435-m gauge (601 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 72,257 km paved: 72,257 km (including 1,032 km of expressways) (2005) Waterways: 400 km (2001) Merchant marine: total: 293 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,986,735 GRT/9,936,431 DWT by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 63, chemical tanker 48, container 86, liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 40, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 4 foreign-owned: 25 (Canada 1, Germany 13, Greece 5, Greenland 1, Norway 3, Sweden 1, UK 1) registered in other countries: 409 (Antigua and Barbuda 14, Bahamas 59, Belgium 4, Cayman Islands 5, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Estonia 2, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Gibraltar 1, Hong Kong 6, Isle of Man 53, North Korea 1, Liberia 8, Lithuania 10, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Mexico 2, Netherlands 9, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 32, Panama 34, Portugal 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 14, Singapore 52, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Sweden 4, UK 46, US 24, Vanuatu 6, Venezuela 3, Vietnam 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Aalborg, Aarhus, Asnaesvaerkets, Copenhagen, Elsinore, Ensted, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikshavn, Kalundborg, Odense, Roenne Military Denmark Military branches: Defense Command: Army Operational Command, Admiral Danish Fleet, Tactical Air Command (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from four to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript service; women eligible to volunteer for military service (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,175,108 females age 18-49: 1,150,627 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 955,168 females age 18-49: 935,643 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 31,317 females age 18-49: 29,558 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3,271.6 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (2004) Transnational Issues Denmark Disputes - international: Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese continue to study proposals for full independence; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Dhekelia Introduction Dhekelia Background: By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area. Geography Dhekelia Location: on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta Geographic coordinates: 34 59 N, 33 45 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 130.8 sq km note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves Area - comparative: about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: NA; note - boundary with Cyprus is being resurveyed Coastline: 27.5 km Climate: temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters Environment - current issues: netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn Geography - note: British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus People Dhekelia Population: no indigenous personnel note: approximately 2,200 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both the bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there Languages: English, Greek Government Dhekelia Country name: conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area conventional short form: Dhekelia Dependency status: overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus Capital: name: Episkopi Cantonment; located in Akrotiri geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Constitution: Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 Legal system: the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defence elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: the flag of the UK is used Economy Dhekelia Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. Industries: none Communications Dhekelia Radio broadcast stations: FM 1 (located in Akrotiri) note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) Television broadcast stations: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) Military Dhekelia Military - note: includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Djibouti Introduction Djibouti Background: The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second and final term in 2005. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, but is also developing stronger ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism. Geography Djibouti Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia Geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 23,000 sq km land: 22,980 sq km water: 20 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts Land boundaries: total: 516 km border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km Coastline: 314 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: desert; torrid, dry Terrain: coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m Natural resources: geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum Land use: arable land: 0.04% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.96% (2005) Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa People Djibouti Population: 486,530 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.3% (male 105,760/female 105,068) 15-64 years: 53.3% (male 135,119/female 124,367) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 8,183/female 8,033) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.2 years male: 18.7 years female: 17.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.02% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 39.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 19.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 110.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 94.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.17 years male: 41.86 years female: 44.52 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.31 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,100 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 690 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Nationality: noun: Djiboutian(s) adjective: Djiboutian Ethnic groups: Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5% Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 6% Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.9% male: 78% female: 58.4% (2003 est.) Government Djibouti Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland Government type: republic Capital: name: Djibouti geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 15 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977) Constitution: multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992 Legal system: based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult Executive branch: chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2005 (next to be held by April 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100% Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held January 2008) election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats - RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Political parties and leaders: Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party); Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED]; Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ Political pressure groups and leaders: Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED] International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95 FAX: [253] 35 39 40 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center Economy Djibouti Economy - overview: The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of at least 50% continues to be a major problem. While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of the Djiboutian franc to the US dollar, the artificially high value of the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of payments. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors. GDP (purchasing power parity): $619 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $702 million GDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17.9% industry: 22.5% services: 59.6% (2001 est.) Labor force: 282,000 (2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 50% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 50% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $135 million expenditures: $182 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides Industries: construction, agricultural processing, salt Industrial production growth rate: 3% (1996 est.) Electricity - production: 240 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 223.2 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $250 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit) Exports - partners: Somalia 55.2%, Yemen 19.5%, Ethiopia 17.9% (2005) Imports: $987 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 21.7%, India 18.5%, China 10%, Ethiopia 4.8%, France 4.5%, US 4.3%, Japan 4.2% (2005) Debt - external: $394 million (2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $64.1 million (2004) Currency (code): Djiboutian franc (DJF) Currency code: DJF Exchange rates: Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004), 177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Djibouti Telephones - main lines in use: 11,100 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 34,500 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country domestic: microwave radio relay network international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseille, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001) Radios: 52,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002) Televisions: 28,000 (1997) Internet country code: .dj Internet hosts: 1,540 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 9,000 (2005) Transportation Djibouti Airports: 13 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Railways: total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway) narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005) Roadways: total: 2,890 km paved: 364 km unpaved: 2,526 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Djibouti Military Djibouti Military branches: Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 95,328 females age 18-49: 87,795 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 46,020 females age 18-49: 42,181 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $29.05 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Djibouti Disputes - international: Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; thousands of Somali refugees await repatriation in UNHCR camps in Djibouti Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 17,331 (Somalia) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Djibouti is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and possibly forced labor; small numbers are trafficked from Ethiopia and Somalia for sexual exploitation; economic migrants from these countries also fall victim to trafficking upon reaching Djibouti City or the Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor; women and children from neighboring countries reportedly transit Djibouti to Arab countries and Somalia for ultimate use in forced labor or sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Djibouti does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so based partly on the government's commitments to undertake future action This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Dominica Introduction Dominica Background: Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean. Geography Dominica Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: 15 25 N, 61 20 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 754 sq km land: 754 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 148 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m Natural resources: timber, hydropower, arable land Land use: arable land: 6.67% permanent crops: 21.33% other: 72% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world People Dominica Population: 68,910 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 9,084/female 8,885) 15-64 years: 66% (male 23,419/female 22,079) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,186/female 3,257) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 30.1 years male: 29.8 years female: 30.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.08% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.27 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -9.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 13.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.87 years male: 71.95 years female: 77.93 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican Ethnic groups: black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian Religions: Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), other 6%, none 2% Languages: English (official), French patois Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 94% male: 94% female: 94% (2003 est.) Government Dominica Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica conventional short form: Dominica Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Roseau geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter Independence: 3 November 1978 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1978) Constitution: 3 November 1978 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010); note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace period election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.07%, UWP 43.6%, DFP 3.15%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1 Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) Political parties and leaders: Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers Party or UWP [Earl WILLIAMS] Political pressure groups and leaders: Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party) International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Judith Anne ROLLE, Third Secretary chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica Flag description: green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes) Economy Dominica Economy - overview: The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and international economic developments. Production of bananas dropped precipitously in 2003, a major reason for the 1% decline in GDP. Tourism increased in 2003 as the government sought to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. Development of the tourism industry remains difficult, however, because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international airport. The government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy in 2003 - including elimination of price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to address Dominica's economic crisis and to meet IMF targets. In order to diversify the island's production base, the government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is planning to construct an oil refinery on the eastern part of the island. GDP (purchasing power parity): $384 million (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $279 million GDP - real growth rate: 3.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17.7% industry: 32.8% services: 49.5% (2002 est.) Labor force: 25,000 (1999 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 40% industry: 32% services: 28% Unemployment rate: 23% (2000 est.) Population below poverty line: 30% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.1% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $73.9 million expenditures: $84.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) Agriculture - products: bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited Industries: soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes Industrial production growth rate: -10% (1997 est.) Electricity - production: 69.98 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 47.1% hydro: 52.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 65.09 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $74 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges Exports - partners: UK 26.2%, Jamaica 9.8%, South Korea 8.7%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.6%, Guyana 7.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2005) Imports: $234 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals Imports - partners: US 25.3%, China 20.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, South Korea 7.1%, Japan 4.6%, UK 4.4% (2005) Debt - external: $213 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $29.2 million (2004 est.) Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Currency code: XCD Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Dominica Telephones - main lines in use: 21,000 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 41,800 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: fully automatic network international: country code - 1-767; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 46,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2004) Televisions: 6,000 (1997) Internet country code: .dm Internet hosts: 263 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 20,500 (2005) Transportation Dominica Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: 780 km paved: 393 km unpaved: 387 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 48 ships (1000 GRT or over) 634,668 GRT/1,100,558 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 24, chemical tanker 4, container 2, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 45 (Estonia 11, Germany 1, Greece 5, Latvia 1, Norway 1, NZ 4, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 9, Syria 1, Turkey 3, UAE 2, Ukraine 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Portsmouth, Roseau Military Dominica Military branches: no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes coast guard) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,227 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,136 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 602 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Dominica Disputes - international: Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Dominican Republic Introduction Dominican Republic Background: Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term. Geography Dominican Republic Location: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N, 70 40 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: Haiti 360 km Coastline: 1,288 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 6 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver Land use: arable land: 22.49% permanent crops: 10.26% other: 67.25% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,750 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti People Dominican Republic Population: 9,183,984 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 1,531,145/female 1,464,076) 15-64 years: 61.9% (male 2,902,098/female 2,782,608) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 235,016/female 269,041) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.1 years male: 24 years female: 24.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.47% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 23.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 28.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.73 years male: 70.21 years female: 73.33 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.7% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 88,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 7,900 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican Ethnic groups: mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11% Religions: Roman Catholic 95% Languages: Spanish Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.7% male: 84.6% female: 84.8% (2003 est.) Government Dominican Republic Country name: conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana Government type: representative democracy Capital: name: Santo Domingo geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844) Constitution: 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002 Legal system: based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote Executive branch: chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008) election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7% Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and an additional non-governing party congressional representative) Political parties and leaders: Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ATUN] Political pressure groups and leaders: Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS) International organization participation: ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280 FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500 telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171 FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437 Flag description: a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon Economy Dominican Republic Economy - overview: The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy that enjoyed strong GDP growth until 2003. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy (the source of about 80% of export revenues), but recovered in 2004 and 2005. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation. Although the economy continues to grow at a respectable rate, unemployment remains an important challenge. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. The Dominican Republic's development prospects improved with the ratification of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in September 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $67.44 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $18.15 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 9.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.2% industry: 30.6% services: 58.2% (2003) Labor force: 2.3 million-2.6 million (2000 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 17% industry: 24.3% services: 58.7% (1998 est.) Unemployment rate: 17% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 25% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37.9% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 47.4 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $5.322 billion expenditures: $5.485 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2005) Public debt: 45.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2001 est.) Electricity - production: 12.6 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 92% hydro: 7.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 11.71 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 128,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 129,900 bbl/day (2003) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 300 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: NA cu m Current account balance: $-143 million (2005 est.) Exports: $5.818 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods Exports - partners: US 79%, Netherlands 2.4%, Mexico 1.9% (2005) Imports: $9.747 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals Imports - partners: US 50.2%, Colombia 6.2%, Mexico 5.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.853 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $7.687 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $571.6 million (2004) Currency (code): Dominican peso (DOP) Currency code: DOP Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US dollar - 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002), 16.952 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Dominican Republic Telephones - main lines in use: 894,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.623 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 1.44 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 25 (2003) Televisions: 770,000 (1997) Internet country code: .do Internet hosts: 91,895 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 24 (2000) Internet users: 938,300 (2005) Transportation Dominican Republic Airports: 33 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Railways: total: 517 km standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m, 0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2005) Roadways: total: 12,600 km paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo Military Dominican Republic Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,133,142 females age 18-49: 2,032,840 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,671,493 females age 18-49: 1,536,257 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 91,699 females age 18-49: 87,550 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $0 (2002 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0% (2002 est.) Transnational Issues Dominican Republic Disputes - international: increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @East Timor Introduction East Timor Background: The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied East Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of East Timor. An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force in late September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999 the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent state. Geography East Timor Location: Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - East Timor includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco Geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 125 55 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 15,007 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut Land boundaries: total: 228 km border countries: Indonesia 228 km Coastline: 706 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: NA exclusive economic zone: NA continental shelf: NA exclusive fishing zone: NA Climate: tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons Terrain: mountainous Elevation extremes: lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m Natural resources: gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble Land use: arable land: 8.2% permanent crops: 4.57% other: 87.23% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,065 sq km (est.) Natural hazards: floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones Environment - current issues: widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion Environment - international agreements: NA Geography - note: Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands People East Timor Population: 1,062,777 note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.3% (male 196,293/female 189,956) 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 328,111/female 315,401) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 16,072/female 16,944) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.8 years male: 20.8 years female: 20.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.08% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 26.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 45.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.26 years male: 63.96 years female: 68.67 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.53 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Timorese adjective: Timorese Ethnic groups: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 3%, Hindu 0.5%, Buddhist, Animist (1992 est.) Languages: Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58.6% male: NA% female: NA% (2002) Government East Timor Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste conventional short form: East Timor local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese] local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese] former: Portuguese Timor Government type: republic Capital: name: Dili geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque Independence: 28 November 1975 (date of proclamation of independence from Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of East Timor's independence from Indonesia National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1975) Constitution: 22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model) Legal system: UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains in place but will be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese law; these have passed and are expected to be promulgated in early 2006 Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 20 May 2002); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections; he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre GUSMAO head of government: Prime Minister Jose RAMOS-HORTA (since 10 July 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Estanlislau Maria Alexio da SILVA (since 10 July 2006); Second Deputy Prime Minister Rui Maria do ARAUJO (since 10 July 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO elected president; percent of vote - Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO 82.7%, Francisco Xavier do AMARAL 17.3% Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary, minimum requirement of 52 and a maximum of 65 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - for its first term of office, the National Parliament is comprised of 88 members on an exceptional basis elections: (next to be held in May 2007); direct elections for national parliament were never held; elected delegates to the national convention adopted a constitution and named themselves legislators instead of having elections; hence the exceptional numbers for this term of the national parliament election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 57.37%, PD 8.72%, PSD 8.18%, ASDT 7.84%, UDT 2.36%, PNT 2.21%, KOTA 2.13%, PPT 2.01%, PDC 1.98%, PST 1.78%, independents/other 5.42%; seats by party - FRETILIN 55, PD 7, PSD 6, ASDT 6, PDC 2, UDT 2, KOTA 2, PNT 2, PPT 2, UDC/PDC 1, PST 1, PL 1, independent 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established, Court of Appeals is highest court Political parties and leaders: Associacao Social-Democrata Timorense or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Christian Democratic Party of Timor or PDC [Antonio XIMENES]; Christian Democratic Union of Timor or UDC [Vicente da Silva GUTERRES]; Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor or FRETILIN [Francisco Guterres Lu OLO]; Social Democrat Party of East Timor or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO]; Socialist Party of Timor or PST [Pedro da COSTA]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes) or KOTA [Clementino dos Reis AMARAL]; Timor Democratic Union or UDT [Joao CARRASCALAO]; Timor Labor Party or PTT [Paulo Freitas DA SILVA]; Timorese Nationalist Party or PNT [Abilio ARAUJO] Political pressure groups and leaders: Popular Council for the Defense of the Democratic Republic of East Timor or CPD-RDTL [Antonio-Aitahan MATAK] is largest political pressure group; dissatisfied veterans of struggle against Indonesia, led by one-time government advisor Cornelio GAMA (also known as L-7), also play an important role in pressuring government International organization participation: ACP, ARF, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Constancio PINTO chancery: 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: 202 966-3202 FAX: 202 966-3205 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Grover Joseph REES embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili mailing address: US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place, Washington, DC 20521-8250 telephone: (670) 332-4684 FAX: (670) 331-3206 Flag description: red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the black triangle Economy East Timor Economy - overview: In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias, and 300,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By the end of 2005, all refugees either returned or resettled in Indonesia. Non-petroleum GDP growth was held back in 2003 by extensive drought and the gradual winding down of the international presence but recovered somewhat in 2004. The country faces great challenges in continuing the rebuilding of infrastructure, strengthening the infant civil administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The development of oil and gas resources in nearby waters has begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule and above expectations - the result of high petroleum prices - but the technology-intensive industry does little to create jobs for the unemployed, because there are no production facilities in Timor and the gas is piped to Australia. The parliament in June 2005 unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and preserve the value of East Timor's petroleum wealth for future generations. GDP (purchasing power parity): $370 million (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $349 million GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.5% industry: 23.1% services: 68.4% (2001) Labor force: NA Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data do not include underemployed (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: 42% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 38 (2002 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.4% (2005) Budget: revenues: $107.7 million expenditures: $73 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla Industries: printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth Industrial production growth rate: 8.5% Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Exports: $10 million; note - excludes oil (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports Exports - partners: Indonesia 100% (2005) Imports: $202 million (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery Debt - external: $0 Economic aid - recipient: $153 million (2004 est.) Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications East Timor Telephones - main lines in use: NA Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: NA Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: NA Televisions: NA Internet country code: .tl; note - ICANN approved the change from .tp in January 2005 Internet hosts: 68 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: 1,000 (2004) Transportation East Timor Airports: 8 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Heliports: 9 (2006) Roadways: total: 5,000 km paved: 2,500 km unpaved: 2,500 km (2005) Ports and terminals: Dili Military East Timor Military branches: East Timor Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, FDTL): Army, Navy (Armada) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 235,198 females age 18-49: 223,069 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 179,422 females age 18-49: 184,533 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 12,740 females age 18-49: 12,438 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.4 million (FY03) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues East Timor Disputes - international: UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) has maintained about 1,000 peacekeepers in East Timor since 2002; East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit the land boundary, but several sections of the boundary especially around the Oekussi enclave remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which prevents delimitation of the northern maritime boundaries; many refugees who left East Timor in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Australia and East Timor agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for 50 years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; dispute with Australia has hampered creation of a southern maritime boundary with Indonesia Illicit drugs: NA This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Ecuador Introduction Ecuador Background: What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence by 1819 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Seven presidents have governed Ecuador since 1996. Geography Ecuador Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 77 30 W Map references: South America Area: total: 283,560 sq km land: 276,840 sq km water: 6,720 sq km note: includes Galapagos Islands Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Nevada Land boundaries: total: 2,010 km border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km Coastline: 2,237 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath Climate: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands Terrain: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower Land use: arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 4.81% other: 89.48% (2005) Irrigated land: 8,650 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world People Ecuador Population: 13,547,510 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 33% (male 2,281,499/female 2,195,551) 15-64 years: 61.9% (male 4,178,653/female 4,210,766) 65 years and over: 5% (male 319,719/female 361,322) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 23.6 years male: 23.1 years female: 24 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.5% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.29 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -3.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 22.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.42 years male: 73.55 years female: 79.43 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 21,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,700 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Ecuadorian(s) adjective: Ecuadorian Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3% Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5% Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 94% female: 91% (2003 est.) Government Ecuador Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador conventional short form: Ecuador local long form: Republica del Ecuador local short form: Ecuador Government type: republic Capital: name: Quito geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809) Constitution: 10 August 1998 Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters Executive branch: chief of state: President Alfredo PALACIO (since 20 April 2005); Vice President Nicanor Alejandro SERRANO Aguilar (since 5 May 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; former President Lucio GUTIERREZ was removed from office by congress effective 20 April 2005 head of government: President Alfredo PALACIO (since 20 April 2005); Vice President Nicanor Alejandro SERRANO Aguilar (since 5 May 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff election scheduled for 26 November 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: results of the 15 October 2006 election; percent of vote - Alvaro NOBOA 26.8%; Rafael CORREA 22.8%; Gilmar GUTIERREZ 17.4%; Leon ROLDOS Aguilera 14.8%; Cynthia VITERI 9.6%; note - a runoff election will be held 26 November 2006 between NOBOA and CORREA Legislative branch: unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are popularly elected by province to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 October 2002 (next to be held October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSC 25, ID 16, PRE 15, PRIAN 10, PSP 9, Pachakutik Movement 6, MPD 5, DP 4, PS-FA 3, independents 7; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a simple-majority resolution) Political parties and leaders: Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; National Action Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Movement [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democracy or DP [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON, director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES CORDERO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Victor GRANDA] Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Luis MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president] International organization participation: CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200 FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Linda L. JEWELL embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito mailing address: APO AA 34039 telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890 FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052 consulate(s) general: Guayaquil Flag description: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms Economy Ecuador Economy - overview: Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources, which have accounted for 40% of the country's export earnings and one-third of central government budget revenues in recent years. Consequently, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. In the late 1990s, Ecuador suffered its worst economic crisis, with natural disasters and sharp declines in world petroleum prices driving Ecuador's economy into free fall in 1999. Real GDP contracted by more than 6%, with poverty worsening significantly. The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. The currency depreciated by some 70% in 1999, and, on the brink of hyperinflation, the MAHAUD government announced it would dollarize the economy. A coup, however, ousted MAHAUD from office in January 2000, and after a short-lived junta failed to garner military support, Vice President Gustavo NOBOA took over the presidency. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided the framework for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and growth returned to its pre-crisis levels in the years that followed. Under the administration of Lucio GUTIERREZ - January 2003 to April 2005 - Ecuador benefited from higher world petroleum prices. However, the government under Alfredo PALACIO has reversed economic reforms that reduced Ecuador's vulnerability to petroleum price swings and financial crises, allowing the central government greater access to oil windfalls and disbursing surplus retirement funds. GDP (purchasing power parity): $57.23 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $30.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7% industry: 31.2% services: 61.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.6 million (urban) (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 8% industry: 24% services: 68% (2001) Unemployment rate: 10.7% official rate; but underemployment of 47% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 41% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 32% note: data for urban households only (October 2003) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 42 note: data are for urban households (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 22.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $8.822 billion expenditures: planned $8.153 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 40.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 11.27 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 81% hydro: 19% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 10.55 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 65 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 140 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 493,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 155,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 387,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 4.512 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 9.769 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-566 million (2005 est.) Exports: $9.224 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp Exports - partners: US 51.1%, Peru 8%, Germany 4.4%, Colombia 4.3% (2005) Imports: $8.436 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: vehicles, medicinal products, telecommunications equipment, electricity Imports - partners: US 22.3%, Colombia 14.9%, Venezuela 7.8%, Brazil 6%, China 5.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.148 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $18.09 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $216 million (2002) Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: 25,000 (2005), 25,000 (2004), 25,000 (2003), 25,000 (2002), 25,000 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Ecuador Telephones - main lines in use: 1,701,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 6.246 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable international: country code - 593; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001) Radios: 5 million (2001) Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 2.5 million (2001) Internet country code: .ec Internet hosts: 19,027 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 31 (2001) Internet users: 616,000 (2005) Transportation Ecuador Airports: 359 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 98 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 43 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 261 914 to 1,523 m: 33 under 914 m: 228 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: extra heavy crude 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products 1,185 km (2006) Railways: total: 966 km narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 43,197 km paved: 7,287 km unpaved: 35,910 km (2003) Waterways: 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 31 ships (1000 GRT or over) 184,819 GRT/300,339 DWT by type: chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 7, petroleum tanker 21, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Norway 1, Paraguay 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Georgia 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar Military Ecuador Military branches: Army, Navy (includes naval infantry, naval aviation, coast guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 2,792,770 females age 20-49: 2,849,519 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 2,338,428 females age 20-49: 2,380,327 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 133,922 females age 20-49: 129,758 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $650 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Ecuador Disputes - international: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border and caused over 20,000 refugees to flee into Ecuador in 2004 Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 8,270 (Colombia) (2005) Illicit drugs: significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Egypt Introduction Egypt Background: The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty following World War II. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to ready the economy for the new millennium through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure. Geography Egypt Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1,001,450 sq km land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 2,665 km border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km Coastline: 2,450 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta Elevation extremes: lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc Land use: arable land: 2.92% permanent crops: 0.5% other: 96.58% (2005) Irrigated land: 34,220 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms Environment - current issues: agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees People Egypt Population: 78,887,007 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 13,172,641/female 12,548,346) 15-64 years: 62.9% (male 25,102,754/female 24,519,698) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 1,510,280/female 2,033,288) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24 years male: 23.6 years female: 24.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.75% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 31.33 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.29 years male: 68.77 years female: 73.93 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 700 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Egyptian(s) adjective: Egyptian Ethnic groups: Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%, Greek, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1% Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1% Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.7% male: 68.3% female: 46.9% (2003 est.) Government Egypt Country name: conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt conventional short form: Egypt local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah local short form: Misr former: United Arab Republic (with Syria) Government type: republic Capital: name: Cairo geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Thursday in September Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, As Suways, Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK) National holiday: Revolution Day, 23 July (1952) Constitution: 11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980 and 25 May 2005 Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October 1981) head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF (since 9 July 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term (no term limits); note - a national referendum in May 2005 approved a constitutional amendment that changed the presidential election to a multicandidate popular vote; previously the president was nominated by the People's Assembly and the nomination was validated by a national, popular referendum; last referendum held 26 September 1999; first election under terms of constitutional amendment held 7 September 2005; next election scheduled for 2011 election results: Hosni MUBARAK reelected president; percent of vote - Hosni MUBARAK 88.6%, Ayman NOUR 7.6%, Noman GOMAA 2.9% Legislative branch: bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term elections for half of the elected members) elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 7 and 20 November, 1 December 2005;(next to be held November-December 2010); Advisory Council - last held May-June 2004 (next to be held May-June 2007) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 311, NWP 6, Tagammu 2, Tomorrow Party 1, independents 112 (12 seats to be determined by rerun elections, 10 seats appointed by President); Advisory Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Party or NDP [Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (governing party)]; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [Mahmoud ABAZA]; Tomorrow Party [Naji AL-GHATRIFI] note: formation of political parties must be approved by the government Political pressure groups and leaders: despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes Hosni MUBARAK's potentially most significant political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated limited political activity by the Brotherhood for his first two terms, but moved more aggressively since then to block its influence; civic society groups are sanctioned, but constrained in practical terms; trade unions and professional associations are officially sanctioned International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, COMESA, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nabil FAHMY chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Francis J. RICCIARDONE, Jr. embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900 telephone: [20] (2) 797-3300 FAX: [20] (2) 797-3200 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; design is based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band Economy Egypt Economy - overview: Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley, where most economic activity takes place. In the last 30 years, the government has reformed the highly centralized economy it inherited from President NASSER. In 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF reduced personal and corporate tax rates, reduced energy subsidies, and privatized several enterprises. The stock market boomed, and GDP grew nearly 5%. Despite these achievements, the government has failed to raise living standards for the average Egyptian, and has had to continue providing subsidies for basic necessities. The subsidies have contributed to a growing budget deficit - more than 8% of GDP in 2005 - and represent a significant drain on the economy. Foreign direct investment remains low. To achieve higher GDP growth the NAZIF government will need to continue its aggressive pursuit of reform, especially in the energy sector. Egypt's export sectors - particularly natural gas - have bright prospects. GDP (purchasing power parity): $304.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $92.6 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14.9% industry: 35.7% services: 49.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 21.34 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 32% industry: 17% services: 51% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 9.5% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 20% (2005 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.4% highest 10%: 25% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34.4 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 17.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $20.29 billion expenditures: $27.68 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.7 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 104.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 84.26 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 81% hydro: 19% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 78.16 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 450 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 250 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 700,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 566,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 134,000 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 2.7 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 27 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 27 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.9 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $2.207 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $14.33 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals Exports - partners: US 13.4%, Italy 9.4%, Spain 7.7%, Syria 5.7%, Germany 4.9%, France 4.9%, UK 4.1% (2005) Imports: $24.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels Imports - partners: US 10.6%, Germany 7%, China 6.5%, France 6.3%, Italy 5.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $21.39 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $35.26 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $1.12 billion (2002) Currency (code): Egyptian pound (EGP) Currency code: EGP Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds per US dollar - 5.78 (2005), 6.1962 (2004), 5.8509 (2003), 4.4997 (2002), 3.973 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Egypt Telephones - main lines in use: 10,396,100 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 14,045,134 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: large system; underwent extensive upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and cellular service are available domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 20; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel Radio broadcast stations: AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999) Radios: 20.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 98 (September 1995) Televisions: 7.7 million (1997) Internet country code: .eg Internet hosts: 2,254 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2000) Internet users: 5 million (2005) Transportation Egypt Airports: 88 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 72 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 464 km; condensate/gas 94 km; gas 6,021 km; liquid petroleum gas 897 km; oil 5,120 km; oil/gas/water 36 km; refined products 897 km (2006) Railways: total: 5,063 km standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 64,000 km paved: 49,984 km unpaved: 14,016 km (1999) Waterways: 3,500 km note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m (2005) Merchant marine: total: 76 ships (1000 GRT or over) 987,524 GRT/1,467,139 DWT by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 33, container 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 1, Greece 6, Lebanon 2) registered in other countries: 49 (Bolivia 2, Cambodia 8, Georgia 8, Honduras 4, North Korea 2, Panama 16, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Sierra Leone 1, Thailand 1, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said, Suez, Zeit Military Egypt Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for conscript military service; three-year service obligation (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,347,560 females age 18-49: 17,683,904 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,540,234 females age 18-49: 14,939,378 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 802,920 females age 18-49: 764,176 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.44 billion (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (2004) Transnational Issues Egypt Disputes - international: Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the two triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is developing the Hala'ib Triangle north of the Treaty line; since the attack on Taba and other Egyptian resort towns on the Red Sea in October 2004, Egypt vigilantly monitors the Sinai and borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip; Egypt does not extend domestic asylum to some 70,000 persons who identify themselves as Palestinians but who largely lack UNRWA assistance and, until recently, UNHCR recognition as refugees Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 70,245 (Palestinian Territories) 14,904 (Sudan) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Egypt is a transit country for women trafficked from Eastern Europe to Israel for the purpose of sexual exploitation; these women generally arrive as tourists and are subsequently trafficked through the Sinai Desert by Bedouin tribes; men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are believed to be trafficked through the Sinai Desert to Israel and Europe for labor exploitation; some Egyptian children from rural areas are trafficked within the country to work as domestic servants or laborers in the agriculture industry tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking over the past year, particularly in the area of law enforcement Illicit drugs: transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian heroin and opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; transit stop for Nigerian couriers; concern as money-laundering site due to lax enforcement of financial regulations This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @El Salvador Introduction El Salvador Background: El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms. Geography El Salvador Location: Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras Geographic coordinates: 13 50 N, 88 55 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts Land boundaries: total: 545 km border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km Coastline: 307 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m Natural resources: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land Land use: arable land: 31.37% permanent crops: 11.88% other: 56.75% (2005) Irrigated land: 450 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea People El Salvador Population: 6,822,378 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.3% (male 1,265,080/female 1,212,216) 15-64 years: 58.5% (male 1,900,372/female 2,092,251) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 156,292/female 196,167) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 21.8 years male: 20.7 years female: 22.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.72% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 26.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.78 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -3.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 24.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.49 years male: 67.88 years female: 75.28 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.12 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 29,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Salvadoran(s) adjective: Salvadoran Ethnic groups: mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 83%, other 17% note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians) Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 80.2% male: 82.8% female: 77.7% (2003 est.) Government El Salvador Country name: conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador conventional short form: El Salvador local long form: Republica de El Salvador local short form: El Salvador Government type: republic Capital: name: San Salvador geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana, Sonsonate, Usulutan Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Constitution: 23 December 1983 Legal system: based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 21 March 2004 (next to be held March 2009) election results: Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected president; percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (ARENA) 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL (FMLN) 35.6%, Hector SILVA (CDU-PDC) 3.9%, other 2.8% Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ARENA 34, FMLN 32, PCN 10, PDC 6, CD 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER, secretary general]; Democratic Convergence or CD (formerly United Democratic Center or CDU) [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ, coordinator general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA, president]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez]; Popular Social Christian Party or PPSC [Rene AGUILUZ]; Revolutionary Democratic Front or FDR [Julio Cesar HERNANDEZ Carcamo, coordinator general] Political pressure groups and leaders: labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association or ASI International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671 FAX: [1] (202) 234-3834 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New Jersey), Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2), Nogales (Arizona), Santa Ana (California), San Francisco, Washington, DC consulate(s): Boston Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador H. Douglas BARCLAY embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023 telephone: [503] 2278-4444 FAX: [503] 2278-5522 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band Economy El Salvador Economy - overview: The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest economy, but growth has been minimal in recent years. Hoping to stimulate the sluggish economy, the government is striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, and modernize the tax and healthcare systems. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which El Salvador was the first to ratify, is viewed as a key policy to help achieve these objectives. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances from Salvadorans living abroad - 16.6% of GDP in 2005 - and external aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador has lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. GDP (purchasing power parity): $31.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $16.52 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.9% industry: 30.2% services: 59.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.81 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 17.1% industry: 17.1% services: 65.8% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 6.5% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 36.1% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.3% (2001) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 52.5 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 15.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.84 billion expenditures: $3.167 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) Public debt: 46.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp Industries: food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 4.158 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44% hydro: 30.9% nuclear: 0% other: 25.1% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 4.45 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 91 million kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 473 million kWh (2004) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-778 million (2005 est.) Exports: $3.586 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity Exports - partners: US 61%, Guatemala 12.1%, Honduras 7.4%, Nicaragua 4.2% (2005) Imports: $6.678 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity Imports - partners: US 43.4%, Guatemala 8.2%, Mexico 7.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.833 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $8.087 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $125 million of which, $53 million from US (2003) Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001 Fiscal year: calendar year Communications El Salvador Telephones - main lines in use: 971,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.412 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System Radio broadcast stations: AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 2.75 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 5 (1997) Televisions: 600,000 (1990) Internet country code: .sv Internet hosts: 4,682 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2000) Internet users: 637,100 (2005) Transportation El Salvador Airports: 75 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 71 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 56 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Railways: total: 283 km narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by disuse and lack of maintenance (2005) Roadways: total: 10,029 km paved: 1,986 km unpaved: 8,043 km (1999) Waterways: Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004) Ports and terminals: Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco Military El Salvador Military branches: Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 12-month service obligation; 16 years of age for volunteers (2002) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,391,278 females age 18-49: 1,542,323 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 960,315 females age 18-49: 1,310,466 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 70,286 females age 18-49: 69,526 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $161.7 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues El Salvador Disputes - international: in 1992, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, but despite Organization of American States (OAS) intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcation of the border remains stalled; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca advocating Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not identified in the ICJ decision, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Equatorial Guinea Introduction Equatorial Guinea Background: Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards. Geography Equatorial Guinea Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 28,051 sq km land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: total: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km Coastline: 296 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; always hot, humid Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay Land use: arable land: 4.63% permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: violent windstorms, flash floods Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: insular and continental regions widely separated People Equatorial Guinea Population: 540,109 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.7% (male 113,083/female 111,989) 15-64 years: 54.5% (male 141,914/female 152,645) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,886/female 11,592) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.8 years male: 18.2 years female: 19.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.05% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 35.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 15.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 89.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 95.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.54 years male: 48 years female: 51.13 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.55 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.4% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5,900 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 370 (2001 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Nationality: noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean Ethnic groups: Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices Languages: Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.7% male: 93.3% female: 78.4% (2003 est.) Government Equatorial Guinea Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee equatoriale local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale former: Spanish Guinea Government type: republic Capital: name: Malabo geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968) Constitution: approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995 Legal system: partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult Executive branch: chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup) head of government: Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since 14 August 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud Legislative branch: unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, CPDS 2 note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal Political parties and leaders: Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] (ruling party); Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to Equatorial Guinea embassy: adjacent to the golf course at the base of Mont Febe; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 220 15 00 FAX: [237] 220 16 20 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice) Economy Equatorial Guinea Economy - overview: The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993, because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2005, led by oil. Equatorial Guinea now has the second highest per capita income in the world, after Luxembourg. GDP (purchasing power parity): $25.69 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $7.644 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 18.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $50,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 90.6% services: 6.2% (2005 est.) Labor force: NA Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 39.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.973 billion expenditures: $711.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 6.4% of GDP Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber Industries: petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas Industrial production growth rate: 30% (2002 est.) Electricity - production: 29.43 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 94.3% hydro: 5.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 27.37 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 420,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 563.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 1.27 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.27 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 36.81 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $264 million (2005 est.) Exports: $6.727 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa Exports - partners: US 25.8%, China 22.9%, Spain 11.4%, Canada 7.7%, Taiwan 7.5%, Portugal 5.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, France 4.2% (2005) Imports: $1.864 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum sector equipment, other equipment Imports - partners: US 24.6%, Italy 20.7%, France 12.1%, Spain 10.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.7%, UK 7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.103 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $353 million (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $33.8 million $NA Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Currency code: XAF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Equatorial Guinea Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 96,900 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: poor system with adequate government services domestic: NA international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002) Radios: 180,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002) Televisions: 4,000 (1997) Internet country code: .gq Internet hosts: 19 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 5,000 (2005) Transportation Equatorial Guinea Airports: 4 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 46 km; condensate/gas 5 km; gas 47 km; oil 31 km (2006) Roadways: total: 2,880 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,745 GRT/3,434 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Malabo Military Equatorial Guinea Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 104,563 females age 18-49: 109,923 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 56,462 females age 18-49: 59,260 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $152.2 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Equatorial Guinea Disputes - international: in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; UN has been pressing Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to pledge to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay Trafficking in persons: current situation: Equatorial Guinea is a transit and destination country for women and children trafficked for forced labor, involuntary domestic servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation from surrounding countries - primarily Benin, Nigeria, Mali, and Cameroon; victims work in the agricultural and commercial sectors of Malabo and Bata, where demand is high due to a booming oil sector; children work as farmhands, street vendors, or household servants; girls and women are also trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide adequate evidence of concrete measures to address trafficking over the past year This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Eritrea Introduction Eritrea Background: Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002 but final demarcation is on hold due to Ethiopian objections. Geography Eritrea Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 39 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 121,320 sq km land: 121,320 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Pennsylvania Land boundaries: total: 1,626 km border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km Coastline: 2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km) Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands Terrain: dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m highest point: Soira 3,018 m Natural resources: gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish Land use: arable land: 4.78% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 95.19% (2005) Irrigated land: 210 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: frequent droughts; locust swarms Environment - current issues: deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993 People Eritrea Population: 4,786,994 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 44% (male 1,059,458/female 1,046,955) 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 1,244,153/female 1,268,189) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 82,112/female 86,127) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.8 years male: 17.6 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.47% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 34.33 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 46.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 59.03 years male: 57.44 years female: 60.66 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.08 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.7% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 60,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 6,300 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations (2005) Nationality: noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean Ethnic groups: Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3% Religions: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant Languages: Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58.6% male: 69.9% female: 47.6% (2003 est.) Government Eritrea Country name: conventional long form: State of Eritrea conventional short form: Eritrea local long form: Hagere Ertra local short form: Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia Government type: transitional government note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) Capital: name: Asmara (Asmera) geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 53 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (Southern), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea) Independence: 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia) National holiday: Independence Day, 24 May (1993) Constitution: a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented Legal system: primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated) election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established) elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly, that had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinitely Judicial branch: High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts Political parties and leaders: People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki]; note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on it Political pressure groups and leaders: Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (also including Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement)); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob] International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador GHIRMAI Ghebremariam chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 consulate(s) general: Oakland (California) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Scott H. DELISI embassy: 179 Alaa Street, Asmara mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX: [291] (1) 127584 Flag description: red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle Economy Eritrea Economy - overview: Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to -12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges. Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military kept cereal production well below normal, holding down growth in 2002-05. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, as well as the willingness to open its economy to private enterprise so that the diaspora's money and expertise can foster economic growth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.471 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.244 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10.2% industry: 25.4% services: 64.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: NA Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 50% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 25.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $248.8 million expenditures: $409.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish Industries: food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, salt, cement, commercial ship repair Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 270.9 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 251.9 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 4,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-291 million (2005 est.) Exports: $33.58 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures (2000) Exports - partners: Italy 39.3%, US 14.9%, Belarus 7.3%, Germany 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2005) Imports: $676.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods (2000) Imports - partners: Germany 22.2%, Italy 20.3%, France 15.9%, US 12.8%, Ireland 8.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $30 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $311 million (2000 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $77 million (1999) Currency (code): nakfa (ERN) Currency code: ERN Exchange rates: nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 14.5 (2005), 13.788 (2004), 13.878 (2003), 13.958 (2002), 11.31 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Eritrea Telephones - main lines in use: 37,700 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 40,400 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate domestic: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002) international: country code - 291; note - international connections exist Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000) Radios: 345,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2000) Televisions: 1,000 (1997) Internet country code: .er Internet hosts: 1,088 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001) Internet users: 70,000 (2005) Transportation Eritrea Airports: 17 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 13 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Railways: total: 306 km narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 4,010 km paved: 874 km unpaved: 3,136 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 19,506 GRT/23,649 DWT by type: cargo 3, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Assab, Massawa Military Eritrea Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 16 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 893,361 females age 18-49: 891,662 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 555,553 females age 18-49: 562,426 (2005) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 50,156 females age 18-49: 49,746 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $220.1 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 17.7% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Eritrea Disputes - international: Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but despite international intervention, mutual animosities, accusations, and armed posturing have prevented demarcation; Ethiopia refuses to withdraw to the delimited boundary until claimed technical errors made by the EEBC that ignored "human geography" are addressed, including the award of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war; Eritrea insists that the EEBC decision be implemented immediately without modifications; in 2005 Eritrea began severely restricting the operations of the UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) monitoring the 25km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000; Sudan sustains over 110,000 Eritrean refugees and accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 59,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most IDPs are near the central border region) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Estonia Introduction Estonia Background: After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Geography Estonia Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia Geographic coordinates: 59 00 N, 26 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 45,226 sq km land: 43,211 sq km water: 2,015 sq km note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined Land boundaries: total: 633 km border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km Coastline: 3,794 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states Climate: maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers Terrain: marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m Natural resources: oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud Land use: arable land: 12.05% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 87.6% (2005) Irrigated land: 40 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: sometimes flooding occurs in the spring Environment - current issues: air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands People Estonia Population: 1,324,333 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.2% (male 103,367/female 97,587) 15-64 years: 67.6% (male 427,043/female 468,671) 65 years and over: 17.2% (male 75,347/female 152,318) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.3 years male: 35.8 years female: 42.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.64% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.04 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 13.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.73 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.04 years male: 66.58 years female: 77.83 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 7,800 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Estonian(s) adjective: Estonian Ethnic groups: Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census) Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census) Languages: Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.) Government Estonia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Estonia conventional short form: Estonia local long form: Eesti Vabariik local short form: Eesti former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: parliamentary republic Capital: name: Tallinn geographic coordinates: 59 25 N, 24 45 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru) note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses Independence: 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 is the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union Constitution: adopted 28 June 1992 Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens Executive branch: chief of state: President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9 October 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 23 September 2006 (next to be held fall of 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament election results: Toomas Hendrik ILVES elected president on 23 September 2006 by a 345-member electoral assembly; ILVES received 174 votes to incumbent Arnold RUUTEL's 162; remaining 9 ballots left blank or invalid Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party of Estonia 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Estonian Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%; seats by party - Res Publica 26, Center Party 20, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, Social Democrats (formerly People's Party Moodukad) 6, non-affiliated (Social Liberals and independents) 10 Judicial branch: National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life) Political parties and leaders: Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN, chairman]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG, chairman]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR, chairman]; Social Liberals (group of eight parliamentarians, former Center Party members) [Peeter KREITZBERG]; Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (Isamaa je Res Publica Liit) [Tonis LUKAS and Taavi VESKIMAGI, co-chairman] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aldona Zofia WOS embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] 668-8100 FAX: [372] 668-8134 Flag description: pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white Economy Estonia Economy - overview: Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization and the European Union, has transitioned effectively to a modern market economy with strong ties to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The current account deficit remains high; however, the state budget is essentially in balance, and public debt is low. GDP (purchasing power parity): $23.34 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $12.19 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 10.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $17,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 29.4% services: 66.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 670,000 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 11% industry: 20% services: 69% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.8% (2005) Population below poverty line: Below $2.15 per day (PPP) 5% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 28.5% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 29.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $4.91 billion expenditures: $4.7 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 4.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish Industries: engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications Industrial production growth rate: 9.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 10.304 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.8% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 6.26 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 2.141 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 347 million kWh (2004) Oil - production: 6,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 60,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 54,000 bbl/day (2004) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - consumption: 1.42 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 1.42 billion cu m (2004) Current account balance: $-1.375 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $7.439 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001) Exports - partners: Finland 26.5%, Sweden 12.9%, Latvia 8.8%, Russia 6.5%, Germany 6.2%, Lithuania 4.8% (2005) Imports: $9.189 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001) Imports - partners: Finland 19.8%, Germany 13.8%, Russia 9.4%, Sweden 8.8%, Lithuania 6.1%, Latvia 4.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.948 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $11.03 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $735 million (2004-06) Currency (code): Estonian kroon (EEK) Currency code: EEK Exchange rates: krooni per US dollar - 12.584 (2005), 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003), 16.612 (2002), 17.478 (2001), note - the krooni is pegged to the euro Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Estonia Telephones - main lines in use: 442,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.445 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are available throughout most of the country domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services is available throughout the country international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001) Radios: 1.01 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (2001) Televisions: 605,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ee Internet hosts: 52,241 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 38 (2001) Internet users: 690,000 (2005) Transportation Estonia Airports: 24 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 859 km (2006) Railways: total: 958 km broad gauge: 958 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 56,849 km paved: 13,303 km (including 99 km of expressways) unpaved: 45,546 km (2003) Waterways: 500 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 35 ships (1000 GRT or over) 388,723 GRT/98,393 DWT by type: cargo 7, passenger/cargo 26, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Norway 2) registered in other countries: 72 (Antigua and Barbuda 12, Bahamas 1, Belize 3, Cyprus 6, Dominica 11, Isle of Man 2, Liberia 1, Malta 4, Norway 1, Panama 3, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 25, Slovakia 1, Vanuatu 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Kopli, Kuivastu, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu Military Estonia Military branches: Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2006) Military service age and obligation: compulsory military service for men between 19 and 28; conscription lasts 11 months for junior NCOs and reserve platoon leaders; reserve officers and designated specialists have a different conscript service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men up to 2010 and, unlike Latvia and Lithuania, has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces; 17 years of age for volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60 (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 291,696 females age 18-49: 304,961 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 200,382 (in 2004, 51% of the young men called up for service were determined to be unfit; main obstacles to conscription were psychiatric and behavioral) females age 18-49: 250,351 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 11,146 females age 18-49: 10,605 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $155 million (2002 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (2002 est.) Transnational Issues Estonia Disputes - international: in 2005, Russia refuses to sign the 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia when Estonia prepares a unilateral declaration referencing Soviet occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands better accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Ethiopia Introduction Ethiopia Background: Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990's ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia. Geography Ethiopia Location: Eastern Africa, west of Somalia Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 38 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1,127,127 sq km land: 1,119,683 sq km water: 7,444 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 5,328 km border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley Elevation extremes: lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower Land use: arable land: 10.01% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 89.34% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,900 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean People Ethiopia Population: 74,777,981 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 16,373,718/female 16,280,766) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 19,999,482/female 20,077,014) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 929,349/female 1,117,652) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.8 years male: 17.7 years female: 17.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.31% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 37.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 14.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 93.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 103.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.03 years male: 47.86 years female: 50.24 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.22 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.4% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.5 million (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 120,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and hepatitis E vectorborne diseases: malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Ethiopian(s) adjective: Ethiopian Ethnic groups: Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1% Religions: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8% Languages: Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.7% male: 50.3% female: 35.1% (2003 est.) Government Ethiopia Country name: conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia conventional short form: Ethiopia local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik local short form: Ityop'iya former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa abbreviation: FDRE Government type: federal republic Capital: name: Addis Ababa geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples) Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years National holiday: National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991) Constitution: ratified December 1994, effective 22 August 1995 Legal system: currently transitional mix of national and regional courts Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001) head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since NA August 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 October 2001 (next to be held October 2007); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 100% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lower chamber (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPRDF 327, CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1, others 6, undeclared 2 note: irregularities at some polling stations necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council) Political parties and leaders: Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democracy or CUD [HAILU Shawel]; Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM, Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopean People's Democratic Front or SEPDF, and TigrAyan Peoples' Liberation Front or TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; dozens of small parties Political pressure groups and leaders: Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union Front or ARDUF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]; Oromo National Liberation Front or ONLF International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200 FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Vicki HUDDLESTON embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] (1) 517-4000 FAX: [251] (1) 517-4888 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors Economy Ethiopia Economy - overview: Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $156 million in 2002, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the International Monetary Fund voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 2% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns late in 2003 helped agricultural and GDP growth recover in 2004-05. GDP (purchasing power parity): $64.73 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $8.819 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 47.5% industry: 9.9% services: 42.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 27.27 million Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry: 8% services: 12% (1985) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 50% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 33.7% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 30 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.338 billion expenditures: $2.88 billion; including capital expenditures of $788 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 106.2% of GDP Agriculture - products: cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement Industrial production growth rate: 6.7% (2001 est.) Electricity - production: 2.058 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.3% hydro: 97.6% nuclear: 0% other: 1.2% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.914 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 27,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 214,000 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-844 million (2005 est.) Exports: $612 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds Exports - partners: Saudi Arabia 6.9%, Djibouti 6.8%, Switzerland 6.4%, Italy 5.9%, US 5.5%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005) Imports: $2.722 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 14.7%, China 12.6%, US 12.4%, **COUNTRY** 9.6%, India 6.7%, Italy 4.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.226 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5.101 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $308 million (FY00/01) Currency (code): birr (ETB) Currency code: ETB Exchange rates: birr per US dollar - 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003), 8.5678 (2002), 8.4575 (2001) note: since 24 October 2001 exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank Fiscal year: 8 July - 7 July Communications Ethiopia Telephones - main lines in use: 610,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 410,600 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate for government use domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic satellites provide the national trunk service international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001) Radios: 15.2 million (2002) Television broadcast stations: 1 plus 24 repeaters (2002) Televisions: 682,000 (2002) Internet country code: .et Internet hosts: 88 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 113,000 (2005) Transportation Ethiopia Airports: 84 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 70 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Railways: total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005) Roadways: total: 33,856 km paved: 4,367 km unpaved: 29,489 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 79,441 GRT/97,669 DWT by type: cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2 (2006) Ports and terminals: Ethiopia is landlocked and has used ports of Assab and Massawa in Eritrea and port of Djibouti Military Ethiopia Military branches: Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 14,568,277 females age 18-49: 14,482,885 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 8,072,755 females age 18-49: 7,902,660 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 803,777 females age 18-49: 801,789 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $295.9 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Ethiopia Disputes - international: Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but mutual animosities, accusations, and armed posturing prevail, preventing demarcation despite international intervention; Ethiopia refuses to withdraw to the delimited boundary until technical errors made by the EEBC that ignored "human geography" are addressed, including the award of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war; Eritrea insists that the EEBC decision be implemented immediately without modifications; Ethiopia has only an administrative line and no international border with the Oromo region of southern Somalia where it maintains alliances with local clans in opposition to the unrecognized Somali Interim Government in Mogadishu; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Sudan have been delayed by civil war Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 90,451 (Sudan) 16,470 (Somalia) 8,719 (Eritrea) IDPs: 132,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000 and ethnic clashes in Gambela; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2005) Illicit drugs: transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe and North America, as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @European Union Introduction European Union Preliminary statement: The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's supranational organization of 25 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long the norm in Europe. On a few occasions even country-level unions were arranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were examples - but for such a large number of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching entity is truly unique. Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has many of the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy in its dealings with other nations. In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook. However, because of the EU's special status, this description is placed after the regular country entries. Background: Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris. The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since. In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to 15. A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - bringing the current membership to 25. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the 2003 Treaty of Nice set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, gave member states two years to ratify the document before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006. Referenda held in France and the Netherlands in May-June 2005 rejected the proposed constitution. This development suspended the ratification effort and left the longer-term political integration of the EU in limbo. Geography European Union Location: Europe between Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, southeastern Europe, and the North Atlantic Ocean Map references: Europe Area: total: 3,976,372 sq km Area - comparative: less than one-half the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 11,214.8 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 246 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Romania 443 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 151 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 206 km, Ukraine 726 km note: data for European Continent only Coastline: 65,413.9 km Maritime claims: NA Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south Terrain: fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border between France and Italy Natural resources: iron ore, arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, hydropower, uranium, potash, fish Land use: arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA Irrigated land: 131,250 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94 signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds People European Union Population: 456,953,258 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.03% (male 37,608,010/female 35,632,351) 15-64 years: 67.17% (male 154,439,536/female 152,479,619) 65 years and over: 16.81% (male 31,515,921/female 45,277,821) (2006 est.) Median age: NA Population growth rate: 0.15% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: NA under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and older: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female Infant mortality rate: total: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.3 years male: 75.1 years female: 81.6 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish Languages: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed; Irish (Gaelic) will become the 21st language on 1 January 2007 Government European Union Union name: conventional long form: European Union abbreviation: EU Political structure: a hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization Capital: name: Brussels (Belgium) geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, the European Parliament meets in Strasbourg, France, and the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in Luxembourg Member states: 25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK; note - Canary Islands (Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimes listed separately even though they are legally a part of Spain, Portugal, and France; candidate countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Turkey Independence: 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force) National holiday: Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of an organized Europe Constitution: based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2001; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 caused a suspension of the ratification process Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004) cabinet: European Commission (composed of 25 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas) elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments; the president-designate then chooses the other Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; election last held 18 November 2004 (next to be held 2009) election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by an approval vote of 449 to 149 with 82 abstentions note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least twice a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines Legislative branch: Council of the European Union (25 member-state ministers having 321 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population); note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU; European Parliament (732 seats; seats allocated among member states by proportion to population); members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED 268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27, independents 28 Judicial branch: Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied correctly) - 25 justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 11 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 25 justices appointed for a six-year term Political parties and leaders: Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Hans-Gert POETTERING]; Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Group of Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM [Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist Group in the European Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for Europe of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI] International organization participation: European Union: ASEAN (dialogue member), ARF (dialogue member), IDA, OAS (observer), UN (observer), WTO European Commission: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10, NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, ZC (observer) European Central Bank: BIS European Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500 FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador C. Boyden GRAY embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: same as above telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222 FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720 Flag description: on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed Economy European Union Economy - overview: Domestically, the European Union attempts to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income (from $15,000 to $56,000) and historic national animosities, the European Community faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, since 2003 Germany and France have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. In 2004, the EU admitted 10 central and eastern European countries that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the other 15. Twelve EU member states introduced the euro as their common currency on 1 January 1999, but the UK, Sweden, and Denmark do not participate. The 10 new member states may choose to adopt the euro when they meet the EU's fiscal and monetary criteria and the other euro states so agree. GDP (purchasing power parity): $12.18 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $13.31 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $28,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2% industry: 27.3% services: 70.5% (2004 est.) Labor force: 218.5 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4.4% industry: 27.2% services: 67.2% note: the remainder is in miscellaneous public and private sector industries and services (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 9.4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: see individual country listings Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.5% (1995 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 32 (2003 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes; dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry; fish Industries: among the world's largest and most technologically advanced, the European Union industrial base includes: ferrous and non-ferrous metal production and processing, metal products, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, construction equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools and automated manufacturing systems, electronics and telecommunications equipment, fishing, food and beverage processing, furniture, paper, textiles, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 1.3% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 2.925 trillion kWh (2002 est.) Electricity - consumption: 2.711 trillion kWh (2002 est.) Electricity - exports: 282.6 billion kWh (2002) Electricity - imports: 281.2 billion kWh (2002 est.) Oil - production: 3.424 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - consumption: 14.59 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - exports: 5.322 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 15.69 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 7.294 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 239.2 billion cu m (2001) Natural gas - consumption: 465.6 billion cu m (2001) Natural gas - exports: 78.1 billion cu m (2001) Natural gas - imports: 297.8 billion cu m (2001) Natural gas - proved reserves: 3.256 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $NA Exports: $1.318 trillion; note - external exports, excluding intra-EU trade (2004) Exports - commodities: machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages. Exports - partners: US 24.2%, Switzerland 7.7%, China 5%, Russia 4.7% (2004) Imports: $1.402 trillion; note - external imports, excluding intra-EU trade (2004) Imports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing Imports - partners: US 15.3%, China 12.4%, Russia 7.8%, Japan 7.2% (2004) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $NA Currency (code): euro, British pound, Cypriot pound, Czech koruna, Danish krone, Estonian kroon, Hungarian forint, Latvian lat, Lithuanian litas, Maltese lira, Polish zloty, Slovak koruna, Slovenian tolar, Swedish krona Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: NA Communications European Union Telephones - main lines in use: 238,763,162 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 314,644,700 (2002) Telephone system: note - see individual country entries of member states Radio broadcast stations: AM 866, FM 13,396, shortwave 73 (1998); note - sum of individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Euroradio) Television broadcast stations: 2,791 (1995); note - does not include repeaters; sum of individual country television broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Eurovision) Internet country code: .eu (effective 2005); note - see country entries of member states for individual country codes Internet hosts: 22,000,414 (2004); note - sum of individual country Internet hosts Internet users: 239,881,917 (2006) Transportation European Union Airports: 3,115 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: 1,863 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,252 (2006) Heliports: 93 (2006) Railways: total: 222,293 km broad gauge: 28,438 km standard gauge: 186,405 km narrow gauge: 7,427 km other: 23 km (2003) Roadways: total: 4,634,810 km (including 56,704 km of expressways) paved: 4,161,318 km unpaved: 473,492 km (1999-2000) Waterways: 53,512 km Ports and terminals: Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Bremen (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples (Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia) Military European Union Military - note: In November 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR, which took over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - commitments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. In November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating thirteen 1,500-man "battle groups" by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis. Twenty-two of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops. France, Italy, and the UK are to form the first three battle groups in 2005, with Spain to follow. In May 2005, Norway, Sweden, and Finland agreed to establish one of the battle groups, possibly to include Estonian forces. The remaining groups are to be formed by 2007. (2005) Transnational Issues European Union Disputes - international: as a political union, the EU has no border disputes with neighboring countries, but Estonia and Latvia have no land boundary agreements with Russia, Slovenia disputes its land and maritime boundaries with Croatia, and Spain has territorial and maritime disputes with Morocco; the EU has set up a Schengen area - consisting of 13 EU member states that have signed the convention implementing the Schengen agreements (1985 and 1990) on the free movement of persons and the harmonization of border controls in Europe; the Schengen agreements ("acquis") became incorporated into EU law with the implementation of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999; member states are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden; in addition, non-EU states Iceland and Norway (as part of the Nordic Union) have been included in the Schengen area since 1996 (full members in 2001), bringing the total current membership to 15; the UK (since 2000) and Ireland (since 2002) take part in some aspects of the Schengen area, especially with respect to police and criminal matters; the 10 new member states that joined the EU in 2004 eventually are expected to participate in Schengen, following a transition period to upgrade their border controls and procedures This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Introduction Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Background: Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982. Geography Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Location: Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina Geographic coordinates: 51 45 S, 59 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,288 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate Terrain: rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m Natural resources: fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: strong winds persist throughout the year Environment - current issues: overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the Chornobyl disaster Geography - note: deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season People Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Population: 2,967 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.44% (2006 est.) Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island Ethnic groups: British Religions: primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist Languages: English Literacy: NA Government Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina Government type: NA Capital: name: Stanley geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 41 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends third Sunday in April Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982) Constitution: 3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998 Legal system: English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since March 2003); Financial Secretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA) cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - two ex officio, eight elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction Political parties and leaders: none; all independents Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ICFTU, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT Economy Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Economy - overview: The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which goes to support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost. GDP (purchasing power parity): $75 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $25,000 (2002 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 95% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 1,724 (est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing) industry and services: 5% Unemployment rate: full employment; labor shortage (2001) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1998) Budget: revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million; including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.) Agriculture - products: fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products Industries: fish and wool processing; tourism Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 22.23 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 20.68 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $125 million (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: wool, hides, meat Exports - partners: Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2005) Imports: $90 million (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing Imports - partners: UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2005) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $0 (1997 est.) Currency (code): Falkland pound (FKP) Currency code: FKP Exchange rates: Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Telephones - main lines in use: 2,400 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (2001) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 (FM) and Radio 2 (AM) service (2006) Radios: 1,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders) note: cable television is available in Stanley (2006) Televisions: 1,000 (1997) Internet country code: .fk Internet hosts: 103 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 1,900 (2002) Transportation Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Airports: 5 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Roadways: total: 440 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 390 km (2003) Ports and terminals: Stanley Military Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Military branches: no regular military forces Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Disputes - international: Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Faroe Islands Introduction Faroe Islands Background: The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A high degree of self government was attained in 1948. Geography Faroe Islands Location: Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 7 00 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 1,399 sq km land: 1,399 sq km water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams) Area - comparative: eight times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,117 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line Climate: mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy Terrain: rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m Natural resources: fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas Land use: arable land: 2.14% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.86% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands People Faroe Islands Population: 47,246 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.9% (male 4,940/female 4,952) 15-64 years: 65.1% (male 16,247/female 14,522) 65 years and over: 13.9% (male 2,976/female 3,609) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 35 years male: 34.7 years female: 35.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.58% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 14.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.35 years male: 75.91 years female: 82.8 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.17 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Faroese (singular and plural) adjective: Faroese Ethnic groups: Scandinavian Religions: Evangelical Lutheran Languages: Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% note: probably 100%, the same as Denmark proper Government Faroe Islands Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Faroe Islands local long form: none local short form: Foroyar Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948 Government type: NA Capital: name: Torshavn geographic coordinates: 62 01 N, 6 46 W time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 49 municipalities Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) National holiday: Olaifest (Olavasoka), 29 July Constitution: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) Legal system: Danish Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Birgit KLEIS, chief administrative officer (since 1 November 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Joannes EIDESGAARD (since 3 February 2004) cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) election results: Joannes EIDESGAARD elected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - NA Legislative branch: unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis from the seven constituencies to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 23.7%, Social Democratic Party 21.8%, Republican Party 21.7%, People's Party 20.6%, Center Party 5.2%, Independence Party 4.6%; seats by party - Union Party 7, Social Democratic Party 7, Republican Party 8, People's Party 7, Center Party 2, Independence Party 1 note: election of two seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, People's Party 1 Judicial branch: none Political parties and leaders: Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Independence Party [Kari P. HOJGAARD]; People's Party [Anfinn KALLSBERG]; Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Kaj Leo JOHANNESEN] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Flag description: white with a red cross outlined in blue extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted toward the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Economy Faroe Islands Economy - overview: The Faroese economy has had a strong performance since 1994, mostly as a result of increasing fish landings and high and stable export prices. Unemployment is minimal and there are signs of labor shortages in several sectors. The positive economic development has helped the Faroese Home Rule Government produce increasing budget surpluses, which in turn have helped reduce the large public debt, most of it owed to Denmark. However, the total dependence on fishing makes the Faroese economy extremely vulnerable, and the present fishing efforts appear in excess of what is a sustainable level of fishing in the long term. Oil finds close to the Faroese area give hope for deposits in the immediate Faroese area, which may eventually lay the basis for a more diversified economy and thus lessen dependence on Danish economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy (about 15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not far below the Danes and other Scandinavians. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1 billion (2001 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 10% (2001 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $22,000 (2001 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 27% industry: 11% services: 62% (1999) Labor force: 24,250 (October 2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 33% industry: 33% services: 34% Unemployment rate: 1% (October 2000) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.1% (1999) Budget: revenues: $488 million expenditures: $484 million; including capital expenditures of $21 million (1999) Agriculture - products: milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish Industries: fishing, fish processing, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts Industrial production growth rate: 8% (1999 est.) Electricity - production: 260.2 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 62.4% hydro: 37.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 242 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 4,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $533 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999) Exports - partners: Denmark 38.2%, UK 29.6%, Nigeria 8.9%, Norway 6.1%, Netherlands 4.3% (2005) Imports: $639 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, fuels, fish, salt (1999) Imports - partners: Denmark 46.2%, Norway 18.2%, Germany 8.2%, Spain 7.5%, Iceland 4.8% (2005) Debt - external: $64 million (1999) Economic aid - recipient: $135 million (annual subsidy from Denmark) (1998) Currency (code): Danish krone (DKK) Currency code: DKK Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Faroe Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 23,800 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 42,500 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: good international communications; good domestic facilities domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog) and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed international: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 26,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus 43 low-power repeaters) (September 1995) Televisions: 15,000 (1997) Internet country code: .fo Internet hosts: 6,915 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 33,000 (2005) Transportation Faroe Islands Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 458 km note: no roads between towns (2003) Merchant marine: total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 19,265 GRT/9,171 DWT by type: cargo 10, container 2, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Iceland 4, Norway 4) (2006) Ports and terminals: Torshavn Military Faroe Islands Military branches: no regular military forces Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 10,695 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 8,852 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 366 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Denmark Transnational Issues Faroe Islands Disputes - international: because anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resources have not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for full independence have been deferred; Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line boundary; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Fiji Introduction Fiji Background: Fiji became independent in 1970, after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji, led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Geography Fiji Location: Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Geographic coordinates: 18 00 S, 175 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 18,270 sq km land: 18,270 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,129 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added Climate: tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower Land use: arable land: 10.95% permanent crops: 4.65% other: 84.4% (2005) Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: cyclonic storms can occur from November to January Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited People Fiji Population: 905,949 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.1% (male 143,847/female 138,061) 15-64 years: 64.6% (male 293,072/female 292,312) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 17,583/female 21,074) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.6 years male: 24.1 years female: 25 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.4% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.55 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -2.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.82 years male: 67.32 years female: 72.45 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 600 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Fijian(s) adjective: Fijian Ethnic groups: Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.) Religions: Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2% note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority Languages: English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 95.5% female: 91.9% (2003 est.) Government Fiji Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands conventional short form: Fiji local long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti local short form: Fiji/Viti Government type: republic Capital: name: Suva (on Viti Levu) geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western Independence: 10 October 1970 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970) Constitution: enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998 Legal system: based on British system Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since 18 July 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10 September 2000) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open seats; members serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 25 August through 1 September and 19 September 2001 (next to be held 6-13 May 2006) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - SDL 27.5%, FLP 26.5%, MV 4.2%, NLUP 1.3%, NFP 1.2%, independents 1.4%, UGP .3%; seats by party - SDL 32, FLP 27, MV 6, NLUP 2, NFP 1, independents 2, UGP 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts Political parties and leaders: Conservative Alliance Party/Matanitu Vanua or CAMV [Ratu Josefa DIMURI]; Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or FAP, Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni RABUKA], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]); Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP (became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP; Justice and Freedom Party or AIM; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE]; Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of National Unity or PANU [Ponipate LESAVUA]; Party of the Truth or POTT; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL [Laisenia QARASE]; United General Party or UGP [Millis Mick BEDDOES] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jesoni VITUSAGAVULU chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Miles DINGER embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva telephone: [679] 331-4466 FAX: [679] 330-0081 Flag description: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove Economy Fiji Economy - overview: Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though still with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports, remittances from Fijians working abroad, and a growing tourist industry - with 300,000 to 400,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Fiji's sugar has special access to European Union markets, but will be harmed by the EU's decision to cut sugar subsidies. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity but is not efficient. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage its budget. Yet, because of a tourist boom, short-run economic prospects are good, provided tensions do not again erupt between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Overseas remittances from Fijians working in Kuwait and Iraq have increased significantly. GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.255 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.81 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.9% industry: 13.5% services: 77.6% (2001 est.) Labor force: 137,000 (1999) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 70% industry and services: 30% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.6% (1999) Population below poverty line: 25.5% (1990-91) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005) Budget: revenues: $720.5 million expenditures: $728.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish Industries: tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 775.7 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 18.5% hydro: 81.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 721.4 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-465.8 million Exports: $719.6 million f.o.b. (2005) Exports - commodities: sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil Exports - partners: US 19.7%, Australia 17%, UK 12.3%, Japan 5.4%, Samoa 4.1% (2005) Imports: $1.462 billion c.i.f. (2005) Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals Imports - partners: Singapore 27.4%, Australia 23.6%, NZ 18.9%, Thailand 4.5% (2005) Debt - external: $127 million (2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $63.9 million (2004) Currency (code): Fijian dollar (FJD) Currency code: FJD Exchange rates: Fijian dollars per US dollar - 1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003), 2.1869 (2002), 2.2766 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Fiji Telephones - main lines in use: 102,000 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 142,200 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center domestic: NA international: country code - 679; access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; 2 satellite earth stations - 2 INMARSAT (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 541,476 (1999) Television broadcast stations: NA Televisions: 88,110 (1999) Internet country code: .fj Internet hosts: 8,987 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 61,000 (2004) Transportation Fiji Airports: 28 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Railways: total: 597 km narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to December) (2005) Roadways: total: 3,440 km paved: 1,692 km unpaved: 1,748 km (1999) Waterways: 203 km note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2004) Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,867 GRT/8,432 DWT by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Lambasa, Lautoka, Suva Military Fiji Military branches: Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval Forces (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 215,104 females age 18-49: 212,739 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 163,960 females age 18-49: 178,714 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 9,266 females age 18-49: 8,916 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $36 million (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.2% (FY02) Transnational Issues Fiji Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Finland Introduction Finland Background: Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999. Geography Finland Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia Geographic coordinates: 64 00 N, 26 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 338,145 sq km land: 304,473 sq km water: 33,672 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana Land boundaries: total: 2,681 km border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,340 km Coastline: 1,250 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm) continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m Natural resources: timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone Land use: arable land: 6.54% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 93.44% (2005) Irrigated land: 640 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain People Finland Population: 5,231,372 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.1% (male 455,420/female 438,719) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,766,674/female 1,724,858) 65 years and over: 16.2% (male 337,257/female 508,444) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 41.3 years male: 39.7 years female: 42.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.14% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 3.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.5 years male: 74.99 years female: 82.17 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,500 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Finn(s) adjective: Finnish Ethnic groups: Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.7%, Russian 0.4%, Estonian 0.2%, Roma 0.2%, Sami 0.1% Religions: Lutheran National Church 84.2%, Greek Orthodox in Finland 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 13.5% (2003) Languages: Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) Government Finland Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Finland conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland local short form: Suomi/Finland Government type: republic Capital: name: Helsinki geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 58 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, Oulun Laani Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Russia) National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917) Constitution: 1 March 2000 Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003) and Deputy Prime Minister Eero HEINALUOMA (since 24 September 2005) cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HOLONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2% note: government coalition - Kesk, SDP, and SFP Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 24.7%, SDP 24.5%, Kok 18.5%, VAS 9.9%, VIHR 8%, KD 5.3%, SFP 4.6%; seats by party - Kesk 55, SDP 53, Kok 40, VAS 19, VIHR 14, KD 7, SFP 8, other 4 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president) Political parties and leaders: Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD [Paivi RASANEN]; Green League or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left Alliance or VAS composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative [Martti KORHONEN]; National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eero HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN] International organization participation: AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800 FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marilyn WARE embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki mailing address: APO AE 09723 telephone: [358] (9) 616250 FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800 Flag description: white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Economy Finland Economy - overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 12 countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) - will dominate the economic picture over the next several years. High unemployment remains a persistent problem. GDP (purchasing power parity): $161.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $184.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $31,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.8% industry: 29.5% services: 67.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.61 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and forestry 8%, industry 22%, construction 6%, commerce 14%, finance, insurance, and business services 10%, transport and communications 8%, public services 32% Unemployment rate: 8.4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 21.6% (1991) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 26.9 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $99.61 billion expenditures: $97.14 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 39.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish Industries: metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 79.61 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 39% hydro: 18.7% nuclear: 30.4% other: 11.8% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 78.94 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 7 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 11.9 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 9,013 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 219,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 101,000 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 318,300 bbl/day (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 5.028 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 4.567 billion cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $5.043 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $67.88 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp (1999) Exports - partners: Russia 11.2%, Sweden 10.7%, Germany 10.5%, UK 6.6%, US 6.2%, Netherlands 4.8% (2005) Imports: $56.45 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains Imports - partners: Germany 16.2%, Sweden 14.1%, Russia 13.9%, Netherlands 6.2%, Denmark 4.6%, UK 4.3%, China 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $11.4 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $211.7 billion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $379 million (2001) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Finland Telephones - main lines in use: 2.12 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 5.231 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system with excellent service domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs international: country code - 358; 1 submarine cable (Finland Estonia Connection); satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 7.7 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999) Televisions: 3.2 million (1997) Internet country code: .fi; note - the IANA has assigned the ccTLD of .ax to the Aland Islands Internet hosts: 1,633,614 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2002) Internet users: 3.286 million (2005) Transportation Finland Airports: 148 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 76 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 14 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 72 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 67 (2006) Pipelines: gas 694 km (2006) Railways: total: 5,741 km broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 78,189 km paved: 50,633 km (including 653 km of expressways) unpaved: 27,556 km (2006) Waterways: 7,842 km note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2005) Merchant marine: total: 87 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,250,600 GRT/952,072 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 22, chemical tanker 6, container 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 20, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 25 foreign-owned: 3 (Norway 1, Russia 1, UK 1) registered in other countries: 48 (Bahamas 8, Germany 2, Gibraltar 3, Luxembourg 4, Marshall Islands 2, Netherlands 13, Norway 4, Sweden 11, UK 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Hamina, Hanko, Helsinki, Kotka, Naantali, Pori, Porvoo, Raahe, Rauma, Turku Military Finland Military branches: Finnish Defense Forces: Army, Navy (includes coastal defense forces), Air Force (2003) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (October 2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,121,275 females age 18-49: 1,076,684 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 913,617 females age 18-49: 875,689 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 32,040 females age 18-49: 30,519 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.8 billion (FY98/99) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY98/99) Transnational Issues Finland Disputes - international: various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @France Introduction France Background: Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential democracy resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier parliamentary democracies. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy. Geography France Location: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 2 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 547,030 sq km land: 545,630 sq km water: 1,400 sq km note: includes only metropolitan France; excludes the overseas administrative divisions Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Colorado Land boundaries: total: 2,889 km border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km Coastline: 3,427 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean) continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral Terrain: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorospar, gypsum, timber, fish Land use: arable land: 33.46% permanent crops: 2.03% other: 64.51% (2005) Irrigated land: 26,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean Environment - current issues: some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: largest West European nation People France Population: 60,876,136 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.3% (male 5,704,152/female 5,427,213) 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 19,886,228/female 19,860,506) 65 years and over: 16.4% (male 4,103,883/female 5,894,154) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.1 years male: 37.6 years female: 40.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.35% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.14 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.73 years male: 76.1 years female: 83.54 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.84 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 120,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities Religions: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government France Country name: conventional long form: French Republic conventional short form: France local long form: Republique francaise local short form: France Government type: republic Capital: name: Paris geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes note: metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre, Miquelon) Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica Independence: 486 (unified by Clovis) National holiday: Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July) Constitution: adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October 1958; amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1996 Amsterdam Treaty, 2000 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in 1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Dominique DE VILLEPIN (since 31 May 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (changed from seven-year term in October 2000); election last held 21 April and 5 May 2002 (next to be held, first round April 2007, second round May 2007); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed by the president election results: Jacques CHIRAC reelected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Jacques CHIRAC (RPR) 81.96%, Jean-Marie LE PEN (FN) 18.04% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years); note - between 2004 and 2010, 25 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total of 346 seats - 326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 3 for overseas territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; starting in 2008, members will be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms, with one-half the seats being renewed every three years; and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held September 2008); National Assembly - last held 8-16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 156, PS 97, UDF 33, PCF 23, RDSE 15, other 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 355, PS 140, UDF 29, PCF 21, Left Radical Party 7, Greens 3, other 22 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat Political parties and leaders: Citizen and Republican Movement or MRC [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; Democratic and European Social Rally or RDSE (mainly Radical Republican and Socialist Parties, and PRG) [Jacques PELLETIER]; French Communist Party or PCF [Marie-George BUFFET]; Greens [Yan WEHRLING, national secretary]; Left Radical Party or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois HOLLANDE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Francois BAYROU]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Nicolas SARKOZY] Political pressure groups and leaders: historically-Communist labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, approximately 700,000 members (claimed); left-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, approximately 889,000 members (claimed); independent labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail - Force Ouvriere) or FO, 300,000 members (est.); independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) or CGC, 196,000 members (claimed); employers' union (Mouvement des Entreprises de France) or MEDEF, 750,000 companies as members (claimed) International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-David LEVITTE chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 944-6166 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777 telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22 FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83 consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution; the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, Luxembourg, and Netherlands; the official flag for all French dependent areas Economy France Economy - overview: France is in the midst of transition from a well-to-do modern economy that has featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, banks, and insurers. It retains controlling stakes in several leading firms, including Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales, and is dominant in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. The telecommunications sector is gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. The government has lowered income taxes and introduced measures to boost employment and reform the pension system. In addition, it is focusing on the problems of the high cost of labor and labor market inflexibility resulting from the 35-hour workweek and restrictions on lay-offs. The tax burden remains one of the highest in Europe (nearly 50% of GDP in 2005). The lingering economic slowdown and inflexible budget items have pushed the budget deficit above the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP limit; unemployment stands at 10%. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.794 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.055 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $29,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2% industry: 21.4% services: 76.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 27.72 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4.1% industry: 24.4% services: 71.5% (1999) Unemployment rate: 9.9% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 6.5% (2000) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.1% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 32.7 (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.06 trillion expenditures: $1.144 trillion; including capital expenditures of $23 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 66.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish Industries: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism Industrial production growth rate: 0.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 536.9 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 8.2% hydro: 14% nuclear: 77.1% other: 0.7% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 433.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 72.2 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 6.2 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 76,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 2.06 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 409,600 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 2.281 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 144.3 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 1.566 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 43.74 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 1.725 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 40.26 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 14.33 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-38.78 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $443.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages Exports - partners: Germany 14.7%, Spain 9.6%, Italy 8.7%, UK 8.3%, US 7.2%, Belgium 7.1% (2005) Imports: $473.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals Imports - partners: Germany 18.9%, Belgium 10.7%, Italy 8.2%, Spain 7%, Netherlands 6.5%, UK 5.9%, US 5.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $74.36 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2.826 trillion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $5.4 billion (2002) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications France Telephones - main lines in use: 35.7 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 48.058 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system international: country code - 33; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries Radio broadcast stations: AM 41, FM about 3,500 (this figure is an approximation and includes many repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 55.3 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 584 (plus 9,676 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 34.8 million (1997) Internet country code: .fr Internet hosts: 3,148,379 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 62 (2000) Internet users: 29.521 million (2006) Transportation France Airports: 477 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 292 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 96 914 to 1,523 m: 81 under 914 m: 74 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 185 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 73 under 914 m: 108 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Pipelines: gas 14,588 km; oil 3,024 km; refined products 4,889 km (2006) Railways: total: 29,085 km standard gauge: 28,918 km 1.435-m gauge (14,481 km electrified) narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 891,290 km paved: 891,290 km (including 10,390 km of expressways) (2003) Waterways: 8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) (2000) Merchant marine: total: 61 ships (1000 GRT or over) 875,777 GRT/1,318,605 DWT by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 3, container 5, liquefied gas 6, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 32, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 13 (Denmark 1, Hong Kong 1, Italy 2, Monaco 1, Norway 1, NZ 1, Singapore 2, Sweden 2, Switzerland 2) registered in other countries: 154 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Australia 3, Bahamas 37, Bermuda 1, Cameroon 1, French Polynesia 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 36, Gibraltar 1, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 2, Italy 1, South Korea 12, Liberia 3, Luxembourg 14, Malta 6, Mexico 1, Morocco 1, Panama 15, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8, UK 4, Wallis and Futuna 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bordeaux, Calais, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg Military France Military branches: Army (includes marines, Foreign Legion, light aviation), Navy (includes naval air), Air Force (includes air defense), National Gendarmerie Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in the 1990s; women serve in non-combat military posts (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 13,676,509 females age 17-49: 13,504,539 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 11,262,661 females age 17-49: 11,079,472 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 389,204 females age 17-49: 372,719 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $45 billion FY06 (2005) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% FY06 (2005 est.) Transnational Issues France Disputes - international: Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @French Guiana Introduction French Guiana Background: First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou. Geography French Guiana Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 53 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 91,000 sq km land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana Land boundaries: total: 1,240.4 km border countries: Brazil 730.4 km, Suriname 510 km Coastline: 378 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m Natural resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay Land use: arable land: 0.13% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other) (2005) Irrigated land: 20 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent People French Guiana Population: 199,509 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.9% (male 29,540/female 28,210) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 69,302/female 59,980) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 6,350/female 6,127) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.6 years male: 29.6 years female: 27.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.96% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 20.46 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 4.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 11.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.27 years male: 73.95 years female: 80.75 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.98 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese Ethnic groups: black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% Religions: Roman Catholic Languages: French Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.) Government French Guiana Country name: conventional long form: Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane Dependency status: overseas department of France Government type: NA Capital: name: Cayenne geographic coordinates: 4 56 N, 52 20 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France) Independence: none (overseas department of France) National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: French legal system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Pierre LAFLAQUIERE (since 19 July 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Pierre DESERT (since 26 March 2004); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held in March 2000 (next to be held March 2006); Regional Council - last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional Council - (second election results) percent of vote by party - PS 37.24%, UMP 31.58%, FDG/Walwari 31.18%; seats by party - PS 17, UMP 7, FDG/Walwari 7 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1 Judicial branch: Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) Political parties and leaders: Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Alix LABBE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Georges HABRAN-MERY]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Remi Louis DUBOC]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: UPU, WCL, WFTU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of France) Flag description: the flag of France is used Economy French Guiana Economy - overview: The economy is tied closely to the much larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.551 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,300 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% 6.6% industry: NA% 15.6% services: NA% 77.8% Labor force: 62,630 (1999) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 18.2% industry: 21.2% services: 60.6% (1980) Unemployment rate: 19.2% (December 2003) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2003) Budget: revenues: $135.5 million expenditures: $135.5 million; including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) Agriculture - products: corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 465.2 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 432.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 6,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $137.5 million f.o.b. (2003) Exports - commodities: shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing Exports - partners: France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2004) Imports: $625 million c.i.f. (2002 est.) Imports - commodities: food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals Imports - partners: France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2004) Debt - external: $800.3 million (2003) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications French Guiana Telephones - main lines in use: 51,000 (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: 98,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) Radios: 104,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 30,000 (1997) Internet country code: .gf Internet hosts: 106 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 38,000 (2005) Transportation French Guiana Airports: 11 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Roadways: total: 817 km (1998) Waterways: 3,760 km note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2003) Ports and terminals: Degrad des Cannes Military French Guiana Military branches: no regular military forces; Gendarmerie Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 47,809 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 38,676 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues French Guiana Disputes - international: Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana Illicit drugs: small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @French Polynesia Introduction French Polynesia Background: The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded. Geography French Polynesia Location: Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean about one-half of the way from South America to Australia Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S, 140 00 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 2,525 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical, but moderate Terrain: mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower Land use: arable land: 0.75% permanent crops: 5.5% other: 93.75% (2005) Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: occasional cyclonic storms in January Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: includes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 coral); Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru People French Polynesia Population: 274,578 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 36,541/female 34,999) 15-64 years: 67.9% (male 96,769/female 89,593) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 8,428/female 8,248) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.9 years male: 28.2 years female: 27.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.48% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 8.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.1 years male: 73.69 years female: 78.63 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: French Polynesian(s) adjective: French Polynesian Ethnic groups: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4% Religions: Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6% Languages: French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census) Literacy: definition: age 14 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1977 est.) Government French Polynesia Country name: conventional long form: Overseas Lands of French Polynesia conventional short form: French Polynesia local long form: Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynesie Francaise local short form: Polynesie Francaise former: French Colony of Oceania Dependency status: overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France from 1946-2004 Government type: NA Capital: name: Papeete geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas lands of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are five archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, Iles Sous-le-Vent note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia Independence: none (overseas lands of France) National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: based on French system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Anne BOQUET (since September 2005) head of government: President of French Polynesia Oscar TEMARU (since 3 March 2005); President of the Territorial Assembly Antony GEROS (since 9 May 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the territorial government and the president of the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly for five-year terms (no term limits) Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (57 seats - changed from 49 seats for May 2004 election; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 28, Union for Democracy 27, New Star 1, This Country is Yours 1; after by-elections of 13 February 2005 seating was as follows: People's Rally for the Republic 27, Union for Democracy 27, and Alliance for a New Democracy 3 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif Political parties and leaders: Alliance for a New Democracy or ADN [Nicole BOUTEAU and Philip SCHYLE](includes the parties The New Star and This Country is Yours); Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic of Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; Union for Democracy or UPD [Oscar TEMARU] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: FZ, ICFTU, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas lands of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas lands of France) Flag description: two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions Government - note: under certain acts of France, French Polynesia has acquired autonomy in all areas except those relating to police and justice, monetary policy, tertiary education, immigration, and defense and foreign affairs; the duties of its president are fashioned after those of the French prime minister Economy French Polynesia Economy - overview: Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996, the military contribution to the economy fell sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social services. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.58 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% (2001 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $17,500 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.1% industry: 19% services: 76.9% (2002) Labor force: 65,870 (December 2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 13% industry: 19% services: 68% (2002) Unemployment rate: 11.8% (1994) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.1% (2006 est.) Budget: revenues: $865 million expenditures: $644.1 million; including capital expenditures of $185 million (1996) Agriculture - products: coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, coffee; poultry, beef, dairy products Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 493.7 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 60.7% hydro: 39.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 459.2 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 4,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $211 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat Exports - partners: France 46.3%, Japan 20.8%, Niger 12.8%, US 12.5% (2005) Imports: $1.706 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment Imports - partners: France 52.7%, Singapore 14.9%, NZ 6.8%, US 6.6% (2005) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $580 million (2004) Currency (code): Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) Currency code: XPF Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001) note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro Fiscal year: calendar year Communications French Polynesia Telephones - main lines in use: 53,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 87,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 128,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 40,000 (1997) Internet country code: .pf Internet hosts: 14,047 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 55,000 (2005) Transportation French Polynesia Airports: 51 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 39 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 2,590 km paved: 1,735 km unpaved: 855 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 23,684 GRT/17,291 DWT by type: cargo 4, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Wallis and Futuna 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Papeete Military French Polynesia Military branches: no regular military forces; Gendarmerie and National Police Force Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 69,679 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 55,305 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 2,747 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues French Polynesia Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @French Southern and Antarctic Lands Introduction French Southern and Antarctic Lands Background: The Southern Lands consist of two archipelagos, Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen, and two volcanic islands, Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul. They contain no permanent inhabitants and are visited only by researchers studying the native fauna. The Antarctic portion consists of "Adelie Land," a thin slice of the Antarctic continent discovered and claimed by the French in 1840. Geography French Southern and Antarctic Lands Location: southeast of Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean, about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note - French Southern and Antarctic Lands include Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Adelie Land"; the US does not recognize the French claim to "Adelie Land" Geographic coordinates: 43 00 S, 67 00 E Map references: Antarctic Region Area: total: 7,829 sq km land: 7,829 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen; excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,232 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen (does not include the rest of French Southern and Antarctic Lands) Climate: antarctic Terrain: volcanic Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Ross on Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m Natural resources: fish, crayfish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: islands component is widely scattered across remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean People French Southern and Antarctic Lands Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: in 2002, there were 145 researchers whose numbers vary from winter (July) to summer (January) (July 2006 est.) Government French Southern and Antarctic Lands Country name: conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises abbreviation: TAAF Dependency status: overseas territory of France since 1955; administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur Michel CHAMPON (since 20 December 2004), assisted by Secretary General Jean-Yves HERMOSO (since NA) Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts named Ile Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Iles Saint-Paul et Amsterdam; excludes "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Senior Administrator Michel CHAMPON Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of France) Flag description: the flag of France is used Economy French Southern and Antarctic Lands Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and other fishing fleets. The fish catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion. Communications French Southern and Antarctic Lands Internet country code: .tf Internet hosts: 38 (2006) Transportation French Southern and Antarctic Lands Merchant marine: total: 77 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,432,833 GRT/5,345,291 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, chemical tanker 27, container 18, liquefied gas 5, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 4 foreign-owned: 76 (Belgium 6, Denmark 2, France 36, Germany 2, Hong Kong 2, Japan 4, Norway 12, Saudi Arabia 1, Sweden 9, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military French Southern and Antarctic Lands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues French Southern and Antarctic Lands Disputes - international: French claim to "Adelie Land" in Antarctica is not recognized by the US This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Gabon Introduction Gabon Background: Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960. The current president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - has dominated the contry's political scene for almost four decades. President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in 2002-03 and the presidential elections in 2005 have exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Gabon's political opposition remains weak, divided, and financially dependent on the current regime. Despite political conditions, a small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous and stable African countries. Geography Gabon Location: Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 11 45 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 267,667 sq km land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado Land boundaries: total: 2,551 km border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km Coastline: 885 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; always hot, humid Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower Land use: arable land: 1.21% permanent crops: 0.64% other: 98.15% (2005) Irrigated land: 70 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: deforestation; poaching Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity People Gabon Population: 1,424,906 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.1% (male 300,914/female 299,141) 15-64 years: 53.9% (male 383,137/female 384,876) 65 years and over: 4% (male 23,576/female 33,262) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.13% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 36.16 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -2.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 54.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 63.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 45.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.49 years male: 53.21 years female: 55.81 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 8.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 48,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Nationality: noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese Ethnic groups: Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba); other Africans and Europeans, 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality Religions: Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1% Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.) Government Gabon Country name: conventional long form: Gabonese Republic conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique gabonaise local short form: Gabon Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime Capital: name: Libreville geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968) Constitution: adopted 14 March 1991 Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba (since 2 December 1967) head of government: Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe NDONG (since 20 January 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba reelected; percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba 79.2%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 13.6%, Zacharie MYBOTO 6.6% Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats; members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 26 January and 9 February 2003 (next to be held by January 2009); National Assembly - last held 9 and 23 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1, independents 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 86, RNB-RPG 8, PGP 3, ADERE 3, CLR 2, PUP 1, PSD 1, independents 13, others 3 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts Political parties and leaders: Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface ASSELE]; Congress for Democracy and Justice or CDJ [Jules Aristide Bourdes OGOULIGUENDE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE [Divungui-di-Ndinge DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA] (former sole party); Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE]; National Rally of Woodcutters or RNB; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally for Gabon or RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Pierre EMBONI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]; Union for Democracy and Social Integration or UDIS; Union of Gabonese People or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jules Marius OGOUEBANDJA chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668 consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, after hours - 74 34 92 FAX: [241] 74 55 07 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue Economy Gabon Economy - overview: Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet, because of high income inequality, a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. Devaluation of its currency by 50% in January 1994 sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95, a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000. Those agreements mandated progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform. The rebound of oil prices in 1999-2000 helped growth, but drops in production hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. In December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with the Paris Club to reschedule its official debt. A follow-up bilateral repayment agreement with the US was signed in December 2001. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2004, and received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year. Short-term progress depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments in line with IMF policies. GDP (purchasing power parity): $9.739 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $6.697 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.1% industry: 59.2% services: 34.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 640,000 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 60% industry: 15% services: 25% Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.463 billion expenditures: $1.618 billion; including capital expenditures of $325 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 33.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish Industries: petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement Industrial production growth rate: 1.6% (2002 est.) Electricity - production: 1.487 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 34.5% hydro: 65.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.383 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 268,900 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 12,250 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 1.921 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 90 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 90 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 33.98 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $675 million (2005 est.) Exports: $5.813 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001) Exports - partners: US 53.5%, France 6.4%, China 6.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4% (2005) Imports: $1.533 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials Imports - partners: France 40.6%, US 6.4%, Cameroon 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $675.2 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.903 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $331 million (1995) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Currency code: XAF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Gabon Telephones - main lines in use: 39,100 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 649,800 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate service by African standards and improving with the help of the growing mobile cell system domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 241; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 7 (and 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001) Radios: 208,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 63,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ga Internet hosts: 322 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2001) Internet users: 67,000 (2005) Transportation Gabon Airports: 56 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Pipelines: gas 272 km; oil 1,354 km (2006) Railways: total: 814 km standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 32,333 km paved: 6,247 km unpaved: 26,086 km (2003) Waterways: 1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2005) Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Owendo, Port-Gentil Military Gabon Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 278,826 females age 18-49: 279,865 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 159,198 females age 18-49: 156,122 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 15,325 females age 18-49: 15,367 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $253.5 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Gabon Disputes - international: UN presses Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay; only a few hundred out of the 20,000 Republic of the Congo refugees who fled militia fighting in 2000 remain in Gabon This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Gambia, The Introduction Gambia, The Background: The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965; it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia with Senegal between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty. A military coup in 1994 overthrew the president and banned political activity, but a 1996 constitution and presidential elections, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to civilian rule. The country undertook another round of presidential and legislative elections in late 2001 and early 2002. Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH, the leader of the coup, has been elected president in all subsequent elections. Geography Gambia, The Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal Geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 16 34 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 11,300 sq km land: 10,000 sq km water: 1,300 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Delaware Land boundaries: total: 740 km border countries: Senegal 740 km Coastline: 80 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May) Terrain: flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 53 m Natural resources: fish, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon, silica sand, clay, petroleum Land use: arable land: 27.88% permanent crops: 0.44% other: 71.68% (2005) Irrigated land: 20 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years) Environment - current issues: deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of Africa People Gambia, The Population: 1,641,564 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.3% (male 365,157/female 361,821) 15-64 years: 53% (male 431,627/female 438,159) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 22,889/female 21,911) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.7 years male: 17.6 years female: 17.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.84% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 39.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 71.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 78.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.14 years male: 52.3 years female: 56.03 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.3 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,800 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 600 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Gambian(s) adjective: Gambian Ethnic groups: African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1% Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1% Languages: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.1% male: 47.8% female: 32.8% (2003 est.) Government Gambia, The Country name: conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia conventional short form: The Gambia Government type: republic Capital: name: Banjul geographic coordinates: 12 28 N, 16 39 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, Western Independence: 18 February 1965 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 18 February (1965) Constitution: 24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished January 1997 Legal system: based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); note - from 1994 to 1996 he was chairman of the Junta); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); note - from 1994 to 1996 he was chairman of the Junta); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 22 September 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 67.3%, Ousainou DARBOE 26.6% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 elected by popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 17 January 2002 (next to be held 25 January 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APRC 45, PDOIS 2, NRP 1, Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH] (the ruling party); Gambian People's Party-Progressive People's Party-United Democratic Party or GPP-PPP-UDP Coalition [Ousainou DARBOE]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sheriff DIBBA]; National Reconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA] note: in August 2001, an independent electoral commission allowed the reregistration of the GPP, NCP, and PPP, three parties banned since 1996 Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dodou Bammy JAGNE chancery: Suite 905, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph D. STAFFORD, III embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul telephone: [220] 439-2856, 437-6169, 437-6170 FAX: [220] 439-2475 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green Economy Gambia, The Economy - overview: The Gambia has no significant mineral or natural resource deposits and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic activity, but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan, and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have drawn some of the reexport trade away from The Gambia. The government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts. Despite an announced program to begin privatizing key parastatals, no plans have been made public that would indicate that the government intends to follow through on its promises. Unemployment and underemployment rates remain extremely high; short-run economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management, on continued technical assistance from the IMF and bilateral donors, and on expected growth in the construction sector. GDP (purchasing power parity): $3.034 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $429 million (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30.8% industry: 14.2% services: 54.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 400,000 (1996) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 75% industry: 19% services: 6% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $46.63 million expenditures: $62.66 million; including capital expenditures of $4.1 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats Industries: processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism, beverages, agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking, clothing Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 140 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 130.2 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 2,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-53 million (2005 est.) Exports: $140.3 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels, re-exports Exports - partners: India 40.4%, UK 18.2%, Indonesia 8.3%, Senegal 4.6%, Belgium 4.3% (2005) Imports: $197 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment Imports - partners: China 21.3%, Senegal 11.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.4%, Brazil 6%, US 5.2%, UK 5.1%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $82 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $628.8 million (2003 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $59.8 million (2003) Currency (code): dalasi (GMD) Currency code: GMD Exchange rates: dalasi per US dollar - 30.38 (2005), 30.03 (2004), 27.306 (2004), 19.918 (2003), 15.687 (2002), 15.687 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Gambia, The Telephones - main lines in use: 44,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 247,500 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data network is available domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire international: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001) Radios: 196,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (government-owned) (1997) Televisions: 5,000 (2000) Internet country code: .gm Internet hosts: 14 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2001) Internet users: 49,000 (2005) Transportation Gambia, The Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 3,742 km paved: 723 km unpaved: 3,019 km (2003) Waterways: 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2004) Merchant marine: total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,064 GRT/9,751 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Banjul Military Gambia, The Military branches: Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambian Navy (GN), Presidential Guard, National Guard Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 311,025 females age 18-49: 316,214 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 183,057 females age 18-49: 194,551 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.55 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Gambia, The Disputes - international: attempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists from southern Senegal's Casamance region, as well as from conflicts in other west African states This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Gaza Strip Introduction Gaza Strip Background: The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003 the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005, bringing hope of a turning point in the conflict. In February 2005 Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments, focused on security issues, in an effort to move the peace process forward. Progress has been slow because of different interpretations of the verbal agreement by the two sides. In September 2005, Israel withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. An agreement signed by the PA and Israel in November 2005 authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control, with monitoring provided by the EU. Geography Gaza Strip Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 360 sq km land: 360 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 62 km border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km Coastline: 40 km Maritime claims: Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m Natural resources: arable land, natural gas Land use: arable land: 29% permanent crops: 21% other: 50% (2002) Irrigated land: 150 sq km; note - includes West Bank (2003) Natural hazards: droughts Environment - current issues: desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources Geography - note: strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history People Gaza Strip Population: 1,428,757 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 48.1% (male 351,642/female 335,060) 15-64 years: 49.4% (male 360,147/female 345,318) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 15,231/female 21,359) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 15.8 years male: 15.7 years female: 16 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.71% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 39.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 3.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 22.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.97 years male: 70.67 years female: 73.34 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.78 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6% Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6% Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.9% male: 96.3% female: 87.4% (2003 est.) Government Gaza Strip Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gaza Strip local long form: none local short form: Qita Ghazzah Economy Gaza Strip Economy - overview: High population density, limited land access, and strict internal and external controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- even more degraded than in the West Bank. The beginning of the second intifadah in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn, largely the result of Israeli closure policies; these policies, which were imposed in response to security interests in Israel, disrupted labor and commodity relationships with the Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the West Bank, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israel or in joint industrial zones have lost their jobs. Half the labor force is unemployed. Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 offers some medium-term opportunities for economic growth, especially given the removal of restrictions on internal movement. In addition, recent agreements and continuing negotiations on the administration of Gaza's border crossings increase the prospects for trade. GDP (purchasing power parity): $768 million (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 4.5% (2003 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $600 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 28.3% services: 68.7% (includes West Bank) (2002 est.) Labor force: 278,000 (April-June 2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 11.9% industry: 18% services: 70.1% (2nd qtr. 2005) Unemployment rate: 31% (includes West Bank) (January-September 2005 avg.) Population below poverty line: 81% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (includes West Bank) (2003) Budget: revenues: $964 million expenditures: $1.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA; note - these budget data include West Bank (2004) Agriculture - products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products Industries: generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center, but operations ceased prior to Israel's evacuation of Gaza Strip settlements Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the Gaza Strip power plant and by an Israeli utility Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2001) Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - some electricity supplied by an Israeli utility (2005) Exports: $270 million f.o.b.; note - includes West Bank (2003) Exports - commodities: citrus, flowers, textiles Exports - partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2004) Imports: $1.952 billion c.i.f.; note - includes West Bank (2003) Imports - commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials Imports - partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2004) Debt - external: $0; note - includes West Bank (2002) Economic aid - recipient: $2 billion; note - includes West Bank (2004 est.) Currency (code): new Israeli shekel (ILS) Currency code: ILS Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Gaza Strip Telephones - main lines in use: 349,000 (includes West Bank) (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.095 million (includes West Bank) (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 8, shortwave 0 (2005) Radios: NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2005) Televisions: NA; note - most Palestinian households have televisions (1997) Internet country code: .ps Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (1999) Internet users: 243,000 (includes West Bank) (2005) Transportation Gaza Strip Airports: 2 note: includes Gaza International Airport closed since its runway was destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces in December 2001 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Roadways: note: see entry for West Bank Ports and terminals: Gaza Military Gaza Strip Military branches: in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however, public security forces (2002) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 260,855 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 221,530 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 15,196 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Gaza Strip Disputes - international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in August 2005 Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 986,034 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Georgia Introduction Georgia Background: The region of present-day Georgia contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first centuries A.D. and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short by the Mongol invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. An attempt by the incumbent Georgian government to manipulate national legislative elections in November 2003 touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, president since 1995. New elections in early 2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his National Movement Party. Progress on market reforms and democratization has been made in the years since independence, but this progress has been complicated by two civil conflicts in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These two territories remain outside the control of the central government and are ruled by de facto, unrecognized governments, supported by Russia. Russian-led peacekeeping operations continue in both regions. The Georgian Government put forward a new peace initiative for the peaceful resolution of the status of South Ossetia in 2005. Geography Georgia Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia Geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 43 30 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 69,700 sq km land: 69,700 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina Land boundaries: total: 1,461 km border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km Coastline: 310 km Maritime claims: NA Climate: warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast Terrain: largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m Natural resources: forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth Land use: arable land: 11.51% permanent crops: 3.79% other: 84.7% (2005) Irrigated land: 4,690 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: earthquakes Environment - current issues: air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them People Georgia Population: 4,661,473 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 428,056/female 380,193) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 1,482,908/female 1,602,064) 65 years and over: 16.5% (male 308,905/female 459,347) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 37.7 years male: 35.3 years female: 40.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.34% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -4.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.15 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 17.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.09 years male: 72.8 years female: 79.87 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.42 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Georgian(s) adjective: Georgian Ethnic groups: Georgian 83.8%, Azeri 6.5%, Armenian 5.7%, Russian 1.5%, other 2.5% (2002 census) Religions: Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census) Languages: Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7% note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2004 est.) Government Georgia Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Georgia local long form: none local short form: Sak'art'velo former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: T'bilisi geographic coordinates: 41 43 N, 44 49 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 9 cities (k'alak'ebi, singular - k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika) regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli cities: Chiat'ura, Gori, K'ut'aisi, P'ot'i, Rust'avi, Tbilisi, Tqibuli, Tsqaltubo, Zugdidi autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi) note: the administrative centers of the two autonomous republics are shown in parentheses Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union Constitution: adopted 24 August 1995 Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and defense head of government: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); Prime Minister Zurab NOGHAIDELI (since 17 February 2005); note - the president is the chief of state and head of government for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and defense; the prime minister is head of the remaining ministries of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 January 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Mikheil SAAKASHVILI elected president; percent of vote - Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 96.3%, Temur SHASHIASHVILI 1.9% Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats - 150 elected by party lists); members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held spring 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 67.6%, Rightist Opposition 7.6%, all other parties received less than 7% each; seats by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 135, Rightist Opposition 15 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the president's or chairman of the Supreme Court's recommendation); Constitutional Court; first and second instance courts Political parties and leaders: Burjanadze-Democrats [Nino BURJANADZE]; Georgian People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG [Panteleimon GIORGADZE]; Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry Will Save Georgia (Industrialists) or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party [Shalva NATELASHVILI]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Bachuki KARDAVA]; National Movement Democratic Front [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI] bloc composed of National Movement and Burjanadze-Democrats; National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]; New Rights [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI]; Rightist Opposition [David GAMKRELIDZE] bloc composed of Industrialists and New Right Party; Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI]; Union of National Forces-Conservatives [Koba DAVITASHVILI and Zviad DZIDZIGURI] Political pressure groups and leaders: Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in exile; separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; supporters of former President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA ousted in 1991 International organization participation: ACCT (observer), BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Vasil SIKHARULIDZE chancery: 1101 15th Street NW, Suite 602, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390 FAX: [1] (202) 393-4537 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT embassy: 11 George Balanchine St., T'bilisi 0131 mailing address: 7060 T'bilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060 telephone: [995] (32) 27-70-00 FAX: [995] (32) 53-23-10 Flag description: white rectangle, in its central portion a red cross connecting all four sides of the flag; in each of the four corners is a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross; the five-cross flag appears to date back to the 14th century Economy Georgia Economy - overview: Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as grapes, citrus fruits, and hazelnuts; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. It has sizeable but underdeveloped hydropower capacity. Despite the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 2000, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation. Georgia had suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues; however, the new government is making progress and has reformed the tax code, improved tax administration, increased tax enforcement, and cracked down on corruption. In addition, the reinvigorated privatization process has met with success, supplementing government expenditures on infrastructure, defense, and poverty reduction. Despite customs and financial (tax) enforcement improvements, smuggling is a drain on the economy. Georgia also suffers from energy shortages due to aging and badly maintained infrastructure, as well as poor management. Due to concerted reform efforts, collection rates have improved considerably to roughly 60%, both in T'bilisi and throughout the regions. Continued reform in the management of state-owned power entities is essential to successful privatization and onward sustainability in this sector. The country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on its role as a transit state for pipelines and trade. The construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline have brought much-needed investment and job opportunities. Nevertheless, high energy prices in 2006 will compound the pressure on the country's inefficient energy sector. Restructuring the sector and finding energy supply alternatives to Russia remain major challenges. GDP (purchasing power parity): $16.03 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $6.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 9.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17.2% industry: 27.5% services: 55.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.04 million (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 40% industry: 20% services: 40% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 12.6% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 54% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 27.9% (1996) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 38 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.43 billion expenditures: $1.56 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000) Electricity - production: 8.634 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 19.7% hydro: 80.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 9.8 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - exports: 71 million kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 1.2 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 1,982 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 13,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 20 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: NA cu m Natural gas - imports: 1.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Current account balance: $-625 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.4 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits, tea, wine Exports - partners: Russia 18.1%, Turkey 14.3%, Azerbaijan 9.8%, Turkmenistan 8.9%, Bulgaria 5%, Armenia 4.7%, Ukraine 4.4%, Canada 4.2% (2005) Imports: $2.5 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals Imports - partners: Russia 15.4%, Turkey 11.4%, Azerbaijan 9.4%, Ukraine 8.8%, Germany 8.3%, US 6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $474.2 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2.04 billion (2004) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $150 million (2000 est.) Currency (code): lari (GEL) Currency code: GEL Exchange rates: lari per US dollar - 1.8127 (2005), 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003), 2.1957 (2002), 2.073 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Georgia Telephones - main lines in use: 683,200 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.459 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pager service is available international: country code - 995; Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 3.02 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus repeaters) (1998) Televisions: 2.57 million (1997) Internet country code: .ge Internet hosts: 10,752 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000) Internet users: 175,600 (2005) Transportation Georgia Airports: 23 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 19 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,349 km; oil 1,010 km (2006) Railways: total: 1,612 km broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified) narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 20,247 km paved: 7,973 km unpaved: 12,274 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 222 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,059,386 GRT/1,538,746 DWT by type: bulk carrier 27, cargo 176, container 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 188 (Albania 1, Azerbaijan 2, Belgium 1, China 2, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Egypt 8, Germany 1, Greece 8, Indonesia 1, South Korea 1, Lebanon 7, Monaco 13, Romania 11, Russia 28, Slovakia 1, Slovenia 1, Syria 43, Turkey 30, UAE 1, UK 4, Ukraine 22) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bat'umi, P'ot'i Transportation - note: transportation network is in poor condition resulting from ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair Military Georgia Military branches: Ground Forces (includes National Guard), Air and Air Defense Forces, Navy (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,038,736 females age 18-49: 1,105,910 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 827,281 females age 18-49: 903,791 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 38,857 females age 18-49: 38,238 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $23 million (FY00) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.59% (FY00) Military - note: a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia Transnational Issues Georgia Disputes - international: Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting 80% of their common border, leaving certain small, strategic segments and the maritime boundary unresolved; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge in Abkhazia; UN Observer Mission in Georgia has maintained a peacekeeping force in Georgia since 1993; Meshkheti Turks scattered throughout the former Soviet Union seek to return to Georgia; boundary with Armenia remains undemarcated; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian government; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 260,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2005) Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Germany Introduction Germany Background: As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro. Geography Germany Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark Geographic coordinates: 51 00 N, 9 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 357,021 sq km land: 349,223 sq km water: 7,798 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana Land boundaries: total: 3,621 km border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km Coastline: 2,389 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m Natural resources: coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land Land use: arable land: 33.13% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 66.27% (2005) Irrigated land: 4,850 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding Environment - current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea People Germany Population: 82,422,299 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.1% (male 5,973,437/female 5,665,971) 15-64 years: 66.4% (male 27,889,936/female 26,874,858) 65 years and over: 19.4% (male 6,602,478/female 9,415,619) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 42.6 years male: 41.3 years female: 43.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.02% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.8 years male: 75.81 years female: 81.96 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 43,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: German(s) adjective: German Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish) Religions: Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3% Languages: German Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Germany Country name: conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany conventional short form: Germany local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland local short form: Deutschland former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich Government type: federal republic Capital: name: Berlin geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 13 states (Laender, singular - Land) and 3 free states* (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern*, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen*, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen* Independence: 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991 National holiday: Unity Day, 3 October (1990) Constitution: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990 Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor elections: president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) by a Federal Convention, including all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 22 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Angela MERKEL elected chancellor; vote by Federal Assembly 397 to 202 with 12 abstentions Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (613 seats; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has three to six votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block) elections: Federal Assembly - last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held September 2009); note - there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 54, Greens 51 Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat) Political parties and leaders: Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and Reinhard BUETIKOFER]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Left Party (Linkspartei. was Party of Democratic Socialism) or PDS [Lothar BISKY]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Kurt BECK] Political pressure groups and leaders: business associations, employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups International organization participation: AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Klaus SCHARIOTH chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000 FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William R. TIMKEN, Jr. embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; ground was broken in October 2004 and completion is scheduled for 2008 mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265 telephone: [49] (030) 2385 174 FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215 consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold Economy Germany Economy - overview: Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world - has become one of the slowest growing economies in the euro zone. A quick turnaround is not in the offing in the foreseeable future. Growth in 2001-03 fell short of 1%, rising to 1.7% in 2004 before falling back to 0.9% in 2005. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $70 billion. Germany's aging population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. Structural rigidities in the labor market - including strict regulations on laying off workers and the setting of wages on a national basis - have made unemployment a chronic problem. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow Germany to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are further addressed. In the short run, however, the fall in government revenues and the rise in expenditures have raised the deficit above the EU's 3% debt limit. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.48 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.73 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 0.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $30,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.9% industry: 29.6% services: 69.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 43.32 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 2.8% industry: 33.4% services: 63.8% (1999) Unemployment rate: 11.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 25.1% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 28.3 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 17.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.249 trillion expenditures: $1.362 trillion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 67.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry Industries: among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles Industrial production growth rate: 2.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 558.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 61.8% hydro: 4.2% nuclear: 29.9% other: 4.1% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 510.4 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 54.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 45.4 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 158,700 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 2.677 million bbl/day (2003) Oil - exports: 12,990 bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: 2.135 million bbl/day (2003) Oil - proved reserves: 395.8 million bbl (1 January 2004) Natural gas - production: 22.22 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 93.88 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 7.731 billion cu m (2003) Natural gas - imports: 85.02 billion cu m (2003) Natural gas - proved reserves: 305.8 billion cu m (1 January 2004) Current account balance: $115.5 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $1.016 trillion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles Exports - partners: France 10.2%, US 8.8%, UK 7.9%, Italy 6.9%, Netherlands 6.1%, Belgium 5.6%, Austria 5.4%, Spain 5.1% (2005) Imports: $801 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals Imports - partners: France 8.7%, Netherlands 8.5%, US 6.6%, China 6.4%, UK 6.3%, Italy 5.7%, Belgium 5%, Austria 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $101.7 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.626 trillion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $5.6 billion (1998) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Germany Telephones - main lines in use: 55.046 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 79.2 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign countries international: country code - 49; Germany's international service is excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable facilities as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001) Radio broadcast stations: AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 77.8 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 51.4 million (1998) Internet country code: .de Internet hosts: 11,859,131 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 200 (2001) Internet users: 50.616 million (2006) Transportation Germany Airports: 554 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 332 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 54 1,524 to 2,437 m: 58 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 135 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 222 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 33 under 914 m: 185 (2006) Heliports: 32 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 37 km; gas 25,035 km; oil 3,546 km; refined products 3,827 km (2006) Railways: total: 47,201 km standard gauge: 46,948 km 1.435-m gauge (19,674 km electrified) narrow gauge: 229 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 231,581 km paved: 231,581 km (including 12,200 km of expressways) (2005) Waterways: 7,467 km note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2005) Merchant marine: total: 394 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,017,754 GRT/13,091,194 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 60, chemical tanker 13, container 273, liquefied gas 3, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 25, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 4 (Finland 2, Italy 1, Switzerland 1) registered in other countries: 2,491 (Antigua and Barbuda 858, Australia 3, Bahamas 22, Belize 3, Bermuda 21, Brazil 7, Bulgaria 1, Burma 5, Canada 3, Cayman Islands 13, Cyprus 214, Denmark 13, Dominica 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 108, Guyana 1, Hong Kong 6, Indonesia 1, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 56, Jamaica 3, Liberia 587, Luxembourg 10, Malaysia 2, Malta 64, Marshall Islands 194, Morocco 2, Netherlands 56, Netherlands Antilles 60, NZ 1, Panama 35, Portugal 17, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8, Samoa 1, Singapore 9, Spain 12, Sri Lanka 5, Sweden 3, Turkey 1, UK 76, US 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Duisburg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Mainz, Rostock, Wilhemshaven Military Germany Military branches: Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Service Support Command (Streitkraeftebasis), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,917,537 females age 18-49: 17,913,113 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,258,931 females age 18-49: 14,443,412 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 497,048 females age 18-49: 470,537 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $35.063 billion (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (2003) Transnational Issues Germany Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic drugs; major financial center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Ghana Introduction Ghana Background: Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and a ban on political parties. A new constitution, restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS, head of state since 1981, won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election, succeeded him. Geography Ghana Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 239,460 sq km land: 230,940 sq km water: 8,520 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon Land boundaries: total: 2,094 km border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km Coastline: 539 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone Land use: arable land: 17.54% permanent crops: 9.22% other: 73.24% (2005) Irrigated land: 310 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts Environment - current issues: recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake People Ghana Population: 22,409,572 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.8% (male 4,395,744/female 4,288,720) 15-64 years: 57.7% (male 6,450,828/female 6,483,781) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 371,428/female 419,071) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.9 years male: 19.7 years female: 20.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.07% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 30.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 55.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 59.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 58.87 years male: 58.07 years female: 59.69 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.99 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 30,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Ghanaian(s) adjective: Ghanaian Ethnic groups: African 98.5% (includes Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998) Religions: Christian 63%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 21% Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.8% male: 82.7% female: 67.1% (2003 est.) Government Ghana Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Ghana conventional short form: Ghana former: Gold Coast Government type: constitutional democracy Capital: name: Accra geographic coordinates: 5 33 N, 0 13 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957) Constitution: approved 28 April 1992 Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by Parliament elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 53.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.7% Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200 seats in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 92, other 10 Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: Convention People's Party or CPP [Nii Noi DOWUONA, general secretary]; Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA, chairman]; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTY]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sarpong KUMA-KUMA]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Huudu YAHAYA, general secretary]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Samuel Arthur ODOI-SYKES]; People's Convention Party or PCP [P. K. DONKOH-AYIFI, acting chairman]; People's Heritage Party or PHP [Emmanuel Alexander ERSKINE]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward MAHAMA]; Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU, general secretary] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Fritz Kwabena POKU chancery: 1156 15th St. NW #905, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Carlin YATES embassy: 6th and 10th Lanes, 798/1 Osu, Accra mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra telephone: [233] (21) 775-347, 775-348 FAX: [233] (21) 701-813 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band Economy Ghana Economy - overview: Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 34% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002, but was included in a G-8 debt relief program decided upon at the Gleneagles Summit in July 2005. Priorities under its current $38 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) include tighter monetary and fiscal policies, accelerated privatization, and improvement of social services. Receipts from the gold sector helped sustain GDP growth in 2005 along with record high prices for Ghana's largest cocoa crop to date. Inflation should ease but remains a major internal problem. Ghana also remains a candidate country to benefit from Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) funding that could assist in transforming Ghana's agricultural export sector. A final decision on its MCC bid is expected in spring 2006. GDP (purchasing power parity): $54.86 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $9.413 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 36.6% industry: 24.6% services: 38.7% (2005 est.) Labor force: 10.62 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 60% industry: 15% services: 25% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 20% (1997 est.) Population below poverty line: 31.4% (1992 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 30.1% (1999) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 30 (1999) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 23.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.216 billion expenditures: $3.506 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 75.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.) Electricity - production: 5.356 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 5% hydro: 95% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 5.081 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 400 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 500 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 7,433 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 39,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 8.255 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 23.79 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-790 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.911 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds Exports - partners: Netherlands 12.6%, UK 8.3%, US 6.7%, Belgium 5.8%, France 5.7%, Germany 4.5% (2005) Imports: $4.273 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Nigeria 15.4%, China 12.7%, US 6.4%, UK 5.3%, Netherlands 4.1%, South Africa 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.897 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $6.999 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $6.9 billion (1999) Currency (code): cedi (GHC) Currency code: GHC Exchange rates: cedis per US dollar - 9,072.5 (2005), 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003), 7,932.7 (2002), 7,170.8 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Ghana Telephones - main lines in use: 321,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.842 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: poor to fair system; Internet accessible; many rural communities not yet connected; expansion of services is underway domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed international: country code - 233; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 49, shortwave 3 (2001) Radios: 12.5 million (2001) Television broadcast stations: 10 (2001) Televisions: 1.9 million (2001) Internet country code: .gh Internet hosts: 380 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 12 (2000) Internet users: 401,300 (2005) Transportation Ghana Airports: 12 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Pipelines: oil 13 km; refined products 316 km (2006) Railways: total: 953 km narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 42,623 km paved: 3,267 km unpaved: 39,356 km (2004) Waterways: 1,293 km note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2005) Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 6,308 GRT/9,418 DWT by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Brazil 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Takoradi, Tema Military Ghana Military branches: Ghanaian Army, Ghanaian Navy, Ghanaian Air Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 4,808,451 females age 18-49: 4,762,459 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 3,011,081 females age 18-49: 2,991,551 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 251,056 females age 18-49: 247,777 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $83.65 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.8% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Ghana Disputes - international: Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped fighting in Cote d'Ivoire Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 40,853 (Liberia) (2005) Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US; widespread crime and money laundering problem, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Gibraltar Introduction Gibraltar Background: Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. Although the current 1969 Constitution for Gibraltar states that the British government will never allow the people of Gibraltar to pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes, a series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and 2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltarian Government set up a referendum in late 2002 in which a majority of the citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since the referendum, tripartite talks have been held with Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to allow airlines other than British to serve Gibraltar, to speed up customs procedures, and to add more telephone lines into Gibraltar. Britain agreed to pay pensions to Spaniards who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed in 1969. Spain will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will fly. Geography Gibraltar Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain Geographic coordinates: 36 8 N, 5 21 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 1.2 km border countries: Spain 1.2 km Coastline: 12 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm Climate: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers Terrain: a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant Geography - note: strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea People Gibraltar Population: 27,928 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 2,499/female 2,388) 15-64 years: 66% (male 9,443/female 8,999) 65 years and over: 16.5% (male 2,059/female 2,540) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.8 years male: 39.4 years female: 40.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.14% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.06 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.8 years male: 76.92 years female: 82.83 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Gibraltarian(s) adjective: Gibraltar Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans Religions: Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census) Languages: English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese Literacy: definition: NA total population: above 80% male: NA female: NA Government Gibraltar Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gibraltar Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: NA Capital: name: Gibraltar geographic coordinates: 39 11 N, 5 22 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK) Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain Constitution: 30 May 1969 Legal system: English law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, plus other British citizens who have been residents six months or more Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir Robert FULTON (since 27 October 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, 1 appointed for the Speaker, and 2 ex officio members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held not later than February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal Political parties and leaders: Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO] Political pressure groups and leaders: Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association International organization participation: Interpol (subbureau), UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band Economy Gibraltar Economy - overview: Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment. GDP (purchasing power parity): $769 million (2000 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $27,900 (2000 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: negligible industry: 40% services: 60% Unemployment rate: 2% (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1998) Budget: revenues: $307 million expenditures: $284 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) Agriculture - products: none Industries: tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 106.1 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 98.69 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 23,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $271 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% Exports - partners: UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%, Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2005) Imports: $2.967 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs Imports - partners: Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2005) Debt - external: $NA (2000 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Gibraltar pound (GIP) Currency code: GIP Exchange rates: Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Gibraltar Telephones - main lines in use: 24,512 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 9,797 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities domestic: automatic exchange facilities international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 37,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 10,000 (1997) Internet country code: .gi Internet hosts: 641 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 6,200 (2002) Transportation Gibraltar Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 29 km paved: 29 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 180 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,129,379 GRT/1,437,754 DWT by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 1, cargo 105, chemical tanker 26, container 26, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 165 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Finland 3, France 1, Germany 108, Greece 7, Iceland 1, Ireland 1, Italy 6, Latvia 2, Netherlands 5, Norway 18, Sweden 5, UK 4) (2006) Ports and terminals: Gibraltar Military Gibraltar Military branches: Royal Gibraltar Regiment Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 5,959 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,893 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 187 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last British regular infantry forces left Gibraltar in 1992, replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Transnational Issues Gibraltar Disputes - international: in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement; the government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even greater autonomy This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Greece Introduction Greece Background: Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981 Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the euro zone in 2001. Geography Greece Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 22 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 131,940 sq km land: 130,800 sq km water: 1,140 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alabama Land boundaries: total: 1,228 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km Coastline: 13,676 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m Natural resources: lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential Land use: arable land: 20.45% permanent crops: 8.59% other: 70.96% (2005) Irrigated land: 14,530 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: severe earthquakes Environment - current issues: air pollution; water pollution Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Geography - note: strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands People Greece Population: 10,688,058 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.3% (male 790,291/female 742,902) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 3,562,251/female 3,566,097) 65 years and over: 19% (male 891,620/female 1,134,897) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.8 years male: 39.7 years female: 42 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.18% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.24 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.24 years male: 76.72 years female: 81.91 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.34 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,100 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Greek(s) adjective: Greek Ethnic groups: Greek 98%, Turkish and other 2% note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7% Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.5% male: 98.6% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) People - note: women, men, and children are trafficked to and within Greece for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor Government Greece Country name: conventional long form: Hellenic Republic conventional short form: Greece local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia local short form: Ellas or Ellada former: Kingdom of Greece Government type: parliamentary republic Capital: name: Athens geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos Independence: 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire) National holiday: Independence Day, 25 March (1821) Constitution: 11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001 Legal system: based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Konstandinos (Kostas) KARAMANLIS (since 7 March 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held by February 2010); according to the Greek Constitution, presidents may only serve two terms; president appoints leader of the party securing plurality of vote in election to become prime minister and form a government election results: Karolos PAPOULIAS elected president; number of parlimentary votes, 279 out of 300 Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: elections last held 7 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - ND 45.4%, PASOK 40.6%, KKE 5.9%, Synaspismos 3.3%; seats by party - ND 165, PASOK 117, KKE 12, Synaspismos 6 Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council Political parties and leaders: Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Alekos ALAVANOS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU]; Popular Orthodox Rally or LAOS [Yeoryios KARATZAFERIS] Political pressure groups and leaders: General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Khristos POLYZOGOPOULOS]; Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Odysseas KYRIAKOPOULOS]; Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS] International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alexandros P. MALLIAS chancery: 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-1300 FAX: [1] (202) 939-1324 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tampa consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles P. RIES embassy: 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108 telephone: [30] (210) 721-2951 FAX: [30] (210) 645-6282 consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country Economy Greece Economy - overview: Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP at least 75% of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in menial jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by about 4.0% for the between 2003 and 2005, largely because of an investment boom and infrastructure upgrades for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Economic growth slowed to about 3% in 2005. Greece has not met the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criteria of 3% of GDP since 2000. Public debt, inflation, and unemployment are above the euro-zone average. To overcome these challenges, the Greek Government is expected to continue cutting government spending, reducing the size of the public sector, and reforming the labor and pension systems. GDP (purchasing power parity): $238.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $209.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $22,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.4% industry: 21.3% services: 73.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.72 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 12% industry: 20% services: 68% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 9.9% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 28.3% (1998 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.1 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $94.13 billion expenditures: $103.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 106.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products Industries: tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 54.56 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 94.5% hydro: 3.8% nuclear: 0% other: 1.7% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 53.5 billion kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - exports: 2.1 billion kWh (2002) Electricity - imports: 4.2 billion kWh (2002) Oil - production: 5,805 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 435,700 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 84,720 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 468,300 bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 27 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 2.34 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 2.018 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 991.1 million cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-17.86 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $18.54 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles Exports - partners: Germany 12.4%, Italy 10.4%, UK 6.7%, Bulgaria 5.9%, US 5.3%, Cyprus 5.2%, Turkey 5.1%, France 4.2% (2005) Imports: $48.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals Imports - partners: Germany 12.7%, Italy 12.4%, Russia 7.8%, France 5.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.287 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $75.18 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $8 billion from EU (2000-06) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Greece Telephones - main lines in use: 6.303 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 10.043 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands international: country code - 30; tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 5.02 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995) Televisions: 2.54 million (1997) Internet country code: .gr Internet hosts: 587,717 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 27 (2000) Internet users: 3.8 million (2005) Transportation Greece Airports: 82 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 66 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Heliports: 8 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,166 km; oil 94 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,571 km standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified) narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2005) Roadways: total: 116,470 km paved: 106,920 km (including 880 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,550 km (1999) Waterways: 6 km note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2006) Merchant marine: total: 817 ships (1000 GRT or over) 31,895,832 GRT/54,341,584 DWT by type: bulk carrier 270, cargo 61, chemical tanker 47, container 47, liquefied gas 5, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 114, petroleum tanker 244, roll on/roll off 17, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 24 (Belgium 12, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, UK 9, US 1) registered in other countries: 2,363 (Bahamas 232, Barbados 11, Belgium 4, Belize 2, Bermuda 2, Cambodia 8, Cayman Islands 21, Comoros 10, Cyprus 337, Denmark 5, Dominica 5, Egypt 6, Georgia 8, Gibraltar 7, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 27, Isle of Man 45, Italy 6, Jamaica 6, North Korea 1, Lebanon 3, Liberia 267, Malta 495, Marshall Islands 199, Norway 1, Panama 524, Philippines 5, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 82, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Singapore 9, Slovakia 4, UAE 2, UK 7, Uruguay 1, US 1, Venezuela 3, unknown 7) (2006) Ports and terminals: Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Irakleion, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki Military Greece Military branches: Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Ellinikos Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polimiki Aeroporia, EPA) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 12 months for the Army, Air Force; 15 months for Navy; women are eligible for military service (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,459,988 females age 18-49: 2,442,818 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 2,018,557 females age 18-49: 2,000,650 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 58,399 females age 18-49: 55,571 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $5.89 billion (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.3% (2003) Transnational Issues Greece Disputes - international: Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia Illicit drugs: a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Greenland Introduction Greenland Background: Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute over stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament. The law went into effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs. Geography Greenland Location: Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada Geographic coordinates: 72 00 N, 40 00 W Map references: Arctic Region Area: total: 2,166,086 sq km land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (2000 est.) Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Texas Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 44,087 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line Climate: arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters Terrain: flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m Natural resources: coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island Environment - current issues: protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting Geography - note: dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap People Greenland Population: 56,361 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.5% (male 7,072/female 6,740) 15-64 years: 68.9% (male 20,904/female 17,919) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 1,768/female 1,958) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34 years male: 35.3 years female: 32.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.03% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -8.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.94 years male: 66.36 years female: 73.6 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100 (1999) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Greenlander(s) adjective: Greenlandic Ethnic groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (2000) Religions: Evangelical Lutheran Languages: Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2001 est.) Government Greenland Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Greenland local long form: none local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979 Government type: parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Nuuk (Godthab) geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 44 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Greenland is divided into four time zones Administrative divisions: 3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland), Kitaa (Vestgronland) note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland) National holiday: June 21 (longest day) Constitution: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) Legal system: Danish Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since April 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Hans ENOKSEN (since 14 December 2002) cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the parliament (Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; prime minister is elected by parliament (usually the leader of the majority party); election last held 3 December 2002 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Hans ENOKSEN elected prime minister note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 15 November 2005 (next to be held by December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 30.7%, Demokratiit 22.8%, Inuit Ataqatigiit 22.6%, Atassut Party 19.1%; Katusseqatigiit 4.1%, other 0.7%; seats by party - Siumut 10, Demokratiit 7, Inuit Ataqatigiit 7, Atassut 6, Katusseqatigiit 1 note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit Ataqatigiit 1 Judicial branch: High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen) Political parties and leaders: Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party favoring continuing close relations with Denmark) [Finn KARLSEN]; Demokratiit [Per BERTHELSEN]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood, a leftist party favoring complete independence from Denmark rather than home rule) [Josef MOTZFELDT]; Issituup (Polar Party) [Nicolai HEINRICH]; Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List, an independent right-of-center party with no official platform; Siumut (Forward Party, a social democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy from Denmark) [Hans ENOKSEN] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Arctic Council, NC, NIB, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white Economy Greenland Economy - overview: The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government, which supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly-owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in the economy. Despite several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities, it will take a number of years before production can materialize. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.1 billion (2001 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2001 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $20,000 (2001 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 24,500 (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 10% (2000 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1999 est.) Budget: revenues: $646 million expenditures: $629 million; including capital expenditures of $85 million (1999) Agriculture - products: forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish Industries: fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut); gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining; handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 242.2 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production from fossil fuel to hydropower production (2001) Electricity - consumption: 225.3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 3,850 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $480 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%) Exports - partners: Denmark 62.5%, Japan 12.3%, China 5.3% (2005) Imports: $601 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products Imports - partners: Denmark 66.8%, Sweden 19.3%, Ireland 3.6% (2005) Debt - external: $25 million (1999) Economic aid - recipient: $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1997) Currency (code): Danish krone (DKK) Currency code: DKK Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Greenland Telephones - main lines in use: 25,300 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 32,200 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate domestic and international service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay; totally digitalized in 1995 domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 30,000 (1998 est.) Television broadcast stations: 1 publicly-owned station, some local low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations (1997) Televisions: 30,000 (1998 est.) Internet country code: .gl Internet hosts: 8,851 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 38,000 (2005) Transportation Greenland Airports: 14 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: NA note: while there are short roads in towns, there are no roads between towns; inter-town transport takes place either by sea or air (2005) Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,540 GRT/2,540 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger 2 registered in other countries: 2 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Sisimiut Military Greenland Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 14,653 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 10,199 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 440 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Denmark Transnational Issues Greenland Disputes - international: managed dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Grenada Introduction Grenada Background: Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974 making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year and have continued since that time. Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage. Geography Grenada Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 61 40 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 344 sq km land: 344 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 121 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds Terrain: volcanic in origin with central mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m Natural resources: timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors Land use: arable land: 5.88% permanent crops: 29.41% other: 64.71% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada People Grenada Population: 89,703 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.4% (male 15,097/female 14,820) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 30,106/female 26,764) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,394/female 1,522) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 21.7 years male: 22.1 years female: 21.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.26% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.08 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -12.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 14.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.87 years male: 63.06 years female: 66.68 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.34 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Grenadian(s) adjective: Grenadian Ethnic groups: black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian Religions: Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% Languages: English (official), French patois Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) Government Grenada Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Grenada Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Saint George's geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick Independence: 7 February 1974 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 7 February (1974) Constitution: 19 December 1973 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 27 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NNP 46.65%, NDC 44.12%; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 7 Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned to and resides in Grenada) Political parties and leaders: Good Old Democracy or GOD [Justin MCBURNIE]; Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]; People Labor Movement or PLM [Dr. Francis ALEXIS] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561 FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176 FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820 Flag description: a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag; there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars represent the seven administrative divisions Economy Grenada Economy - overview: Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output. GDP (purchasing power parity): $440 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $454 million GDP - real growth rate: 0.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.4% industry: 18% services: 76.6% (2000) Labor force: 42,300 (1996) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 24% industry: 14% services: 62% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 12.5% (2000) Population below poverty line: 32% (2000) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $85.8 million expenditures: $102.1 million; including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997) Agriculture - products: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables Industries: food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1997 est.) Electricity - production: 159.8 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 148.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $40 million (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace Exports - partners: Saint Lucia 12.1%, US 11.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.2%, Germany 7.9%, Netherlands 7.8%, Saint Kitts & Nevis 7.4%, Dominica 7.4%, UK 6.8%, France 4.2% (2005) Imports: $276 million (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel Imports - partners: Trinidad and Tobago 27.8%, US 27%, UK 6% (2005) Debt - external: $347 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $15.4 million (2004) Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Currency code: XCD Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Grenada Telephones - main lines in use: 32,700 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 43,300 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: country code - 1-473; new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 57,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997) Televisions: 33,000 (1997) Internet country code: .gd Internet hosts: 17 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (2000) Internet users: 19,000 (2005) Transportation Grenada Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,127 km paved: 687 km unpaved: 440 km (1999) Ports and terminals: Saint George's Military Grenada Military branches: no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 24,031 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 17,483 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,274 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Grenada Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Guadeloupe Introduction Guadeloupe Background: Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles and its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe Geography Guadeloupe Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico Geographic coordinates: 16 15 N, 61 35 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 1,780 sq km land: 1,706 sq km water: 74 sq km note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin) Area - comparative: 10 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km Coastline: 306 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity Terrain: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m Natural resources: cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism Land use: arable land: 11.7% permanent crops: 2.92% other: 85.38% (2005) Irrigated land: 60 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: a narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre People Guadeloupe Population: 452,776 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.6% (male 54,725/female 52,348) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 150,934/female 153,094) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 17,353/female 24,322) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 32.2 years male: 31.3 years female: 33.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.88% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 8.41 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.06 years male: 74.91 years female: 81.37 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Guadeloupian(s) adjective: Guadeloupe Ethnic groups: black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% Languages: French (official) 99%, Creole patois Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90% male: 90% female: 90% (1982 est.) Government Guadeloupe Country name: conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: Guadeloupe Dependency status: overseas department of France Government type: NA Capital: name: Basse-Terre geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 61 44 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France) Independence: none (overseas department of France) National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: French legal system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Jacques BROT (since 12 June 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Jacques GILLOT (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Victorin LUREL (since 2 April 2004) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils election results: NA Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held March 2004 (next to be held by in 2010); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008 to elect half of the body) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PS 58.4%, UMP 41.6%; seats by party - PS 29, UMP 12 note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2013); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA, Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1, different right parties 1 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS [Jules OTTO]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Claudine LACAVE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (including Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR) [Gabrielle LOUIS-CARABIN] Political pressure groups and leaders: Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal Movement International organization participation: UPU, WCL, WFTU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of France) Flag description: unofficial, local flag based upon the arms of the city of Pointe-a-Pitre; the field is divided horizontally with a narrow, blue stripe along the top edge charged with three gold fleurs-de-lis; the wider, lower portion of the field is black and charged with green sugar cane leaves - representing one of Guadeloupe's main crops - surmounted by a gold radiant sun representing the tropical climate; the only official flag is the national flag of France Economy Guadeloupe Economy - overview: This Caribbean economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still dependent on imported food, mainly from France. Light industry features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy. GDP (purchasing power parity): $3.513 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,900 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15% industry: 17% services: 68% (2002 est.) Labor force: 191,400 (1999) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 15% industry: 20% services: 65% (2002) Unemployment rate: 26.9% (2003) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Budget: revenues: $637.7 million expenditures: $680.1 million; including capital expenditures of $112.5 million (2002) Agriculture - products: bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats Industries: construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.165 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.084 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 13,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $147.8 million f.o.b. (2002) Exports - commodities: bananas, sugar, rum, melons, spring water Exports - partners: France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (2004) Imports: $1.766 billion c.i.f. (2002) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials Imports - partners: France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (2004) Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 j(2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Guadeloupe Telephones - main lines in use: 210,000 (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: 314,700 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate domestic: NA international: country code - 590; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 113,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 118,000 (1997) Internet country code: .gp Internet hosts: 422 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 79,000 (2005) Transportation Guadeloupe Airports: 9 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 947 km (2002) Ports and terminals: Basse-Terre, Gustavia, Pointe-a-Pitre Military Guadeloupe Military branches: no regular military forces Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 112,551 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 92,834 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 3,364 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Guadeloupe Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Guam Introduction Guam Background: Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installation on the island is one of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific. Geography Guam Location: Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines Geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 144 47 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 541.3 sq km land: 541.3 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: three times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 125.5 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December); little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in center, mountains in south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m Natural resources: fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan) Land use: arable land: 3.64% permanent crops: 18.18% other: 78.18% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December) Environment - current issues: extirpation of native bird population by the rapid proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic, invasive species Geography - note: largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean People Guam Population: 171,019 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29% (male 25,703/female 23,903) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 56,020/female 53,894) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 5,391/female 6,108) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.6 years male: 28.3 years female: 28.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.43% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.79 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.58 years male: 75.52 years female: 81.83 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.58 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Guamanian(s) (US citizens) adjective: Guamanian Ethnic groups: Chamorro 37.1%, Filipino 26.3%, other Pacific islander 11.3%, white 6.9%, other Asian 6.3%, other ethnic origin or race 2.3%, mixed 9.8% (2000 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.) Languages: English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%, other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other languages 3.5% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1990 est.) Government Guam Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Guam conventional short form: Guam local long form: Guahan local short form: Guahan Dependency status: organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior Government type: NA Capital: name: Hagatna (Agana) geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 144 45 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US) Independence: none (territory of the US) National holiday: Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521) Constitution: Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950 Legal system: modeled on US; US federal laws apply Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Felix P. CAMACHO (since 6 January 2003) and Lieutenant Governor Kaleo MOYLAN (since 6 January 2003) cabinet: heads of executive departments; appointed by the governor with the consent of the Guam legislature elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Guam, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term (can serve two consecutive terms, then must wait a full term before running again); election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: Felix P. CAMACHO reelected governor; Dr. Michael W. CRUZ elected lieutenant governor; percent of vote - NA Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 8, Democratic Party 7 note: Guam elects one nonvoting delegate to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); results - Madeleine BORDALLO (Democratic Party) was reelected as delegate; percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 1 Judicial branch: Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president); Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by the governor) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [leader Michael PHILLIPS]; Republican Party (controls the legislature) [leader Philip J. FLORES] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: IOC, SPC, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US) Flag description: territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all four sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse containing a beach scene, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the national flag Economy Guam Economy - overview: The economy depends largely on US military spending and tourism. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement outlays amounted to $1.3 billion in 2004. Over the past 30 years, the tourist industry has grown to become the largest income source following national defense. The Guam economy continues to experience expansion in both its tourism and military sectors. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.773 billion GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $15,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA Labor force: 62,050 (2002 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 26% industry: 10% services: 64% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 11.4% (2002 est.) Population below poverty line: 23% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $319.6 million expenditures: $427.8 million (2002 est.) Agriculture - products: fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef Industries: US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 840.1 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 781.3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 19,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $45 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products; construction materials, fish, food and beverage products Exports - partners: Japan 67.2%, Singapore 11.6%, UK 4.8% (2005) Imports: $701 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods Imports - partners: Singapore 50%, South Korea 21.4%, Japan 14%, Hong Kong 4.6% (2005) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal Treasury ($143 million in 1997) into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam (2001 est.) Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Guam Telephones - main lines in use: 84,134 (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: 98,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system, integrated with US facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service and local access to the Internet international: country code - 1-671; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the US and Asia) Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2006) Radios: 221,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3; 6 (Low Power TV) (2006) Televisions: 106,000 (1997) Internet country code: .gu Internet hosts: 76 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 20 (2000) Internet users: 79,000 (2004) Transportation Guam Airports: 5 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 977 km (2004) Ports and terminals: Apra Harbor Military Guam Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Guam Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Guatemala Introduction Guatemala Background: The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000 people dead and had created some 1 million refugees. Geography Guatemala Location: Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize Geographic coordinates: 15 30 N, 90 15 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 108,890 sq km land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Tennessee Land boundaries: total: 1,687 km border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km Coastline: 400 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m Natural resources: petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower Land use: arable land: 13.22% permanent crops: 5.6% other: 81.18% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,300 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms Environment - current issues: deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: no natural harbors on west coast People Guatemala Population: 12,293,545 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.1% (male 2,573,359/female 2,479,098) 15-64 years: 55.5% (male 3,353,630/female 3,468,184) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 194,784/female 224,490) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.9 years male: 18.5 years female: 19.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.27% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 29.88 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 30.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 33.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.38 years male: 67.65 years female: 71.18 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.82 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 78,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 5,800 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Guatemalan(s) adjective: Guatemalan Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (2001 census) Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs Languages: Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.6% male: 78% female: 63.3% (2003 est.) Government Guatemala Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala conventional short form: Guatemala local long form: Republica de Guatemala local short form: Guatemala Government type: constitutional democratic republic Capital: name: Guatemala geographic coordinates: 14 38 N, 90 31 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last Friday in September; note - there is no DST planned for 2007-2009 Administrative divisions: 22 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Constitution: 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993 Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day) Executive branch: chief of state: President Oscar Jose Rafael BERGER Perdomo (since 14 January 2004); Vice President Eduardo STEIN Barillas (since 14 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Oscar Jose Rafael BERGER Perdomo (since 14 January 2004); Vice President Eduardo STEIN Barillas (since 14 January 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 9 November 2003; runoff held 28 December 2003 (next to be held September 2007) election results: Oscar BERGER Perdomo elected president; percent of vote - Oscar BERGER Perdomo (GANA) 54.1%, Alvarado COLOM (UNE) 45.9% Legislative branch: unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 November 2003 (next to be held September 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GANA 49, FRG 41, UNE 33, PAN 17, other 18 note: for the 9 November 2003 election, the number of congressional seats increased from 113 to 158 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms by Congress, each serving one year as president of the Constitutional Court; one is elected by Congress, one elected by the Supreme Court of Justice, one appointed by the president, one elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, and one by Colegio de Abogados); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a president of the Court each year from among their number; the president of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial judges around the country, who are named to five-year terms) Political parties and leaders: Authentic Integral Development or DIA [Eduardo SUGER]; Grand National Alliance or GANA (an alliance of smaller parties) [Alfredo VILA Giron, secretary general]; Green Party or LOV [Rodolfo ROSALES Garcis-Salaz]; Guatemalan Christian Democracy or DCG [Vinicio CEREZO Arevalo]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Alba ESTELA Maldonado, secretary general]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; Movement for Guatemalan Unity or MGU [Jacobo ARBENZ Villanueva]; Movement for Principals and Values or MPV [Francisco BIANCHI]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Leonel LOPEZ Rodas, secretary general]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvarado COLOM Caballeros]; New Nation Alliance or ANN (formed by an alliance of DIA, URNG, and several splinter groups most of whom subsequently defected) [led by three co-equal partners - Nineth Varenca MONTENEGRO Cottom, Rodolfo BAUER Paiz, and Jorge Antonio BALSELLS TUT]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina]; Progressive Liberator Party or PLP [Acisclo VALLADARES Molina]; Reform Movement or MR [Alfredo SKINNER-KLEE, secretary general]; Unionista Party Political pressure groups and leaders: Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Guillermo CASTILLO chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952 FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Providence, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James M. DERHAM embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 2326-4000 FAX: [502] 2326-4654 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed by a wreath Economy Guatemala Economy - overview: Guatemala is the largest and most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. The 1996 signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, but widespread political violence and corruption scandals continue to dampen investor confidence. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with perhaps 75% of the population below the poverty line. Other ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, upgrading both government and private financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking, and narrowing the trade deficit. GDP (purchasing power parity): $56.86 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $26.98 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22.7% industry: 18.8% services: 58.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 3.76 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 50% industry: 15% services: 35% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.5% (2003 est.) Population below poverty line: 75% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 46% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 48.3 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 15.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.374 billion expenditures: $4.041 billion; including capital expenditures of $750 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens Industries: sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (1999) Electricity - production: 6.898 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 51.9% hydro: 35.2% nuclear: 0% other: 12.9% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 6.025 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 425 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 35 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 22,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 66,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 3,104 bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 263 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 3.087 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-1.341 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $3.94 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom Exports - partners: US 50.1%, El Salvador 12.1%, Honduras 7.3%, Mexico 4% (2005) Imports: $7.744 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity Imports - partners: US 38.1%, Mexico 7.6%, El Salvador 4.8%, South Korea 4.8%, Panama 4.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.673 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5.503 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $250 million (2000 est.) Currency (code): quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed Currency code: GTQ; USD Exchange rates: quetzales per US dollar - 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003), 7.8217 (2002), 7.8586 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Guatemala Telephones - main lines in use: 1,132,100 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,168,300 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala domestic: NA international: country code - 502; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000) Radios: 835,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 1.323 million (1997) Internet country code: .gt Internet hosts: 49,026 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000) Internet users: 756,000 (2005) Transportation Guatemala Airports: 450 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 439 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 111 under 914 m: 319 (2006) Pipelines: oil 480 km (2006) Railways: total: 886 km narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 14,095 km paved: 4,863 km (including 75 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,232 km (1999) Waterways: 990 km note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2004) Ports and terminals: Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla Military Guatemala Military branches: Army, Navy (includes marines), Air Force Military service age and obligation: all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable for military service; conscript service obligation varies from 12 to 24 months (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,429,033 females age 18-49: 2,503,482 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,911,412 females age 18-49: 2,070,806 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 134,032 females age 18-49: 130,641 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $169.8 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Guatemala Disputes - international: Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the rain forests of Belize's border region; Organization of American States (OAS) is attempting to revive the 2002 failed Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, a joint ecological park for the disputed Sapodilla Cays, and a substantial US-UK financial package; Guatemalans enter Mexico illegally seeking work or transit to the US Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 250,000 (government's scorched-earth offensive in 1980s against indigenous people) 30,000 (Hurricane "Stan" October 2005) (2005) Illicit drugs: major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2004, reemerged as a potential source of opium, growing 330 hectares of opium poppy, with potential pure heroin production of 1.4 metric tons; 76% of opium poppy cultivation in western highlands along Mexican border; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Guernsey Introduction Guernsey Background: The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Guernsey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. Geography Guernsey Location: Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France Geographic coordinates: 49 28 N, 2 35 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 78 sq km land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands Area - comparative: about one-half the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 50 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Climate: temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast Terrain: mostly level with low hills in southwest Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m Natural resources: cropland Land use: arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port People Guernsey Population: 65,409 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15% (male 4,998/female 4,842) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 21,752/female 22,170) 65 years and over: 17.8% (male 4,926/female 6,721) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 41.3 years male: 40.4 years female: 42.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.26% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.01 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 3.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.42 years male: 77.41 years female: 83.53 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other European countries Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist Languages: English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Government Guernsey Country name: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey conventional short form: Guernsey Dependency status: British crown dependency Government type: NA Capital: name: Saint Peter Port geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint Saviour, Torteval, Vale Independence: none (British crown dependency) National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice Legal system: English law and local statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Fabian MALBON (since 28 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Laurie MORGAN (since 1 May 2004) cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Delibertion election results: Laurie MORGAN elected chief minister, percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA Legislative branch: unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote for four years); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents Judicial branch: Royal Court Political parties and leaders: none; all independents Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown dependency) Flag description: white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross Economy Guernsey Economy - overview: Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.59 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2003 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $40,000 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) Labor force: 32,290 (2001) Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1999 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.9% (2004 est.) Budget: revenues: $539.2 million expenditures: $448.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002) Agriculture - products: tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle Industries: tourism, banking Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002) Exports: $NA Exports - commodities: tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables Exports - partners: UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2004) Imports: $NA Imports - commodities: coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment Imports - partners: UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound Currency code: GBP Exchange rates: Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Guernsey Telephones - main lines in use: 55,100 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 43,800 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .gg Internet hosts: 1,245 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: 36,000 (2005) Transportation Guernsey Airports: 2 (one on Alderney) (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: NA Ports and terminals: Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson Military Guernsey Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Guernsey Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Guinea Introduction Guinea Background: Guinea has had only two presidents since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003. Unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia has spilled over into Guinea on several occasions over the past decade, threatening stability and creating humanitarian emergencies. Geography Guinea Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N, 10 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 245,857 sq km land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon Land boundaries: total: 3,399 km border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km Coastline: 320 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds Terrain: generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m Natural resources: bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt Land use: arable land: 4.47% permanent crops: 2.64% other: 92.89% (2005) Irrigated land: 950 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season Environment - current issues: deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands People Guinea Population: 9,690,222 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.4% (male 2,171,733/female 2,128,027) 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 2,541,140/female 2,542,847) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 134,239/female 172,236) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.7 years male: 17.4 years female: 17.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.63% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 41.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 15.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: as a result of conflict in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 141,500 refugees from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 90 deaths/1,000 live births male: 95.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 84.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.5 years male: 48.34 years female: 50.7 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 140,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 9,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005) Nationality: noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean Ethnic groups: Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% Religions: Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% Languages: French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 35.9% male: 49.9% female: 21.9% (1995 est.) Government Guinea Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Guinea conventional short form: Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea Government type: republic Capital: name: Conakry geographic coordinates: 9 31 N, 13 43 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka, Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane, Kindia, Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Lelouma, Lola, Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri, Telimele, Tougue, Yomou Independence: 2 October 1958 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 2 October (1958) Constitution: 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) Legal system: based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993) head of government: vacant; note - Prime Minister Cellou Dalein DIALLO was dismissed on 5 April 2006 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president; election last held 21 December 2003 (next to be held December 2010); the prime minister is appointed by the president election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE (PUP) 95.3%, Mamadou Boye BARRY (UPR) 4.6% Legislative branch: unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA [El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY]; Party for Unity and Progress or PUP [Lansana CONTE] (the governing party); People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Mamadou BA]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Ousmane BAH] Political pressure groups and leaders: Student and teacher unions International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ibrihama Sory TRAORE chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 478-3800 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jackson C. MCDONALD embassy: Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle mailing address: B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry telephone: [224] 30-42-08-61 FAX: [224] 30-42-08-73 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Guinea Economy - overview: Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for over 70% of exports in 2004. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders, as well as refugee movements, have caused major economic disruptions, aggravating a loss in investor confidence. Panic buying has created food shortages and inflation and caused riots in local markets. Guinea is not receiving multilateral aid; the IMF and World Bank cut off most assistance in 2003. Growth rose slightly in 2005, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets. GDP (purchasing power parity): $18.65 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $3.576 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.7% industry: 36.2% services: 40.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 3 million (1999) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 40% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 32% (1994) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40.3 (1994) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 17.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $305.6 million expenditures: $590.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber Industries: bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries Industrial production growth rate: NA Electricity - production: 775 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 45.5% hydro: 54.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 720.8 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 8,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-268.4 million (2005 est.) Exports: $612.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products Exports - partners: Russia 14.6%, South Korea 11.3%, Spain 10.2%, Ukraine 7.9%, US 6.1%, Ireland 6%, France 5.7%, Germany 5%, Belgium 4.5% (2005) Imports: $680 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs Imports - partners: China 8.5%, US 7.3%, France 7.2%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.2%, Italy 4.7%, Belgium 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $69.83 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.46 billion (2003 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $237.5 million (2003) Currency (code): Guinean franc (GNF) Currency code: GNF Exchange rates: Guinean francs per US dollar - 2,550 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003), 1,975.8 (2002), 1,950.6 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Guinea Telephones - main lines in use: 26,200 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 189,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001) Radios: 357,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 6 low-power stations (2001) Televisions: 85,000 (1997) Internet country code: .gn Internet hosts: 367 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2001) Internet users: 46,000 (2005) Transportation Guinea Airports: 16 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Railways: total: 837 km standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 44,348 km paved: 4,342 km unpaved: 40,006 km (2003) Waterways: 1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005) Ports and terminals: Kamsar Military Guinea Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,852,534 females age 18-49: 1,827,560 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,034,006 females age 18-49: 1,032,885 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $119.7 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.9% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Guinea Disputes - international: conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in domestic instability; Sierra Leone has pressured Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga, occupied since 1998 Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 127,256 (Liberia) 7,165 (Sierra Leone) 7,064 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 82,000 (cross-border incursions from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Guinea-Bissau Introduction Guinea-Bissau Background: Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In August 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president in the second round of presidential polling. Since formally assuming office in October 2005, Vieira has pledged to pursue economic development and national reconciliation. Geography Guinea-Bissau Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal Geographic coordinates: 12 00 N, 15 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 36,120 sq km land: 28,000 sq km water: 8,120 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut Land boundaries: total: 724 km border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km Coastline: 350 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds Terrain: mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m Natural resources: fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum Land use: arable land: 8.31% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 84.77% (2005) Irrigated land: 250 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland People Guinea-Bissau Population: 1,442,029 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.4% (male 297,623/female 298,942) 15-64 years: 55.6% (male 384,559/female 417,811) 65 years and over: 3% (male 18,048/female 25,046) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19 years male: 18.4 years female: 19.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.07% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 37.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 16.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 105.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 115.53 deaths/1,000 live births female: 94.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.87 years male: 45.05 years female: 48.75 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 10% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 17,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,200 (2001 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean Ethnic groups: African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% Languages: Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.4% male: 58.1% female: 27.4% (2003 est.) Government Guinea-Bissau Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau local short form: Guine-Bissau former: Portuguese Guinea Government type: republic Capital: name: Bissau geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos Independence: 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal) National holiday: Independence Day, 24 September (1973) Constitution: 16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, NA 1996 Legal system: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Aristides GOMES (since 2 November 2005) cabinet: NA elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malan Bacai SANHA 47.6% Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a maximum of four years) elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%, PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%; seats by party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases) Political parties and leaders: African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Democratic Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Alberto NAMBEIA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Francisco Jose FADUL] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC; Guinea-Bissau's representative in Washington is Henrique Adriano DA SILVA, P.O. Box 33813, Washington, DC 20033, telephone: (301)947-3958 Diplomatic representation from the US: the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Guinea-Bissau Economy - overview: One of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. However, offshore oil prospecting has begun and could lead to much-needed revenue in the long run. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government and international donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a lamentably low base. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total national budget. Government drift and indecision, however, have resulted in continued low growth in 2002-05. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.171 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $280 million (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 62% industry: 12% services: 26% (1999 est.) Labor force: 480,000 (1999) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 82% industry and services: 18% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 42.4% (1991) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2002 est.) Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Agriculture - products: rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish Industries: agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks Industrial production growth rate: 4.7% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 56 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 52.08 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 2,450 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $116 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber Exports - partners: India 72%, Nigeria 17.1%, Ecuador 4% (2005) Imports: $176 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products Imports - partners: Italy 25.3%, Senegal 18.6%, Portugal 15.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.3% (2005) Debt - external: $941.5 million (2000 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $115.4 million (1995) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Currency code: XOF; GWP Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Guinea-Bissau Telephones - main lines in use: 10,600 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 67,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: small system domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications international: country code - 245 Radio broadcast stations: AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002) Radios: 49,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: NA (2005) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .gw Internet hosts: 5 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2002) Internet users: 26,000 (2005) Transportation Guinea-Bissau Airports: 28 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Roadways: total: 4,400 km paved: 453 km unpaved: 3,947 km (1999) Waterways: four largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2006) Ports and terminals: Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim Military Guinea-Bissau Military branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 287,542 females age 18-49: 297,295 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 152,681 females age 18-49: 161,033 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9.46 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Guinea-Bissau Disputes - international: attempts to stem refugees and cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and political instability from a separatist movement in Senegal's Casamance region This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Guyana Introduction Guyana Background: Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Jane JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001. Geography Guyana Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela Geographic coordinates: 5 00 N, 59 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 214,970 sq km land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Idaho Land boundaries: total: 2,462 km border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km Coastline: 459 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) Terrain: mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m Natural resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish Land use: arable land: 2.23% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 97.63% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,500 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons Environment - current issues: water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively People Guyana Population: 767,245 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.2% (male 102,551/female 98,772) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 265,193/female 260,892) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 17,043/female 22,794) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.4 years male: 26.9 years female: 27.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.25% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.28 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -7.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 32.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 35.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.86 years male: 63.21 years female: 68.65 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.04 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.5% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 11,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Guyanese (singular and plural) adjective: Guyanese Ethnic groups: East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7% Religions: Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5% Languages: English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98.8% male: 99.1% female: 98.5% (2003 est.) Government Guyana Country name: conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana Government type: republic Capital: name: Georgetown geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Independence: 26 May 1966 (from UK) National holiday: Republic Day, 23 February (1970) Constitution: 6 October 1980 Legal system: based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN and reelected in 2001, and again in 2006 head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992, except for a period as chief of state after the death of President Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (65 members elected by popular vote, also not more than four non-elected non-voting ministers and two non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%, AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE] Political pressure groups and leaders: Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana Bar Association; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades Union Congress International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David M. ROBINSON embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170 telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497 Flag description: green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green Economy Guyana Economy - overview: The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Growth slowed in 2003 and came back gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings; it slowed again in 2005. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization. Export earnings from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 might broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector. GDP (purchasing power parity): $3.439 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $782 million (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: -3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 37% industry: 20.3% services: 42.7% (2005 est.) Labor force: 418,000 (2001 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 9.1% (understated) (2000) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 34.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $320.1 million expenditures: $362.6 million; including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish, shrimp Industries: bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 779 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 724.5 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 11,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-112 million (2005 est.) Exports: $587.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber Exports - partners: Canada 18.9%, US 18.9%, UK 11.7%, Portugal 8.1%, Jamaica 5.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.2% (2005) Imports: $681.6 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food Imports - partners: US 26.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.9%, Cuba 6.6%, UK 5%, China 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $261 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.2 billion (2002) Economic aid - recipient: $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) Currency (code): Guyanese dollar (GYD) Currency code: GYD Exchange rates: Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003), 190.67 (2002), 187.32 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Guyana Telephones - main lines in use: 110,100 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 281,400 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: fair system for long-distance service domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 420,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997) Televisions: 46,000 (1997) Internet country code: .gy Internet hosts: 1,046 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 160,000 (2005) Transportation Guyana Airports: 90 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 81 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 65 (2006) Railways: total: 187 km standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.) Roadways: total: 7,970 km paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (1999) Waterways: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2005) Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,461 GRT/15,155 DWT by type: cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) registered in other countries: 4 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Georgetown Military Guyana Military branches: Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 206,098 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 137,964 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $6.48 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Guyana Disputes - international: all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Haiti Introduction Haiti Background: The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the departure of President Jean-Betrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays have prompted repeated postponements, and Haiti missed the constitutionally-mandated presidential inauguration date of 7 February 2006. Geography Haiti Location: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N, 72 25 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 27,750 sq km land: 27,560 sq km water: 190 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km Coastline: 1,771 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation Climate: tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds Terrain: mostly rough and mountainous Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m Natural resources: bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower Land use: arable land: 28.11% permanent crops: 11.53% other: 60.36% (2005) Irrigated land: 920 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes Geography - note: shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic) People Haiti Population: 8,308,504 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 1,770,523/female 1,749,853) 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 2,201,957/female 2,301,886) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 125,298/female 158,987) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.2 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.3% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 36.44 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 71.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 78.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 65.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.23 years male: 51.89 years female: 54.6 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.94 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.6% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 280,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 24,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Haitian(s) adjective: Haitian Ethnic groups: black 95%, mulatto and white 5% Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% note: roughly half of the population practices Voodoo Languages: French (official), Creole (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.9% male: 54.8% female: 51.2% (2003 est.) Government Haiti Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Haiti conventional short form: Haiti local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti local short form: Haiti/Ayiti Government type: elected government Capital: name: Port-au-Prince geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est Independence: 1 January 1804 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1804) Constitution: approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution remains technically in force but has not been observed since Aristide's departure in 2004 Legal system: based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since 30 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene PREVAL 51% Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two years elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be determined (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be determined (next regular election to be held in 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, OPL 4, FL 3, FUSION 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, ALYANS 1, PONT 1, 3 seats subject to run-off election; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 19, FUSION 15, ALYANS 10, OPL 8, FL 6, UNCRH 6, MPH 4, RDNP 4, LAAA 3,KONBA 3, FRN 1, MOCHRENHA 1, MRN 1, Tet-Ansanm 1, MIRN 1, JPDN 1, UNITE 1, PLH 1, 13 seats subject to run-off election Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation Political parties and leaders: Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or ALYANS (coalition composed of KID and PPRH) [Evans PAUL]; Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or L'ESPWA (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest) [Rene PREVAL]; Grand Center Right Front coalition (composed of MDN, MRN, and PDCH) [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]; Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH (merged Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements) [Serge GILLES]; Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN and Daniel SUPPLICE]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union for Haiti or UPH (coalition of MIDH and FL) [Marc BAZIN]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE] Political pressure groups and leaders: Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA; Group of 184 Civil Society Organizations, or G-184 [Andy APAID]; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church; Protestant Federation of Haiti International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH (as of October 2005) chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090 FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON embassy: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Bicentenaire-Port-au-Prince mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince telephone: [509] 222-0200 FAX: [509] 223-9038 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength) Economy Haiti Economy - overview: In this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. The economy grew 1.5% in 2005, the highest growth rate since 1999. Haiti suffers from rampant inflation, a lack of investment, and a severe trade deficit. In early 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The government is reliant on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP in 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $13.97 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.321 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 28% industry: 20% services: 52% (2004 est.) Labor force: 3.6 million note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 66% industry: 9% services: 25% Unemployment rate: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.) Population below poverty line: 80% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 27.4% of GDP (2004 est.) Budget: revenues: $400 million expenditures: $600.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood Industries: sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly industries based on imported parts Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 546 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 60.3% hydro: 39.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 507.8 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 11,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $23 million (2005 est.) Exports: $390.7 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes Exports - partners: US 80.8%, Dominican Republic 6.9%, Canada 4% (2005) Imports: $1.471 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials Imports - partners: US 49.3%, Netherlands Antilles 12%, Colombia 3.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $100 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.313 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $153 million (FY05 est.) Currency (code): gourde (HTG) Currency code: HTG Exchange rates: gourdes per US dollar - 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003), 29.251 (2002), 24.429 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Haiti Telephones - main lines in use: 140,000 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 400,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999) Radios: 415,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997) Televisions: 38,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ht Internet hosts: 6 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 500,000 (2005) Transportation Haiti Airports: 12 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Roadways: total: 4,160 km paved: 1,011 km unpaved: 3,149 km (1999) Ports and terminals: Cap-Haitien Military Haiti Military branches: the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are constitutionally abolished Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary recruitment into the police force (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,626,491 females age 18-49: 1,637,657 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 948,320 females age 18-49: 931,972 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 98,554 females age 18-49: 97,690 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $25.96 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Haiti Disputes - international: since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians fleeing economic privation and civil unrest continue to cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island Illicit drugs: Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Heard Island and McDonald Islands Introduction Heard Island and McDonald Islands Background: These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve. Geography Heard Island and McDonald Islands Location: islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica Geographic coordinates: 53 06 S, 72 31 E Map references: Antarctic Region Area: total: 412 sq km land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 101.9 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: antarctic Terrain: Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island Environment - current issues: NA People Heard Island and McDonald Islands Population: uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Government Heard Island and McDonald Islands Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands abbreviation: HIMI Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage Legal system: the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia) Flag description: the flag of Australia is used Economy Heard Island and McDonald Islands Economy - overview: No indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing around the islands. Communications Heard Island and McDonald Islands Internet country code: .hm Transportation Heard Island and McDonald Islands Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Heard Island and McDonald Islands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols Transnational Issues Heard Island and McDonald Islands Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Holy See (Vatican City) Introduction Holy See (Vatican City) Background: Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the Middle East, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith. Geography Holy See (Vatican City) Location: Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) Geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) Terrain: urban; low hill Elevation extremes: lowest point: unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification Geography - note: landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence) People Holy See (Vatican City) Population: 932 (July 2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.01% (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: none adjective: none Ethnic groups: Italians, Swiss, other Religions: Roman Catholic Languages: Italian, Latin, French, various other languages Literacy: definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Government Holy See (Vatican City) Country name: conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano) Government type: ecclesiastical Capital: name: Vatican City geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none Independence: 11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century National holiday: Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005) Constitution: new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929) Legal system: based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old Executive branch: chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006) cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI Legislative branch: unicameral Pontifical Commission Judicial branch: there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946 Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers) International organization participation: CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WToO (observer), WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Francis ROONEY embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346 Flag description: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band Economy Holy See (Vatican City) Economy - overview: This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual contribution from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world (known as Peter's Pence); by the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by the sale of publications. Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. GDP (purchasing power parity): $NA Labor force: NA Labor force - by occupation: note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican Population below poverty line: NA% Budget: revenues: $245.2 million expenditures: $260.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002) Industries: printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - exports: 0 kWh Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy Economic aid - recipient: $0 Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Holy See (Vatican City) Telephones - main lines in use: 5,120 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: general assessment: automatic digital exchange domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network international: country code - 39; uses Italian system Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 1 (2005) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .va Internet hosts: 45 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: 93 (2000) Military Holy See (Vatican City) Military branches: Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard Transnational Issues Holy See (Vatican City) Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Honduras Introduction Honduras Background: Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. Geography Honduras Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 86 30 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee Land boundaries: total: 1,520 km border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km Coastline: 820 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains Terrain: mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m Natural resources: timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower Land use: arable land: 9.53% permanent crops: 3.21% other: 87.26% (2005) Irrigated land: 800 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast Environment - current issues: urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast People Honduras Population: 7,326,496 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.9% (male 1,491,170/female 1,429,816) 15-64 years: 56.7% (male 2,076,727/female 2,077,975) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 113,747/female 137,061) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.5 years male: 19.1 years female: 19.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.16% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 28.24 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 25.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.33 years male: 67.75 years female: 70.98 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.59 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.8% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 63,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Honduran(s) adjective: Honduran Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% Languages: Spanish, Amerindian dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.2% male: 76.1% female: 76.3% (2003 est.) Government Honduras Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Honduras conventional short form: Honduras local long form: Republica de Honduras local short form: Honduras Government type: democratic constitutional republic Capital: name: Tegucigalpa geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these new dates become effective in 2007 Administrative divisions: 18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Constitution: 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995 Legal system: rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); First Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006); Second Vice President (vacant); Third Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); First Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006); Second Vice President (vacant); Third Vice President (vacant) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (PL) elected president - 49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa (PN) 46.1%, other 4.1% Legislative branch: unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 62, PN 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Saul ESCOBAR Andrade]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Matias FUNES]; Liberal Party or PL [Patricia RODAS]; National Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Olban F. VALLADARES]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Gilberto GOLDSTEIN] Political pressure groups and leaders: Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH; National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto FLORES Bermudez chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. FORD embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa telephone: [504] 236-9320, 238-5114 FAX: [504] 236-9037 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with five blue, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band; the stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a triangle encircled by the word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band Economy Honduras Economy - overview: Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, and began a three-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PGRF) program in February 2004. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest trading partner, on continued exports of non-traditional agricultural products (such as melons, chiles, tilapia, and shrimp), and on reduction of the high crime rate. GDP (purchasing power parity): $20.61 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $7.812 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13.9% industry: 31.2% services: 54.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.54 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 34% industry: 21% services: 45% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 28% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 53% (1993 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.6% highest 10%: 42.7% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 55 (1999) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 23.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.693 billion expenditures: $1.938 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 68.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp Industries: sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products Industrial production growth rate: 7.7% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 4.338 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 50.2% hydro: 49.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 4.369 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 335 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 37,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-42.3 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.726 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber Exports - partners: US 73.2%, Guatemala 2.9%, El Salvador 2.9% (2005) Imports: $4.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000) Imports - partners: US 53.1%, Guatemala 6.5%, El Salvador 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.339 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5.795 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $557.8 million (1999) Currency (code): lempira (HNL) Currency code: HNL Exchange rates: lempiras per US dollar - 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003), 16.433 (2002), 15.474 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Honduras Telephones - main lines in use: 494,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.282 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate system domestic: NA international: country code - 504; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System Radio broadcast stations: AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998) Radios: 2.45 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 570,000 (1997) Internet country code: .hn Internet hosts: 3,973 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000) Internet users: 223,000 (2005) Transportation Honduras Airports: 116 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 105 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 84 (2006) Railways: total: 699 km narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 13,603 km paved: 2,775 km unpaved: 10,828 km (1999) Waterways: 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 136 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,984 GRT/557,179 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 61, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 29, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 43 (Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 4, Greece 3, Hong Kong 2, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Mexico 1, Qatar 1, Singapore 11, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, US 1, Vietnam 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela Military Honduras Military branches: Army, Navy (includes naval infantry), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary two-three year military service (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,537,232 females age 18-49: 1,515,120 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,100,991 females age 18-49: 1,121,649 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 82,105 females age 18-49: 78,971 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $52.8 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.55% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Honduras Disputes - international: in 1992, International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border, but despite Organization of American States (OAS) intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcation of the border remains stalled; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJ ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize, but agreed to creation of a joint ecological park and Guatemalan corridor in the Caribbean in the failed 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum, which the OAS is attempting to revive; Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over a complex dispute over islands and maritime boundaries in the Caribbean Sea Illicit drugs: transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering activity This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Hong Kong Introduction Hong Kong Background: Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. Geography Hong Kong Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China Geographic coordinates: 22 15 N, 114 10 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 1,092 sq km land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km Area - comparative: six times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 30 km regional border: China 30 km Coastline: 733 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm Climate: subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall Terrain: hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m Natural resources: outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar Land use: arable land: 5.05% permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (2001) Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1998 est.) Natural hazards: occasional typhoons Environment - current issues: air and water pollution from rapid urbanization Environment - international agreements: party to: Marine Dumping (associate member) Geography - note: more than 200 islands People Hong Kong Population: 6,940,432 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 13.5% (male 488,607/female 445,593) 15-64 years: 73.7% (male 2,495,679/female 2,620,336) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 413,031/female 477,186) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.7 years male: 40.4 years female: 40.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.59% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 7.29 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 4.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 2.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.13 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.59 years male: 78.9 years female: 84.5 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 0.95 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,600 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Chinese/Hong Konger adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong Ethnic groups: Chinese 95%, other 5% Religions: eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% Languages: Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002) Government Hong Kong Country name: conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conventional short form: Hong Kong local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu local short form: Xianggang abbreviation: HK Dependency status: special administrative region of China Government type: limited democracy Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of China) Independence: none (special administrative region of China) National holiday: National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Constitution: Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies Executive branch: chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005) cabinet: Executive Council consists of 14 official members and 15 non-official members elections: previous chief executive TUNG Chee-hwa was elected to second five-year term in March 2002 by 800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing forces, resignation accepted 12 March 2005; Donald TSANG acted as chief executive between 12 March 2005 and 25 May 2005; Henry TANG acted as chief executive between 25 May 2005 and 24 June 2005; TSANG was elected on 16 June 2005 to fill final two years of TUNG's term (next election to be held in March 2007) Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004 30 seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy group 62%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10, independents 11, FTU 1; (pro-democracy 25) independents 11, Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1; non-voting LEGCO president 1 Judicial branch: Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Political parties and leaders: Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [MA Lik]; Democratic Party [LEE Wing-tat]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun] note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party Political pressure groups and leaders: Article 45 Concern Group (pro-democracy); Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president]; Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC (pro-democracy); The Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member] International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: none (special administrative region of China) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul General James B. CUNNINGHAM consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006 telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852] 2845-1598 Flag description: red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center Economy Hong Kong Economy - overview: Hong Kong has a free market, entrepot economy, highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Gross imports and exports (i.e., including reexports to and from third countries) each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997, it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kong has been further integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness to the world economy has made manufacturing in China much more cost effective. Hong Kong's reexport business to and from China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP is comparable to that of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2005, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past eight years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 and the global downturn in 2001-2002. Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 also battered Hong Kong's economy, a solid rise in exports, a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's easing of travel restrictions, and a return of consumer confidence resulted in the resumption of strong growth from late 2003 through 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $234.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $172.6 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $34,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.1% industry: 9.2% services: 90.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 3.61 million (October 2005) Labor force - by occupation: manufacturing 7.5%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.9%, financing, insurance, and real estate 19.6%, transport and communications 7.1%, community and social services 18.8% note: above data exclude public sector (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 43.4 (1996) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $31.31 billion expenditures: $32.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 1.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish Industries: textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks Industrial production growth rate: -0.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 37.3 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 39.22 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 3.086 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 9.84 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 293,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m NA cu m Natural gas - consumption: 692.2 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 71.15 million cu m (2004 est.) Current account balance: $19.7 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $286.3 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material Exports - partners: China 45%, US 16.1%, Japan 5.3% (2005) Imports: $291.6 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported) Imports - partners: China 45%, Japan 11%, Taiwan 7.2%, Singapore 5.8%, US 5.1%, South Korea 4.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $124.3 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $72.04 billion (2005 est.) Currency (code): Hong Kong dollar (HKD) Currency code: HKD Exchange rates: Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002), 7.7988 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Hong Kong Telephones - main lines in use: 3,794,600 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 8.693 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network international: country code - 852; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 4.45 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 55 low power stations note: two TV networks, each one broadcasting on two channels (2006) Televisions: 1.84 million (1997) Internet country code: .hk Internet hosts: 800,834 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 17 (2000) Internet users: 4,878,713 (2005) Transportation Hong Kong Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,955 km paved: 1,955 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 924 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,838,025 GRT/51,957,682 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 495, cargo 121, chemical tanker 44, container 133, liquefied gas 22, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 76, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 8 foreign-owned: 562 (Australia 1, Belgium 3, Canada 28, China 274, Denmark 6, Germany 6, Greece 27, Indonesia 4, Japan 67, South Korea 6, Norway 26, Philippines 16, Portugal 1, Singapore 24, Syria 1, Taiwan 6, UAE 2, UK 43, US 21) registered in other countries: 417 (Bahamas 8, Belize 8, Bermuda 10, Cambodia 15, China 7, Cyprus 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Greece 1, Honduras 2, India 1, Liberia 37, Malaysia 14, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 7, Norway 55, Panama 169, Philippines 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 50, Taiwan 3, Tuvalu 8, unknown 7) (2006) Ports and terminals: Hong Kong Military Hong Kong Military branches: no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,743,972 females age 18-49: 1,904,967 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,403,088 females age 18-49: 1,527,278 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 40,343 females age 18-49: 38,234 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: Hong Kong garrison is funded by China; figures are NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: defense is the responsibility of China Transnational Issues Hong Kong Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: makes strenuous law enforcement efforts, but faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Hungary Introduction Hungary Background: Hungary was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "Goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004. Geography Hungary Location: Central Europe, northwest of Romania Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 20 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 93,030 sq km land: 92,340 sq km water: 690 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana Land boundaries: total: 2,171 km border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border Elevation extremes: lowest point: Tisza River 78 m highest point: Kekes 1,014 m Natural resources: bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land Land use: arable land: 49.58% permanent crops: 2.06% other: 48.36% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,300 sq km (2003) Environment - current issues: the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet EU requirements will require large investments Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions People Hungary Population: 9,981,334 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.6% (male 799,163/female 755,389) 15-64 years: 69.2% (male 3,403,375/female 3,505,640) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 550,297/female 967,470) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.7 years male: 36.3 years female: 41.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.25% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 13.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 8.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.66 years male: 68.45 years female: 77.14 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.32 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,800 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian Ethnic groups: Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census) Languages: Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.) Government Hungary Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Hungary conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Budapest geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 22 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros) counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg capital city: Budapest Independence: 1001 (unification by King Stephen I) National holiday: Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August Constitution: 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system Legal system: rule of law based on Western model; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Laszlo SOLYOM (since 5 August 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29 September 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6-7 June 2005 (next to be held by June 2010); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004 election results: Laszlo SOLYOM elected president by a simple majority in the third round of voting, 185 to 182; Ferenc GYURCSANY elected prime minister; result of legislative vote - 197 to 12 note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 and 23 April 2006 (next to be held April 2010) election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - MSzP 43.2%, Fidesz-KDNP 42%, SzDSz 6.5%, MDF 5%, other 3.3%; seats by party - MSzP 190, Fidesz 141, KDNP 23, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 1 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms) Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor KUNCZE]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Zsolt SEMJEN]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Istvan HILLER, chairman] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Andras SIMONYI chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador April H. FOLEY embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green Economy Hungary Economy - overview: Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income about 60% of the EU-25 average. Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and acceded to the EU in May 2004. The private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $34 billion between 1990 and 2003. Several private sector analysts and sovereign ratings agencies have expressed concerns over Hungary's unsustainable budget and current account deficits. Inflation has declined from 14% in 1998 to 3.5% in 2005. Unemployment in 2005 rose to 7.1%, its highest point since 1999; Hungary's labor force participation rate of 57% is one of the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic partner. Policy challenges include cutting the public sector deficit to 3% of GDP by 2008, from about 6.1% in 2005, and orchestrating an orderly interest rate reduction without sparking capital outflows. GDP (purchasing power parity): $163.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $106.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $16,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.7% industry: 31.2% services: 65.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.18 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 5.5% industry: 33.3% services: 61.2% (2003) Unemployment rate: 7.2% (2005) Population below poverty line: At-risk-of poverty rate after social transfers: 12% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 22.2% (2002) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 24.96 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 23.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $51.4 billion expenditures: $58.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 58.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products Industries: mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles Industrial production growth rate: 7.3% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 32.21 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 60.1% hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 39% other: 0.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 36.96 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 7.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 14.1 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 45,190 bbl/day (2005) Oil - consumption: 136,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: 47,180 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 94,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 102 million bbl (1 January 2006) Natural gas - production: 3.1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 13 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - exports: 4 million cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 10.95 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 33.98 billion cu m (1 January 2003) Current account balance: $-7.963 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $61.75 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% (2003) Exports - partners: Germany 29.4%, Austria 5.9%, Italy 5.6%, France 5%, UK 4.7% (2005) Imports: $64.83 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.7%, fuels and electricity 7.7%, food products 3.1%, raw materials 2.0% (2003) Imports - partners: Germany 27.2%, Russia 7.5%, China 7.2%, Austria 6.7%, Italy 4.9%, France 4.8%, Netherlands 4.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $18.59 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $66.22 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $3.4 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Currency (code): forint (HUF) Currency code: HUF Exchange rates: forints per US dollar - 199.58 (2005), 202.75 (2004), 224.31 (2003), 257.89 (2002), 286.49 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Hungary Telephones - main lines in use: 3.356 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 9.32 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998) Radios: 7.01 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 4.42 million (1997) Internet country code: .hu Internet hosts: 608,085 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 3.05 million (2005) Transportation Hungary Airports: 46 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 20 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Heliports: 5 (2006) Pipelines: gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2006) Railways: total: 7,937 km broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 7,682 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified) narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 159,568 km paved: 70,050 km (30,874 km of interurban roads including 626 km of expressways) unpaved: 89,518 km (2005) Waterways: 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2006) Ports and terminals: Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs (2003) Military Hungary Military branches: Ground Forces, Air Forces Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004 (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,303,116 females age 18-49: 2,265,463 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,780,513 females age 18-49: 1,864,580 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 63,847 females age 18-49: 61,037 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.08 billion (2002 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.75% (2002 est.) Transnational Issues Hungary Disputes - international: in 2004, Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits - and voted down a referendum to extend dual citizenship - to ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring states, which have objected to such measures; consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Hungary must implement the strict Schengen border rules Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; improving, but remains vulnerable to money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Iceland Introduction Iceland Background: Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards. Geography Iceland Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK Geographic coordinates: 65 00 N, 18 00 W Map references: Arctic Region Area: total: 103,000 sq km land: 100,250 sq km water: 2,750 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Kentucky Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 4,970 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers Terrain: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull glacier) Natural resources: fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite Land use: arable land: 0.07% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.93% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanic activity Environment - current issues: water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe People Iceland Population: 299,388 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.7% (male 33,021/female 32,021) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 100,944/female 98,239) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 15,876/female 19,287) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34.2 years male: 33.8 years female: 34.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.87% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 13.64 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 3.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.31 years male: 78.23 years female: 82.48 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.92 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 220 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Icelander(s) adjective: Icelandic Ethnic groups: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6% Religions: Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004) Languages: Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Iceland Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Iceland conventional short form: Iceland local long form: Lydveldid Island local short form: Island Government type: constitutional republic Capital: name: Reykjavik geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland Independence: 1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark) National holiday: Independence Day, 17 June (1944) Constitution: 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times Legal system: civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Geir H. HAARDE (since 7 June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: president, largely a ceremonial post, is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 June 2004 (next to be held June 2008); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON 85.6%, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9% Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 10 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 33.7%, Social Democratic Alliance 31%, Progressive Party 17.7%, Left-Green Movement 8.8%, Liberal Party 7.4%; seats by party - Independence Party 22, Social Democratic Alliance 20, Progressive Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 5, Liberal Party 4 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice) Political parties and leaders: Independence Party or IP [Geir HAARDE]; Left-Green Movement or LGM [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON - will step down in August 2006]; Social Democratic Alliance (includes People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's List) or SDA [Ingibjorg Solrun GISLADOTTIR] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Helgi AGUSTSSON chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653 FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carol VAN VOORST embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik mailing address: US Department of State, 5640 Reykjavik Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-5640 telephone: [354] 562-9100 FAX: [354] 562-9118 Flag description: blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Economy Iceland Economy - overview: Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system (including generous housing subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs 4% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Government policies include reducing the current account deficit, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, and diversifying the economy. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. Growth had been remarkably steady in 1996-2001 at 3%-5%, but could not be sustained in 2002 in an environment of global recession. Growth resumed in 2003, and estimates call for strong growth until 2007, slowly dropping until the end of the decade. GDP (purchasing power parity): $10.59 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $13.05 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $35,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.6% industry: 15% services: 76.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 165,900 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10.3% industry: 18.3% services: 71.4% (2003) Unemployment rate: 2.1% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 28.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $6.995 billion expenditures: $6.761 billion; including capital expenditures of $467 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 31.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: potatoes, green vegetables; mutton, dairy products; fish Industries: fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production; geothermal power, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 14.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 8.619 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.1% hydro: 82.5% nuclear: 0% other: 17.5% (geothermal) (2001) Electricity - consumption: 8.619 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 17,280 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 15,470 bbl/day (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-2.607 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $3.215 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite Exports - partners: UK 17.9%, Germany 16.4%, Netherlands 13%, US 8.1%, Spain 7.7%, Denmark 4.3% (2005) Imports: $4.582 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles Imports - partners: Germany 13.4%, US 9.1%, Sweden 8.6%, Denmark 7.3%, Norway 7.2%, UK 5.9%, China 5.3%, Netherlands 5%, Japan 4.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.069 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.073 billion (2002) Economic aid - donor: $6.7 million $NA Currency (code): Icelandic krona (ISK) Currency code: ISK Exchange rates: Icelandic kronur per US dollar - 62.982 (2005), 70.192 (2004), 76.709 (2003), 91.662 (2002), 97.425 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Iceland Telephones - main lines in use: 193,900 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 304,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: extensive domestic service domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links international: country code - 354; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 260,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 98,000 (1997) Internet country code: .is Internet hosts: 212,897 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 20 (2001) Internet users: 258,000 (2005) Transportation Iceland Airports: 98 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 93 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 61 (2006) Roadways: total: 13,028 km paved/oiled gravel: 4,241 km (does not include urban roads) unpaved: 8,787 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 3,354 GRT/480 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Bahamas 1, Belize 2, Faroe Islands 4, Gibraltar 1, Malta 4, Norway 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10) (2006) Ports and terminals: Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Hornafjordhur, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur Military Iceland Military branches: no regular armed forces; Icelandic National Police, Icelandic Coast Guard (Islenska Landhelgisgaeslan) subordinate to Ministry of Justice, Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 69,038 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 56,777 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: 0 Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0% Military - note: under a 1951 bilateral agreement, Iceland's defense was provided by a US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered in Keflavik; in October 2006, all US military forces in Iceland were withdrawn; nonetheless, the US and Iceland signed a Joint Understanding to strengthen their bilateral defense relationship, including regular security consultations, military communications in the event of national emergencies, annual bilateral exercises on Icelandic territory, and future bilateral and NATO support to four Iceland Air Defense System (IADS) radar sites Transnational Issues Iceland Disputes - international: Iceland disputes Denmark's alignment of the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Iles Eparses Introduction Iles Eparses Background: The Iles Eparses, or scattered islands, are a group of five French entities - Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island - which on 1 April 1960 came under the authority of the Minister in charge of overseas possessions. On 19 September 1960 by decree, the islands were transferred to the charge of the Prefet of Reunion where they remained until 3 January 2005 when they were transferred by another decree to the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF). Bassas da India: A French possession since 1897, this atoll is a volcanic seamount surrounded by reefs and awash at high tide. Europa Island: A French possession since 1897, the island is heavily wooded; it is the site of a small military garrison that staffs a weather station. Glorioso Islands: A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse. Juan de Nova Island: Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological station. Tromelin Island: First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station. Geography Iles Eparses Location: Southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean Bassas da India: atoll in the southern Mozambique Channel, about half way from Madagascar to Mozambique Europa Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between southern Madagascar and southern Mozambique Glorioso Islands: group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar Juan de Nova Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique Tromelin Island: island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Geographic coordinates: Bassas da India: 21 30 S, 39 50 E Europa Island: 22 20 S, 40 22 E Glorioso Islands: 11 30 S, 47 20 E Juan de Nova Island: 17 03 S, 42 45 E Tromelin Island: 15 52 S, 54 25 E Map references: Africa Area: Bassas da India: total - 80 sq km; land - 0.2 sq km; water - 79.8 sq km (lagoon) Europa Island: total - 28 sq km; land - 28 sq km; water - 0 sq km Glorioso Islands: total - 5 sq km; land - 5 sq km; water - 0 sq km Juan de Nova Island: total - 4.4 sq km; land - 4.4 sq km; water - 0 sq km Tromelin Island: total - 1 sq km; land - 1 sq km; water - 0 sq km Area - comparative: Bassas da India: land area about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Europa Island: about one-sixth the size of Washington, DC Glorioso Islands: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Juan de Nova Island: about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Tromelin Island: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: Bassas da India: 35.2 km Europa Island: 22.2 km Glorioso Islands: 35.2 km Juan de Nova Island: 24.1 km Tromelin Island: 3.7 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; note - Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island claim a continental shelf of 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: tropical Terrain: Bassas da India: atoll, awash at high tide; shallow (15 m) lagoon Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: low, flat, and sandy Tromelin Island: low, flat, sandy; likely volcanic seamount Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Bassas da India 2.4 m; Europa Island 24 m; Glorioso Islands 12 m; Juan de Nova Island 10 m; Tromelin Island 7 m (all unnamed locations) Natural resources: Bassas da India and Europa Island: none Glorioso Islands and Juan de Nova Island: guano, phosphates; coconuts Tromelin Island: fish Land use: Bassas da India - 100% rock, coral reef, and sand; Europa Island - 100% mangrove swamp and dry woodlands; Glorioso Islands - 100% lush vegetation and coconut palms; Juan de Nova Island - 90% forest, 10% other; Tromelin Island - 100% grasses and scattered brush Natural hazards: all islands subject to periodic cyclones Bassas da India: maritime hazard since it is under water for a period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and surrounded by reefs Geography - note: Bassas da India: the atoll is a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island: wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and sea turtles Glorioso Islands: the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system Tromelin Island: climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones in the western Indian Ocean; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises) People Iles Eparses Population: Bassas da India: uninhabitable Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists on each possession; visited by scientists Tromelin Island: uninhabited, except for visits by scientists Government Iles Eparses Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island local long form: none local short form: Bassas da India, Ile Europa, Iles Glorieuses, Ile Juan de Nova, Ile Tromelin Dependency status: possessions of France; administered by the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF), resident in Reunion Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Senior Administrator Michel CHAMPON Flag description: the flag of France is used Economy Iles Eparses Economy - overview: no economic activity Communications Iles Eparses Communications - note: Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island: 1 meteorological station on each possession; note - meteorological station on Tromelin Island is important for forecasting cyclones Transportation Iles Eparses Airports: 4 (2006) Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Transportation - note: aids to navigation - lighthouses: Europa Island 18m; Juan de Nova Island (W side) 37m; Tromelin Island (NW point) 11m Military Iles Eparses Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Iles Eparses Disputes - international: Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: claimed by Madagascar Tromelin Island: claimed by Mauritius This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @India Introduction India Background: The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto Indian lands about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by those of European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU brought independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. Despite impressive gains in economic investment and output, India faces pressing problems such as the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife. Geography India Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan Geographic coordinates: 20 00 N, 77 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 3,287,590 sq km land: 2,973,190 sq km water: 314,400 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than one-third the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 14,103 km border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km Coastline: 7,000 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north Terrain: upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m Natural resources: coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land Land use: arable land: 48.83% permanent crops: 2.8% other: 48.37% (2005) Irrigated land: 558,080 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal People India Population: 1,095,351,995 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.8% (male 173,478,760/female 163,852,827) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 363,876,219/female 340,181,764) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 27,258,020/female 26,704,405) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.9 years male: 24.9 years female: 24.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.38% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 54.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 55.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.71 years male: 63.9 years female: 65.57 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.9% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5.1 million (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 310,000 (2001 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Nationality: noun: Indian(s) adjective: Indian Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000) Religions: Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) Languages: English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 59.5% male: 70.2% female: 48.3% (2003 est.) Government India Country name: conventional long form: Republic of India conventional short form: India local long form: Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya local short form: India/Bharat Government type: federal republic Capital: name: New Delhi geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, West Bengal Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK) National holiday: Republic Day, 26 January (1950) Constitution: 26 January 1950; amended many times Legal system: based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President A.P.J. Abdul KALAM (since 25 July 2002); Vice President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held July 2002 (next to be held 18 July 2007); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 12 August 2002 (next to be held August 2007); prime minister chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections; election last held April - May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: Abdul KALAM elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 89.6%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT elected vice president; percent of Parliament vote - 59.8% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members, up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through 10 May 2004 (next must be held before May 2009) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - INC 145, BJP 138, CPI(M) 43, SP 36, RJD 24, BSP 19, DMK 16, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 9, JDU 8, SAD 8, PMK 6, TDP 5, TRS 5, JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, independents 5, other 30 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior") Political parties and leaders: note - India has dozens of national and regional political parties; only parties with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed; Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Rajnath SINGH]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) [Prakash KARAT]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia GANDHI]; Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADEV]; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or JMM [Shibu SOREN]; Lok Jan Shakti Party or LJSP [Ram Vilas PASWAN]; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [VAIKU]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Pattali Makkal Katchi or PMK [S. RAMADOSS]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Prakash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena or SS [Bal THACKERAY]; Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS [K. Chandrasekhar RAO]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU] Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland in the Northeast International organization participation: AfDB, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CERN (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ranendra SEN chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Consular Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4351 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David C. MULFORD embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [91] (11) 2419-8000 FAX: [91] (11) 2419-0017 consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay) Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band Economy India Economy - overview: India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for half of India's output with less than one quarter of its labor force. About three-fifths of the work-force is in agriculture, leading the UPA government to articulate an economic reform program that includes developing basic infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance. Government controls on foreign trade and investment have been reduced in some areas, but high tariffs (averaging 20% on non-agricultural items in 2004) and limits on foreign direct investment are still in place. The government in 2005 liberalized investment in the civil aviation, telecom, and construction sectors. Privatization of government-owned industries essentially came to a halt in 2005, and continues to generate political debate; continued social, political, and economic rigidities hold back needed initiatives. The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the decade since 1994, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India achieved 7.6% GDP growth in 2005, significantly expanding manufacturing. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers. Despite strong growth, the World Bank and others worry about the combined state and federal budget deficit, running at approximately 9% of GDP; government borrowing has kept interest rates high. Economic deregulation would help attract additional foreign capital and lower interest rates. The huge and growing population is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental problem. GDP (purchasing power parity): $3.666 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $719.8 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18.6% industry: 27.6% services: 53.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 496.4 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 60% industry: 17% services: 23% (1999) Unemployment rate: 8.9% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 25% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 33.5% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 32.5 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 28.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $111.2 billion expenditures: $135.8 billion; including capital expenditures of $15 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 53.8% of GDP (federal and state debt combined) (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish Industries: textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software Industrial production growth rate: 7.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 556.8 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 81.7% hydro: 14.5% nuclear: 3.4% other: 0.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 519 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 187 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 1.4 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 785,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 2.32 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 350,000 bbl/day Oil - imports: 2.09 million bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 5.7 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 27.1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 27.1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 853.5 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-12.95 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $76.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures Exports - partners: US 16.7%, UAE 8.5%, China 6.6%, Singapore 5.3%, UK 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.4% (2005) Imports: $113.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals Imports - partners: China 7.3%, US 5.6%, Switzerland 4.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $136 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $125.5 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2.9 billion (FY98/99) Currency (code): Indian rupee (INR) Currency code: INR Exchange rates: Indian rupees per US dollar - 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.186 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications India Telephones - main lines in use: 49.75 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 69,193,321 (2006) Telephone system: general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid change; local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission of private and private-public investors, but telephone density remains low at about seven for each 100 persons nationwide but only one per 100 persons in rural areas and a national waiting list of over 1.7 million; fastest growth is in cellular service with modest growth in fixed lines domestic: expansion of domestic service, although still weak in rural areas, resulted from increased competition and dramatic reductions in price led in large part by wireless service; mobile cellular service (both CDMA and GSM) introduced in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan cities and 19 telecom circles each with about three private service providers and one state-owned service provider; in recent years significant trunk capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system (INSAT), with five satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT) international: country code - 91; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 5 submarine cables, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with landing site at Cochin, i2icn linking to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and data traffic (2004) Radio broadcast stations: AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998) Radios: 116 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 562 (of which 82 stations have 1 kW or greater power and 480 stations have less than 1 kW of power) (1997) Televisions: 63 million (1997) Internet country code: .in Internet hosts: 1,543,289 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 43 (2000) Internet users: 60 million (2005) Transportation India Airports: 341 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 243 over 3,047 m: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 73 914 to 1,523 m: 81 under 914 m: 21 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 98 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 42 under 914 m: 48 (2006) Heliports: 28 (2006) Pipelines: condensate/gas 8 km; gas 5,184 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,993 km; oil 6,500 km; refined products 6,152 km (2006) Railways: total: 63,230 km broad gauge: 45,718 km 1.676-m gauge (16,528 km electrified) narrow gauge: 14,406 km 1.000-m gauge (165 km electrified); 3,106 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 3,851,440 km paved: 2,411,001 km unpaved: 1,440,439 km (2002) Waterways: 14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2005) Merchant marine: total: 316 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,772,313 GRT/13,310,858 DWT by type: bulk carrier 96, cargo 72, chemical tanker 13, container 8, liquefied gas 17, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 96, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 10 (China 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 6, UK 1) registered in other countries: 46 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Cyprus 5, North Korea 1, Liberia 3, Malta 1, Mauritius 2, Panama 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 5, Venezuela 1, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam Military India Military branches: Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force, Coast Guard, various security or paramilitary forces (includes Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, and Defense Security Corps) Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 287,551,111 females age 16-49: 268,524,835 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 219,471,999 females age 16-49: 209,917,553 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 11,446,452 females age 16-49: 10,665,877 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $19.04 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues India Disputes - international: since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other matters continue; various talks and confidence-building measures have cautiously begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease fire in Kashmir and in 2005, restored bus service across the highly militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on the impact and benefits of India's building the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; disputes persist with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch; Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, to exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the border; dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; India seeks cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam separatists from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to demarcate minor disputed boundary sections; India maintains a strict border regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 92,394 (Tibet/China) 57,274 (Sri Lanka) 9,761 (Afghanistan) IDPs: 600,000 (resulting from 26 December 2004 tsunami); 500,000 (Jammu and Kashmir conflicts; most IDPs are Kashmiri Hindus) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced or bonded labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the large population of men, women, and children - numbering in the millions - in debt bondage face involuntary servitude in brick kilns, rice mills, and embroidery factories, while some children endure involuntary servitude as domestic servants; internal trafficking of women and girls for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage also occurs; the government estimates that 90 percent of India's sex trafficking is internal; India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; boys from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are trafficked through India to the Gulf states for involuntary servitude as child camel jockeys; Indian men and women migrate willingly to the Persian Gulf region for work as domestic servants and low-skilled laborers, but some later find themselves in situations of involuntary servitude including extended working hours, nonpayment of wages, restrictions on their movement by withholding of their passports or confinement to the home, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - India has been on the Tier 2 Watch List since 2004 for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking in persons Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries; illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Indian Ocean Introduction Indian Ocean Background: The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude. Geography Indian Ocean Location: body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 80 00 E Map references: Political Map of the World Area: total: 68.556 million sq km note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies Area - comparative: about 5.5 times the size of the US Coastline: 66,526 km Climate: northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean Terrain: surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge Elevation extremes: lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m highest point: sea level 0 m Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules Natural hazards: occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea Geography - note: major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait Economy Indian Ocean Economy - overview: The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Transportation Indian Ocean Ports and terminals: Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India) Melbourne (Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South Africa) Transnational Issues Indian Ocean Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Indonesia Introduction Indonesia Background: The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to relinquish its colony. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and home to the world's largest Muslim population. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing financial sector reforms, stemming corruption, and holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations. Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the December 2004 tsunami, which particularly affected Aceh province causing over 100,000 deaths and over $4 billion in damage. An additional earthquake in March 2005 created heavy destruction on the island of Nias. Reconstruction in these areas may take up to a decade. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, but it continues to face a low intensity separatist guerilla movement in Papua. Geography Indonesia Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean Geographic coordinates: 5 00 S, 120 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 1,919,440 sq km land: 1,826,440 sq km water: 93,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 2,830 km border countries: East Timor 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km Coastline: 54,716 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m Natural resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver Land use: arable land: 11.03% permanent crops: 7.04% other: 81.93% (2005) Irrigated land: 45,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean People Indonesia Population: 245,452,739 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.8% (male 35,995,919/female 34,749,582) 15-64 years: 65.8% (male 80,796,794/female 80,754,238) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 5,737,473/female 7,418,733) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 26.8 years male: 26.4 years female: 27.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.41% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 20.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 34.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 39.36 deaths/1,000 live births female: 29.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.87 years male: 67.42 years female: 72.45 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 110,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,400 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and chikungunya are high risks in some locations note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US citizens who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005) Nationality: noun: Indonesian(s) adjective: Indonesian Ethnic groups: Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26% Religions: Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998) Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.9% male: 92.5% female: 83.4% (2002 est.) Government Indonesia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia conventional short form: Indonesia local long form: Republik Indonesia local short form: Indonesia former: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies Government type: republic Capital: name: Jakarta geographic coordinates: 6 10 S, 106 48 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Indonesia is divided into three time zones Administrative divisions: 30 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Irian Jaya Barat, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Kepulauan Riau, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Riau, Sulawesi Barat, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta* note: following the implementation of decentralization beginning on 1 January 2001, the 440 districts or regencies have become the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services Independence: 17 August 1945 (independence proclaimed); 27 December 1949 (Netherlands recognizes Indonesian independence) National holiday: Independence Day, 17 August (1945) Constitution: August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of amemdments concluded in 2002 Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age Executive branch: chief of state: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president were elected for five-year terms (eligible for a second term) by direct vote of the citizenry; last held 20 September 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO elected president receiving 60.6% of vote; MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri received 39.4% Legislative branch: House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) (550 seats; members elected to serve five-year terms); House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), constitutionally mandated role includes providing legislative input to DPR on issues affecting regions; People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and impeaching president and in amending constitution; consists of popularly-elected members in DPR and DPD; MPR does not formulate national policy elections: last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P 18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others 19.9%; seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN 53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50 note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not always follow the percentage of votes received by parties Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the president from a list of candidates approved by the legislature); a separate Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi was invested by the president on 16 August 2003; in March 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Labor Court under supervision of Supreme Court began functioning in January 2006 Political parties and leaders: Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB [Yusril Ihza MAHENDRA]; Democratic Party or PD [Subur BUDHISANTOSO]; Functional Groups Party or Golkar [Yusuf KALLA]; Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri]; National Awakening Party or PKB [Alwi SHIHAB]; National Mandate Party or PAN [Sutrisno BACHIR]; Prosperous Justice Party or PKS [Tifatul SEMBIRING]; United Development Party or PPP [Hamzah HAZ] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador SUDJADNAN Parnohadiningrat chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 775-5200 FAX: [1] (202) 775-5365 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador B. Lynn PASCOE embassy: Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 4-5, Jakarta 10110 mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520 telephone: [62] (21) 3435-9000 FAX: [62] (21) 3435-9922 consulate(s) general: Surabaya consulate(s): Medan; Denpasar (consular agency) Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of Poland, which is white (top) and red Economy Indonesia Economy - overview: Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, has struggled to overcome the Asian financial crisis, and still grapples with high unemployment, a fragile banking sector, endemic corruption, inadequate infrastructure, a poor investment climate, and unequal resource distribution among regions. Indonesia became a net oil importer in 2004 because of declining production and lack of new exploration investment. In late December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami took 131,000 lives with another 37,000 missing, left some 570,000 displaced persons, and caused an estimated $4.5 billion in damages and losses. The cost of subsidizing domestic fuel placed increasing strain on the budget in 2005, and combined with indecisive monetary policy, contributed to a run on the currency in August 2005, prompting the government to enact a 126% average fuel price hike in October. The resulting inflation and interest rate hikes dampened growth prospects in 2006. However, in October 2006, Jakarta paid off its outstanding IMF debt, incurred during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, four years ahead of schedule. Keys to future growth remain internal reform, building up the confidence of international and domestic investors, and strong global economic growth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $869.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $270 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13.4% industry: 45.8% services: 40.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 94.2 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 46.5% industry: 11.8% services: 41.7% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 11.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 16.7% (2004) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 28.5% (2002) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34.3 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 22% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $54.3 billion expenditures: $57.7 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 49.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs Industries: petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 4.8% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 120.2 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 86.9% hydro: 10.5% nuclear: 0% other: 2.6% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 105.4 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004) Oil - production: 1.061 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 1.084 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 431,500 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: 345,700 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 4.6 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 83.4 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 22.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: 37.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 2.557 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $2.016 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $83.64 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber Exports - partners: Japan 21.1%, US 11.5%, Singapore 9.2%, South Korea 8.3%, China 7.8%, Malaysia 4% (2005) Imports: $62.02 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Singapore 16.4%, Japan 12%, China 10.1%, US 6.7%, Thailand 6%, South Korea 5%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, Australia 4.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $34.58 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $135 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $43 billion note: Indonesia finished its IMF program in December 2003 but still receives bilateral aid through the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), which pledged $2.8 billion in grants and loans for 2004 and again in 2005; nearly $5 billion in aid money pledged by a variety bilateral, multilateral, and non-governmental organization (NGO) donors following the 2004 tsunami; money is slated for use in relief and rebuilding efforts in Aceh (2002) Currency (code): Indonesian rupiah (IDR) Currency code: IDR Exchange rates: Indonesian rupiahs per US dollar - 9,704.7 (2005), 8,938.9 (2004), 8,577.1 (2003), 9,311.2 (2002), 10,260.9 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year; note - previously was 1 April - 31 March, but starting with 2001, has been changed to calendar year Communications Indonesia Telephones - main lines in use: 12.772 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 46.91 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: domestic service fair, international service good domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net; domestic satellite communications system international: country code - 62; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998) Radios: 31.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 54 local TV stations note: 11 national TV networks; each with their own group of local, often low power, transmitters (2006) Televisions: 13.75 million (1997) Internet country code: .id Internet hosts: 170,834 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 24 (2000) Internet users: 16 million (2005) Transportation Indonesia Airports: 662 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 159 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 49 914 to 1,523 m: 49 under 914 m: 42 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 503 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 471 (2006) Heliports: 23 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 944 km; condensate/gas 135 km; gas 9,175 km; oil 7,684 km; oil/gas/water 89 km; refined products 1,367 km (2006) Railways: total: 6,458 km narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 368,360 km paved: 213,649 km unpaved: 154,711 km (2002) Waterways: 21,579 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 824 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,773,771 GRT/4,887,614 DWT by type: bulk carrier 43, cargo 451, chemical tanker 21, container 50, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1, passenger 41, passenger/cargo 58, petroleum tanker 132, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 12, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 30 (France 1, Germany 1, Japan 3, South Korea 1, Norway 1, Philippines 1, Singapore 17, Switzerland 3, UK 2) registered in other countries: 122 (Bahamas 4, Belize 2, Bermuda 1, Cambodia 1, Georgia 1, Hong Kong 4, Liberia 1, Panama 50, Singapore 56, Thailand 1, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Banjarmasin, Belawan, Ciwandan, Krueg Geukueh, Palembang, Panjang, Sungai Pakning, Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Priok Military Indonesia Military branches: Indonesia Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI): Army (TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-AL, includes marines, naval air arm), Air Force (TNI-AU) note: the TNI is directly subordinate to the president but the government is making efforts to incorporate it into the Department of Defense Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2002) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 60,543,028 females age 18-49: 59,981,730 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 48,687,234 females age 18-49: 50,252,911 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 2,201,047 females age 18-49: 2,139,573 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.3 billion (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3% (2004) Transnational Issues Indonesia Disputes - international: East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit land boundary, but several sections of the boundary remain unresolved; many East Timorese refugees who left in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which hinders a decision on a northern maritime boundary; a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts of their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain; ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil block; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Batam Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 570,000 (resulting from 26 December 2004 tsunami) 500,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Maluku, and Central Sulawesi Provinces); (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Indonesia is a source, transit, and destination country for women, children and men trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; Indonesian victims are trafficked to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore; a significant number of Indonesian women who go overseas each year to work as domestic servants or "cultural performers" are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; to a minimal extent, Indonesia is a destination for women from East Asia, Europe, and South America who are trafficked for sexual exploitation; there is extensive trafficking within Indonesia from rural to urban metropolitan areas particularly for sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Indonesia is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; producer of methamphetamine and ecstasy This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Iran Introduction Iran Background: Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority nominally vested in a learned religious scholar. Iranian-US relations have been strained since a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987-1988. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement. Following the elections of a reformist president and Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction floundered as conservative politicians prevented reform measures from being enacted, increased repressive measures, and made electoral gains against reformers. Parliamentary elections in 2004 and the August 2005 inauguration of a conservative stalwart as president, completed the reconsolidation of conservative power in Iran's government. Geography Iran Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 53 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 1.648 million sq km land: 1.636 million sq km water: 12,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Alaska Land boundaries: total: 5,440 km border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km Coastline: 2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km) Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf continental shelf: natural prolongation Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur Land use: arable land: 9.78% permanent crops: 1.29% other: 88.93% (2005) Irrigated land: 76,500 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes Environment - current issues: air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport People Iran Population: 68,688,433 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 9,204,785/female 8,731,429) 15-64 years: 69% (male 24,133,919/female 23,245,255) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 1,653,827/female 1,719,218) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.8 years male: 24.6 years female: 25 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.1% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 40.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 40.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.26 years male: 68.86 years female: 71.74 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 31,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 800 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Iranian(s) adjective: Iranian Ethnic groups: Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2% Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2% Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.4% male: 85.6% female: 73% (2003 est.) Government Iran Country name: conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran conventional short form: Iran local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran local short form: Iran former: Persia Government type: theocratic republic Capital: name: Tehran geographic coordinates: 35 40 N, 51 26 E time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 30 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Janubi, Khorasan-e Razavi, Khorasan-e Shemali, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed) National holiday: Republic Day, 1 April (1979) note: additional holidays celebrated widely in Iran include Revolution Day, 11 February (1979); Noruz (New Year's Day), 21 March; Constitutional Monarchy Day, 5 August (1925); and various Islamic observances that change in accordance with the lunar-based hejira calendar Constitution: 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership Legal system: the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government Suffrage: 15 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) head of government: President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD (since 3 August 2005); First Vice President Parviz DAVUDI (since 11 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over appointments to the more sensitive ministries note: also considered part of the Executive branch of government are three oversight bodies: 1) Assembly of Experts, a popularly elected body of 86 religious scholars constitutionally charged with determining the succession of the Supreme Leader, reviewing his performance, and deposing him if deemed necessary; 2) Expediency Council or Council for the Discernment of Expediency is a policy advisory and implementation board consisting of permanent and temporary members representing all major government factions, some of whom are appointed by the Supreme Leader; the Council exerts supervisory authority over the executive, judicial, and legislative branches and resolves legislative issues on which the Majles and the Council of Guardians disagree; 3) Council of Guardians or Council of Guardians of the Constitution is a 12-member board of clerics and jurists serving six-year terms that determines whether proposed legislation is both constitutional and faithful to Islamic law; the Council also vets candidates for suitability and supervises national elections elections: Supreme Leader appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 17 June 2005 with a two-candidate runoff on 24 June 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD elected president; percent of vote - Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD 62%, Ali Akbar Hashemi RAFSANJANI 36% Legislative branch: unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats - formerly 270 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 February 2004 with a runoff held 7 May 2004 (by-elections next to be held in December 2006; general election to be held in February 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - conservatives/Islamists 190, reformers 50, independents 43, religious minorities 5, and 2 seats unaccounted for Judicial branch: Supreme Court - above a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special administrative court Political parties and leaders: formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in Iran and most conservatives still prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties; a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad Front, which includes political parties as well as less formal pressure groups and organizations, achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in early 2000; groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran), Solidarity Party, Islamic Labor Party, Mardom Salari, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition participated in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; following his defeat in the 2005 presidential elections, former MCS Secretary General Mehdi KARRUBI formed the National Trust Party; a new apparently conservative group, the Builders of Islamic Iran, took a leading position in the new Majles after winning a majority of the seats in February 2004 Political pressure groups and leaders: political pressure groups conduct most of Iran's political activities; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat), Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh), and Islamic Engineers Society; active pro-reform student groups include the Office of Strengthening Unity (OSU); opposition groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the National Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Komala International organization participation: ABEDA, CP, ECO, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073 Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band Economy Iran Economy - overview: Iran's economy is marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector, over reliance on the oil sector, and statist policies that create major distortions throughout. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale - workshops, farming, and services. President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI, with limited progress. Relatively high oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass some $40 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. The proportion of the economy devoted to the development of weapons of mass destruction remains a contentious issue with leading Western nations. GDP (purchasing power parity): $569.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $181.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.6% industry: 42.4% services: 46% (2005 est.) Labor force: 23.68 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 30% industry: 25% services: 45% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 11.2% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 40% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 43 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 30.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $48.82 billion expenditures: $60.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $7.6 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 28.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, armaments Industrial production growth rate: 3% excluding oil (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 142.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 97.1% hydro: 2.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 132.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 840 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 600 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 3.979 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 1.425 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 133.3 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 3.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 4.92 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 26.62 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $13.27 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $55.42 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets Exports - partners: Japan 16.6%, China 11%, Italy 5.8%, South Korea 5.7%, South Africa 5.7%, Turkey 5.6%, Netherlands 4.5%, France 4.3% (2005) Imports: $42.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies Imports - partners: Germany 13.8%, UAE 8.3%, China 8.3%, Italy 7%, France 6.2%, South Korea 5.4%, Russia 4.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $45.46 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $19.06 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $408 million (2002 est.) Currency (code): Iranian rial (IRR) Currency code: IRR Exchange rates: rials per US dollar - 8,964 (2005), 8,614 (2004), 8,193.9 (2003), 6,907 (2002), 1,753.6 (2001) note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002 Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March Communications Iran Telephones - main lines in use: 18.986 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 7.222 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate, but currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems has approximately doubled; thousands of mobile cellular subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital switches international: country code - 98; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998) Radios: 17 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 4.61 million (1997) Internet country code: .ir Internet hosts: 5,242 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 100 (2002) Internet users: 7.5 million (2005) Transportation Iran Airports: 321 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 129 over 3,047 m: 41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 192 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 140 under 914 m: 43 (2006) Heliports: 15 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 7 km; condensate/gas 397 km; gas 17,099 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 8,521 km; refined products 7,808 km (2006) Railways: total: 7,256 km broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge standard gauge: 7,162 km 1.435-m gauge (186 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 178,152 km paved: 118,115 km (including 751 km of expressways) unpaved: 60,037 km (2002) Waterways: 850 km (850 km on Karun River; additional service on Lake Urmia) (2006) Merchant marine: total: 141 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,086,702 GRT/8,878,829 DWT by type: bulk carrier 39, cargo 45, chemical tanker 4, container 12, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 30, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) registered in other countries: 22 (Bolivia 1, Cyprus 2, Malta 14, Panama 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Assaluyeh, Bushehr Military Iran Military branches: Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (Niruye Havayi Jomhuriye Islamiye Iran; includes air defense); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army); Law Enforcement Forces (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq War; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,319,545 females age 18-49: 17,541,037 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,665,725 females age 18-49: 15,005,597 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 862,056 females age 18-49: 808,044 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.3 billion (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.3% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Iran Disputes - international: Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran; Iran stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 952,802 (Afghanistan) 93,173 (Iraq) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Iran is a source, transit, and destination country for women and girls trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; according to foreign observers, women and girls are trafficked to Pakistan, Turkey, the Persian Gulf, and Europe for sexual exploitation, while boys from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are trafficked through Iran en route to Persian Gulf states where they are ultimately forced to work as camel jockeys, beggars, or laborers; Afghan women and girls are trafficked to the country for forced marriages and sexual exploitation; women and children are also trafficked internally for the purposes of forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and involuntary servitude tier rating: Tier 3 - Iran is downgraded to Tier 3 after persistent, credible reports of Iranian authorities punishing victims of trafficking with beatings, imprisonment, and execution Illicit drugs: despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to official Iranian statistics there are at least 2 million drug users in the country; lacks anti-money-laundering laws This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Iraq Introduction Iraq Background: Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of military strongmen ruled the country, the latest was SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait, but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition forces remain in Iraq, helping to restore degraded infrastructure and facilitating the establishment of a freely elected government, while simultaneously dealing with a robust insurgency. The Coalition Provisional Authority, which temporarily administered Iraq after the invasion, transferred full governmental authority on 28 June 2004, to the Iraqi Interim Government (IG), which governed under the Transitional Administrative Law for Iraq (TAL). Under the TAL, elections for a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) were held in Iraq on 30 January 2005. Following these elections, the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) assumed office. The TNA was charged with drafting Iraq's permanent constitution, which was approved in a 15 October 2005 constitutional referendum. An election under the constitution for a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) was held in December 2005. The CoR approval in the selection of most of the cabinet ministers on 20 May 2006 marked the transition from the ITG to Iraq's full-term government. Geography Iraq Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 44 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 437,072 sq km land: 432,162 sq km water: 4,910 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Idaho Land boundaries: total: 3,650 km border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km Coastline: 58 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: not specified Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is not Gundah Zhur 3,607 m or Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur Land use: arable land: 13.12% permanent crops: 0.61% other: 86.27% (2005) Irrigated land: 35,250 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms, floods Environment - current issues: government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Geography - note: strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf People Iraq Population: 26,783,383 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.7% (male 5,398,645/female 5,231,760) 15-64 years: 57.3% (male 7,776,257/female 7,576,726) 65 years and over: 3% (male 376,700/female 423,295) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.7 years male: 19.6 years female: 19.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.66% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 31.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 48.64 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 42.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.01 years male: 67.76 years female: 70.31 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.18 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Iraqi(s) adjective: Iraqi Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5% Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3% Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.4% male: 55.9% female: 24.4% (2003 est.) Government Iraq Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Iraq conventional short form: Iraq local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah local short form: Al Iraq Government type: transitional democracy Capital: name: Baghdad geographic coordinates: 33 21 N, 44 25 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 1 October Administrative divisions: 18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government National holiday: Revolution Day, 17 July (1968); note - this holiday was celebrated under the SADDAM Husayn regime but the Iraqi Interim Government has yet to declare a new national holiday Constitution: ratified on 15 October 2005 Legal system: based on European civil and Islamic law under the framework outlined in the Iraqi Constitution Suffrage: formerly 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005); Vice Presidents Adil ABD AL-MAHDI and Tariq al-HASHIMI (since 22 April 2006); note - the president and vice presidents comprise the Presidency Council) head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI (since 20 May 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH and Salam al-ZUBAI (since 20 May 2006) cabinet: 37 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI, and Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH and Salam al-ZUBAI elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives Legislative branch: unicameral Council of Representatives or Mejlis Watani (consisting of 275 members elected by a closed-list, proportional-representation system) elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives that will finalize a permanent constitution election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court appointed by the Prime Minister, confirmed by the Presidency Council Political parties and leaders: Al-Sadr Movement [Muqtada Al-SADR]; Assyrian Democratic Movement [Yunadim KANNA]; Conference of Iraqi People [Adnan al-DULAYMI]; Constitutional Monarchy Movement or CMM [Sharif Ali Bin al-HUSAYN]; Da'wa Party [Ibrahim al-JA'FARI]; Independent Iraqi Alliance or IIA [Falah al-NAQIB]; Iraqi Communist Party [Hamid al-MUSA]; Iraqi Hizballah [Karim Mahud al-MUHAMMADAWI]; Iraqi Independent Democrats or IID [Adnan PACHACHI, Mahdi al-HAFIZ]; Iraqi Islamic Party or IIP [Muhsin Abd al-HAMID, Hajim al-HASSANI]; Iraqi National Accord or INA [Ayad ALLAWI]; Iraqi National Congress or INC [Ahmad CHALABI]; Iraqi National Council for Dialogue or INCD [Khalaf Ulayan al-Khalifawi al-DULAYMI]; Iraqi National Unity Movement or INUM [Ahmad al-KUBAYSI, chairman]; Islamic Action Organization or IAO [Ayatollah Muhammad al-MUDARRISI]; Jama'at al Fadilah or JAF [Ayatollah Muhammad Ali al-YAQUBI]; Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP [Masud BARZANI]; Muslim Ulama Council or MUC [Harith Sulayman al-DARI, secretary general]; National Iraqi Front [Salih al-MUTLAQ]; National Reconciliation and Liberation Party [Mishan al-JABBURI]; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK [Jalal TALABANI]; Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq or SCIRI [Abd al-Aziz al-HAKIM] note: the Kurdistan Alliance, Iraqi National List, Iraqi Consensus Front, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, and United Iraqi Alliance were only electoral slates consisting of the representatives from the various Iraqi political parties Political pressure groups and leaders: an insurgency against the Iraqi Transitional Government and Coalition forces is primarily concentrated in Baghdad and in areas west and north of the capital; the diverse, multigroup insurgency is led principally by Sunni Arabs whose only common denominator is a shared desire to oust the Coalition and end US influence in Iraq International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Samir Shakir al-SUMAYDI chancery: 1801 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7500 FAX: [1] (202) 462-5066 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Zalmay KHALILZAD embassy: Baghdad mailing address: APO AE 09316 telephone: 00-1-240-553-0584 ext. 5340 or 5635; note - Consular Section FAX: NA Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two stars but no script, Yemen, which has a plain white band, and that of Egypt which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; design is based upon the Arab Liberation colors Economy Iraq Economy - overview: Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic sanctions, and damage from military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. Although government policies supporting large military and internal security forces and allocating resources to key supporters of the regime hurt the economy, implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program, which began in December 1996, helped improve conditions for the average Iraqi citizen. Iraq was allowed to export limited amounts of oil in exchange for food, medicine, and some infrastructure spare parts. In December 1999, the UN Security Council authorized Iraq to export under the program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. Per capita food imports increased significantly, while medical supplies and health care services steadily improved. Per capita output and living standards were still well below the pre-1991 level, but any estimates have a wide range of error. The military victory of the US-led coalition in March-April 2003 resulted in the shutdown of much of the central economic administrative structure. Although a comparatively small amount of capital plant was damaged during the hostilities, looting, insurgent attacks, and sabotage have undermined efforts to rebuild the economy. Attacks on key economic facilities - especially oil pipelines and infrastructure - have prevented Iraq from reaching projected export volumes, but total government revenues have been higher than anticipated due to high oil prices. Despite political uncertainty, Iraq has established the institutions needed to implement economic policy, has successfully concluded a three-stage debt reduction agreement with the Paris Club, and is working toward a Standby Arrangement with the IMF. The Standby Arrangement would clear the way for continued debt relief from the Paris Club. GDP (purchasing power parity): $94.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $46.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: -3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.3% industry: 66.6% services: 26.1% (2004 est.) Labor force: 7.4 million (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 25% to 30% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 33% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $19.3 billion expenditures: $24 billion; including capital expenditures of $5 billion (2005 budget) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep, poultry Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 31.7 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 98.4% hydro: 1.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 33.3 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2005) Electricity - imports: 2.02 billion kWh (2005) Oil - production: 2.093 million bbl/day; note - prewar production (in 2002) was 2.03 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 351,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 1.42 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 112.5 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 1.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 3.115 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-9.447 billion (2004 est.) Exports: $17.78 billion f.o.b. (2004) Exports - commodities: crude oil (83.9%), crude materials excluding fuels (8.0%), food and live animals (5.0%) Exports - partners: US 49.3%, Italy 10.3%, Spain 6.2%, Canada 5.6% (2005) Imports: $19.57 billion f.o.b. (2004) Imports - commodities: food, medicine, manufactures Imports - partners: Turkey 23.2%, Syria 23%, US 11.6%, Jordan 5.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $9.161 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $92.33 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: more than $33 billion in foreign aid pledged for 2004-07 (2004) Currency (code): New Iraqi dinar (NID) as of 22 January 2004 Currency code: NID, IQD prior to 22 January 2004 Exchange rates: New Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 1,475 (2005), 1,890 (second half, 2003), 0.3109 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Iraq Telephones - main lines in use: 1,034,200 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 574,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: the 2003 war severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; USAID is overseeing the repair of switching capability and the construction of mobile and satellite communication facilities domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during the 2003 war continue, but sabotage remains a problem; additional switching capacity is improving access; cellular service is available and centered on three regional GSM networks, improving country-wide connectivity international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; despite a new satellite gateway, international calls outside of Baghdad remain problematic Radio broadcast stations: after 17 months of unregulated media growth, there are approximately 80 radio stations on the air inside Iraq (2004) Radios: 4.85 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 21 (2004) Televisions: 1.75 million (1997) Internet country code: .iq Internet hosts: 5 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 36,000 (2005) Transportation Iraq Airports: 110 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 77 over 3,047 m: 20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 33 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Heliports: 8 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,228 km; liquid petroleum gas 918 km; oil 5,506 km; refined products 1,637 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,200 km standard gauge: 2,200 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 45,550 km paved: 38,399 km unpaved: 7,151 km (1999) Waterways: 5,279 km note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2004) Merchant marine: total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 67,796 GRT/101,317 DWT by type: cargo 11, petroleum tanker 2 (2006) Ports and terminals: Al Basrah, Khawr az Zubayr, Umm Qasr Military Iraq Military branches: Iraqi Armed Forces: Iraqi Regular Army (includes Iraqi Special Operations Force, Iraqi Intervention Force), Iraqi Navy (former Iraqi Coastal Defense Force), Iraqi Air Force (former Iraqi Army Air Corps) (2005) Military service age and obligation: all volunteer force; the Iraqi Government is creating a new professional Iraqi military force of men aged 18 to 40 to defend Iraq from external threats and the current insurgency (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 5,870,640 females age 18-49: 5,642,073 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,930,074 females age 18-49: 4,771,105 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 198,518 females age 18-49: 289,879 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.34 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Iraq Disputes - international: coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring boundary security; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 22,711 (Palestinian Territories) IDPs: 1 million (ongoing US-led war and Kurds' subsequent return) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Ireland Introduction Ireland Background: Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK. In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is being implemented with some difficulties. Geography Ireland Location: Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 8 00 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 70,280 sq km land: 68,890 sq km water: 1,390 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: UK 360 km Coastline: 1,448 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time Terrain: mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m Natural resources: natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite Land use: arable land: 16.82% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 83.15% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 100 km of Dublin People Ireland Population: 4,062,235 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.9% (male 437,903/female 409,774) 15-64 years: 67.6% (male 1,373,771/female 1,370,452) 65 years and over: 11.6% (male 207,859/female 262,476) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34 years male: 33.2 years female: 34.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.15% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 14.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 4.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.73 years male: 75.11 years female: 80.52 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,800 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish Ethnic groups: Celtic, English Religions: Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census) Languages: English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (official) (Gaelic or Gaeilge) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Ireland Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ireland local long form: none local short form: Eire Government type: republic, parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Dublin geographic coordinates: 53 20 N, 6 15 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province Independence: 6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty) National holiday: Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March Constitution: adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937 Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 31 October 1997 (next scheduled for October 2011); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to a second term when no other candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election; prime minister (taoiseach) nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6% note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive Democrats 4, independents and other 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party 3.8%, other 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Sinn Fein 5, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, other 14 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet) Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [Trevor SARGENT]; Labor Party [Pat RABITTE]; Progressive Democrats [Michael McDOWELL]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Noel FAHEY chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. FOLEY embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [353] (1) 668-8777 FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red Economy Ireland Economy - overview: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 7% in 1995-2004. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and 29% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Per capita GDP is 10% above that of the four big European economies and the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations. GDP (purchasing power parity): $165.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $188.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $41,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 46% services: 49% (2002 est.) Labor force: 2.03 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 8% industry: 29% services: 64% (2002 est.) Unemployment rate: 4.3% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 10% (1997 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 27.3% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.9 (1996) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 27% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $70.46 billion expenditures: $69.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.5 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 26.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products Industries: steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, ship construction and refurbishment; glass and crystal; software, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 23.41 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 95.9% hydro: 2.3% nuclear: 0% other: 1.7% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 22.97 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 1.2 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 175,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 27,450 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 178,600 bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 673 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 4.298 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 3.384 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 19.82 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-3.833 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $102 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products Exports - partners: US 18.7%, UK 17.4%, Belgium 15.2%, Germany 7.4%, France 6.4%, Netherlands 4.8% (2005) Imports: $65.47 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing Imports - partners: UK 37%, US 13.8%, Germany 9.2%, Netherlands 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $869.3 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.049 trillion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $607 million (2004) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Ireland Telephones - main lines in use: 2.033 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.21 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay domestic: microwave radio relay international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 2.55 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 1.82 million (2001) Internet country code: .ie Internet hosts: 238,191 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 22 (2000) Internet users: 2.06 million (2005) Transportation Ireland Airports: 36 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,728 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,312 km broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants) (2005) Roadways: total: 95,736 km paved: 95,736 km (including 125 km of expressways) (2002) Waterways: 753 km (pleasure craft only) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 23 ships (1000 GRT or over) 103,589 GRT/145,044 DWT by type: cargo 19, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Germany 2, US 2) registered in other countries: 21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Cyprus 3, Gibraltar 1, Netherlands 10, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, UK 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Cork, Dublin, New Ross, Shannon Foynes, Waterford Military Ireland Military branches: Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; enlistees under the age of 17 can be recruited for specialist positions (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 977,092 females age 17-49: 978,465 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 814,768 females age 17-49: 813,981 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 29,327 females age 17-49: 28,139 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $700 million (FY00/01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY00/01) Transnational Issues Ireland Disputes - international: Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Isle of Man Introduction Isle of Man Background: Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. Geography Isle of Man Location: Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland Geographic coordinates: 54 15 N, 4 30 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 160 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Climate: temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley Elevation extremes: lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 m Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 9% permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution Geography - note: one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary People Isle of Man Population: 75,441 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 6,669/female 6,350) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 24,884/female 24,678) 65 years and over: 17% (male 5,197/female 7,663) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.6 years male: 38.4 years female: 41 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.52% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 11.19 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 5.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.49 years male: 75.14 years female: 82.02 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx Ethnic groups: Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends Languages: English, Manx Gaelic Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Government Isle of Man Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man Dependency status: British crown dependency Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Douglas geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 28 W time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections Independence: none (British crown dependency) National holiday: Tynwald Day, 5 July Constitution: unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution Legal system: English common law and Manx statute Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2004 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004 Legislative branch: bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (an 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and eight others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Keys - last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held November 2006) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Man Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive Government 14.6%; seats by party - Man Labor Party 2, Alliance for Progressive Government 3, independents 19 Judicial branch: High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Progressive Government; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (branch of the British National Party) note: most members sit as independents Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown dependency) Flag description: red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used Economy Isle of Man Economy - overview: Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.113 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.26 billion GDP - real growth rate: 6.3% NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $27,800 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.) Labor force: 39,690 (2001) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% Unemployment rate: 0.6% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2003 est.) Budget: revenues: $485 million expenditures: $463 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) Agriculture - products: cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry Industries: financial services, light manufacturing, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (FY96/97) Exports: $NA Exports - commodities: tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb Exports - partners: UK (2004) Imports: $NA Imports - commodities: timber, fertilizers, fish Imports - partners: UK (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound Currency code: GBP Exchange rates: Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Isle of Man Telephones - main lines in use: 51,000 (1999) Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999) Televisions: 27,490 (1999) Internet country code: .im Internet hosts: 290 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: NA Transportation Isle of Man Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Railways: total: 65 km standard guage: 7 km 1.067-m guage (7 km electrified) narrow guage: 58 km 0.914-m guage (29 km electrified) note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006) Roadways: total: 800 km paved: 800 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 305 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,266,229 GRT/13,792,927 DWT by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 65, chemical tanker 53, container 16, liquefied gas 38, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 213 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 53, Estonia 2, France 2, Germany 56, Greece 45, Italy 5, Japan 4, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 27, Singapore 7, Sweden 1, Turkey 3, US 3) registered in other countries: 9 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Castletown, Douglas, Ramsey Military Isle of Man Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Isle of Man Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Israel Introduction Israel Background: Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Palestinian-Israeli violence between September 2000 and February 2005. An agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February 2005 significantly reduced the violence. The election in January 2005 of Mahmud ABBAS as the new Palestinian leader following the November 2004 death of Yasir ARAFAT, the formation of a Likud-Labor-United Torah Judaism coalition government in January 2005, and the successful Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip (August-September 2005), presented an opportunity for a renewed peace effort. However, internal Israeli political events between October and December 2005 have destabilized the political situation and forced early elections, scheduled for March 2006. Geography Israel Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon Geographic coordinates: 31 30 N, 34 45 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey Land boundaries: total: 1,017 km border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km Coastline: 273 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand Land use: arable land: 15.45% permanent crops: 3.88% other: 80.67% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,940 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes Environment - current issues: limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2005 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source People Israel Population: 6,352,117 note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.3% (male 855,054/female 815,619) 15-64 years: 63.9% (male 2,044,135/female 2,016,647) 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 266,671/female 353,991) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 29.6 years male: 28.8 years female: 30.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.18% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 17.97 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.46 years male: 77.33 years female: 81.7 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,000 (1999 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli Ethnic groups: Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab) (2004) Religions: Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004) Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.4% male: 97.3% female: 93.6% (2003 est.) Government Israel Country name: conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv geographic coordinates: 32 05 N, 34 48 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends the Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Moshe KATZAV (since 31 July 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT (since May 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI (since May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held mid-2007); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition election results: Moshe KATZAV elected president by the 120-member Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES, received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON continued as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January 2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the National Union; controversy surrounding SHARON's disengagement plan ultimately led to the formation of a Likud-Labor-United Torah Judaism (UTJ) coalition government in January 2005 Legislative branch: unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP 9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab List 4, Balad 3, HADASH 3 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection Committee - made up of all three branches of the government; mandatory retirement age is 70) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (HADASH) [Muhammad BARAKA]; GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael EITAN]; Kadima [Ehud OLMERT]; Labor Party [Amir PERETZ]; Likud Party [Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-YAHAD [Yossi BEILIN]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Union (NU)/National Religious Party (NRP) [Binyamin ELON]; SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah and Shabbat Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; United Arab List [Ibrahim SARSOUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]; Yisrael Ba'Aliya (merged with Likud) Political pressure groups and leaders: Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors human rights abuses International organization participation: BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Salai MERIDOR chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903 mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575 FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government Flag description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag Economy Israel Economy - overview: Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel imports substantial quantities of grain, but is largely self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. The bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict; difficulties in the high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors; and fiscal austerity in the face of growing inflation led to small declines in GDP in 2001 and 2002. The economy rebounded in 2003 and 2004, growing at a 4% rate each year, as the government tightened fiscal policy and implemented structural reforms to boost competition and efficiency in the markets. In 2005, rising consumer confidence, tourism, and foreign direct investment - as well as higher demand for Israeli exports - boosted GDP by 4.7%. GDP (purchasing power parity): $156.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $114.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $25,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.6% industry: 31.7% services: 65.7% (2003 est.) Labor force: 2.42 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%, manufacturing 20.2%, construction 7.5%, commerce 12.8%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, finance and business 13.1%, personal and other services 6.4%, public services 31.2% (1996) Unemployment rate: 9% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 21% (2005) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 28.3% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34 (2005) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 17.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $43.82 billion expenditures: $58.04 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 99.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products Industries: high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles, footwear Industrial production growth rate: 2.8% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 44.24 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 39.67 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 1.47 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 2,740 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 270,100 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 1.92 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 200 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 200 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 38.94 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $2.385 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $40.14 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel Exports - partners: US 36.5%, Belgium 8.7%, Hong Kong 5.6% (2005) Imports: $43.19 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods Imports - partners: US 13.4%, Belgium 10.1%, Germany 6.4%, UK 5.7%, Switzerland 5.5%, China 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $28.06 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $75.55 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $662 million from US (2003 est.) Currency (code): new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code for the NIS Currency code: ILS Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Israel Telephones - main lines in use: 2,936,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 7.757 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; all systems are digital international: country code - 972; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 3.07 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 1.69 million (1997) Internet country code: .il Internet hosts: 1,251,881 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 21 (2000) Internet users: 3.7 million (2006) Transportation Israel Airports: 53 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 30 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Pipelines: gas 193 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2006) Railways: total: 853 km standard gauge: 853 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 17,364 km paved: 17,364 km (including 126 km of expressways) (2004) Merchant marine: total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 716,382 GRT/845,053 DWT by type: cargo 2, container 16 registered in other countries: 51 (Bahamas 1, Bermuda 3, Cyprus 3, Honduras 1, Liberia 5, Malta 23, Panama 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Slovakia 7) (2006) Ports and terminals: Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa Military Israel Military branches: Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Army Headquarters, Israel Navy, Israeli Air and Space Force (ISAF, includes air defense forces); historically there have been no separate Israeli military services (2005) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for men, 21 months for women (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 1,492,125 females age 17-49: 1,443,916 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 1,255,902 females age 17-49: 1,212,394 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 53,760 females: 51,293 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9.45 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 7.7% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Israel Disputes - international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 276,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Israel is a destination country for low-skilled workers from Eastern Europe and Asia who migrate voluntarily for contract labor in the construction, agriculture, and health care industries, some of whom are subsequently subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude; many labor recruitment agencies in source countries and in Israel require workers to pay large up-front fees that often lead to debt bondage and vulnerability to forced labor; Israel is also a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Israel is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking, namely the conditions of involuntary servitude allegedly facing thousands of foreign migrant workers Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Italy Introduction Italy Background: Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north. Geography Italy Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N, 12 50 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 301,230 sq km land: 294,020 sq km water: 7,210 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arizona Land boundaries: total: 1,932.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km Coastline: 7,600 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc) Natural resources: coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land Land use: arable land: 26.41% permanent crops: 9.09% other: 64.5% (2005) Irrigated land: 27,500 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe People Italy Population: 58,133,509 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,147,149/female 3,899,980) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 19,530,512/female 19,105,841) 65 years and over: 19.7% (male 4,771,858/female 6,678,169) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 42.2 years male: 40.7 years female: 43.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.04% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.81 years male: 76.88 years female: 82.94 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 140,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Italian(s) adjective: Italian Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) Religions: approximately 90% Roman Catholic (about one-third regularly attend services); mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community Languages: Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99% female: 98.3% (2003 est.) Government Italy Country name: conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia former: Kingdom of Italy Government type: republic Capital: name: Rome geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions* (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia*, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna*, Sicilia*, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige*, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta*, Veneto Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870) National holiday: Republic Day, 2 June (1946) Constitution: passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times Legal system: based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25) Executive branch: chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006) head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 17 May 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006 (next to be held May 2013); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth round of voting; electoral college vote - 543 Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members serve five-year terms); note - electoral vote reform passed in December 2005 elections: Senate - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held May 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Union 158 (DS 62, DL 39, RC 27, Together with the Union 11, other 19), House of Freedoms 154 (FI 79, AN 41, UDC 21, LEGA 13), other 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Union 348 (DS 220, RC 41, Rose in the Fist 18, Italy of Values 17, PdCI 16, Greens Federation 15, UDEUR 10, other 11), House of Freedoms 276 (FI 140, AN 71, Union of Christian and Center Democrats 39, LEGA 26), other 6 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts) Political parties and leaders: Center-Left Union Coalition [Romano PRODI]: Ulivo Alliance (including Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO]; Daisy-Democracy is Freedom or DL [Francesco RUTELLI]); Rose in the Fist (including Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI]; Italian Radical Party [Emma BONINO]); Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Green Federation [Alfonso PECORARO SCANIO]; Communist Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]; Union of Democrats for Europe or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; Republican European Movement or MRE [Luciana SBARBATI] Center-Right Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI]: Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Union of Christian Democrats of the Center or UDC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]; Northern League or LEGA [Umberto BOSSI]; Christian Democracy (Per la Autonomie) [Publio FIORI] other non-allied parties: New Italian Socialist Party or New PSI [Gianni DE MICHELIS]; Italian Republican Party or PRI [Giorgio LA MALFA]; Social Alternative [Alessandra MUSSOLINI]; Social Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma [Luca ROMAGNOLI]; Social Idea Movement with Rauti or MIS [Pino RAUTI]; South Tyrol People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Elmar Pichler ROLLE]; Union of Valley Aosta Region or UV [Guido CESAL] Political pressure groups and leaders: Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing, Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino PEZZOTTA], which is Roman Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist) International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Giovanni CASTELLANETA chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 46741 FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green note: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797 Economy Italy Economy - overview: Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficit has breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced almost no growth in 2005, and unemployment remained at a high level. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.667 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.71 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 0.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $28,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.1% industry: 29.1% services: 68.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 24.49 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 5% industry: 32% services: 63% (2001) Unemployment rate: 7.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 26.6% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $785.7 billion expenditures: $861.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 108.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics Industrial production growth rate: -1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 270.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 78.6% hydro: 18.4% nuclear: 0% other: 3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 302.2 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 500 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 51.5 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 136,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1.874 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 456,600 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 2.158 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 586.6 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 13.55 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 76.88 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 61 million cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 54.78 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-26.38 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $371.9 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals Exports - partners: Germany 13.1%, France 12.3%, US 8.1%, Spain 7.4%, UK 6.4% (2005) Imports: $369.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco Imports - partners: Germany 17.2%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 5.7%, China 4.6%, Belgium 4.5%, Spain 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $65.95 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $922.5 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Italy Telephones - main lines in use: 25.049 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 72.2 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: country code - 39; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables Radio broadcast stations: AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998) Radios: 50.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 30.3 million (1997) Internet country code: .it Internet hosts: 1,731,165 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000) Internet users: 28.87 million (2005) Transportation Italy Airports: 133 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 98 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 14 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 19 (2006) Heliports: 5 (2006) Pipelines: gas 17,589 km; oil 1,136 km (2006) Railways: total: 19,459 km standard gauge: 18,037 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified) narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (122 km electrified); 1,299 km 0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 479,688 km paved: 479,688 km (including 6,478 km of expressways) (2004) Waterways: 2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2004) Merchant marine: total: 591 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,737,175 GRT/12,573,225 DWT by type: bulk carrier 52, cargo 45, chemical tanker 136, container 25, liquefied gas 37, livestock carrier 3, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 150, petroleum tanker 49, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 28 foreign-owned: 36 (France 1, Greece 6, Spain 1, Taiwan 10, UK 3, US 15) registered in other countries: 152 (Bahamas 5, Belize 4, Cayman Islands 12, Cyprus 2, France 2, Germany 1, Gibraltar 6, Isle of Man 5, Jamaica 1, Liberia 16, Malta 29, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 4, Panama 15, Portugal 12, Romania 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Singapore 2, Spain 2, Sweden 7, Turkey 3, UK 4) (2006) Ports and terminals: Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Melilli Oil Terminal, Ravenna, Taranto, Trieste, Venice Military Italy Military branches: Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Corpo dei Carabinieri, CC) (2005) Military service age and obligation: voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005 (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 13,491,260 females age 18-49: 12,886,033 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 10,963,513 females age 18-49: 10,452,189 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 286,344 females age 18-49: 270,099 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $28,182.8 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (2004) Transnational Issues Italy Disputes - international: Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Jamaica Introduction Jamaica Background: The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated, replaced by African slaves. England siezed the island in 1655 and a plantation economy - based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee - was established. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of which became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs created by the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. The cycle of violence, drugs, and poverty has served to impoverish large sectors of the populace. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy. Geography Jamaica Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 77 30 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,022 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior Terrain: mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone Land use: arable land: 15.83% permanent crops: 10.01% other: 74.16% (2005) Irrigated land: 250 sq km (2002) Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November) Environment - current issues: heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal People Jamaica Population: 2,758,124 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.1% (male 464,297/female 449,181) 15-64 years: 59.6% (male 808,718/female 835,394) 65 years and over: 7.3% (male 90,100/female 110,434) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 23 years male: 22.4 years female: 23.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.8% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 20.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 15.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.24 years male: 71.54 years female: 75.03 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 22,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 900 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican Ethnic groups: black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1% Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Baptist 8.8%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 5.5%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Brethren 1.1%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7% Languages: English, patois English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.) Government Jamaica Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 6 August (1962) Constitution: 6 August 1962 Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Portia SIMPSON-MILLER (since 30 March 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held no later than October 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal Political parties and leaders: Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON] Political pressure groups and leaders: New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON embassy: Mutual Life Building, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859 FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001 Flag description: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side) Economy Jamaica Economy - overview: The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from remittances, tourism, and bauxite/alumina. The global economic slowdown, particularly after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in 2003-04, with brisk tourist seasons. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a growing stock of internal debt - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-1990s. The ratio of debt to GDP is 135%. Inflation, previously a bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Uncertain economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, the government faced the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth. Attempts at deficit control were derailed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, which required substantial government spending to repair the damage. Despite the hurricane, tourism looks set to enjoy solid growth for the foreseeable future. GDP (purchasing power parity): $12.18 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $9.127 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4.9% industry: 33.7% services: 61.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.2 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 19.3% industry: 16.6% services: 64.1% (2004) Unemployment rate: 11.5% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 19.1% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 30.3% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.9 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 32.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.8 billion expenditures: $3.21 billion; including capital expenditures of $180.4 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 128.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks Industries: tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2000 est.) Electricity - production: 3.717 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 96.8% hydro: 1.8% nuclear: 0% other: 1.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.974 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 69,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-974 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.608 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels Exports - partners: US 25.8%, Canada 19.3%, UK 10.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, China 7%, Norway 6.4%, Germany 5.6% (2005) Imports: $4.093 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials Imports - partners: US 41.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 14%, Venezuela 5.5%, Japan 4.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.17 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $7.162 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $18.5 million; note - US aid only (2004) Currency (code): Jamaican dollar (JMD) Currency code: JMD Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002), 45.996 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Jamaica Telephones - main lines in use: 342,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.7 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: NA international: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 1.215 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 7 (1997) Televisions: 460,000 (1997) Internet country code: .jm Internet hosts: 1,402 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 21 (2000) Internet users: 1.067 million (2005) Transportation Jamaica Airports: 35 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 22 (2006) Railways: total: 272 km standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003) Roadways: total: 18,700 km paved: 13,009 km unpaved: 5,610 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 10 ships (1000 GRT or over) 124,323 GRT/184,247 DWT by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 3, Greece 6, Italy 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point Military Jamaica Military branches: Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 592,018 females age 18-49: 616,500 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 478,761 females age 18-49: 504,541 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 27,923 females age 18-49: 27,889 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $31.17 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.4% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Jamaica Disputes - international: none Trafficking in persons: current situation: Jamaica is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and labor; information suggests that women from the Dominican Republic and Eastern Europe are also trafficked to Jamaica for sexual exploitation; women and children are trafficked internally from rural to urban and tourist areas for sexual exploitation; there may also be trafficking for domestic servitude and forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jamaica is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List based on the determination that it is making significant efforts to undertake future action Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Jan Mayen Introduction Jan Mayen Background: This desolate, mountainous island was named after a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and trappers over the following centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; it is the northernmost active volcano on earth. Geography Jan Mayen Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland Geographic coordinates: 71 00 N, 8 00 W Map references: Arctic Region Area: total: 377 sq km land: 377 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 124.1 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 4 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970 Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass People Jan Mayen Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station (July 2006 est.) Government Jan Mayen Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen Dependency status: territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service Legal system: the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply Flag description: the flag of Norway is used Economy Jan Mayen Economy - overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on the island. Communications Jan Mayen Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (Jan Mayen and Svalbard) (2000) Transportation Jan Mayen Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Jan Mayen Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway Transnational Issues Jan Mayen Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Japan Introduction Japan Background: In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally. In 2005, Japan began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Geography Japan Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 29,751 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish Land use: arable land: 11.64% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 87.46% (2005) Irrigated land: 25,920 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons Environment - current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling Geography - note: strategic location in northeast Asia People Japan Population: 127,463,611 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 9,309,524/female 8,849,476) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 42,158,122/female 41,611,754) 65 years and over: 20% (male 10,762,585/female 14,772,150) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 42.9 years male: 41.1 years female: 44.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.02% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 3.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.25 years male: 77.96 years female: 84.7 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese Ethnic groups: Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004) Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%) Languages: Japanese Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2002) Government Japan Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan local long form: Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku local short form: Nihon/Nippon Government type: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government Capital: name: Tokyo geographic coordinates: 35 42 N, 139 46 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi Independence: 660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU) National holiday: Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933) Constitution: 3 May 1947 Legal system: modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 September 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch is hereditary election results: ABE was elected prime minister with 339 of 476 votes cast in the House of Representatives and 136 of 240 votes cast in the House of Councilors. Legislative branch: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs) elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009) election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7; distribution of seats as of January 2006 - LDP 112, DPJ 83, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 8 : House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24; distribution of seats as of January 2006 - LDP 294, DPJ 112, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 27 (2006) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihoro OTA]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Shinzo ABE]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo KATO chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000 FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya Flag description: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center Economy Japan Economy - overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One notable characteristic of the economy is how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors work together in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 60% of its food on a caloric basis. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades, overall real economic growth had been spectacular - a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets and to force a restructuring of the economy. From 2000 to 2003, government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2004 and 2005, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge government debt, which totals 170% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the financial system will continue as Japan Post's banking, insurance, and delivery services undergo privatization between 2007 and 2017. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.025 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.664 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $31,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.7% industry: 25.8% services: 72.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 66.4 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4.6% industry: 27.8% services: 67.7% (2004) Unemployment rate: 4.4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.8% highest 10%: 21.7% (1993) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.9 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 23.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.429 trillion expenditures: $1.775 trillion; including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $71 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 158% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 1.017 trillion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 60% hydro: 8.4% nuclear: 29.8% other: 1.8% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 946.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 120,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 5.578 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 93,360 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 5.449 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 29.29 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 2.814 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 86.51 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 77.73 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 39.64 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $165.6 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $550.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals Exports - partners: US 22.9%, China 13.4%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 7.3%, Hong Kong 6.1% (2005) Imports: $451.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001) Imports - partners: China 21%, US 12.7%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, UAE 4.9%, Australia 4.7%, South Korea 4.7%, Indonesia 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $835.5 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.545 trillion (31 December 2004) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $8.9 billion (2004) Currency (code): yen (JPY) Currency code: JPY Exchange rates: yen per US dollar - 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Japan Telephones - main lines in use: 58.78 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 94.745 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind international: country code - 81; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999) Radio broadcast stations: AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21 (2001) Radios: 120.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 211 plus 7,341 repeaters note: in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999) Televisions: 86.5 million (1997) Internet country code: .jp Internet hosts: 28,321,846 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 73 (2000) Internet users: 86.3 million (2005) Transportation Japan Airports: 175 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 145 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 30 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Heliports: 15 (2006) Pipelines: gas 8,015 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2006) Railways: total: 23,556 km standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified) narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,264 km 1.067-m gauge (13,280 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 1.183 million km paved: 925,000 km (including 6,946 km of expressways) unpaved: 258,000 km (2003) Waterways: 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2006) Merchant marine: total: 683 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,415,892 GRT/11,765,038 DWT by type: bulk carrier 134, cargo 30, chemical tanker 20, container 11, liquefied gas 59, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 149, petroleum tanker 156, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 51, vehicle carrier 56 registered in other countries: 2,459 (Australia 1, Bahamas 51, Belize 2, Burma 4, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 1, China 3, Cyprus 17, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 4, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 67, Indonesia 3, Isle of Man 4, South Korea 1, Liberia 102, Malaysia 4, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 7, Mongolia 1, Norway 1, Panama 2007, Philippines 26, Portugal 9, Singapore 100, Sweden 2, Thailand 4, Vanuatu 28, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Chiba, Kawasaki, Kiire, Kisarazu, Kobe, Mizushima, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yohohama Military Japan Military branches: Japanese Defense Agency (JDA): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Nihon Koku-Jieitai, ASDF) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 27,003,112 females age 18-49: 26,153,482 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 22,234,663 females age 18-49: 21,494,947 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 683,147 females age 18-49: 650,157 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $44.31 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Japan Disputes - international: the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Jersey Introduction Jersey Background: Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Jersey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. Geography Jersey Location: Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France Geographic coordinates: 49 15 N, 2 10 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 70 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers Terrain: gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m Natural resources: arable land Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier People Jersey Population: 91,084 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.2% (male 8,139/female 7,552) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 30,407/female 30,691) 65 years and over: 15.7% (male 6,299/female 7,996) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 41.4 years male: 40.7 years female: 42.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.28% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.38 years male: 76.89 years female: 82.05 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.58 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander Ethnic groups: Jersey 51.1%, British 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian Languages: English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Government Jersey Country name: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey Dependency status: British crown dependency Government type: NA Capital: name: Saint Helier geographic coordinates: 49 12 N, 2 07 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency) Independence: none (British crown dependency) National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice Legal system: English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor Andrew RIDGEWAY (since 14 June 2006); Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for six-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for three-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for three-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and three non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch) elections: last held NA (next to be held NA); note - on 23 November 2005, 29 deputies, independents, were elected election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 55 Judicial branch: Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) Political parties and leaders: none; all independents Political pressure groups and leaders: none Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown dependency) Flag description: white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow Economy Jersey Economy - overview: Jersey's economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 1996, the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living standards come close to those of the UK. GDP (purchasing power parity): $3.6 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $40,000 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) Labor force: 52,790 (2004) Unemployment rate: 0.9% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% (2004) Budget: revenues: $601 million expenditures: $588 million; including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products Industries: tourism, banking and finance, dairy Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - consumption: 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France Exports: $NA Exports - commodities: light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles Exports - partners: UK (2004) Imports: $NA Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals Imports - partners: UK (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $0 Currency (code): British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound Currency code: GBP Exchange rates: Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Jersey Telephones - main lines in use: 73,900 (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: 83,900 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .je Internet hosts: 1,240 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: 27,000 (2005) Transportation Jersey Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 577 km Ports and terminals: Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier Military Jersey Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Jersey Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Jordan Introduction Jordan Background: Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country's long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, the son of King HUSSEIN, assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. After a two-year delay, parliamentary and municipal elections took place in the summer of 2003. The prime minister appointed in November 2005 stated the government would focus on political reforms, improving conditions for the poor, and fighting corruption. Geography Jordan Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 92,300 sq km land: 91,971 sq km water: 329 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana Land boundaries: total: 1,635 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km Coastline: 26 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil Land use: arable land: 3.32% permanent crops: 1.18% other: 95.5% (2005) Irrigated land: 750 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: droughts; periodic earthquakes Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank People Jordan Population: 5,906,760 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.8% (male 1,018,070/female 976,442) 15-64 years: 62.4% (male 1,966,794/female 1,716,255) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 111,636/female 117,563) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 23 years male: 23.7 years female: 22.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.49% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 21.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 2.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 6.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 16.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.4 years male: 75.9 years female: 81.05 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.63 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 600 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1% Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.) Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.3% male: 95.9% female: 86.3% (2003 est.) Government Jordan Country name: conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan conventional short form: Jordan local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah local short form: Al Urdun former: Transjordan Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Amman geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Thursday in March; ends last Friday in September Administrative divisions: 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946) Constitution: 1 January 1952; amended 1954, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1965, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1984 Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH, is first in line to inherit the throne head of government: Prime Minister Marouf al-BAKHIT (since 24 November 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Ziad FARIZ (since 24 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables (Majlis al-Ayan) (55 seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives, also called the House of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab) (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); note - six seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special electoral panel if no women are elected elections: House of Representatives - last held 17 June 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - independents and other 89.6%, IAF 10.4%; seats by party - independents and other 92, IAF 18; note - one of the six quota seats was given to a female IAF candidate note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989, the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held; political parties were not legalized until 1992; King ABDALLAH delayed the 2001 elections until 2003 Judicial branch: Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal) Political parties and leaders: al-Ahd Party; Arab Islamic Democratic Movement [Yusuf ABU BAKR, president]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN, secretary general]; Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysir al-HIMSI, secretary general]; Ba'th Arab Progressive Party [Fu'ad DABBUR, secretary general]; Freedom Party; Future Party; Islamic Action Front or IAF [Zaki Sa'ed BANI IRSHEID, secretary general]; Islamic Center Party [Marwan al-FAURI, secretary general]; Jordanian Arab Ansar Party; Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party; Jordanian Arab Party; Jordanian Citizens' Rights Movement; Jordanian Communist Party [Munir HAMARINAH, secretary general]; Jordanian Communist Workers Party; Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali MUSTAFA, secretary general]; Jordanian Generations Party [Muhammad KHALAYLEH, secretary general]; Jordanian Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH, secretary general]; Jordanian Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman Jiryis HANNA, secretary general]; Jordanian Peace Party; Jordanian People's Committees Movement; Jordanian People's Democratic Party (Hashd) [Ahmad YUSUF, secretary general]; Jordanian Rafah Party; Jordanian Renaissance Party; Mission Party; Nation Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; National Action Party (Haqq) [Tariq al-KAYYALI, secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general]; National Popular Democratic Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI, secretary general]; Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary general] Political pressure groups and leaders: Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, secretary general] International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664 FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David M. HALE embassy: Abdoun, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box 5, APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000 FAX: [962] (6) 592-0121 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I Economy Jordan Economy - overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. Debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH, since assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. 'Amman in the past three years has worked closely with the IMF, practiced careful monetary policy, and made substantial headway with privatization. The government also has liberalized the trade regime sufficiently to secure Jordan's membership in the WTO (2000), a free trade accord with the US (2001), and an association agreement with the EU (2001). These measures have helped improve productivity and have put Jordan on the foreign investment map. Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq, but the US-led war in Iraq in 2003 made Jordan more dependent on oil from other Gulf nations, forcing the Jordanian Government to raise retail petroleum product prices and the sales tax base. Jordan's export market, which is heavily dependent on exports to Iraq, was also affected by the war but recovered quickly while contributing to the Iraq recovery effort. The main challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the budget deficit, and creating investment incentives to promote job creation. GDP (purchasing power parity): $26.85 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $11.51 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3% industry: 28.7% services: 68% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.46 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 5% industry: 12.5% services: 82.5% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 12.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 30% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 29.8% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.4 (1997) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.8 billion expenditures: $4.688 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.092 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 79.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry Industries: textiles, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 7.517 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 7.959 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 4 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 972 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 40 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - consumption: 103,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: 100,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 445,000 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 390 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 390 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 6.23 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-1.613 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $4.226 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: clothing, phosphates, fertilizers, potash, vegetables, manufactures, pharmaceuticals Exports - partners: US 29.4%, Iraq 15.6%, India 8.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.9% (2005) Imports: $8.681 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 20.9%, China 8%, Germany 7.1%, US 6.2%, South Korea 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.463 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $8.528 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $500 million (2004 est.) Currency (code): Jordanian dinar (JOD) Currency code: JOD Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2005), 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003), 0.709 (2002), 0.709 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Jordan Telephones - main lines in use: 617,300 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,594,500 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of digital switching equipment, but better access to the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to pay telephones is needed by the urban public domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available international: country code - 962; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international links total about 4,000 Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999) Radios: 1.66 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 500,000 (1997) Internet country code: .jo Internet hosts: 3,441 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000) Internet users: 629,500 (2005) Transportation Jordan Airports: 17 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 426 km; oil 49 km (2006) Railways: total: 505 km narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 7,364 km paved: 7,364 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 25 ships (1000 GRT or over) 346,698 GRT/501,060 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 9, container 2, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 11 (UAE 11) registered in other countries: 15 (Bahamas 2, Panama 13) (2006) Ports and terminals: Al 'Aqabah Military Jordan Military branches: Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya al-Urduniya), Special Operations Command (Socom); Public Security Directorate (normally falls under Ministry of Interior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis situations) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 1,573,995 females age 17-49: 1,346,642 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 1,348,076 females age 17-49: 1,158,011 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 60,625 females age 17-49: 58,218 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.4 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 11.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Jordan Disputes - international: 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 1,827,877 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 168,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Kazakhstan Introduction Kazakhstan Background: Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers. Geography Kazakhstan Location: Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe Geographic coordinates: 48 00 N, 68 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 2,717,300 sq km land: 2,669,800 sq km water: 47,500 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 12,012 km border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid Terrain: extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia Elevation extremes: lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium Land use: arable land: 8.28% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 91.67% (2005) Irrigated land: 35,560 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty Environment - current issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers which flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Geography - note: landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050 People Kazakhstan Population: 15,233,244 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 23% (male 1,792,685/female 1,717,294) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 5,122,027/female 5,357,819) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 438,541/female 804,878) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.8 years male: 27.2 years female: 30.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.33% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -3.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.55 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 28.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.89 years male: 61.56 years female: 72.52 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 16,500 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census) Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7% Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 99.1% female: 97.7% (1999 est.) Government Kazakhstan Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy local short form: Qazaqstan former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch Capital: name: Astana geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 30 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Kazakhstan is divided into three time zones Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala, singular - qalasy); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the lease to 2050 Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 16 December (1991) Constitution: first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995 Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Daniyal AKHMETOV (since 13 June 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 19 January 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A. TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6% note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that extended his term of office and expanded his presidential powers: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (39 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local government bodies, 2 from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of Astana, and the city of Almaty, to serve six-year terms; note - formerly composed of 47 seats) and the Mazhilis (77 seats; 10 out of the 77 Mazhilis members are elected from the winning party's lists; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - (indirect) last held December 2005; next to be held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 19 September and 3 October 2004 (next to be held in September 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; candidates nominated by local councils; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Otan 42, AIST 11, ASAR (All Together) 4, Aq Zhol (Bright Path) 1, Democratic Party 1 (party refused to take the seat due to criticism of the election and seat remained unoccupied), independent 18; note - most independent candidates are affiliated with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions Judicial branch: Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members) Political parties and leaders: Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, co-chair, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, co-chair, Bakhytbek AKHMETZHAN, co-chair, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, co-chair, Tolegan SYDYKOV, co-chair] (formerly Democratic Party of Kazakhstan); Aq Zhol Party (Bright Path) [Alikhan BAIMENOV, chairman]; AUL (Village) [Gani KALIYEV, chairman]; Communist Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV, first secretary]; Otan [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV, acting chairman] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with Otan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV, chairman]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality) [Altynshash ZHAGANOVA, chairwoman] Political pressure groups and leaders: Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For a Just Kazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV, Altynbek SARSENBAYEV]; For Fair Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV] International organization participation: AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Kanat B. SAUDABAYEV chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845 consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John M. ORDWAY embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (3172) 70-21-00 FAX: [7] (3172) 34-08-90 Flag description: sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold Economy Kazakhstan Economy - overview: Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources and also on a growing machine-building sector specializing in construction equipment, tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse in demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - 9% or more per year in 2002-05 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. The opening of the Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. Kazakhstan also has begun work on an ambitious cooperative construction effort with China to build an oil pipeline that will extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing light industry. The policy aims to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel. The government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements; tensions continue. Upward pressure on the local currency continued in 2005 due to massive oil-related foreign-exchange inflows. GDP (purchasing power parity): $125.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $47.39 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 9.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.7% industry: 38.6% services: 54.7% (2005 est.) Labor force: 7.85 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 20% industry: 30% services: 50% (2002 est.) Unemployment rate: 8.1% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 19% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 31.5 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 26.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $12.19 billion expenditures: $12.44 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 10.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 60.33 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 84.3% hydro: 15.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 52.55 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 6 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 2.45 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 1.3 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 221,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 890,000 bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: 47,000 bbl/day (2003) Oil - proved reserves: 26 billion bbl (1 January 2004) Natural gas - production: 18.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 15.2 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 4.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: NA cu m Natural gas - proved reserves: 3 trillion cu m (1 January 2004) Current account balance: $-485.7 million (2005 est.) Exports: $30.09 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001) Exports - partners: Bermuda 12.5%, Russia 11.1%, Germany 10.7%, China 10%, Italy 7.9%, France 7.7%, Romania 4.5%, US 4% (2005) Imports: $17.51 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8% (2001) Imports - partners: Russia 35.9%, China 21.4%, Germany 7.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $7.07 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $41.66 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $74.2 million in US assistance programs, 1992-2000 (FY2004) Currency (code): tenge (KZT) Currency code: KZT Exchange rates: tenge per US dollar - 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003), 153.28 (2002), 146.74 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Kazakhstan Telephones - main lines in use: 2.5 million (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.955 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquated domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan international: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998) Radios: 6.47 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998) Televisions: 3.88 million (1997) Internet country code: .kz Internet hosts: 21,187 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (with their own international channels) (2001) Internet users: 400,000 (2005) Transportation Kazakhstan Airports: 150 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 67 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 83 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 53 (2006) Heliports: 4 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 658 km; gas 11,019 km; oil 10,338 km; refined products 1,095 km (2006) Railways: total: 13,700 km broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 258,029 km paved: 247,347 km unpaved: 10,682 km (2003) Waterways: 4,000 km (on the Ertis (Irtysh) (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) rivers) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 27,173 GRT/43,475 DWT by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Oman 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk) Military Kazakhstan Military branches: Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Force, Republican Guard Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 3,758,255 females age 18-49: 3,822,845 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 2,473,529 females age 18-49: 3,168,048 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 173,129 females age 18-49: 168,697 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $221.8 million (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02) Transnational Issues Kazakhstan Disputes - international: in 2005, Kazakhstan agreed with Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to commence demarcating their boundaries; delimitation with Kyrgyzstan is complete; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains unresolved; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 13,684 (Russia) (2005) Illicit drugs: significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Kenya Introduction Kenya Background: Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition, defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. Geography Kenya Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 582,650 sq km land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada Land boundaries: total: 3,477 km border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km Coastline: 536 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m Natural resources: limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower Land use: arable land: 8.01% permanent crops: 0.97% other: 91.02% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,030 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons Environment - current issues: water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value People Kenya Population: 34,707,817 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.6% (male 7,454,765/female 7,322,130) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 9,631,488/female 9,508,068) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 359,354/female 432,012) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.2 years male: 18.1 years female: 18.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.57% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 39.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 2005 Kenya was host to 233,778 refugees from neighboring countries, including Somalia 153,627, Sudan 67,556, Ethiopia 12,595 (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 59.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.93 years male: 49.78 years female: 48.07 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.7% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.2 million (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 150,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1% Religions: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2% note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.1% male: 90.6% female: 79.7% (2003 est.) Government Kenya Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kenya conventional short form: Kenya local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri y Kenya local short form: Kenya former: British East Africa Government type: republic Capital: name: Nairobi geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963) Constitution: 12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001 Legal system: based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991 Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held December 2007); vice president appointed by the president election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called "nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members) elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court Political parties and leaders: Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI] (the governing party) Political pressure groups and leaders: human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY] International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard NGAITHE chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William M. BELLAMY embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiri; P. O. Box 606 Village Market Nairobi mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831 telephone: [254] (20) 537-800 FAX: [254] (20) 537-810 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center Economy Kenya Economy - overview: The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at 1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence, meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections. In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable economic problems facing the nation. In 2003, progress was made in rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support. GDP grew more than 5% in 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $37.89 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $16.11 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.3% industry: 18.8% services: 65.1% (2004 est.) Labor force: 11.85 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 75% industry and services: 25% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 40% (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: 50% (2000 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 37.2% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44.5 (1997) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 17% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.715 billion expenditures: $3.88 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 50.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 4.342 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 17.7% hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 11.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 4.238 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 200 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 52,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-1.543 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $3.173 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement Exports - partners: Uganda 13.9%, UK 10.5%, US 9.5%, Netherlands 8.2%, Egypt 5.1%, Tanzania 4.7%, Pakistan 4.5% (2005) Imports: $5.126 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics Imports - partners: UAE 13.6%, Saudi Arabia 9.9%, US 9.8%, India 8.3%, South Africa 7.9%, China 7.1%, UK 5.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.799 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $7.391 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $453 million (1997) Currency (code): Kenyan shilling (KES) Currency code: KES Exchange rates: Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004), 75.936 (2003), 78.749 (2002), 78.563 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Kenya Telephones - main lines in use: 281,800 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.612 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except for service to business domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001) Radios: 3.07 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 8 (2002) Televisions: 730,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ke Internet hosts: 13,274 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 65 (2001) Internet users: 1,054,900 (2005) Transportation Kenya Airports: 225 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 210 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 115 under 914 m: 84 (2006) Pipelines: refined products 894 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,778 km narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 63,000 km (interurban roads) paved: 7,623 km unpaved: 55,377 km note: there also are 100,000 km of rural roads and 14,500 km of urban roads for a national total of 177,500 km (2004) Waterways: part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2003) Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 6,049 GRT/7,082 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1 registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Mombasa Military Kenya Military branches: Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 7,303,153 females age 18-49: 7,083,726 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 3,963,532 females age 18-49: 3,471,926 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $280.5 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Kenya Disputes - international: Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to approximately a quarter of a million refugees including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; the Kenya-Somalia border is open to pastoralists and is susceptible to cross-border clan insurgencies; Kenya's administrative limits extend beyond the treaty border into the Sudan, creating the Ilemi Triangle Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 153,627 (Somalia) 12,595 (Ethiopia) 67,556 (Sudan) IDPs: 360,000 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Kenya is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; children are trafficked within the country for domestic servitude, street vending, agricultural labor, and sexual exploitation; men, women, and girls are trafficked to the Middle East, other African nations, Western Europe, and North America for domestic servitude, enslavement in massage parlors and brothels, and manual labor; Chinese women trafficked for sexual exploitation reportedly transit Nairobi and Bangladeshis may transit Kenya for forced labor in other countries tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Kenya is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List due to a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking Illicit drugs: widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Kiribati Introduction Kiribati Background: The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati. Geography Kiribati Location: Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 811 sq km land: 811 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,143 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds Terrain: mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued in 1979) Land use: arable land: 2.74% permanent crops: 47.95% other: 49.31% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level Environment - current issues: heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: 21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru People Kiribati Population: 105,432 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.6% (male 20,608/female 20,060) 15-64 years: 58.1% (male 30,216/female 31,004) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,517/female 2,027) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.2 years male: 19.8 years female: 20.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.24% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 30.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.26 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 47.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.08 years male: 59.06 years female: 65.24 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural) adjective: I-Kiribati Ethnic groups: Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of God (1999) Languages: I-Kiribati, English (official) Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA Government Kiribati Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati conventional short form: Kiribati local long form: Republic of Kiribati local short form: Kiribati note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss former: Gilbert Islands Government type: republic Capital: name: Tarawa geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina) Independence: 12 July 1979 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1979) Constitution: 12 July 1979 Legal system: NA Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 4 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2007); vice president appointed by the president election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA 9.1% Legislative branch: unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorney general, 1 appointed to represent Banaba, and 1 other; members serve four-year terms) elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003 (next to be held by November 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general) Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president Political parties and leaders: Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG] note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati Flag description: the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean Economy Kiribati Economy - overview: A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage of development as is the expansion of private sector initiatives. Foreign financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China equals about 20% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust fund. GDP (purchasing power parity): $142.9 million note: supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $76.4 million GDP - real growth rate: 0.3% (2005) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,900 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.9% industry: 24.2% services: 66.8% (1998 est.) Labor force: 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.) Labor force - by occupation: 2.70213%, 32%, 65.3% Unemployment rate: 2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.5% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $55.52 million expenditures: $59.71 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05) Agriculture - products: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish Industries: fishing, handicrafts Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1991 est.) Electricity - production: 12 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 11.16 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-19.87 million Exports: $17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish Exports - partners: US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%, Australia 7.5%, Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark 4.6% (2005) Imports: $62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel Imports - partners: Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2005) Debt - external: $10 million (1999 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $16.7 million largely from UK and Japan (2004) Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD) Currency code: AUD Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Fiscal year: NA Communications Kiribati Telephones - main lines in use: 4,500 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 600 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: generally good quality national and international service domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati (Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999 international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002) Radios: 17,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (not reported to be active) (2002) Televisions: 1,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ki Internet hosts: 42 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 2,000 (2004) Transportation Kiribati Airports: 19 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Roadways: total: 670 km (1999) Waterways: 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003) Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,749 GRT/3,911 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Betio Military Kiribati Military branches: no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 21,938 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 14,231 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,128 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ Transnational Issues Kiribati Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Korea, North Introduction Korea, North Background: An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il-so'ng, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive Soviet or Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development, as well as its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces, are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Since August 2003, North Korea has participated in the Six-Party Talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US designed to resolve the stalemate over its nuclear programs. The fourth round of Six-Party Talks were held in Beijing during July-September 2005. All parties agreed to a Joint Statement of Principles in which, among other things, the six parties unanimously reaffirmed the goal of verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. In the Joint Statement, the DPRK committed to "abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA safeguards." The Joint Statement also commits the US and other parties to certain actions as the DPRK denuclearizes. The US offered a security assurance, specifying that it had no nuclear weapons on ROK territory and no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or other weapons. The US and DPRK will take steps to normalize relations, subject to the DPRK's implementing its denuclearization pledge and resolving other longstanding concerns. While the Joint Statement provides a vision of the end-point of the Six-Party process, much work lies ahead to implement the elements of the agreement. Geography Korea, North Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 127 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Mississippi Land boundaries: total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km Coastline: 2,495 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned Climate: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower Land use: arable land: 22.4% permanent crops: 1.66% other: 75.94% (2005) Irrigated land: 14,600 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall Environment - current issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated People Korea, North Population: 23,113,019 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.8% (male 2,788,944/female 2,708,331) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,762,442/female 7,955,522) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 667,792/female 1,229,988) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 32 years male: 30.7 years female: 33.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.84% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.54 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 23.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.65 years male: 68.92 years female: 74.51 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese Religions: traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom Languages: Korean Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% Government Korea, North Country name: conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea conventional short form: North Korea local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk local short form: Choson abbreviation: DPRK Government type: Communist state one-man dictatorship Capital: name: Pyongyang geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si, singular and plural) provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang) municipalites: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang) Independence: 15 August 1945 (from Japan) National holiday: Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948) Constitution: adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992, and September 1998 Legal system: based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong Nam president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials; SPA appointed PAK Pong Ju premier head of government: Premier PAK Pong Ju (since 3 September 2003); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3 September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003) cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September 2008) election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties Judicial branch: Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly) Political parties and leaders: major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control) Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star Economy Korea, North Economy - overview: North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel. Despite an increased harvest in 2005 because of more stable weather conditions, fertilizer assistance from South Korea, and an extraordinary mobilization of the population to help with agricultural production, the nation has suffered its 11th year of food shortages because of on-going systemic problems, including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and chronic shortages of tractors and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape mass starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. In 2004, the regime formalized an arrangement whereby private "farmers markets" were allowed to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the regime reversed some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. In December 2005, the regime confirmed that it intended to carry out earlier threats to terminate all international humanitarian assistance operations in the DPRK (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and to restrict the activities of international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations. GDP (purchasing power parity): $40 billion note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income Accounts data; the datum shown here is derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus Maddison in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was extrapolated to 2005 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the result was rounded to the nearest $10 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30% industry: 34% services: 36% (2002 est.) Labor force: 9.6 million Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 36% industry and services: 64% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Agriculture - products: rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs Industries: military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 18.75 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 29% hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 17.43 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - consumption: 25,000 bbl/day (2003) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 22,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $1.275 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, fishery products Exports - partners: China 45.6%, South Korea 20.2%, Japan 12.9% (2004) Imports: $2.819 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain Imports - partners: China 32.9%, Thailand 10.7%, Japan 4.8% (2004) Debt - external: $12 billion (1996 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - approximately 350,000 metric tons in food aid, worth approximately $118 million, through the World Food Program appeal in 2004, plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations Currency (code): North Korean won (KPW) Currency code: KPW Exchange rates: official: North Korean won per US dollar - 170 (December 2004), 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Korea, North Telephones - main lines in use: 980,000 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing Radio broadcast stations: AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting Station), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2003) Radios: 3.36 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting South Korea) (2003) Televisions: 1.2 million (1997) Internet country code: .kp Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation Korea, North Airports: 77 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 36 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Heliports: 22 (2006) Pipelines: oil 154 km (2006) Railways: total: 5,214 km standard gauge: 5,214 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 31,200 km paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.) Waterways: 2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2006) Merchant marine: total: 232 ships (1000 GRT or over) 983,182 GRT/1,370,104 DWT by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 176, chemical tanker 1, container 4, livestock carrier 3, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 60 (British Virgin Islands 1, China 1, Denmark 1, Egypt 2, Greece 1, India 1, Lebanon 6, Lithuania 1, Marshall Islands 1, Pakistan 3, Romania 11, Russia 1, Singapore 1, Syria 14, Turkey 4, UAE 6, US 3, Yemen 2) registered in other countries: 5 (Belize 2, Mongolia 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan Military Korea, North Military branches: North Korean People's Army: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces (2005) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 5,851,801 females age 17-49: 5,850,733 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 4,810,831 females age 17-49: 4,853,270 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 194,605 females age 17-49: 187,846 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $5,217.4 million (FY02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Korea, North Disputes - international: China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers and a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with South over the Northern Limit Line; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima) Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 50,000-250,000 (government repression and famine) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; North Korea's own system of political repression includes forced labor in a network of prison camps where an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 persons are incarcerated; the illegal status of North Koreans in China and other countries increases their vulnerability to trafficking schemes and sexual and physical abuse; North Koreans forcibly returned from China may be subject to hard labor in prison camps operated by the government tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of them diplomatic employees of the government, were apprehended abroad while trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December 2004; police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Korea, South Introduction Korea, South Background: Korea was an independent kingdom for much of its millennia-long history. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Yo'ng-sam became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of military rule. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il. Geography Korea, South Location: Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N, 127 30 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 98,480 sq km land: 98,190 sq km water: 290 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Indiana Land boundaries: total: 238 km border countries: North Korea 238 km Coastline: 2,413 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified Climate: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter Terrain: mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential Land use: arable land: 16.58% permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.41% (2005) Irrigated land: 8,780 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest Environment - current issues: air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location on Korea Strait People Korea, South Population: 48,846,823 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 4,844,083/female 4,368,139) 15-64 years: 71.9% (male 17,886,148/female 17,250,862) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 1,818,677/female 2,678,914) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 35.2 years male: 34.2 years female: 36.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.42% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.85 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.04 years male: 73.61 years female: 80.75 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 8,300 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) Religions: no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1% Languages: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 99.2% female: 96.6% (2002) Government Korea, South Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Korea conventional short form: South Korea local long form: Taehan-min'guk local short form: Han'guk abbreviation: ROK Government type: republic Capital: name: Seoul geographic coordinates: 37 34 N, 127 00 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities (gwangyoksi, singular and plural) provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North Cholla), Cholla-namdo (South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto (North Ch'ungch'ong), Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang) metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inch'on), Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan), Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi (Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan) Independence: 15 August 1945 (from Japan) National holiday: Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) Constitution: 17 July 1948 Legal system: combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought Suffrage: 19 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President ROH Moo-hyun (since 25 February 2003) head of government: Prime Minister HAN Myeong-sook (since 20 April 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Woo-sik (since 10 February 2006); KWON O-kyu (since 18 July 2006); KIM Shin-il (since 20 September 2006) cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held in December 2007); prime minister appointed by president with consent of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president on prime minister's recommendation election results: ROH Moo-hyun elected president; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat constituencies, 56 by proportional representation) elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2008; byelections held on 30 April 2005 and on 26 October 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP 3%, DP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 144, GNP 127, DP 11, DLP 9, ULD 3, independents 5 note: percent of vote is for 2004 general election; seats by party reflect results of April and October 2005 byelections involving six and four seats respectively; MDP became DP in May 2005; United Liberal Democrats (ULD) merged with GNP in February 2006. (2006) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices appointed by president with consent of National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief Justice of the court) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Labor Party or DLP [MOON Seong-hyun]; Democratic Party or DP [HAHN Hwa-kap]; Grand National Party or GNP [KANG Jae-sup]; People-Centered Party or PCP [SHIN Kook-hwan]; Uri Party [KIM Geun-tae] Political pressure groups and leaders: Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association; National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Federation of Student Associations International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador LEE Tae-sik chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600 FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205 consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VERSHBOW embassy: 32 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710 mailing address: US Embassy Seoul, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-5550 telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114 FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845 Flag description: white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field Economy Korea, South Economy - overview: Since the early 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Four decades ago, GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. In 2004, South Korea joined the trillion dollar club of world economies. Today its GDP per capita is equal to the lesser economies of the EU. This success through the late 1980s was achieved by a system of close government/business ties, including directed credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of specific industries, and a strong labor effort. The government promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. GDP plunged by 6.9% in 1998, then recovered 9.5% in 1999 and 8.5% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the slowing global economy, falling exports, and the perception that much-needed corporate and financial reforms had stalled. Led by consumer spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an impressive 7%, despite anemic global growth. Between 2003 and 2005, growth moderated to about 4%. A downturn in consumer spending was offset by rapid export growth. In 2005, the government proposed labor reform legislation and a corporate pension scheme to help make the labor market more flexible, and new real estate policies to cool property speculation. Moderate inflation, low unemployment, an export surplus, and fairly equal distribution of income characterize this solid economy. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.101 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $801.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $22,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3% industry: 40.3% services: 56.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 23.53 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 6.4% industry: 26.4% services: 67.2% (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 3.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 15% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25% (2005 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.8 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 29.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $195 billion expenditures: $189 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 20% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish Industries: electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel Industrial production growth rate: 5.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 342.1 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 62.4% hydro: 0.8% nuclear: 36.6% other: 0.2% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 321.1 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 2.061 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: 645,200 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 2.263 million bbl/day (2004) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 24.09 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 21.11 billion cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $16.56 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $288.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals Exports - partners: China 21.8%, US 14.6%, Japan 8.5%, Hong Kong 5.5% (2005) Imports: $256 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics Imports - partners: Japan 18.5%, China 14.8%, US 11.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $210.4 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $153.9 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $423.3 million (2004) Currency (code): South Korean won (KRW) Currency code: KRW Exchange rates: South Korean won per US dollar - 1,024.1 (2005), 1,145.3 (2004), 1,191.6 (2003), 1,251.1 (2002), 1,291 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Korea, South Telephones - main lines in use: 23.745 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 38.342 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and international services domestic: NA international: country code - 82; 10 fiber-optic submarine cables - 1 Korea-Russia-Japan, 1 Korea-Japan-Hong Kong, 3 Korea-Japan-China, 1 Korea-Japan-China-Europe, 1 Korea-Japan-China-US-Taiwan, 1 Korea-Japan-China, 1 Korea-Japan-Hong Kong-Taiwan, 1 Korea-Japan; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 3 Inmarsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 61, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2005) Radios: 47.5 million (2000) Television broadcast stations: terrestrial stations 43; cable operators 59; relay cable operators 190 (2005) Televisions: 15.9 million (1997) Internet country code: .kr Internet hosts: 5,433,591 (2005) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000) Internet users: 33.9 million (2005) Transportation Korea, South Airports: 107 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 69 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 35 (2006) Heliports: 540 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,482 km; refined products 827 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,472 km standard gauge: 3,472 km 1.435-m gauge (1,361 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 97,252 km paved: 74,641 km (including 3,060 km of expressways) unpaved: 22,611 km (2004) Waterways: 1,608 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2006) Merchant marine: total: 669 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,634,188 GRT/13,733,624 DWT by type: bulk carrier 157, cargo 193, chemical tanker 98, container 81, liquefied gas 22, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 24, petroleum tanker 57, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 6 foreign-owned: 22 (France 12, Japan 1, UK 2, US 7) registered in other countries: 365 (Belize 4, Cambodia 23, China 2, Cyprus 1, Georgia 1, Honduras 6, Hong Kong 6, Indonesia 1, Liberia 3, Malaysia 1, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 291, Singapore 17, unknown 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Inch'on, Masan, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan Military Korea, South Military branches: Army, Navy, Republic of Korea Air Force (Han-guk Kong Goon), Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (coast guard) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 20-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 24-28 months, depending on the military branch involved; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; some 4,000 women serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all officers; women, in service since 1950, are admitted to seven service branches, including infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 12,483,677 females age 20-49: 12,014,462 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 10,115,817 females age 20-49: 9,721,914 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 344,943 females age 20-49: 312,720 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $21.06 billion FY05 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% FY05 (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Korea, South Disputes - international: Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with North Korea over the Northern Limit Line; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Kuwait Introduction Kuwait Background: Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91. Geography Kuwait Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia Geographic coordinates: 29 30 N, 45 45 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 17,820 sq km land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey Land boundaries: total: 462 km border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km Coastline: 499 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed location 306 m Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas Land use: arable land: 0.84% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 98.99% (2005) Irrigated land: 130 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping Geography - note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf People Kuwait Population: 2,418,393 note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 331,768/female 319,895) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 1,085,721/female 613,746) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 42,460/female 24,803) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 25.9 years male: 28 years female: 22.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.52% note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2006 est.) Birth rate: 21.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 2.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 15.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.71 male(s)/female total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.2 years male: 76.13 years female: 78.31 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.12% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Kuwaiti(s) adjective: Kuwaiti Ethnic groups: Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% Religions: Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15% Languages: Arabic (official), English widely spoken Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.5% male: 85.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) Government Kuwait Country name: conventional long form: State of Kuwait conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt Government type: constitutional hereditary emirate Capital: name: Kuwait geographic coordinates: 29 20 N, 47 59 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al Kabir Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK) National holiday: National Day, 25 February (1950) Constitution: approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: adult males who are not in the military forces, and adult females (as of 16 May 2005); all voters must have been citizens for 20 years Executive branch: chief of state: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Sabah head of government: Prime Minister NASIR al-Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 7 February 2006) First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006) and Ismail al-SHATTI (since 10 July 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the amir elections: none; the amir is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the amir Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal Political parties and leaders: none; formation of political parties is illegal Political pressure groups and leaders: a number of political groups act as de facto parties; several legislative blocs operate in the National Assembly: tribal groups, merchants, Shi'a activists, Islamists, and secular liberals International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard LEBARON embassy: Bayan 36302, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 259-1001 FAX: [965] 538-0282 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side; design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I Economy Kuwait Economy - overview: Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 96 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country. GDP (purchasing power parity): $47.36 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $52.76 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $20,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.4% industry: 47.9% services: 51.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.67 million note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 2.2% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 14.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $47.21 billion expenditures: $20.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 12.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: practically no crops; fish Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials Industrial production growth rate: 13.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 38.19 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 35.52 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 2.418 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 305,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 1.97 million bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 96.5 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 8.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 8.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2002 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2002 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.572 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $26.92 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $44.43 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: oil and refined products, fertilizers Exports - partners: Japan 19.6%, South Korea 15.3%, US 11.8%, Taiwan 11%, Singapore 9.5%, Netherlands 4.7% (2005) Imports: $12.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing Imports - partners: US 14%, Germany 10.7%, Japan 8.4%, Saudi Arabia 6.2%, UK 5.6%, France 4.8%, China 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $8.972 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $16.12 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA (2001) Currency (code): Kuwaiti dinar (KD) Currency code: KWD Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Kuwait Telephones - main lines in use: 510,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.38 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: the quality of service is excellent domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: country code - 965; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 1.175 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997) Televisions: 875,000 (1997) Internet country code: .kw Internet hosts: 2,310 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 700,000 (2005) Transportation Kuwait Airports: 7 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Heliports: 5 (2006) Pipelines: gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2006) Roadways: total: 4,450 km paved: 3,587 km unpaved: 863 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 38 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,424,983 GRT/3,996,755 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 3, petroleum tanker 21 registered in other countries: 28 (Bahrain 3, Comoros 1, Liberia 1, Libya 1, Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 5, UAE 8) (2006) Ports and terminals: Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi Military Kuwait Military branches: Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 1 month annual training to age 40; women have served in police forces since 1999 (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 864,745 females age 18-49: 467,120 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 737,292 females age 18-49: 405,207 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 18,743 females age 18-49: 20,065 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.01 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Kuwait Disputes - international: Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf Trafficking in persons: current situation: Kuwait is a destination country for men and women who migrate legally from South and Southeast Asia for domestic or low-skilled labor, but are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by employers in Kuwait including conditions of physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement to the home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of movement; Kuwait is reportedly a transit point for South and East Asian workers recruited for low-skilled work in Iraq; some of these workers are deceived as to the true location and nature of this work, and others are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in Iraq; in past years, Kuwait was also a destination country for children exploited as camel jockeys, but this form of trafficking appears to have ceased tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Kuwait is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List because its efforts are based largely on pledges of future actions This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Kyrgyzstan Introduction Kyrgyzstan Background: A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1864; it achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAYEV, who had run the country since 1990. Subsequent presidential elections in July 2005 were won overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIYEV. Current concerns include: privatization of state-owned enterprises, expansion of democracy and political freedoms, reduction of corruption, improving interethnic relations, and combating terrorism. Geography Kyrgyzstan Location: Central Asia, west of China Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 75 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 198,500 sq km land: 191,300 sq km water: 7,200 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Dakota Land boundaries: total: 3,878 km border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone Terrain: peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation Elevation extremes: lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m Natural resources: abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc Land use: arable land: 6.55% permanent crops: 0.28% other: 93.17% note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural growth walnut forest (2005) Irrigated land: 10,720 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: water pollution; many people get their water directly from contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation practices Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes People Kyrgyzstan Population: 5,213,898 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.9% (male 821,976/female 789,687) 15-64 years: 62.9% (male 1,607,396/female 1,669,612) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 126,847/female 198,380) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 23.6 years male: 22.8 years female: 24.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.32% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.08 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 34.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 39.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.49 years male: 64.48 years female: 72.7 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,900 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Kyrgyzstani(s) adjective: Kyrgyzstani Ethnic groups: Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1%, Ukrainian 1%, Uygur 1%, other 5.7% (1999 census) Religions: Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5% Languages: Kyrgyz (official), Russian (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.7% male: 99.3% female: 98.1% (1999 est.) Government Kyrgyzstan Country name: conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy local short form: Kyrgyzstan former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: Bishkek geographic coordinates: 42 54 N, 74 36 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city* (shaar); Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty (Karakol) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Independence: 31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 31 August (1991) Constitution: adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly expands the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature; following the spring 2005 demonstrations, a new Constitutional Council was appointed and the reform process is ongoing Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Kurmanbek BAKIYEV (since 14 August 2005); note - former President Askar AKAYEV resigned effective 11 April 2005 following widespread protests that forced him to flee the country on 24 March 2005 head of government: Prime Minister Feliks KULOV (since 1 September 2005); First Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar USENOV (since 10 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister; note - the new constitution of November 2006 calls for the legislature to appoint the prime minister and members of the Cabinet after the elections of 2010 elections: Kurmanbek BAKIYEV elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 July 2005 (next scheduled for 2010); prime minister nominated by the president for approval by Parliament; note - the new constitution of November 2006 calls for the legislature to appoint the prime minister and members of the Cabinet after the elections of 2010 election results: Kurmanbek BAKIYEV elected president; percent of vote - Kurmanbek BAKIYEV 88.6%, Tursunbai BAKIR-UULU 3.9%, other candidates 7.5%; Feliks KULOV approved as prime minister 55-8 Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council or Jorgorku Kenesh (75 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five year terms) elections: elections for the new unicameral body or Jorgorku Kenesh were held 27 February 2005, but the vast majority of positions remained undecided and were contested in a runoff election on 13 March 2005; election irregularities caused widespread protests that resulted in the president being forced to flee the country election results: Supreme Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed for 10-year terms by the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the president); Constitutional Court; Higher Court of Arbitration Political parties and leaders: Adilet (Justice) Party [Toychubek KASYMOV]; Agrarian Labor Party of Kyrgyzstan [Uson SYDYKOV]; Agrarian Party of Kyrgyzstan [Erkin ALIYEV]; Alga, Kyrgyzstan (Forward, Kyrgyzstan) [Bolot BEGALIYEV]; Ar-Namys (Dignity) Party [Emil ALIYEV]; Asaba (Banner National Revival Party) [Azimbek BEKNAZAROV]; Ata-Meken (Fatherland) [Omurbek TEKEBAYEV]; Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan [Klara ADZHIBEKOVA]; Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan or DDK [Jypar JEKSHEYEV]; Erkin Kyrgyzstan Progressive and Democratic Party [Bektur ASANOV]; Erkindik (Freedom) Party [Topchubek TURGUNALIYEV]; Future of Kyrgyzstan [Balbak TULEBAYEV]; Jany Kyrgyzstan (New Kyrgyzstan) [Dosbol NUR UULU]; Kairan El [Dooronbek SADYKOV]; Kyrgyz National Party [Bakyt BESHIMOV]; Kyrgyzstan Kelechegi [Ruslan CHYNYBAYEV]; Manas El (Party of Spiritual Restoration) [Chingiz AITMATOV]; Moya Strana (My Country Party of Action) [Joomart OTORBAYEV]; Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan or KCP [Bakytbek BEKBOYEV]; Party of Justice and Progress [Muratbek IMANALIEV]; Party of Peasants [Esengul ISAKOV] Political pressure groups and leaders: Council of Free Trade Unions; Kyrgyz Committee on Human Rights [Ramazan DYRYLDAYEV]; National Unity Democratic Movement; Union of Entrepreneurs International organization participation: AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Zamira SYDYKOVA chancery: 2360 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-5141 FAX: [1] (202) 386-7550 consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marie L. YOVANOVITCH embassy: 171 Prospect Mira, Bishkek 720016 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [996] (312) 551-241, (517) 777-217 FAX: [996] (312) 551-264 Flag description: red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays representing the 40 Kyrgyz tribes; on the obverse side the rays run counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise; in the center of the sun is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized representation of the roof of the traditional Kyrgyz yurt Economy Kyrgyzstan Economy - overview: Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton are exported in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, and electricity. Kyrgyzstan has been progressive in carrying out market reforms, such as an improved regulatory system and land reform. Kyrgyzstan was the first CIS country to be accepted into the World Trade Organization. Much of the government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in production had been severe after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, but by mid-1995, production began to recover and exports began to increase. Kyrgyzstan has distinguished itself by adopting relatively liberal economic policies. The drop in output at the Kumtor gold mine sparked a 0.5% decline in GDP in 2002, but GDP growth bounced back in 2003-05. The government has made steady strides in controlling its substantial fiscal deficit and reduced the deficit to 1% of GDP in 2005. The government and international financial institutions have been engaged in a comprehensive medium-term poverty reduction and economic growth strategy, and in 2005 agreed to pursue much-needed tax reform. Progress fighting corruption, further restructuring of domestic industry, and success in attracting foreign investment are keys to future growth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $10.08 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.144 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: -0.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 35.3% industry: 20.8% services: 43.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.7 million (2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 55% industry: 15% services: 30% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 18% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 40% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 23.3% (2001) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 29 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 12.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $516.3 million expenditures: $539.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool Industries: small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals Industrial production growth rate: 7.1% (2004 est.) Electricity - production: 13.77 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 7.6% hydro: 92.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 8.783 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 4.13 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 108 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 1,990 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 11,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 6 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 1.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) Current account balance: $-134 million (2005 est.) Exports: $759 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, hydropower; machinery; shoes Exports - partners: UAE 35.6%, Russia 18.6%, China 13.4%, Kazakhstan 12.6% (2005) Imports: $937.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs Imports - partners: China 43.2%, Russia 19.8%, Kazakhstan 11.9%, Turkey 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $612.3 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2.428 billion (31 December 2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $50 million from the US (2001) Currency (code): Currency code: KGS Exchange rates: soms per US dollar - 41.012 (2005), 42.65 (2004), 43.648 (2003), 46.937 (2002), 48.378 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Kyrgyzstan Telephones - main lines in use: 438,200 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 541,700 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: development of telecommunications infrastructure is slow; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in Bishkek domestic: two wireless telephony service providers, but penetration remains low international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1 Intelsat; connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line Radio broadcast stations: AM 12 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 520,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: NA (repeater stations throughout the country relay programs from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey) (1997) Televisions: 210,000 (1997) Internet country code: .kg Internet hosts: 18,928 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: 280,000 (2005) Transportation Kyrgyzstan Airports: 37 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 16 (2006) Pipelines: gas 254 km; oil 16 km (2006) Railways: total: 470 km broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 18,500 km paved: 16,854 km unpaved: 1,646 km (1999) Waterways: 600 km (2006) Ports and terminals: Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye) Military Kyrgyzstan Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Guard (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,193,529 females age 18-49: 1,219,080 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 871,493 females age 18-49: 1,024,568 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 61,091 females age 18-49: 59,784 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $19.2 million (FY01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY01) Transnational Issues Kyrgyzstan Disputes - international: delimitation with Kazakhstan is complete; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation of 130 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy for CIS markets; limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Laos Introduction Laos Background: Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For three hundred years Lan Xang included large parts of present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997. Geography Laos Location: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 105 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Utah Land boundaries: total: 5,083 km border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones Land use: arable land: 4.01% permanent crops: 0.34% other: 95.65% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,750 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: floods, droughts Environment - current issues: unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand People Laos Population: 6,368,481 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.4% (male 1,324,207/female 1,313,454) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 1,744,206/female 1,786,139) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 89,451/female 111,024) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.9 years male: 18.6 years female: 19.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.39% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 83.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 92.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 55.49 years male: 53.45 years female: 57.61 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,700 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian Ethnic groups: Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% Religions: Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.4% male: 77.4% female: 55.5% (2002) Government Laos Country name: conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic conventional short form: Laos PDR or Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none Government type: Communist state Capital: name: Vientiane geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France) National holiday: Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Constitution: promulgated 14 August 1991 Legal system: based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006) and Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006) head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit [since 8 June 2006], Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 97% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP 113, independents 2 Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National Assembly Standing Committee) Political parties and leaders: Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALY Sayasone]; other parties proscribed Political pressure groups and leaders: noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 International organization participation: ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam Road, Vientiane mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, Box V, APO AP 96546 telephone: [856] 21-26 7000 FAX: [856] 21-26 7074 Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band Economy Laos Economy - overview: The government of Laos, one of the few remaining official Communist states, began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% in 1988-2004 except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country with a primitive infrastructure. It has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications, though the government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system with possible support from Japan. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture, dominated by rice, accounts for about half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid by the IMF and other international sources and from new foreign investment in food processing and mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on exports. This new status may help spur growth. In addition, the European Union has agreed to provide $1 million to the Lao Government for technical assistance in preparations for WTO membership. If the avian flu worsens and spreads in the region, however, prospects for tourism could dim. GDP (purchasing power parity): $12.29 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.523 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 45.5% industry: 28.7% services: 25.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.8 million (2002 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 2.4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 34% (2005 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 30.6% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37 (1997) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $319.3 million expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry Industries: copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement Industrial production growth rate: 13% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 3.767 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.4% hydro: 98.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 3.298 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 435 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 230 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 2,950 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-134 million (2005 est.) Exports: $379 million (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin Exports - partners: Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005) Imports: $541 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods Imports - partners: Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $249 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2.49 billion (2001) Economic aid - recipient: $243 million (2001 est.) Currency (code): kip (LAK) Currency code: LAK Exchange rates: kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Laos Telephones - main lines in use: 90,067 (2006) Telephones - mobile cellular: 520,546 (2006) Telephone system: general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas domestic: radiotelephone communications international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) Radios: 730,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 7; note - including one station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi (2006) Televisions: 52,000 (1997) Internet country code: .la Internet hosts: 1,108 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 25,000 (2005) Transportation Laos Airports: 44 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (2006) Pipelines: refined products 540 km (2006) Roadways: total: 32,620 km paved: 4,590 km unpaved: 28,030 km (2002) Waterways: 4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2005) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Military Laos Military branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force Military service age and obligation: 15 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 15-49: 1,500,625 females age 15-49: 1,521,116 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 15-49: 954,816 females age 15-49: 1,006,082 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 73,167 females age 15-49: 71,432 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $11.04 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.4% (2005 est.) Military - note: Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005) Transnational Issues Laos Disputes - international: Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels Trafficking in persons: current situation: Laos is a source country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; a significant number are economic migrants who are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation or conditions of forced or bonded labor in Thailand; to a lesser extent, Laos is a transit and destination country for women who are trafficked for sexual exploitation including a small number of victims from China and Vietnam trafficked to work as street vendors and for sexual exploitation in prostitution tier rating: Tier 3 - Laos does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Latvia Introduction Latvia Background: After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Geography Latvia Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania Geographic coordinates: 57 00 N, 25 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 64,589 sq km land: 63,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries: total: 1,368 km border countries: Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 282 km Coastline: 531 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters Terrain: low plain Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m Natural resources: peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land Land use: arable land: 28.19% permanent crops: 0.45% other: 71.36% (2005) Irrigated land: 200 sq km note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; the main environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010 Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east People Latvia Population: 2,274,735 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14% (male 162,562/female 155,091) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 769,004/female 815,042) 65 years and over: 16.4% (male 121,646/female 251,390) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.4 years male: 36.3 years female: 42.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.67% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.24 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 13.66 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -2.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.33 years male: 66.08 years female: 76.85 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 7,600 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian Ethnic groups: Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002) Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox Languages: Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.) Government Latvia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local long form: Latvijas Republika local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Riga geographic coordinates: 56 57 N, 24 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities*: Aizkraukles Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons, Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons, Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala*, Kraslavas Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja*, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons, Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons, Rezekne*, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils*, Ventspils Rajons Independence: 21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August 1991 is the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union Constitution: 15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens Executive branch: chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Aigars KALVITIS (since 2 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the Parliament elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 20 June 2003 (next to be held by June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA reelected president; parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 88 of 94 votes cast Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - TP 19.5%, ZZS 16.7%, JL 16.4%, SC 14.4%; LPP/LC 8.6%; TB/LNNK 7%; PCTVL 6%; seats by party - TP 23, ZZS 18, JL 18, SC 17, LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 8, PCTVL 6 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament) Political parties and leaders: First Party of Latvia or LPP [Juris LUJANS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Tatjana ZDANOKA, Jakovs PLINERS]; For the Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement or TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME]; Harmony Center or SC [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS]; Latvian Green Party or ZZS [Indulis EMSIS, Viesturs SILENIEKS, Raimonds VEJONIS]; Latvian Farmer's Union or LZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS]; Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris BOJARS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP [Alfreds RUBIKS]; Latvia's Way or LC [Ivars GODMANIS]; New Democrats or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE]; People's Harmony Party or TSP [Aivars DATAVS]; People's Party or TP [Atis SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS] Political pressure groups and leaders: Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB) [Aleksandr KAZAKOV] International organization participation: Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Maris RIEKSTINS chancery: 2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2840 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2860 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Catherine TODD BAILEY embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510 mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE 09723 telephone: [371] 703-6200 FAX: [371] 782-0047 Flag description: three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon Economy Latvia Economy - overview: Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the government's budget stringency and a gradual reorientation of exports toward EU countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. The majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current account deficit - 11.5% of GDP in 2005 - remains a major concern. A growing perception that many of Latvia's banks facilitate illicit activity could damage the country's vibrant financial sector. GDP (purchasing power parity): $31.46 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $14.43 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 10.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 26.1% services: 69.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.11 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 15% industry: 25% services: 60% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.5% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: Below $2.15 per day (PPP): 3% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.1% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 27.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $5.673 billion expenditures: $5.889 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 10.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish Industries: buses, vans, street and railroad cars; synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note - dependent on imports for energy and raw materials Industrial production growth rate: 5.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 3.97 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 29.1% hydro: 70.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 5.839 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 38 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 2.7 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 47,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 47,000 bbl/day (2004) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m NA (2003) Natural gas - consumption: 1.76 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 1.76 billion cu m (2004) Current account balance: $-1.959 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $4.86 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs Exports - partners: Lithuania 11%, Estonia 10.8%, Germany 10.2%, UK 10.2%, Russia 7.9%, Sweden 7.8%, Denmark 5.3%, Poland 5.3% (2005) Imports: $8.19 billion f.o.b. (2005) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles Imports - partners: Germany 13.9%, Lithuania 13.6%, Russia 8.6%, Estonia 7.9%, Poland 6.4%, Finland 5.9%, Belarus 5.8%, Sweden 5.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.361 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $10.8 billion (1 January 2006) Economic aid - recipient: $1.2 billion (2004-06) Currency (code): Latvian lat (LVL) Currency code: LVL Exchange rates: lati per US dollar - 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002), 0.6279 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Latvia Telephones - main lines in use: 731,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.872 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands domestic: two wireless service providers in addition to Lattelekom, the incumbent monopoly international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 1.76 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 1.22 million (1997) Internet country code: .lv Internet hosts: 65,858 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 41 (2001) Internet users: 1.03 million (2005) Transportation Latvia Airports: 46 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 24 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 19 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,097 km; oil 82 km; refined products 415 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,303 km broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified) narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 69,919 km paved: 69,919 km (2003) Waterways: 300 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 250,559 GRT/336,136 DWT by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 105 (Antigua and Barbuda 5, Bahamas 1, Belize 6, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 4, Dominica 1, Gibraltar 2, Liberia 14, Malta 40, Marshall Islands 7, Panama 3, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18) (2006) Ports and terminals: Riga, Ventspils Military Latvia Military branches: Latvian Republic Defense Force: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers; plans are to phase out conscription, tentatively moving to an all-professional force by 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 517,713 females age 19-49: 519,631 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 361,098 females age 19-49: 422,913 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 19,137 females age 19-49: 18,505 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $87 million (FY01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY01) Transnational Issues Latvia Disputes - international: Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia must implement the strict Schengen border rules Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin American cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; despite improved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Lebanon Introduction Lebanon Background: Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this territory and separated out a region of Lebanon in 1920. France granted this area independence in 1943. A 15-year civil war (1976-1991) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections, most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shi'a organization listed by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus justified its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar Revolution"). Syria finally withdrew the remainder of its military forces from Lebanon in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference, handing a two-thirds majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son. Geography Lebanon Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria Geographic coordinates: 33 50 N, 35 50 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 10,400 sq km land: 10,230 sq km water: 170 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut Land boundaries: total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km Coastline: 225 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows Terrain: narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m Natural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land Land use: arable land: 16.35% permanent crops: 13.75% other: 69.9% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,040 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity People Lebanon Population: 3,874,050 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.5% (male 523,220/female 502,372) 15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,235,915/female 1,342,540) 65 years and over: 7% (male 122,155/female 147,848) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.8 years male: 26.7 years female: 28.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.23% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 23.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.88 years male: 70.41 years female: 75.48 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,800 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Lebanese (singular and plural) adjective: Lebanese Ethnic groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians Religions: Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3% note: 17 religious sects recognized Languages: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 93.1% female: 82.2% (2003 est.) Government Lebanon Country name: conventional long form: Lebanese Republic conventional short form: Lebanon local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah local short form: Lubnan former: Greater Lebanon Government type: republic Capital: name: Beirut geographic coordinates: 33 53 N, 35 30 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye Independence: 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November (1943) Constitution: 23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989 Legal system: mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education Executive branch: chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-year extension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005 (next to be held 2009) election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5 Judicial branch: four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed) Political parties and leaders: Ba'th Party; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUMBLATT]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, Amal Movement leader/Speaker of the National Assembly]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Karim PAKRADONI]; Kataeb Reform Movement [Amine GEMAYAL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD]; Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; National Bloc [Carlos EDDE]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Qornet Shewan Gathering [a grouping with no individual leader]; Syrian National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU]; Tachnaq Party; Tripoli Independent Bloc [a grouping with no individual leader] Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324 consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Akwar facing the Municipality) mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070 telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600 FAX: [961] (4) 544136 Flag description: three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band Economy Lebanon Economy - overview: The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing state enterprises. In November 2002, the government met with international donors at the Paris II conference to seek bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic debt at lower interest rates. Substantial receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little to reduce the debt, which stands at nearly 170% of GDP. In 2004 the HARIRI government issued Eurobonds in an effort to manage maturing debt. The downturn in economic activity that followed the assassination of Rafiq al-HARIRI has eased, but has yet to be reversed. Tourism remains below the level of 2004. The new Prime Minister, Fuad SINIORA, has pledged to push ahead with economic reform, including privatization and more efficient government. The Core Group of nations has announced plans to hold a Donor's Conference in early 2006 to assist the government of Lebanon in restructuring its debt and increasing foreign investment. GDP (purchasing power parity): $22.78 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $20.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 0.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12% industry: 21% services: 67% (2000) Labor force: 2.6 million note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 18% (1997 est.) Population below poverty line: 28% (1999 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $4.953 billion expenditures: $6.595 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 180.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats Industries: banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 10.67 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 97.2% hydro: 2.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 10.67 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 750 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 102,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-4.239 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $1.782 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper Exports - partners: Syria 25.3%, UAE 11.4%, Switzerland 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia 6% (2005) Imports: $8.855 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco Imports - partners: Italy 11.1%, Syria 10.7%, France 9.2%, Germany 6.5%, China 5.4%, US 5.3%, UK 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $16.62 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $26 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft loans pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference Currency (code): Lebanese pound (LBP) Currency code: LBP Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Lebanon Telephones - main lines in use: 990,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 990,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete domestic: two commercial wireless networks provide good service; political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new technologies international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; 3 submarine coaxial cables Radio broadcast stations: AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 2.85 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 1.18 million (1997) Internet country code: .lb Internet hosts: 3,307 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 22 (2000) Internet users: 700,000 (2005) Transportation Lebanon Airports: 7 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Pipelines: gas 43 km (2006) Railways: total: 401 km standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006) Roadways: total: 7,300 km paved: 6,198 km unpaved: 1,102 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 39 ships (1000 GRT or over) 150,598 GRT/178,295 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, livestock carrier 10, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 3 foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 3, Syria 1) registered in other countries: 59 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Barbados 1, Cambodia 6, Comoros 6, Egypt 2, Georgia 7, Honduras 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 2, Malta 10, Mongolia 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Syria 7, unknown 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Beirut, Chekka, Jounie, Tripoli Military Lebanon Military branches: Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 974,363 females age 18-49: 1,024,273 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 821,762 females age 18-49: 865,770 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $540.6 million (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.1% (2004) Transnational Issues Lebanon Disputes - international: Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978 Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 404,170 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 300,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions) (2005) Illicit drugs: cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Lesotho Introduction Lesotho Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 7 years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002. Geography Lesotho Location: Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S, 28 30 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m Natural resources: water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone Land use: arable land: 10.87% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2005) Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts Environment - current issues: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level People Lesotho Population: 2,022,331 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.8% (male 374,102/female 369,527) 15-64 years: 58.3% (male 572,957/female 606,846) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 39,461/female 59,438) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.3 years male: 19.7 years female: 21 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.46% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 92.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 82.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 34.4 years male: 35.55 years female: 33.21 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 28.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 320,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 29,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, Religions: Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.) Government Lesotho Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho local short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Maseru geographic coordinates: 29 28 S, 27 30 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 4 October (1966) Constitution: 2 April 1993 Legal system: based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995, while his father was in exile head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998) cabinet: Cabinet elections: none - according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution, which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession, or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120 in the May 2002 election elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC 7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18 Judicial branch: High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court Political parties and leaders: Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI] (the governing party); Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; Lesotho Workers Party of LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; United Democratic Party or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or UP [Makara SEKAUTU] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section) mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 22 312666 FAX: [266] 22 310116 Flag description: three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence Economy Lesotho Economy - overview: Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue. However, the government has recently strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries, as well as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown significantly, mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.008 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.362 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.3% industry: 44.3% services: 39.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 838,000 (2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa industry and services: 14% Unemployment rate: 45% (2002) Population below poverty line: 49% (1999) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 63.2 (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 29.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $738.5 million expenditures: $792.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock Industries: food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 15.5% (1999) Electricity - production: 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) Electricity - consumption: 363.5 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 38 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,400 bbl/day (2003) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-92 million (2005 est.) Exports: $602.8 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) Exports - partners: Hong Kong 43.6%, China 35.4%, Germany 8.4% (2005) Imports: $1.166 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000) Imports - partners: US 84%, Belgium 12.8%, Canada 2.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $573 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $735 million (2002) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $4.4 million Economic aid - recipient: $41.5 million (2000) Currency (code): loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) Currency code: LSL; ZAR Exchange rates: maloti per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Lesotho Telephones - main lines in use: 48,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 245,100 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: rudimentary system domestic: consists of a modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: NA (2002) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2000) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .ls Internet hosts: 168 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 43,000 (2005) Transportation Lesotho Airports: 28 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2006) Roadways: total: 5,940 km paved: 1,087 km unpaved: 4,853 km (1999) Military Lesotho Military branches: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 428,982 females age 18-49: 440,102 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 180,797 females age 18-49: 160,681 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $41.1 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (2005 est.) Military - note: the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs Transnational Issues Lesotho Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Liberia Introduction Liberia Background: Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE assassinated President William TOLBERT (1971-80) and ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule followed by a prolonged civil war, in which DOE himself was killed. In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of intermittent fighting and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence throughout the country, completed a disarmament program for former combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish. Geography Liberia Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone Geographic coordinates: 6 30 N, 9 30 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 111,370 sq km land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,050 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee Land boundaries: total: 1,585 km border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km Coastline: 579 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers Terrain: mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower Land use: arable land: 3.43% permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005) Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) Environment - current issues: tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture People Liberia Population: 3,042,004 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.1% (male 656,016/female 653,734) 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 816,443/female 832,152) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 40,591/female 43,068) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.1 years male: 18 years female: 18.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 4.91% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 44.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 23.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 27.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: at least 238,500 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries; the uncertain security situation has hindered their ability to return (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 155.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 171.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 139.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 39.65 years male: 37.99 years female: 41.35 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.02 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 7,200 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005) Nationality: noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian Ethnic groups: indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves) Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% Languages: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.5% male: 73.3% female: 41.6% (2003 est.) Government Liberia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Liberia conventional short form: Liberia Government type: republic Capital: name: Monrovia geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 47 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe Independence: 26 July 1847 National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847) Constitution: 6 January 1986 Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (since 6 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005 (next to be held NA 2011) election results: Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (UP) 59.6%, George WEAH (CDC) 40.4% note: a UN-brokered cease-fire among warring factions and the Liberian Government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of former president, Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement, Chairman Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as head of the National Transitional Government on 14 October 2003; free elections were held 11 October 2005, with a runoff election between the two leading candidates on 8 November 2005 Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2014); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held NA 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDC 15, LP 9, UP 8, COTOL 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15 note: the current six-year term for junior senators - those who received the second most votes in the election - is mandated by the Liberian constitution to stagger Senate elections and ensure continuity of government Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH]; Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [H. Varney SHERMAN]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN]; Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. MINOR chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380 FAX: [231] 226-148 Flag description: 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag Economy Liberia Economy - overview: Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia, while continued international sanctions on diamonds and timber exports will limit growth prospects for the foreseeable future. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned, but many will not. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The departure of the former president, Charles TAYLOR, to Nigeria in August 2003, the establishment of the all-inclusive Transitional Government, and the arrival of a UN mission have helped defuse the political crisis, but have done little to encourage economic development. Wealthy international donors, who are ready to assist reconstruction efforts, are withholding funding until Liberia's National Assembly signs onto a Governance and Economic Management Action Plan (GEMAP). The Plan was created in October 2005 by the International Contact Group for Liberia to help ensure transparent revenue collection and allocation - something that was lacking under the Transitional Government and that has limited Liberia's economic recovery. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial support and technical assistance from donor countries. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.643 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $902.9 million GDP - real growth rate: 9.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 76.9% industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 70% industry: 8% services: 22% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 85% (2003 est.) Population below poverty line: 80% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (2003 est.) Budget: revenues: $85.4 million expenditures: $90.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber Industries: rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 509.4 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 473.8 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 3,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $910 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee Exports - partners: Belgium 41.4%, Spain 11.6%, US 9.1%, Malaysia 5.5%, Thailand 4.6%, Poland 4.6%, Germany 4.4% (2005) Imports: $4.839 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs Imports - partners: South Korea 37.9%, Japan 21.1%, Singapore 14.2%, Croatia 4.7% (2005) Debt - external: $3.2 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $94 million (1999) Currency (code): Liberian dollar (LRD) Currency code: LRD Exchange rates: Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003), 61.754 (2002), 48.583 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Liberia Telephones - main lines in use: 6,900 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 160,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia domestic: fully automatic system with very low density of .23 fixed main lines per 100 persons; limited wireless service available international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001) Radios: 790,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 70,000 (1997) Internet country code: .lr Internet hosts: 8 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2001) Internet users: 1,000 (2002) Transportation Liberia Airports: 53 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 38 (2006) Railways: total: 490 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge note: railway is inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2005) Roadways: total: 10,600 km paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 1,687 ships (1000 GRT or over) 62,522,787 GRT/96,776,521 DWT by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 322, cargo 83, chemical tanker 199, combination ore/oil 2, container 477, liquefied gas 75, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 397, refrigerated cargo 76, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 35 foreign-owned: 1,611 (Argentina 7, Australia 2, Austria 13, Bahamas, The 1, Bermuda 1, Brazil 3, Canada 2, China 35, Croatia 7, Cyprus 3, Denmark 8, Estonia 1, France 3, Germany 587, Greece 267, Hong Kong 37, India 3, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 5, Israel 5, Italy 16, Japan 102, South Korea 3, Kuwait 1, Latvia 14, Lebanon 2, Mexico 1, Monaco 10, Netherlands 29, Norway 38, Poland 14, Qatar 2, Russia 77, Saudi Arabia 24, Singapore 28, Slovenia 2, Sweden 8, Switzerland 7, Taiwan 69, Turkey 1, UAE 18, UK 41, Ukraine 16, Uruguay 3, US 93, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Buchanan, Monrovia Military Liberia Military branches: Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 575,384 females age 18-49: 588,780 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 267,430 females age 18-49: 286,231 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $67.4 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 7.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Liberia Disputes - international: although Liberia's domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs was declared over in 2003, civil unrest persists, and in 2004, 133,000 Liberian refugees remained in Guinea, 72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000 in Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone; since 2003, the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has maintained about 18,000 peacekeepers in Liberia; the Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivoirian rebels; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 13,941 (Sierra Leone) 12,408 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 464,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2005) Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Libya Introduction Libya Background: The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks from the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not reliquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI began to espouse his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Libyan support for terrorism appeared to have decreased after the imposition of sanctions. During the 1990s, QADHAFI also began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya resolved the Lockerbie case. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, and QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with western nations since then. He has received various Western European leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to Brussels in April 2004. QADHAFI also finally resolved in 2004 several outstanding cases against his government for terrorist activities in the 1980s by compensating the families of victims of the UTA and La Belle disco bombings. Geography Libya Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 17 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1,759,540 sq km land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Alaska Land boundaries: total: 4,348 km border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km Coastline: 1,770 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum Land use: arable land: 1.03% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 98.78% (2005) Irrigated land: 4,700 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms Environment - current issues: desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert People Libya Population: 5,900,754 note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.6% (male 1,012,748/female 969,978) 15-64 years: 62.2% (male 1,891,643/female 1,778,621) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 121,566/female 126,198) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 23 years male: 23.1 years female: 22.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.3% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 26.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 23.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.69 years male: 74.46 years female: 79.02 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 10,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through October) (2005) Nationality: noun: Libyan(s) adjective: Libyan Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians Religions: Sunni Muslim 97% Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.6% male: 92.4% female: 72% (2003 est.) Government Libya Country name: conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya conventional short form: Libya local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma local short form: none Government type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship Capital: name: Tripoli geographic coordinates: 32 54 N, 13 11 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions Independence: 24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship) National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969) Constitution: 11 December 1969; amended 2 March 1977 Legal system: based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) al-Baghdadi Ali al-MAHMUDI (since 5 March 2006) cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held 2 March 2000 (next to be held NA) election results: NA Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements; an anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile movement exists, primarily based in London, but has little influence International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ali AUJALI chancery: 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 705, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 944-9601 FAX: [1] (202) 944-9060 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad Interim Gregory L. BERRY embassy: Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel, Souq At-Tlat Al-Qadim, Tripoli mailing address: US Embassy, 8850 Tripoli Place, Washington, DC 20521-8850 telephone: [218] 21-335-1848 Flag description: plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion) Economy Libya Economy - overview: The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, about one-quarter of GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in the past four years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction in December 2003. Almost all US unilateral sanctions against Libya were removed in April 2004, helping Libya attract more foreign direct investment, mostly in the energy sector. Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food. GDP (purchasing power parity): $68 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $31.49 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $11,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.6% industry: 49.9% services: 42.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.64 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 17% industry: 23% services: 59% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 30% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 11.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $25.34 billion expenditures: $15.47 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.6 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 8.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle Industries: petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 14.4 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 13.39 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 1.643 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 237,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 1.34 million bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 0 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 40 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 6.25 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 770 million cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.321 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $10.73 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $30.79 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas Exports - partners: Italy 37.9%, Germany 15.2%, Spain 8.7%, Turkey 6.3%, France 6.2%, US 5.2% (2005) Imports: $10.82 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment, semi-finished goods, food, consumer products Imports - partners: Italy 21.5%, Germany 10.4%, Tunisia 5.6%, Turkey 4.9%, UK 4.9%, France 4.8%, South Korea 4.7%, China 4.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $39.7 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $4.267 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $4.4 million (2002) Currency (code): Libyan dinar (LYD) Currency code: LYD Exchange rates: Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.3084 (2005), 1.305 (2004), 1.2929 (2003), 1.2707 (2002), 0.6051 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Libya Telephones - main lines in use: 750,000 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 234,800 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996 domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (1999) Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002) Radios: 1.35 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999) Televisions: 730,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ly Internet hosts: 31 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 205,000 (2005) Transportation Libya Airports: 141 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 60 over 3,047 m: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 81 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 41 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 882 km; gas 3,481 km; oil 6,916 km (2006) Railways: 0 km note: Libya is working on seven lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge track; it hopes to have trains running by 2008 (2005) Roadways: total: 83,200 km paved: 47,590 km unpaved: 35,610 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 86,034 GRT/89,820 DWT by type: cargo 10, liquefied gas 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Kuwait 1, Norway 1, Turkey 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli, Zawiyah Military Libya Military branches: Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (LAAF) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 1,505,675 females age 17-49: 1,429,152 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 1,291,624 females age 17-49: 1,230,824 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 62,034 females age 17-49: 59,533 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.3 billion (FY99) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.9% (FY99) Transnational Issues Libya Disputes - international: Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant disputes; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya Trafficking in persons: current situation: Libya is a transit and destination country for men, women, and children from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; many victims willingly migrate to Libya en route to Europe with the help of smugglers, but may be forced into prostitution or work as laborers and beggars to pay off their $800-$1,200 smuggling debt; laborers from Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia are reportedly trafficked to Libya for the purpose of labor exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Libya is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its lack of evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking since 2004 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Liechtenstein Introduction Liechtenstein Background: The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. Shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight have resulted in concerns about the use of the financial institutions for money laundering. Liechtenstein has, however, implemented new anti-money-laundering legislation and recently concluded a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US. Geography Liechtenstein Location: Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland Geographic coordinates: 47 16 N, 9 32 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 160 sq km land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 76 km border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km Coastline: 0 km (doubly landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers Terrain: mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third Elevation extremes: lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m highest point: Vorder-Grauspitz 2,599 m Natural resources: hydroelectric potential, arable land Land use: arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation People Liechtenstein Population: 33,987 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.4% (male 2,922/female 2,988) 15-64 years: 70.2% (male 11,842/female 12,022) 65 years and over: 12.4% (male 1,773/female 2,440) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.6 years male: 39.2 years female: 40.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.78% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.21 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 4.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.68 years male: 76.1 years female: 83.28 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.51 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Liechtensteiner(s) adjective: Liechtenstein Ethnic groups: Alemannic 86%, Italian, Turkish, and other 14% Religions: Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002) Languages: German (official), Alemannic dialect Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Government Liechtenstein Country name: conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein conventional short form: Liechtenstein local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein local short form: Liechtenstein Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Vaduz geographic coordinates: 47 09 N, 9 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz Independence: 23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire) National holiday: Assumption Day, 15 August Constitution: 5 October 1921 Legal system: local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968); note - on 15 August 2004, HANS ADAM transferred the official duties of the ruling prince to ALOIS, but HANS ADAM retains status of chief of state head of government: Head of Government Ottmar HASLER (since 5 April 2001) and Deputy Head of Government Rita KIEBER-BECK (since 5 April 2001) cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of the largest minority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote under proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 and 13 March 2005 (next to be held by NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 48.7%, VU 38.2%, FL 13%; seats by party - FBP 12, VU 10, FL 3 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal or Obergericht Political parties and leaders: Patriotic Union (was Fatherland Union) or VU [Adolf HEEB]; Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Otmar HASLER]; The Free List or FL Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Claudia FRITSCHE chancery: 888 17th Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0590 FAX: [1] (202) 331-3221 Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein, but the US Ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band Economy Liechtenstein Economy - overview: Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial service sector and living standards on a par with its large European neighbors. The Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a large number of small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum tax rate is 20% - and easy incorporation rules have induced many holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the EU) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those of an integrated Europe. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.786 billion (2001 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.487 billion GDP - real growth rate: 11% (1999 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $25,000 (1999 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% NA% industry: 39% services: 55% NA% (1999) Labor force: 29,500 of whom 13,900 commute from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany to work each day (31 December 2001) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 2% industry: 47% services: 51% (31 December 2001) Unemployment rate: 1.3% (September 2002) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2001) Budget: revenues: $424.2 million expenditures: $414.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products Industries: electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments Industrial production growth rate: NA% Exports: $2.47 billion (1996) Exports - commodities: small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products Exports - partners: EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%, Italy 6.6%, UK 4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7% (2004) Imports: $917.3 million (1996) Imports - commodities: agricultural products, raw materials, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles Imports - partners: EU, Switzerland (2004) Debt - external: $0 (2001) Economic aid - recipient: $0 Currency (code): Swiss franc (CHF) Currency code: CHF Exchange rates: Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Liechtenstein Telephones - main lines in use: 19,900 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 11,400 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 21,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997) Televisions: 12,000 (1997) Internet country code: .li Internet hosts: 4,697 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 44 (Liechtenstein and Switzerland) (2000) Internet users: 20,000 (2002) Transportation Liechtenstein Pipelines: gas 20 km (2006) Railways: 9 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified) note: belongs to the Austrian Railway System connecting Austria and Switzerland (2006) Roadways: total: 380 km paved: 380 km (2006) Waterways: 28 km (2005) Ports and terminals: none Military Liechtenstein Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 7,736 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 6,250 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 208 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Switzerland Transnational Issues Liechtenstein Disputes - international: in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property Illicit drugs: has strengthened money-laundering controls, but money laundering remains a concern due to Liechtenstein's sophisticated offshore financial services sector This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Lithuania Introduction Lithuania Background: Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Geography Lithuania Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N, 24 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 65,200 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries: total: 1,613 km border countries: Belarus 653.5 km, Latvia 588 km, Poland 103.7 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 267.8 km Coastline: 90 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers Terrain: lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Juozapines Kalnas 293.6 m Natural resources: peat, arable land, amber Land use: arable land: 44.81% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 54.29% (2005) Irrigated land: 70 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits People Lithuania Population: 3,585,906 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.5% (male 284,888/female 270,458) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 1,210,557/female 1,265,542) 65 years and over: 15.5% (male 190,496/female 363,965) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.2 years male: 35.7 years female: 40.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.3% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.98 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.2 years male: 69.2 years female: 79.49 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,300 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Lithuanian(s) adjective: Lithuanian Ethnic groups: Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census) Languages: Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2003 est.) Government Lithuania Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania conventional short form: Lithuania local long form: Lietuvos Respublika local short form: Lietuva former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Vilnius geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus Independence: 11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence) National holiday: Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 is the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union Constitution: adopted 25 October 1992 Legal system: based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Gediminas KIRKILAS (since 4 July 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009); prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%; Gediminas KIRKILAS approved by Parliament 85-13, with 5 abstentions Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are directly elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, TS 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Farmers and New Democracy Union 6.6%, other 9%; seats by faction - Labor 29, Homeland Union 26, Social Democrats 23, Civil Democracy (split from Labor) 11, Liberal Movement (formerly Liberal Political Group) 11, National Farmer's Union (formerly Farmers and New Democracy Union) 11, Social Liberal 10, Liberal Democrats 9, Liberal and Center Political Group 8, independents 3 (as of late-July 2006) Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President Political parties and leaders: Civil Democracy Party [Viktor MUNTIANAS, chairman]; Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI, chairman]; National Farmer's Union [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE, chairman]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS, chairman]; Labor Party; Liberal and Center Political Group [Arturas ZUOKAS, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party [Valentinas MAZURONIS, chairman]; Liberal Movement; Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD [Valentinas STUNDYS, chairman]; Lithuanian People's Union for a Fair Lithuania; Lithuanian Social Democratic Coalition [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman] consists of the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party or LDDP and the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party or LSDP; Social Liberal/New Union [Arturas PAULAUSKAS, chairman]; Social Union of Christian Conservatives [Gediminas VAGNORIUS, chairman]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kornelija JURGAITIENE chancery: 4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860 FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John A. CLOUD embassy: Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106 mailing address: American Embassy, Almeny gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106 telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500 FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red Economy Lithuania Economy - overview: Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has slowly rebounded from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Unemployment dropped from 11% in 2003 to about 8% in 2005. Growing domestic consumption and increased investment have furthered recovery. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities, particularly in the energy sector, is nearing completion. Overall, more than 80% of enterprises have been privatized. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy. GDP (purchasing power parity): $49.41 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $23.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $14,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.5% industry: 32.5% services: 62% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.61 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 15.8% industry: 28.2% services: 56% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 8.2% (2005) Population below poverty line: Less than $2.15 per day (PPP): 4% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 24.9% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 32.5 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2005) Investment (gross fixed): 21.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $8.429 billion expenditures: $9.103 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.) Public debt: 18.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry Industrial production growth rate: 7.3% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 19 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 16.5% hydro: 5.7% nuclear: 77.7% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 12.079 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 11.7 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 4.144 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 14,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 52,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 93,000 bbl/day bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 12 million bbl (2004) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - consumption: 3.1 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 3.1 billion cu m (2004) Current account balance: $-1.771 billion (2005) Exports: $11.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001) Exports - partners: Russia 10.4%, Latvia 10.2%, Germany 9.4%, France 7%, Estonia 5.9%, Poland 5.5%, Sweden 5%, US 4.7%, UK 4.7%, Denmark 4.3% (2005) Imports: $15.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals Imports - partners: Russia 27.9%, Germany 15.2%, Poland 8.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.815 billion (2005) Debt - external: $11.7 billion (2 February 2006) Economic aid - recipient: $1.6 billion in committed EU structural and cohesion funds (2004-06) Currency (code): litas (LTL) Currency code: LTL Exchange rates: litai per US dollar - 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003), 3.677 (2002), 4 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Lithuania Telephones - main lines in use: 801,100 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.353 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an improved international capability and better residential access domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber applications international: country code - 370; landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite Radio broadcast stations: AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001) Radios: 1.9 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 27 note: Lithuania has approximately 27 broadcasting stations, but may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations (2001) Televisions: 1.7 million (1997) Internet country code: .lt Internet hosts: 148,675 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 32 (2001) Internet users: 1,221,700 (2005) Transportation Lithuania Airports: 91 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 34 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 57 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 53 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,696 km; oil 228 km; refined products 121 km (2006) Railways: total: 1,771 km broad gauge: 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified) standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 79,497 km paved: 70,549 km (including 417 km of expressways) unpaved: 8,948 km (2005) Waterways: 425 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 49 ships (1000 GRT or over) 353,094 GRT/352,883 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 20, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 14, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 10) registered in other countries: 17 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Belize 1, North Korea 1, Norway 1, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, unknown 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Klaipeda Military Lithuania Military branches: Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005) Military service age and obligation: 19-45 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 830,368 females age 19-49: 830,524 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 590,606 females age 19-49: 676,102 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 29,689 females age 19-49: 28,543 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $230.8 million (FY01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY01) Transnational Issues Lithuania Disputes - international: Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to Western Europe and Scandinavia; limited production of methamphetamine and ecstasy; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Luxembourg Introduction Luxembourg Background: Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union), and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area. Geography Luxembourg Location: Western Europe, between France and Germany Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 2,586 sq km land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island Land boundaries: total: 359 km border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers Terrain: mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Moselle River 133 m highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land Land use: arable land: 23.94% permanent crops: 0.39% other: 75.67% (includes Belgium) (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Geography - note: landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world People Luxembourg Population: 474,413 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 46,118/female 43,356) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 159,498/female 156,075) 65 years and over: 14.6% (male 28,027/female 41,339) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.7 years male: 37.7 years female: 39.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.23% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 8.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.74 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.89 years male: 75.6 years female: 82.38 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Luxembourger(s) adjective: Luxembourg Ethnic groups: Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo) and European (guest and resident workers) Religions: 87% Roman Catholic, 13% Protestants, Jews, and Muslims (2000) Languages: Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) Government Luxembourg Country name: conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Luxembourg geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg Independence: 1839 (from the Netherlands) National holiday: National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June Constitution: 17 October 1868; occasional revisions Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch, born 11 November 1981) head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Jean ASSELBORN (since 31 July 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following popular elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the monarch; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies note: government coalition - CSV and LSAP Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%, DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%; seats by party - CSV 24, LSAP 14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5 note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister Judicial branch: judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2 district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch Political parties and leaders: Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Gast GIBERYEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV (also known as Christian Social Party or PCS) [Francois BILTGEN]; Democratic Party or DP [Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; Marxist and Reformed Communist Party dei Lenk/la Gauche (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other minor parties Political pressure groups and leaders: ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists); Greenpeace (environment protection); LCGP (center-right trade union); Mouvement Ecologique (protection of ecology); OGBL (center-left trade union) International organization participation: ACCT, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph WEYLAND chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171/72 FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ann WAGNER embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail) telephone: [352] 46 01 23 FAX: [352] 46 14 01 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France Economy Luxembourg Economy - overview: This stable, high-income economy - benefitting from its proximity to France, Belgium, and Germany - features solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the financial sector, which now accounts for about 28% of GDP, has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign-owned and have extensive foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for more than 30% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU members, has suffered from the global economic slump, the country enjoys an extraordinarily high standard of living - GDP per capita ranks first in the world. GDP (purchasing power parity): $30.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $31.76 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $65,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2005 est.) Labor force: 316,500 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 4.5% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $9.195 billion expenditures: $9.573 billion; including capital expenditures of $975.5 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wine, grapes, barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits; dairy products, livestock products Industries: banking and financial services, iron and steel, information technology, telecommunications, cargo transportation, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 3.203 billion kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 57.3% hydro: 25.2% nuclear: 0% other: 17.5% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 6.14 billion kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - exports: 2.346 billion kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - imports: 5.287 billion kWh (2005 est.) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 55,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 634 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 50,700 bbl/day (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.205 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 867 million cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $3.56 billion Exports: $13.39 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass Exports - partners: Germany 21%, France 16.3%, Belgium 9.2%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.5%, Spain 6.6%, Netherlands 4.3% (2005) Imports: $18.74 billion c.i.f. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods Imports - partners: Belgium 28.2%, Germany 21.8%, China 12.8%, France 9.6%, Netherlands 5.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $279.1 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - donor: ODA, $235.59 million (2004) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Luxembourg Telephones - main lines in use: 244,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 720,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable international: country code - 352; 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) Radios: 285,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 5 (1999) Televisions: 285,000 (1998 est.) Internet country code: .lu Internet hosts: 88,661 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000) Internet users: 315,000 (2005) Transportation Luxembourg Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 155 km (2006) Railways: total: 274 km standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (262 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 5,210 km paved: 5,210 km (including 147 km of expressways) (2002) Waterways: 37 km (on Moselle River) (2003) Merchant marine: total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 557,636 GRT/792,069 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, chemical tanker 16, container 7, liquefied gas 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 42 (Belgium 9, Finland 4, France 14, Germany 10, Netherlands 2, US 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Mertert Military Luxembourg Military branches: Army Military service age and obligation: a 1967 law made the Army an all-volunteer force; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 110,867 females age 17-49: 108,758 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 90,279 females age 17-49: 88,638 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 2,775 females age 17-49: 2,703 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $231.6 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (2003) Transnational Issues Luxembourg Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Macau Introduction Macau Background: Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 20 December 1999. China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be practiced in Macau, and that Macau will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. Geography Macau Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China Geographic coordinates: 22 10 N, 113 33 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 28.2 sq km land: 28.2 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 0.34 km regional border: China 0.34 km Coastline: 41 km Maritime claims: not specified Climate: subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers Terrain: generally flat Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: essentially urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges People Macau Population: 453,125 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.2% (male 37,934/female 35,412) 15-64 years: 75.9% (male 163,975/female 179,830) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 15,099/female 20,875) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 36.1 years male: 35.7 years female: 36.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.86% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 4.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 82.19 years male: 79.36 years female: 85.17 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.02 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Chinese adjective: Chinese Ethnic groups: Chinese 95.7%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) 1%, other 3.3% (2001 census) Religions: Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.) Languages: Cantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.5% male: 97.2% female: 92% (2003 est.) Government Macau Country name: conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region conventional short form: Macau local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese) local short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese) Dependency status: special administrative region of China Government type: limited democracy Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of China) Independence: none (special administrative region of China) National holiday: National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 20 December 1999 is celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Constitution: Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system Suffrage: direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies Executive branch: chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20 December 1999) cabinet: Executive Council consists of one government secretary, three legislators, four businessmen, one pro-Beijing unionist, and one pro-Beijing educator elections: chief executive chosen by a 300-member Election Committee for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 29 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Edmund HO Hau-wah reelected received 296 votes; three members submitted blank ballots; one member was absent Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats; 12 elected by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 September 2005 (next in September 2009) election results: percent of vote - Development Union 12.8%, Macau Development Alliance 9%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16%, New Democratic Macau Association 18.2%, others NA; seats by political group - Development Union 2, Macau Development Alliance 1, Macau United Citizens' Association 2, New Democratic Macau Association 2, New Hope 1, United Forces 2, others 2; 10 seats filled by professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief executive Judicial branch: Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region Political parties and leaders: Civil Service Union [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Development Union [KWAN Tsui-hang]; Macau Development Alliance [Angela LEONG On-kei]; Macau United Citizens' Association [CHAN Meng-kam]; New Democratic Macau Association [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; United Forces Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: none (special administrative region of China) Diplomatic representation from the US: the US has no offices in Macau; US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong Flag description: light green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large in center of arc and four smaller Economy Macau Economy - overview: Macau's well-to-do economy has remained one of the most open in the world since its reversion to China in 1999. Apparel exports and tourism are mainstays of the economy. Although the territory was hit hard by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and the global downturn in 2001, its economy grew 10.1% in 2002, 14.2% in 2003, and 28.6% in 2004. During the first three quarters of 2005, Macau registered year-on-year GDP increases of 6.2%. A rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors because of China's easing of travel restrictions, increased public works expenditures, and significant investment inflows associated with the liberalization of Macau's gaming industry drove the four-year recovery. The budget also returned to surplus since 2002 because of the surge in visitors from China and a hike in taxes on gambling profits, which generated about 70% of government revenue. The three companies awarded gambling licenses have pledged to invest $2.2 billion in the territory, which will boost GDP growth. Much of Macau's textile industry may move to the mainland as the Multi-Fiber Agreement is phased out. The territory may have to rely more on gambling and trade-related services to generate growth. Two new casinos were opened by new foreign gambling licensees in 2004; development of new infrastructure and facilities in preparation for Macau's hosting of the 2005 East Asian Games led the construction sector. The Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers many Macau-made products tariff-free access to the mainland, and the range of products covered by CEPA was expanded on 1 January 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $10 billion (2004) GDP (official exchange rate): $10.05 billion (2004) GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (3rd Quarter 2005) GDP - per capita (PPP): $22,000 (2004) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.1% industry: 7.2% services: 92.7% (2002 est.) Labor force: 251,200 (3rd Quarter, 2005) Labor force - by occupation: manufacturing 13.7%, construction 10.5%, transport and communications 5.9%, wholesale and retail trade 14.6%, restaurants and hotels 10.3%, gambling 17.9%, public sector 7.8%, other services and agriculture 19.3% (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 4.1% (3rd Quarter 2005) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.8% (2nd quarter, 2005) Budget: revenues: $3.16 billion expenditures: $3.16 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05/06) Agriculture - products: only 2% of land area is cultivated, mainly by vegetable growers; fishing, mostly for crustaceans, is important; some of the catch is exported to Hong Kong Industries: tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.893 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.899 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 153.3 million kWh (2004) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $3.465 billion f.o.b.; note - includes reexports (2004) Exports - commodities: clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts Exports - partners: US 48.7%, China 14.9%, Hong Kong 9.8%, Germany 5.9% (2005) Imports: $3.478 billion c.i.f. (2004) Imports - commodities: raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods (foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco), capital goods, mineral fuels and oils Imports - partners: China 43.1%, Japan 10.9%, Hong Kong 10%, Singapore 5.2%, US 4.1%, Taiwan 4% (2005) Debt - external: $3.1 billion (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): pataca (MOP) Currency code: MOP Exchange rates: patacas per US dollar - 8.011 (2005), 8.022 (2004), 8.021 (2003), 8.033 (2002), 8.034 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Macau Telephones - main lines in use: 174,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 532,800 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services domestic: NA international: country code - 853; HF radiotelephone communication facility; access to international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and China; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 160,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2006) Televisions: 49,000 (1997) Internet country code: .mo Internet hosts: 108 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 201,000 (2004) Transportation Macau Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 368 km paved: 368 km (2005) Ports and terminals: Macau Military Macau Military branches: no regular military forces Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 112,744 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 91,299 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsiblity of China Transnational Issues Macau Disputes - international: none Trafficking in persons: current situation: Macau is a transit and destination territory for women trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; most females in Macau's sizeable sex industry come from the interior regions of China or Mongolia, though a significant number also come from Russia, Eastern Europe, Thailand, and Vietnam; the majority of women in Macau's prostitution trade appear to have entered Macau and the sex trade voluntarily, though there is evidence that some are deceived or coerced into sexual servitude, often through the use of debt bondage; organized criminal syndicates are reportedly involved in bringing women to Macau, and fear of reprisals from these groups may prevent some women from seeking help tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Macau is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking since 2004 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Macedonia Introduction Macedonia Background: Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991, but Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international recognition, which occurred under the provisional designation of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, although differences over Macedonia's name remain. The undetermined status of neighboring Kosovo, implementation of the Framework Agreement - which ended the 2001 ethnic Albanian armed insurgency - and a weak economy continue to be challenges for Macedonia. Geography Macedonia Location: Southeastern Europe, north of Greece Geographic coordinates: 41 50 N, 22 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 25,333 sq km land: 24,856 sq km water: 477 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Vermont Land boundaries: total: 766 km border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km, Serbia 221 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall Terrain: mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River Elevation extremes: lowest point: Vardar River 50 m highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m Natural resources: low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land Land use: arable land: 22.01% permanent crops: 1.79% other: 76.2% (2005) Irrigated land: 550 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: high seismic risks Environment - current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe People Macedonia Population: 2,050,554 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 213,486/female 199,127) 15-64 years: 68.9% (male 711,853/female 701,042) 65 years and over: 11% (male 98,618/female 126,428) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34.1 years male: 33.2 years female: 35.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.26% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.77 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.97 years male: 71.51 years female: 76.62 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 200 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Macedonian(s) adjective: Macedonian Ethnic groups: Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Roma 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 census) Religions: Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%, other Christian 0.37%, Muslim 33.3%, other and unspecified 1.63% (2002 census) Languages: Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: 98.2% female: 94.1% (2002 est.) Government Macedonia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Macedonia conventional short form: Macedonia local long form: Republika Makedonija local short form: Makedonija note: the provisional designation used by the UN, EU, and NATO is Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) former: People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of Macedonia Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Skopje geographic coordinates: 41 59 N, 21 26 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 85 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aerodrom (Skopje), Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Butel (Skopje), Cair (Skopje), Caska, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa, Cesinovo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Debartsa, Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Drugovo, Gazi Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija, Gjorce Petrov (Skopje), Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Jegunovce, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda (Skopje), Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovo i Rastusa, Mogila, Negotino, Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Saraj (Skopje), Skopje, Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vranestica, Vrapciste, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci note: the ten municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses collectively constitute "greater Skopje" Independence: 8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsing independence from Yugoslavia) National holiday: Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known as Saint Elijah's Day and Ilinden Constitution: adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to the judiciary Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 12 May 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 28 August 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the government coalition parties VMRO/DPMNE, NSDP, PDSH/DPA, and several small parties elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); two-round election last held 14 April and 28 April 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); prime minister elected by the Assembly following legislative elections election results: Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Branko CRVENKOVSKI 62.7%, Sasko KEDEV 37.3% Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats - members elected by popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of the overall vote the parties gain in each of six electoral districts; all serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 July 2006 (next to be held by July 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - VMRO-DPMNE 32.5%, SDSM 23.3%, DUI 12.2%, PDSH/DPA 7.5%; seats by party - VMRO-DPMNE 44, SDSM 32, DUI 28, PDSH/DPA 11, other 5 Judicial branch: Supreme Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Constitutional Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Republican Judicial Council - the Assembly appoints the judges Political parties and leaders: Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV]; Democratic Alternative or DA [Vasil TUPURKOVSKI]; Democratic League of the Bosniaks [Rafet MUMINOVIC]; Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSH/DPA [Arben XHAFERI]; Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan STOILJKOVIC]; Democratic Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI]; Democratic Renewal of Macedonia [Liljana POPOVSKA]; Democratic Republican Union of Macedonia or DRUM [Goran RAFAJLOVSKI]; Democratic Union of Vlachs for Macedonia [Mitko KOSTOV]; Democratic Union for Integration or DUI [Ali AHMETI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Macedonian [Boris STOJMENOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-People's Party or VMRO-Narodna [Vesna JANEVSKA, acting]; League for Democracy [Gjorgi MARJANOVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto PENOV]; Liberal Party [Stojan ANDOV]; National Alternative [Harun ALIU]; National Democratic Party or PDK [Basri HALITI]; National Farmers' Party [Vejljo TANTAROV]; New Democratic Forces [Hysni SHAQIRI]; New Social Democratic Party or NSDP [Tito PETKOVSKI]; Party for Democratic Future [Alajdin DEMIRI]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP [Abduljhadi VEJSELI]; Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM [Vlado BUCKOVSKI]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV-ZINGO]; United Party for Emancipation or OPE [Nezdet MUSTAFA] Political pressure groups and leaders: Civic Movement of Macedonia [Gordana SILJANOVSKA]; World Macedonian Congress [Todor PETROV] International organization participation: BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ljupco JORDANOVSKI chancery: 2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-0501 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2131 consulate(s) general: Southfield (Michigan) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC embassy: Bul. Ilindenska bb, 1000 Skopje mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, US Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) telephone: [389] 2 311-6180 FAX: [389] 2 311-7103 Flag description: a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field Economy Macedonia Economy - overview: At independence in September 1991, Macedonia was the least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the central government and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on the downsized Yugoslavia, one of its largest markets, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. However, the leadership's commitment to economic reform, free trade, and regional integration was undermined by the ethnic Albanian insurgency of 2001. The economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely recovered in 2002 to 0.9%, then rose by 3.4% in 2003, 4.1% in 2004, and 3.7% in 2005. Macedonia has maintained macroeconomic stability with low inflation, but it has lagged the region in attracting foreign investment and job growth has been anemic. Macedonia has an extensive grey market, estimated to be more than 20 percent of GDP, that falls outside official statistics. GDP (purchasing power parity): $15.94 billion note: Macedonia has a large informal sector (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.304 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.8% industry: 31.9% services: 56.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 855,000 (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 37.3% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 29.6% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 28.2 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.105 billion expenditures: $2.15 billion; including capital expenditures of $114 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 33.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grapes, wine, tobacco, vegetables; milk, eggs Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals Industrial production growth rate: 6.8% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 6.271 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 83.7% hydro: 16.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 7.933 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2005) Electricity - imports: 1.662 billion kWh (2005) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 23,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-81.1 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.047 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: food, beverages, tobacco; miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel Exports - partners: Germany 17.8%, Greece 15.3%, Italy 8.3% (2005) Imports: $3.196 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products Imports - partners: Russia 13.2%, Germany 10.4%, Greece 9.2%, Bulgaria 7.3%, Italy 6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.341 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2.19 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $250 million (2003 est.) Currency (code): Macedonian denar (MKD) Currency code: MKD Exchange rates: Macedonian denars per US dollar - 48.92 (2005), 49.41 (2004), 54.322 (2003), 64.35 (2002), 68.037 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Macedonia Telephones - main lines in use: 533,200 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.261 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 389 Radio broadcast stations: AM 29, FM 20, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 410,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 31 (plus 166 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 510,000 (1997) Internet country code: .mk Internet hosts: 3,716 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000) Internet users: 392,671 (2005) Transportation Macedonia Airports: 17 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Pipelines: gas 268 km; oil 120 km (2006) Railways: total: 699 km standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 8,684 km paved: 5,540 km unpaved: 3,144 km (1999) Military Macedonia Military branches: Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM): Joint Operational Command, with subordinate Air Wing (Makedonsko Voeno Vozduhoplovstvo, MVV), Special Force Command (2006) Military service age and obligation: conscription to be phased out by 2007; current tour of conscript duty is six months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 498,259 females age 18-49: 481,317 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 411,156 females age 18-49: 397,839 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 16,686 females age 18-49: 15,664 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $200 million (FY01/02 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 6% (FY01/02 est.) Transnational Issues Macedonia Disputes - international: ethnic Albanians in Kosovo object to demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Greece continues to reject the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 2,678 (ethnic conflict in 2001) (2005) Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe; although not a financial center and most criminal activity is thought to be domestic, money laundering is a problem due to a mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement (no arrests or prosecutions for money laundering to date) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Madagascar Introduction Madagascar Background: Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. Geography Madagascar Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 47 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 587,040 sq km land: 581,540 sq km water: 5,500 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Arizona Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 4,828 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m deep isobath Climate: tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south Terrain: narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m Natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower Land use: arable land: 5.03% permanent crops: 1.02% other: 93.95% (2005) Irrigated land: 10,860 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation Environment - current issues: soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several endangered species of flora and fauna unique to the island Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel People Madagascar Population: 18,595,469 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.8% (male 4,171,821/female 4,158,288) 15-64 years: 52.2% (male 4,809,173/female 4,900,675) 65 years and over: 3% (male 249,414/female 306,098) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.5 years male: 17.3 years female: 17.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.03% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 41.41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 11.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 75.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 83.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 57.34 years male: 54.93 years female: 59.82 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.62 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.7% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 140,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 7,500 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Malagasy (singular and plural) adjective: Malagasy Ethnic groups: Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran Religions: indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% Languages: French (official), Malagasy (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68.9% male: 75.5% female: 62.5% (2003 est.) Government Madagascar Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar conventional short form: Madagascar local long form: Republique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara local short form: Madagascar/Madagasikara former: Malagasy Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: Antananarivo geographic coordinates: 18 52 S, 47 30 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 26 June (1960) Constitution: 19 August 1992 by national referendum Legal system: based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Jacques SYLLA (27 May 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006); prime minister appointed by the president election results: percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA (TIM) 50.5%, Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 37.7% Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (160 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100 seats; two-thirds of the seats filled by regional assemblies whose members will be elected by popular vote; the remaining one-third of the seats appointed by the president; all members will serve four-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2006) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - TIM 103, FP 22, AREMA 3, LEADER/Fanilo 2, RPSD 5, others 3, independents 22 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle Political parties and leaders: Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA [Pierrot RAJAONARIVO]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]; Fihaonana Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]; I Love Madagascar or TIM [Marc RAVALOMANANA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD [Evariste MARSON] Political pressure groups and leaders: Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR; Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy]; National Council of Christian Churches or FFKM International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rajaonarivony NARISOA chancery: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526 FAX: [1] (202) 265-3034 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James D. MCGEE embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101 mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56 FAX: [261] (20) 22-345-39 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side Economy Madagascar Economy - overview: Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization. This strategy placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the United States. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel, are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years. GDP (purchasing power parity): $16.05 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.719 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 27.6% industry: 16.5% services: 55.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 7.3 million (2000) Population below poverty line: 50% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 29% (1999) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 47.5 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 26.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $703.6 million expenditures: $853 million; including capital expenditures of $331 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products Industries: meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000 est.) Electricity - production: 825.4 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36.1% hydro: 63.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 767.7 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 89.27 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 15,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 0 cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-438 million (2005 est.) Exports: $951 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products Exports - partners: France 30.9%, US 30.3%, Germany 8.6% (2005) Imports: $1.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food Imports - partners: France 16.6%, China 10.6%, Iran 7.9%, Mauritius 6.5%, South Africa 5.9%, Hong Kong 5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $572 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $4.6 billion (2002) Economic aid - recipient: $354 million (2001) Currency (code): Madagascar ariary (MGA) Currency code: MGF Exchange rates: Malagasy ariary per US dollar - 2,003 (2005), 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003), 1,366.4 (2002), 1,317.7 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Madagascar Telephones - main lines in use: 66,900 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 504,700 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: system is above average for the region domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter links connect regions international: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2 (plus a number of repeater stations), FM 9, shortwave 6 (2001) Radios: 3.05 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 36 repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 325,000 (1997) Internet country code: .mg Internet hosts: 1,504 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 90,000 (2005) Transportation Madagascar Airports: 116 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 29 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 87 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 42 under 914 m: 43 (2006) Railways: total: 854 km narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 49,827 km paved: 5,780 km unpaved: 44,047 km (1999) Waterways: 600 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 13,896 GRT/18,466 DWT by type: cargo 5, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 2 (2006) Ports and terminals: Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara Military Madagascar Military branches: People's Armed Forces: Intervention Force, Development Force, and Aeronaval Force (navy and air); National Gendarmerie Military service age and obligation: 18-50 years of age; conscript service obligation - 18 months (either military or equivalent civil service) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 3,542,797 females age 18-49: 3,551,447 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 2,218,662 females age 18-49: 2,408,810 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 187,000 females age 18-49: 184,833 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $329 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 7.2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Madagascar Disputes - international: claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France) Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point for heroin This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Malawi Introduction Malawi Background: Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution which came into full effect the following year. Current President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, has struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor, who still leads their shared political party. MUTHARIKA's anti-corruption efforts have led to several high-level arrests and one prominent conviction. Increasing corruption, population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, and the spread of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for the country. Geography Malawi Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia Geographic coordinates: 13 30 S, 34 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 118,480 sq km land: 94,080 sq km water: 24,400 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Land boundaries: total: 2,881 km border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m Natural resources: limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite Land use: arable land: 20.68% permanent crops: 1.18% other: 78.14% (2005) Irrigated land: 560 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature People Malawi Population: 13,013,926 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.5% (male 3,056,522/female 3,000,493) 15-64 years: 50.8% (male 3,277,573/female 3,332,907) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 139,953/female 206,478) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.5 years male: 16.2 years female: 16.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.38% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 43.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 19.33 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 94.37 deaths/1,000 live births male: 98.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 89.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 41.7 years male: 41.93 years female: 41.45 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.92 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 14.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 900,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 84,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Malawian(s) adjective: Malawian Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European Religions: Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998 census) Languages: Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 62.7% male: 76.1% female: 49.8% (2003 est.) Government Malawi Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Malawi conventional short form: Malawi local long form: Dziko la Malawi local short form: Malawi former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland Government type: multiparty democracy Capital: name: Lilongwe geographic coordinates: 13 59 S, 33 44 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 27 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964) Constitution: 18 May 1994 Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: 46-member Cabinet named by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: Bingu wa MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (UDF) 35.9%, John TEMBO (MCP) 27.1%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MC) 25.7%, Brown MPINGANJIRA (NDA) 8.7%, Justin MALEWEZI (independent) 2.5% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UDF 74, MCP 60, Independents 24, RP 16, others 18, vacancies 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy or AFORD [Chakufwa CHIHANA]; Congress for National Unity or CONU; Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Bingu wa MUTHARIKA]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA]; Malawi Forum for Unity and Development or MAFUNDE [George MNESA]; Mgwirizano Coalition or MC [Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA] (coalition of MAFUNDE, MDP, MGODE, NUP, PETRA, PPM, RP); Movement for Genuine Democratic Change or MGODE [Sam Kandodo BANDA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Brown MPINGANJIRA]; National Unity Party or NUP [Harry CHIUME]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Aleke BANDA]; People's Transformation Movement or PETRA [Kamuzu CHIBAMBO]; Republican Party or RP [Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA]; United Democratic Front or UDF Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bernard Herbert SANDE chancery: 1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 320, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 721-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 721-0288 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David GILMOUR embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta Road mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi telephone: [265] (1) 773 166 FAX: [265] (1) 770 471 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band Government - note: the executive exerts considerable influence over the legislature Economy Malawi Economy - overview: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounted for nearly 36% of GDP and 80% of export revenues in 2005. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 60% of exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces strong challenges, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, President MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. Malawi's recent fiscal policy performance has been very strong, but a serious drought in 2005 and 2006 will heighten pressure on the government to increase spending. GDP (purchasing power parity): $7.364 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.984 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 34.2% industry: 15.8% services: 49.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.5 million (2001 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 55% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.3 (1997) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 10.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $844.6 million expenditures: $913.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 195.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods Industrial production growth rate: 7.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 1.296 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.3% hydro: 96.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.206 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 5,450 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-218 million (2005 est.) Exports: $364 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: tobacco 60%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel Exports - partners: US 18%, South Africa 12.2%, Egypt 7.6%, Germany 7%, Netherlands 6.9%, Japan 4.8%, Russia 4.6%, UK 4.2%, Mozambique 4% (2005) Imports: $645 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment Imports - partners: South Africa 37.9%, Zambia 8.7%, Mozambique 7.8%, Zimbabwe 7.3%, India 6.4%, Tanzania 4.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $151 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.287 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $401.5 million (2001) Currency (code): Malawian kwacha (MWK) Currency code: MWK Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 108.894 (2005), 108.898 (2004), 97.433 (2003), 76.687 (2002), 72.197 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Malawi Telephones - main lines in use: 102,700 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 429,300 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus a third station held in standby status) (2001) Radios: 2.6 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .mw Internet hosts: 377 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2002) Internet users: 52,500 (2005) Transportation Malawi Airports: 42 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Railways: total: 797 km narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 28,400 km paved: 5,254 km unpaved: 23,146 km (1999) Waterways: 700 km (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River) (2006) Ports and terminals: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba Military Malawi Military branches: Malawi Armed Forces: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (includes Mobile Force Unit) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,430,514 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,226,802 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $15.81 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.8% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Malawi Disputes - international: disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Malaysia Introduction Malaysia Background: During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials, to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism. Geography Malaysia Location: Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam Geographic coordinates: 2 30 N, 112 30 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 329,750 sq km land: 328,550 sq km water: 1,200 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 2,669 km border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km Coastline: 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km) Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m Natural resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite Land use: arable land: 5.46% permanent crops: 17.54% other: 77% (2005) Irrigated land: 3,650 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding, landslides, forest fires Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea People Malaysia Population: 24,385,858 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 4,093,859/female 3,862,730) 15-64 years: 62.6% (male 7,660,680/female 7,613,537) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 509,260/female 645,792) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.1 years male: 23.6 years female: 24.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.78% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.86 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal immigrants from other countries in the region (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 17.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.5 years male: 69.8 years female: 75.38 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.04 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 52,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2005) Nationality: noun: Malaysian(s) adjective: Malaysian Ethnic groups: Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, Indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.) Religions: Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia Languages: Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.7% male: 92% female: 85.4% (2002) Government Malaysia Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Malaysia local long form: none local short form: Malaysia former: Federation of Malaysia Government type: constitutional monarchy note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah holds 25 seats in House of Representatives; Sarawak holds 28 seats in House of Representatives Capital: name: Kuala Lumpur geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur Administrative divisions: 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu; and one federal territory (wilayah persekutuan) with three components, city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya Independence: 31 August 1957 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957) Constitution: 31 August 1957; amended 16 September 1963 Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of family law Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin (since 13 December 2006) head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (since 7 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler elections: paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held 3 November 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister election results: Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin elected paramount ruler Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 appointed by the state legislatures) and the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (219 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 21 March 2004 (next must be held by 2009) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - BN 91%, DAP 5%, PAS 3%, other 1%; seats by party - BN 199, DAP 12, PAS 6, PKR 1, independent 1 Judicial branch: Federal Court (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister) Political parties and leaders: ruling-coalition National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN, consisting of the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party or PGRM [LIM Keng Yaik]; Liberal Democratic Party (Parti Liberal Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui Keong]; Malaysian Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Ka Ting]; Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongresi India Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Pakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu or PBB [Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS [James MASING]; Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Sabah) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee]; Sarawak United People's Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam]; United Malays National Organization or UMNO [ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi]; United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Bernard DOMPOK]; People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia) or PPP [M.Keyveas]; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP [William MAWANI]; opposition parties: Democratic Action Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang]; People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismael]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG]; opposition coalition Alternative Front (Barisan Alternatif) or BA - consists of PAS and PKR Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador GHAZZALI bin Sheikh Abdul Khalid chancery: 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700 FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher J. LAFLEUR embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur 50440 mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000 FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207 Flag description: 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US Economy Malaysia Economy - overview: Malaysia, a middle-income country, transformed itself from 1971 through the late 1990s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. Growth was almost exclusively driven by exports - particularly of electronics. As a result, Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic downturn and the slump in the information technology (IT) sector in 2001 and 2002. GDP in 2001 grew only 0.5% because of an estimated 11% contraction in exports, but a substantial fiscal stimulus package equal to US $1.9 billion mitigated the worst of the recession, and the economy rebounded in 2002 with a 4.1% increase. The economy grew 4.9% in 2003, notwithstanding a difficult first half, when external pressures from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Iraq War led to caution in the business community. Growth topped 7% in 2004 and 5% in 2005. As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited from higher world energy prices, although the cost of government subsidies for domestic gasoline and diesel fuel has risen and offset some of the benefit. Malaysia "unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in 2005, but so far there has been little movement in the exchange rate. Healthy foreign exchange reserves, low inflation, and a small external debt are all strengths that make it unlikely that Malaysia will experience a financial crisis over the near term similar to the one in 1997. The economy remains dependent on continued growth in the US, China, and Japan - top export destinations and key sources of foreign investment. GDP (purchasing power parity): $287 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $122 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $12,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.4% industry: 48% services: 43.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 10.67 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 14.5% industry: 36% services: 49.5% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 3.6% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 8% (1998 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 49.2 (1997) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $30.57 billion expenditures: $34.62 billion; including capital expenditures of $9.4 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 46.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice; Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice; Sarawak - rubber, pepper, timber Industries: Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 79.28 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.5% hydro: 10.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 73.63 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 100 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 770,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 510,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 230,200 bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 3.1 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 53.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 28.53 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 22.41 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 2.124 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $14.06 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $147.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals Exports - partners: US 19.7%, Singapore 15.6%, Japan 9.3%, China 6.6%, Hong Kong 5.8%, Thailand 5.4% (2005) Imports: $118.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals Imports - partners: Japan 14.6%, US 13%, Singapore 11.8%, China 11.6%, Taiwan 5.6%, Thailand 5.3%, South Korea 5%, Germany 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $70.23 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $52 billion (2005 est.) Currency (code): ringgit (MYR) Currency code: MYR Exchange rates: ringgits per US dollar - 3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004), 3.8 (2003), 3.8 (2002), 3.8 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Malaysia Telephones - main lines in use: 4.366 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 19.545 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system; international service excellent domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations international: country code - 60; submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2001) Radio broadcast stations: AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15 (2001) Radios: 10.9 million (1999) Television broadcast stations: mainland Malaysia 51; Sabah 16; Sarawak 21; note - many are low power stations (2006) Televisions: 10.8 million (1999) Internet country code: .my Internet hosts: 158,650 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (2000) Internet users: 11.016 million (2005) Transportation Malaysia Airports: 117 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 37 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 80 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 72 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 282 km; gas 5,372 km; oil 1,715 km; oil/gas/water 19 km; refined products 114 km (2006) Railways: total: 1,890 km standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,833 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 71,814 km paved: 55,943 km unpaved: 15,871 km (2001) Waterways: 7,200 km note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km, Sabah 1,500 km, Sarawak 2,500 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 312 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,542,727 GRT/7,544,154 DWT by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 99, chemical tanker 38, container 48, liquefied gas 27, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 61, roll on/roll off 5, vehicle carrier 6 foreign-owned: 66 (China 1, Germany 2, Hong Kong 14, Japan 4, South Korea 1, Singapore 44) registered in other countries: 68 (Bahamas 12, Belize 1, Cayman Islands 1, Mongolia 1, Panama 13, Philippines 1, Singapore 35, US 4) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bintulu, Johor, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, George Town (Penang), Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas Military Malaysia Military branches: Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM): Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 5,584,231 females age 18-49: 5,510,345 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,574,854 females age 18-49: 4,613,321 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 244,418 females age 18-49: 231,896 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.69 billion (FY00 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.03% (FY00) Transnational Issues Malaysia Disputes - international: Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - but parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; ICJ awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil block; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines retains a now dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; in 2003, Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalemated prompting consideration of international adjudication; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 15,181 (Indonesia) 9,601 (Burma) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Malaysia is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; foreign victims, mostly women and girls from China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam, are trafficked to Malaysia for commercial sexual exploitation; economic migrants from countries in the region who work as domestic servants or laborers in the construction and agricultural sectors face exploitative conditions in Malaysia that meet the definition of involuntary servitude; some Malaysian women, primarily of Chinese ethnicity, are trafficked abroad for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Malaysia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly its failure to provide protection for victims of trafficking Illicit drugs: regional transit point for some illicit drugs; drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe penalties This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Maldives Introduction Maldives Background: The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Since 1978, President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM - currently in his sixth term in office - has dominated the islands' political scene. Following riots in the capital Male in August 2004, the president and his government have pledged to embark upon democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago. Geography Maldives Location: Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India Geographic coordinates: 3 15 N, 73 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 300 sq km land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 644 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August) Terrain: flat, with white sandy beaches Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 13.33% permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise Environment - current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean People Maldives Population: 359,008 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.4% (male 80,113/female 75,763) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 98,040/female 94,029) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,477/female 5,586) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.9 years male: 17.8 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.78% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 34.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 54.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.41 years male: 63.08 years female: 65.8 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian Ethnic groups: South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs Religions: Sunni Muslim Languages: Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.2% male: 97.1% female: 97.3% (2003 est.) Government Maldives Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Maldives conventional short form: Maldives local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa local short form: Dhivehi Raajje Government type: republic Capital: name: Male geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 31 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital city*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale* (Male), Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu Independence: 26 July 1965 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965) Constitution: adopted 1 January 1998 Legal system: based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president nominated by the Majlis and then the nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 17 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2008) election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected in referendum held 17 October 2003; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.3% Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50 Judicial branch: High Court Political parties and leaders: political parties were allowed to register in June 2005; the first entrants are: Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER]; Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED] Political pressure groups and leaders: various unregistered political parties International organization participation: AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed LATHEEF chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6195 FAX: [1] (212) 661-6405 Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there Flag description: red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag Economy Maldives Economy - overview: Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Fishing is a second leading sector. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. Over the past decade, real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 5.5% in 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.25 billion (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $817 million GDP - real growth rate: -3.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,900 (2002 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20% industry: 18% services: 62% (2000 est.) Labor force: 88,000 (2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 22% industry: 18% services: 60% (1995) Unemployment rate: NEGL% (2003 est.) Population below poverty line: 21% NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $265 million (excluding foreign grants) expenditures: $362 million; including capital expenditures of $80 million (2004 est.) Agriculture - products: coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish Industries: fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining Industrial production growth rate: -0.9% (2004 est.) Electricity - production: 135 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 125.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 4,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $123 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: fish, clothing Exports - partners: Japan 22.8%, Thailand 22.7%, Sri Lanka 16.4%, UK 12.6%, Singapore 5.8%, Germany 4.8%, France 4.3% (2005) Imports: $567 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods Imports - partners: Singapore 24.1%, UAE 15.7%, India 11.3%, Malaysia 7.2%, Sri Lanka 5.7%, UK 4.5% (2005) Debt - external: $304 million (2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $27.9 million $NA (2004) Currency (code): rufiyaa (MVR) Currency code: MVR Exchange rates: rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003), 12.8 (2002), 12.24 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Maldives Telephones - main lines in use: 32,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 153,400 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: minimal domestic and international facilities domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service international: country code - 960; satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 35,000 (1999) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2006) Televisions: 10,000 (1999) Internet country code: .mv Internet hosts: 1,357 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 19,000 (2005) Transportation Maldives Airports: 5 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Roadways: total: 88 km paved roads: 88 km - 60 km in Male; 14 km on Addu Atolis; 14 km on Laamu note: village roads are mainly compacted coral (2006) Merchant marine: total: 17 ships (1000 GRT or over) 67,149 GRT/87,220 DWT by type: cargo 13, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Male Military Maldives Military branches: National Security Service: Security Branch (ground forces), Air Element, Coast Guard Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 71,774 females age 18-49: 69,229 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 56,687 females age 18-49: 54,454 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $45.07 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Maldives Disputes - international: none Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 11,000 (December 2004 tsunami victims) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Mali Introduction Mali Background: The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a coup that ushered in democratic government. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE. Geography Mali Location: Western Africa, southwest of Algeria Geographic coordinates: 17 00 N, 4 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 1.24 million sq km land: 1.22 million sq km water: 20,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 7,243 km border countries: Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February) Terrain: mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Senegal River 23 m highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m Natural resources: gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited Land use: arable land: 3.76% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 96.21% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,360 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan People Mali Population: 11,716,829 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 48.2% (male 2,857,670/female 2,787,506) 15-64 years: 48.8% (male 2,804,344/female 2,910,097) 65 years and over: 3% (male 146,458/female 210,754) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 15.8 years male: 15.4 years female: 16.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.63% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 49.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 16.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -6.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 107.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 117.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 97.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49 years male: 47.05 years female: 51.01 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 7.42 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 140,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 12,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Malian(s) adjective: Malian Ethnic groups: Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5% Religions: Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1% Languages: French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.4% male: 53.5% female: 39.6% (2003 est.) Government Mali Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Mali conventional short form: Mali local long form: Republique de Mali local short form: Mali former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: Bamako geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 8 regions (regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou Independence: 22 September 1960 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 22 September (1960) Constitution: adopted 12 January 1992 Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court (which was formally established on 9 March 1994); has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufi MAIGA (since 30 April 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 12 May 2002 (next to be held April 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE elected president; percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 64.4%, Soumaila CISSE 35.6% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 and 28 July 2002 (next to be held July 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Hope 2002 coalition 66, ADEMA 51, other 30 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda TRAORE, party chairman]; Hope 2002 (a coalition of CNID, MPR, RDT, and RPM); National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL, chairman]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME, secretary general]; Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA, chairman]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE, secretary general]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]; Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE] Political pressure groups and leaders: Patriotic Movement of the Ghanda Koye or MPGK; United Movement and Fronts of Azawad or MFUA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Abdoulaye DIOP chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Terrence P. MCCULLEY embassy: Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V, Bamako mailing address: B. P. 34, Bamako telephone: [223] 222-5470 FAX: [223] 222-3712 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Mali Economy - overview: Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert and with a highly unequal distribution of income. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with gold. The government has continued its successful implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that is helping the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a sturdy 5% average in 1996-2005. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire. GDP (purchasing power parity): $13.61 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.434 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 45% industry: 17% services: 38% (2001 est.) Labor force: 3.93 million (2001 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 14.6% (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: 64% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 40.4% (1994) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.5 (1994) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (2002 est.) Budget: revenues: $764 million expenditures: $828 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats Industries: food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 820 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 41.7% hydro: 58.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 762.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 4,250 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $323 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: cotton, gold, livestock Exports - partners: China 25.2%, Pakistan 12.8%, Thailand 8.7%, Taiwan 6.7%, Italy 4.5% (2005) Imports: $1.858 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles Imports - partners: France 13.1%, Senegal 13.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.5% (2005) Debt - external: $2.8 billion (2002) Economic aid - recipient: $472.1 million (2002) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Currency code: XOF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Mali Telephones - main lines in use: 75,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 869,600 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radio relay in progress international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 28, shortwave 1 note: the shortwave station in Bamako has seven frequencies and five transmitters and relays broadcasts for China Radio International (2001) Radios: 570,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 45,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ml Internet hosts: 278 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2001) Internet users: 60,000 (2005) Transportation Mali Airports: 29 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Railways: total: 729 km narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 15,100 km paved: 1,827 km unpaved: 13,273 km (1999) Waterways: 1,815 km (2005) Ports and terminals: Koulikoro Military Mali Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Guard Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,094,432 females age 18-49: 2,027,352 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,244,176 females age 18-49: 1,226,226 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $106.3 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Mali Disputes - international: none Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 6,185 (Mauritania) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Malta Introduction Malta Background: Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004. Geography Malta Location: Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy) Geographic coordinates: 35 50 N, 14 35 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 316 sq km land: 316 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo) Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm Climate: Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers Terrain: mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli) Natural resources: limestone, salt, arable land Land use: arable land: 31.25% permanent crops: 3.13% other: 65.62% (2005) Irrigated land: 20 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration People Malta Population: 400,214 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.1% (male 35,264/female 33,368) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 139,890/female 136,767) 65 years and over: 13.7% (male 23,554/female 31,371) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.7 years male: 37.2 years female: 40.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.42% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.01 years male: 76.83 years female: 81.31 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Maltese (singular and plural) adjective: Maltese Ethnic groups: Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock) Religions: Roman Catholic 98% Languages: Maltese (official), English (official) Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92% female: 93.6% (2003 est.) Government Malta Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta local short form: Malta Government type: republic Capital: name: Valletta geographic coordinates: 35 54 N, 14 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none (administered directly from Valletta); note - local councils carry out administrative orders Independence: 21 September 1964 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1964) Constitution: 1964 constitution; amended many times Legal system: based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Edward FENECH ADAMI (since 4 April 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI (since 23 March 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 29 March 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister election results: Eddie FENECH ADAMI elected president; House of Representatives vote - 33 out of 65 votes Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; note - additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held by August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.7%, MLP 47.6%, AD 0.7%; seats by party - PN 34, MLP 31 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister Political parties and leaders: Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred SANT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Australia Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John LOWELL chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612 FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470 consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Molly BORDONARO embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, VLT 01 mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, CMR01 telephone: [356] 2561 4000 FAX: [356] 21 243229 Flag description: two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross, edged in red Economy Malta Economy - overview: Major resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies, and has few domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles), and tourism. Continued sluggishness in the European economy is holding back exports, tourism, and overall growth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $7.861 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.193 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $19,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 23% services: 74% (2003 est.) Labor force: 160,000 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3% industry: 22% services: 75% (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 22.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.503 billion expenditures: $2.703 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs Industries: tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing, tobacco Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 2.082 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.936 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 18,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NEGL (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-598 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.744 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactures Exports - partners: France 15.4%, US 14.4%, Singapore 12.3%, UK 11.3%, Germany 11.2%, Italy 5.1%, Libya 4.2% (2005) Imports: $3.859 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, tobacco Imports - partners: Italy 32.3%, UK 11.5%, France 9.6%, Germany 8%, US 5.5%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.579 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $188.8 million (2005) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Maltese lira (MTL) Currency code: MTL Exchange rates: Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.34578 (2005), 0.34466 (2004), 0.37723 (2003), 0.43362 (2002), 0.45004 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Malta Telephones - main lines in use: 202,100 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 324,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal requirements domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands international: country code - 356; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999) Radios: 255,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 6 (2000) Televisions: 280,000 (1997) Internet country code: .mt Internet hosts: 14,025 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2002) Internet users: 127,200 (2005) Transportation Malta Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 2,227 km paved: 2,014 km unpaved: 213 km (2004) Merchant marine: total: 1,220 ships (1000 GRT or over) 23,917,414 GRT/38,685,924 DWT by type: bulk carrier 434, cargo 344, chemical tanker 105, combination ore/oil 1, container 59, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1, passenger 15, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 146, refrigerated cargo 43, roll on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 16 foreign-owned: 1,162 (Austria 1, Azerbaijan 2, Bangladesh 3, Belgium 10, Bulgaria 13, Canada 18, China 14, Croatia 10, Cyprus 15, Denmark 6, Estonia 4, France 6, Germany 64, Greece 495, Hong Kong 2, Iceland 4, India 1, Iran 14, Israel 23, Italy 29, Japan 1, South Korea 6, Latvia 40, Lebanon 10, Monaco 1, Netherlands 6, Norway 49, Pakistan 1, Poland 27, Portugal 3, Romania 9, Russia 70, Slovenia 3, Spain 6, Sweden 3, Switzerland 21, Syria 7, Taiwan 2, Turkey 123, UAE 5, UK 8, Ukraine 24, US 3) registered in other countries: 8 (Panama 3, Portugal 1, Russia 4) (2006) Ports and terminals: Marsaxlokk, Valletta Military Malta Military branches: Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime elements) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 90,651 females age 18-49: 87,047 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 74,525 females age 18-49: 71,333 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $38.168 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Malta Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Marshall Islands Introduction Marshall Islands Background: After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network. Geography Marshall Islands Location: Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Geographic coordinates: 9 00 N, 168 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 11,854.3 sq km land: 181.3 sq km water: 11,673 sq km (note - lagoon waters) note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik Area - comparative: about the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 370.4 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt Terrain: low coral limestone and sand islands Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m Natural resources: coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals Land use: arable land: 11.11% permanent crops: 44.44% other: 44.45% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: infrequent typhoons Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is used as a US missile test range; island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific People Marshall Islands Population: 60,422 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.1% (male 11,720/female 11,295) 15-64 years: 59.2% (male 18,305/female 17,445) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 801/female 856) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.3 years male: 20.4 years female: 20.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.25% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 33.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -5.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 28.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.31 years male: 68.33 years female: 72.39 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.85 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Marshallese (singular and plural) adjective: Marshallese Ethnic groups: Micronesian Religions: Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census) Languages: Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 93.6% female: 93.7% (1999) Government Marshall Islands Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands conventional short form: Marshall Islands local long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands local short form: Marshall Islands abbreviation: RMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands District Government type: constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004 Capital: name: Majuro geographic coordinates: 7 05 N, 171 08 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje Independence: 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) Constitution: 1 May 1979 Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of the legislature elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007) election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% Legislative branch: unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice Judicial branch: Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court Political parties and leaders: traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Aelon Kein Ad Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012 Flag description: blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes Economy Marshall Islands Economy - overview: US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production, primarily subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade. GDP (purchasing power parity): $115 million (2001 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $144 million GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 31.7% industry: 14.9% services: 53.4% (2000 est.) Labor force: 14,680 (2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 21.4% industry: 20.9% services: 57.7% Unemployment rate: 30.9% (2000 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $42 million expenditures: $40 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1999) Agriculture - products: coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens Industries: copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from seashells, wood, and pearls Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 1% (solar) Exports: $9.1 million f.o.b. (2000) Exports - commodities: copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish Exports - partners: US, Japan, Australia, China (2004) Imports: $54.7 million f.o.b. (2000) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco Imports - partners: US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2004) Debt - external: $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $51.1 million more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002 Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Marshall Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 5,510 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,198 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) and mini-satellite telephones international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2005) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 2 (both are US military stations) note: Marshalls Broadcasting Service (cable company) operates on Majuro (2005) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .mh Internet hosts: 6 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 2,000 (2005) Transportation Marshall Islands Airports: 15 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 64.5 km paved: 64.5 km note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002) Merchant marine: total: 795 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,772,611 GRT/50,987,293 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 178, cargo 53, chemical tanker 133, container 147, liquefied gas 25, passenger 7, petroleum tanker 234, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 730 (Australia 2, Bermuda 4, Brazil 1, Canada 6, Chile 1, Croatia 2, Cyprus 15, Denmark 1, Finland 2, Germany 194, Greece 199, Hong Kong 7, Isle of Man 1, Italy 1, Japan 7, South Korea 1, Latvia 7, Monaco 8, Netherlands 1, Norway 65, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 6, Slovenia 3, Spain 3, Switzerland 13, Turkey 20, UAE 3, UK 12, US 143) registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Majuro Military Marshall Islands Military branches: no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 13,465 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 10,792 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 726 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Marshall Islands Disputes - international: claims US territory of Wake Island This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Martinique Introduction Martinique Background: The French began to settle this island in 1635, overcoming resistance from the local Carib inhabitants. In 1660, the suviving natives were rounded up and permanently expelled. The island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation. Geography Martinique Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 61 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 1,100 sq km land: 1,060 sq km water: 40 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 350 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average; average temperature 17.3 degrees C; humid Terrain: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m Natural resources: coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land Land use: arable land: 9.09% permanent crops: 10% other: 80.91% (2005) Irrigated land: 70 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years) Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: the island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, killing 30,000 inhabitants People Martinique Population: 436,131 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.1% (male 48,988/female 47,525) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 147,082/female 146,470) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 20,791/female 25,275) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34.1 years male: 33.4 years female: 34.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.72% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 13.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.18 years male: 79.5 years female: 78.85 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural) adjective: Martiniquais Ethnic groups: African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, East Indian and Chinese less than 5% Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu 0.5%, other 3.5% (1997) Languages: French, Creole patois Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.7% male: 97.4% female: 98.1% (2003 est.) Government Martinique Country name: conventional long form: Department of Martinique conventional short form: Martinique local long form: Departement de la Martinique local short form: Martinique Dependency status: overseas department of France Government type: NA Capital: name: Fort-de-France geographic coordinates: 14 36 N, 61 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France) Independence: none (overseas department of France) National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: French legal system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995); Prefect Yves DASSONVILLE (since 14 January 2004); note - took office 8 February 2004 head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE (since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Alfred MARIE-JEANNE (since NA March 1998) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils for six-year terms Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held March 2000 (next to be held in 2006); Regional Council - last held on 28 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 13, PPM 11, RPR 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCM 3, UDF 3, PMS 2, independents 2; note - the PPM won a plurality; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - MIM 53.8%, PPM 30.6%; seats by party - MIM 28, PPM 9, other 4 note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2008); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 1, left-wing candidate 1; Martinique also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PMS 1, MIM 1, left-wing candidate 1 (candidacy of the left-wing candidate was found invalid by the Constitutional Council; new elections will be called) Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel Political parties and leaders: Martinique Communist Party or PCM [Georges ERICHOT]; Martinique Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Progressive Party or PPM [Pierre SUEDILE]; Martinique Socialist Party or PMS [Ernest WAN-AJOUHU]; Movement of Democrats and Ecologists for a Sovereign Martinique or Modemas [Garcin MALSA]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michel CHARLONE]; Socialist Revolution Group or GRS [Philippe PIERRE-CHARLES]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Jean MAREN] Political pressure groups and leaders: Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP International organization participation: UPU, WCL, WFTU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of France) Flag description: unofficial flag, derives from the civil ensign flown by French merchant ships and dates to 1766; a blue field quartered by a white cross; in the center of each rectangle is a white, coiled snake representing the venomous Fer-de-lance; the flag of France is used for official occasions Economy Martinique Economy - overview: The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas, tourism, and light industry. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP and the small industrial sector for 11%. Sugar production has declined, with most of the sugarcane now used for the production of rum. Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to France. The bulk of meat, vegetable, and grain requirements must be imported, contributing to a chronic trade deficit that requires large annual transfers of aid from France. Tourism, which employs more than 11,000 people, has become more important than agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange. GDP (purchasing power parity): $6.117 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $14,400 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 11% services: 83% (1997 est.) Labor force: 165,900 (1998) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10% industry: 17% services: 73% (1997) Unemployment rate: 27.2% (1998) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA Budget: revenues: $317.5 million expenditures: $317.5 million; including capital expenditures of $140 million (1996) Agriculture - products: pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane Industries: construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.205 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.12 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 13,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $404.2 million f.o.b. (2002) Exports - commodities: refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples Exports - partners: France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2004) Imports: $2.307 billion c.i.f. (2002) Imports - commodities: petroleum products, crude oil, foodstuffs, construction materials, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods Imports - partners: France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%, US 3% (2004) Debt - external: $180 million (1994) Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - substantial annual aid from France (1998) Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Martinique Telephones - main lines in use: 172,000 (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: 319,900 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate domestic: NA international: country code - 596; microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 82,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 66,000 (1997) Internet country code: .mq Internet hosts: 72 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 107,000 (2005) Transportation Martinique Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 2,105 km (including 261 km of expressways) (2000) Ports and terminals: Fort-de-France, La Trinite, Marin Military Martinique Military branches: no regular military forces; Gendarmerie Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 110,536 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 90,868 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 3,105 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Martinique Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Mauritania Introduction Mauritania Background: Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984. Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991. Two multiparty presidential elections since then were widely seen as flawed, but October 2001 legislative and municipal elections were generally free and open. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council headed by Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, which declared it would remain in power for up to two years while it created conditions for genuine democratic institutions and organized elections. For now, however, Mauritania remains an autocratic state, and the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population and different Moor (Arab-Berber) communities. Geography Mauritania Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara Geographic coordinates: 20 00 N, 12 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,400 sq km water: 300 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km Coastline: 754 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty Terrain: mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m Natural resources: iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish Land use: arable land: 0.2% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.79% (2005) Irrigated land: 490 sq km (2002) Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country People Mauritania Population: 3,177,388 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 45.6% (male 726,376/female 723,013) 15-64 years: 52.2% (male 818,408/female 839,832) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 28,042/female 41,717) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17 years male: 16.8 years female: 17.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.88% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 40.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 69.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 72.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.12 years male: 50.88 years female: 55.42 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,500 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and Rift Valley fever are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian Ethnic groups: mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30% Religions: Muslim 100% Languages: Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 41.7% male: 51.8% female: 31.9% (2003 est.) Government Mauritania Country name: conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania conventional short form: Mauritania local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah local short form: Muritaniyah Government type: republic Capital: name: Nouakchott geographic coordinates: 18 06 N, 15 57 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district*; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza Independence: 28 November 1960 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1960) Constitution: 12 July 1991 Legal system: a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, whose Military Council for Justice and Democracy deposed longtime President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA in a coup on 3 August 2005 head of government: Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould BOUBAKAR (since 8 August 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); note - passage of a constitutional reform referendum in July 2006 limits president to two five-year terms; election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held 11 March 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected for a third term with 60.8% of the vote Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; a portion of seats up for election every two years; members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (95 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 9 and 16 April 2004 (next to be held 21 January 2007); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3 December 2006 election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts Political parties and leaders: Action for Change or AC (no longer active) [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for Justice and Democracy or AJD [Cisse Amadou CHEIKHOU]; National Union for Democracy and Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty, Equality, and Justice or PLEJ [Ba Mamdou ALASSANE]; Party of Democratic Convergence or PCD [Cheikh Ould HORMA]; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progressive Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Progress Force Union or UFP (no longer active) [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal or PRDR (formerly ruling Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS) [Boullah Ould MOGUEYA]; Right Way or SAWAB [Cheikh Ould Sidi Ould HANANA]; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]; Union of Forces of Progress or UFP [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD] note: the Party of Democratic Convergence was banned in October 2005 because it was regarded as Islamist and therefore in breach of Mauritanian law Political pressure groups and leaders: Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general] International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tijani Ould Mohamed EL KERIM chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Steven KOUTSIS embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663 FAX: [222] 525-1592 Flag description: green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam Economy Mauritania Economy - overview: Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt which now stands at more than three times the level of annual exports. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices. Mauritania has an estimated 1 billion barrels of proved reserves. Substantial oil production and exports are scheduled to begin in early 2006 and may average 75,000 barrels per day for that year. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy. GDP (purchasing power parity): $6.901 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.346 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25% industry: 29% services: 46% (2001 est.) Labor force: 786,000 (2001) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 50% industry: 10% services: 40% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 20% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 40% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 30.2% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 39 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2003 est.) Budget: revenues: $421 million expenditures: $378 million; including capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.) Agriculture - products: dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep Industries: fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.) Electricity - production: 185.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 85.9% hydro: 14.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 172.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 24,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 1 billion bbl (2005) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 0 cu m (2005) Exports: $784 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: iron ore, fish and fish products, gold Exports - partners: Italy 14.9%, Japan 12.3%, France 11.8%, Belgium 8.5%, Germany 8.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.2%, Spain 6.5%, Russia 5%, Netherlands 4.4% (2005) Imports: $1.124 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods Imports - partners: France 18.5%, UK 7.2%, US 7%, China 6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.3% (2005) Debt - external: $2.5 billion (2000) Economic aid - recipient: $305.7 million (2002) Currency (code): ouguiya (MRO) Currency code: MRO Exchange rates: ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2005), NA (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002), 255.63 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Mauritania Telephones - main lines in use: 41,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 745,600 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations (improvements being made) domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completed domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001) Radios: 410,000 (2001) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002) Televisions: 98,000 (2001) Internet country code: .mr Internet hosts: 32 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001) Internet users: 14,000 (2005) Transportation Mauritania Airports: 25 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Railways: 717 km standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 7,660 km paved: 866 km unpaved: 6,794 km (1999) Ports and terminals: Nouadhibou, Nouakchott Military Mauritania Military branches: Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - two years; majority of servicemen believed to be volunteers; service in Air Force and Navy is voluntary (April 2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 606,463 females age 18-49: 607,955 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 370,513 females age 18-49: 384,269 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $19.32 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Mauritania Disputes - international: Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years Trafficking in persons: current situation: Mauritania is a source and destination country for children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor, begging, and domestic servitude; adults and children are subjected to slavery-related practices rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships in isolated parts of the country where a barter economy exists tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Mauritania is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increased efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Mauritius Introduction Mauritius Background: Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505; it was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community. Geography Mauritius Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Geographic coordinates: 20 17 S, 57 33 E Map references: Political Map of the World Area: total: 2,040 sq km land: 2,030 sq km water: 10 sq km note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues Area - comparative: almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 177 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May) Terrain: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Piton 828 m Natural resources: arable land, fish Land use: arable land: 49.02% permanent crops: 2.94% other: 48.04% (2005) Irrigated land: 220 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards Environment - current issues: water pollution, degradation of coral reefs Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs People Mauritius Population: 1,240,827 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 149,486/female 147,621) 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 430,288/female 431,753) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 31,939/female 49,740) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 30.8 years male: 30 years female: 31.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.82% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 14.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.63 years male: 68.66 years female: 76.66 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 700 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Mauritian(s) adjective: Mauritian Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2% Religions: Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census) Languages: Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.6% male: 88.6% female: 82.7% (2003 est.) Government Mauritius Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius conventional short form: Mauritius local long form: Republic of Mauritius local short form: Mauritius Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Port Louis geographic coordinates: 20 10 S, 57 30 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968) Constitution: 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992 Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October 2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 5 July 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%; note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003 Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 62 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the election commission to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AS 38, MSM/MMM 22, OPR 2; appointed seats - AS 4, MSM/MMM 2, OPR 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: Alliance Sociale or AS; Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] (in coalition with MSM); Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] (the governing party); Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR] Political pressure groups and leaders: various labor unions International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [230] 208-9534 Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green Economy Mauritius Economy - overview: Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). GDP (purchasing power parity): $15.73 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $6.681 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $12,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.9% industry: 29.8% services: 64.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 570,000 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24% (1995) Unemployment rate: 9.6% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 10% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37 (1987 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.377 billion expenditures: $1.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 67.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 8% (2000 est.) Electricity - production: 1.941 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 9.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.805 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 21,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-342 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.949 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses Exports - partners: UK 32.3%, France 20.7%, US 11.7%, Madagascar 6.2%, Italy 5.3% (2005) Imports: $2.507 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals Imports - partners: France 12.1%, South Africa 11%, India 7.2%, Finland 6.1%, China 6%, Germany 5.3%, Bahrain 5.2%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.366 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.246 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $42 million (1997) Currency (code): Mauritian rupee (MUR) Currency code: MUR Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003), 29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Mauritius Telephones - main lines in use: 359,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 713,300 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: small system with good service domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system international: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002) Radios: 420,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus several repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 258,000 (1997) Internet country code: .mu Internet hosts: 4,997 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 180,000 (2005) Transportation Mauritius Airports: 6 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 2,020 km paved: 2,020 km (including 75 km of expressways) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,386 GRT/23,214 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 4 (India 2, Switzerland 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Port Louis Military Mauritius Military branches: no regular military forces; National Police Force, Special Mobile Force, National Coast Guard Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $12.04 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Mauritius Disputes - international: Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; claims French-administered Tromelin Island Illicit drugs: minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Mayotte Introduction Mayotte Background: Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego independence. Geography Mayotte Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique Geographic coordinates: 12 50 S, 45 10 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 374 sq km land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 185.2 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) Terrain: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Benara 660 m Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: cyclones during rainy season Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands People Mayotte Population: 201,234 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46% (male 46,512/female 46,067) 15-64 years: 52.3% (male 56,899/female 48,274) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,756/female 1,726) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17 years male: 18 years female: 16 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.77% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 40.95 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 4.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 60.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 66.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.76 years male: 59.57 years female: 64.02 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Mahorais (singular and plural) adjective: Mahoran Ethnic groups: NA Religions: Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) Languages: Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA Government Mayotte Country name: conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte conventional short form: Mayotte Dependency status: departmental collectivity of France Government type: NA Capital: name: Mamoudzou geographic coordinates: 12 47 S, 45 14 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territorial collectivity of France) Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France) National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: French law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005) head of government: President of the General Council Said Omar OILI (since 8 April 2004) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term; next election to be held in 2010 Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%, PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%; seats by party - MDM 6, UMP 9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1 note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF 44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel Political parties and leaders: Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR (UMP) [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Force of the Rally and the Alliance for Democracy or FRAP; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC [Omar SIMBA]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territorial collectivity of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territorial collectivity of France) Flag description: unofficial, local flag with the coat of arms of Mayotte centered on a white field, above which the name of the island appears in red capital letters; the main elements of the coat of arms, flanked on either side by a seahorse, appear above a scroll with the motto RA HACHIRI (We are Vigilant); the only official flag is the national flag of France Economy Mayotte Economy - overview: Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an obstacle to the development of tourism. GDP (purchasing power parity): $466.8 million (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,600 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 44,560 (2002) Unemployment rate: 32.8% (2003) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $73 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.) Agriculture - products: vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra Industries: newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% Electricity - consumption: 87.79 million kWh NA kWh Exports: $4.85 million f.o.b. (2004) Exports - commodities: ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon Exports - partners: France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2004) Imports: $256.7 million f.o.b. (2004) Imports - commodities: food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals Imports - partners: France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $208 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (2004) Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Mayotte Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 48,100 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications domestic: NA international: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 3 (2001) Televisions: 3,500 (1994) Internet country code: .yt Internet hosts: 1 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: NA Transportation Mayotte Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 93 km paved: 72 km unpaved: 21 km Ports and terminals: Dzaoudzi Military Mayotte Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island Transnational Issues Mayotte Disputes - international: claimed by Comoros This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Mexico Introduction Mexico Background: The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections. Geography Mexico Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US Geographic coordinates: 23 00 N, 102 00 W Map references: North America Area: total: 1,972,550 sq km land: 1,923,040 sq km water: 49,510 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km Coastline: 9,330 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: varies from tropical to desert Terrain: high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert Elevation extremes: lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m Natural resources: petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber Land use: arable land: 12.66% permanent crops: 1.28% other: 86.06% (2005) Irrigated land: 63,200 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts Environment - current issues: scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico People Mexico Population: 107,449,525 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.6% (male 16,770,957/female 16,086,172) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 33,071,809/female 35,316,281) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 2,814,707/female 3,389,599) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 25.3 years male: 24.3 years female: 26.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.16% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 20.69 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -4.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 20.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.41 years male: 72.63 years female: 78.33 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.42 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 160,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 5,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican Ethnic groups: mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.2% male: 94% female: 90.5% (2003 est.) Government Mexico Country name: conventional long form: United Mexican States conventional short form: Mexico local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos local short form: Mexico Government type: federal republic Capital: name: Mexico (Distrito Federal) geographic coordinates: 19 24 N, 99 09 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October note: Mexico is divided into four time zones Administrative divisions: 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas Independence: 16 September 1810 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1810) Constitution: 5 February 1917 Legal system: mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced) Executive branch: chief of state: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012) election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON (PAN) 35.89%, Andres Manuel Lopez OBRADOR (PRD) 35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO (PRI) 22.26%, other 6.54% Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote, also for three-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 5 July 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 29, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 2, PNA 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PAN 206, PRD 127, PRI 103, PVEM 18, CD 17, PT 16, other 13; note - election results pending certification Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia Nacional (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate) Political parties and leaders: Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party (Institutional Revolutionary Party) or PRI [leader NA]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Manuel ESPINO Barrientos]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Miguel Angel JIMENEZ Godines]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez] Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC; Roman Catholic Church International organization participation: APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), CDB, CE (observer), CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Alberto DE ICAZA Gonzalez chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico) consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr. embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000 telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000 FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980 consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band Economy Mexico Economy - overview: Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. The FOX administration is cognizant of the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector, but has been unable to win the support of the opposition-led Congress. The next government that takes office in December 2006 will confront the same challenges of boosting economic growth, improving Mexico's international competitiveness, and reducing poverty. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.064 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $693 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $10,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.8% industry: 25.9% services: 70.2% (2005 est.) Labor force: 43.4 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2003) Unemployment rate: 3.6% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 40% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 35.6% (2002) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 54.6 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $181 billion expenditures: $184 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005) Public debt: 17.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 209.2 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 78.7% hydro: 14.2% nuclear: 4.2% other: 2.9% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 193.9 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 1.07 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 390.2 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 3.42 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 1.752 million bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 1.863 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 205,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 33.31 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 47.3 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 55.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 7.85 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 424.3 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-5.708 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $213.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton Exports - partners: US 85.7%, Canada 2%, Spain 1.4% (2005) Imports: $223.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts Imports - partners: US 53.4%, China 8%, Japan 5.9% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $74.1 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $137.2 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $1.166 billion (1995) Currency (code): Mexican peso (MXN) Currency code: MXN Exchange rates: Mexican pesos per US dollar - 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003), 9.656 (2002), 9.342 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Mexico Telephones - main lines in use: 19.512 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 47.462 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: low telephone density with about 18 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development, but Telmex remains dominant domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable international: country code - 52; satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003) Radios: 31 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 236 (plus repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 25.6 million (1997) Internet country code: .mx Internet hosts: 3,426,680 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 51 (2000) Internet users: 18,622,500 (2005) Transportation Mexico Airports: 1,839 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 228 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 82 914 to 1,523 m: 77 under 914 m: 29 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,611 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 68 914 to 1,523 m: 460 under 914 m: 1,081 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006) Railways: total: 17,562 km standard gauge: 17,562 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 349,038 km paved: 116,928 km (including 6,979 km of expressways) unpaved: 232,110 km (2003) Waterways: 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 56 ships (1000 GRT or over) 751,607 GRT/1,129,234 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 6, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 5 (Denmark 2, France 1, Norway 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Belize 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 1, Panama 5, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Altamira, Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Veracruz Military Mexico Military branches: Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico, ARM, includes Naval Air Force (FAN) and Marines) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 24,488,008 females age 18-49: 26,128,046 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 19,058,337 females age 18-49: 21,966,796 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,063,233 females age 18-49: 1,043,816 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $6.07 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.8% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Mexico Disputes - international: prolonged drought, population growth, and outmoded practices and infrastructure in the border region have strained water-sharing arrangements with the US; the US has stepped up efforts to stem nationals from Mexico, Central America, and other parts of the world from illegally crossing the border with Mexico Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 12,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Mexico is a source, transit, and destination country for persons trafficked for sexual exploitation and labor; while the vast majority of victims are Central Americans trafficked along Mexico's southern border, other source regions include South America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia; women and children are trafficked from rural regions to urban centers and tourist areas for sexual exploitation, often through fraudulent offers of employment or through threats of physical violence; the Mexican trafficking problem is often conflated with alien smuggling, and frequently the same criminal networks are involved; pervasive corruption among state and local law enforcement often impedes investigations tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Mexico remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year based on future commitments to undertake additional efforts in prosecution, protection, and prevention of trafficking in persons, and the failure of the government to provide critical law enforcement data Illicit drugs: major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2004 amounted to 3,500 hectares, but opium cultivation stayed within the range - between 3,500 and 5,500 hectares - observed in nine of the last 12 years; potential production of 9 metric tons of pure heroin, or 23 metric tons of "black tar" heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation decreased 23% to 5,800 hectares in 2004 after decade-high cultivation peak in 2003; potential production of 10,400 metric tons of marijuana in 2004; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, accounting for about 90% of estimated annual cocaine movement to the US; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Micronesia, Federated States of Introduction Micronesia, Federated States of Background: In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004. Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid. Geography Micronesia, Federated States of Location: Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia Geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 158 15 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 702 sq km land: 702 sq km water: 0 sq km (fresh water only) note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae (Kosaie) Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only) Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 6,112 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage Terrain: islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 m Natural resources: forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate Land use: arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 45.71% other: 48.58% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons (June to December) Environment - current issues: overfishing, climate change, pollution Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: four major island groups totaling 607 islands People Micronesia, Federated States of Population: 108,004 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.6% (male 20,116/female 19,391) 15-64 years: 60.4% (male 32,620/female 32,659) 65 years and over: 3% (male 1,413/female 1,805) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.9 years male: 20.5 years female: 21.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.11% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 24.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -21.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: NA Infant mortality rate: total: 29.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.05 years male: 68.24 years female: 71.95 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Micronesian(s) adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese Ethnic groups: nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%, other 3% Languages: English (official and common language), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 91% female: 88% (1980 est.) Government Micronesia, Federated States of Country name: conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia conventional short form: none local long form: Federated States of Micronesia local short form: none former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts abbreviation: FSM Government type: constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force May 2004 Capital: name: Palikir geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 158 08 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap Independence: 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) National holiday: Constitution Day, 10 May (1979) Constitution: 10 May 1979 Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Joseph J. URUSEMAL (since 11 May 2003); Vice President Redley KILLION (11 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Joseph J. URUSEMAL (since 11 May 2003); Vice President Redley KILLION (11 May 2003) cabinet: Cabinet includes the vice president and the heads of the eight executive departments elections: president and vice president elected by Congress from among the four senators at large for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 May 2003 (next to be held May 2007); note - a proposed constitutional amendment to establish popular elections for president and vice president failed election results: Joseph J. URUSEMAL elected president; percent of Congress vote - NA%; Redley KILLION elected vice president; percent of Congress vote - NA% Legislative branch: unicameral Congress (14 seats; 4 - one elected from each state to serve four-year terms and 10 - elected from single-member districts delineated by population to serve two-year terms; members elected by popular vote) elections: elections for four-year term seats last held 4 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007); elections for two-year term seats last held 8 March 2005 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14 Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: no formal parties International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jesse Bibiano MAREHALAU chancery: 1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4383 FAX: [1] (202) 223-4391 consulate(s) general: Honolulu, Tamuning (Guam) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Suzanne K. HALE embassy: 101 Upper Pics Road, Kolonia mailing address: P. O. Box 1286, Kolonia, Pohnpei, 96941 telephone: [691] 320-2187 FAX: [691] 320-2186 Flag description: light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered; the stars are arranged in a diamond pattern Economy Micronesia, Federated States of Economy - overview: Economic activity consists primarily of subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remote location, a lack of adequate facilities, and limited air connections hinder development. The Amended Compact of Free Association with the US guarantees the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) millions of dollars in annual aid through 2023, and establishes a Trust Fund into which the US and the FSM make annual contributions in order to provide annual payouts to the FSM in perpetuity after 2023. The country's medium-term economic outlook appears fragile due not only to the reduction in US assistance but also to the slow growth of the private sector. GDP (purchasing power parity): $277 million; note - supplemented by grant aid, averaging perhaps $100 million annually (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $232 million GDP - real growth rate: 0.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 28.9% industry: 15.2% services: 55.9% (2000 est.) Labor force: 37,410 Labor force - by occupation: note: 0.9% two-thirds are government employees, 34.4%, 64.7% Unemployment rate: 22% (2000 est.) Population below poverty line: 26.7% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2005) Budget: revenues: $127.3 million ($69 million less grants) expenditures: $144.2 million; including capital expenditures of $17.9 million $NA (1998 est.) Agriculture - products: black pepper, tropical fruits and vegetables, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), betel nuts, sweet potatoes; pigs, chickens; fish Industries: tourism, construction; fish processing, specialized aquaculture; craft items from shell, wood, and pearls Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 192 million kWh (2002) Electricity - production by source: NA Electricity - consumption: 178.6 million kWh (2002) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002) Current account balance: $-34.3 million Exports: $14 million (f.o.b.) (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: fish, garments, bananas, black pepper Exports - partners: Japan, US, Guam (2004) Imports: $132.7 million f.o.b. (2004) Imports - commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, beverages Imports - partners: US, Japan, Hong Kong (2004) Debt - external: $60.8 million (FY05 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $86.3 million under terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US pledged $1.3 billion in grant aid during the period 1986-2001; the level of aid has been subsequently reduced Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Micronesia, Federated States of Telephones - main lines in use: 12,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 14,100 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes), satellite (Intelsat) ground stations, and some coaxial and fiber-optic cable; cellular service available on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap international: country code - 691; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002) Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 9,400 (1996) Television broadcast stations: 3; note - cable TV also available (2004) Televisions: 2,800 (1999) Internet country code: .fm Internet hosts: 550 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 14,000 (2005) Transportation Micronesia, Federated States of Airports: 6 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: 240 km paved: 42 km unpaved: 198 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,423 GRT/1,551 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Tomil Harbor Military Micronesia, Federated States of Military branches: no ministry of defense and no standing armed forces; the paramilitary Maritime Wing, a small maritime law enforcement unit, is responsible to the Division of Maritime Surveillance within the Office of the Attorney General (2003) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 23,816 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 18,914 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,305 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Micronesia, Federated States of Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Moldova Introduction Moldova Background: Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001. Geography Moldova Location: Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 29 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 33,843 sq km land: 33,371 sq km water: 472 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Maryland Land boundaries: total: 1,389 km border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: moderate winters, warm summers Terrain: rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dniester River 2 m highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m Natural resources: lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone Land use: arable land: 54.52% permanent crops: 8.81% other: 36.67% (2005) Irrigated land: 3,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: landslides (57 cases in 1998) Environment - current issues: heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone People Moldova Population: 4,466,706 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 455,673/female 438,934) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 1,498,078/female 1,613,489) 65 years and over: 10.3% (male 170,456/female 290,076) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 32.3 years male: 30.3 years female: 34.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.28% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.7 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.64 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 38.38 deaths/1,000 live births male: 41.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 35.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.65 years male: 61.61 years female: 69.88 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.85 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5,500 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 300 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Moldovan(s) adjective: Moldovan Ethnic groups: Moldovan/Romanian 78.2%, Ukrainian 8.4%, Russian 5.8%, Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004 census) note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region Religions: Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000) Languages: Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.1% male: 99.6% female: 98.7% (2003 est.) Government Moldova Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Moldova conventional short form: Moldova local long form: Republica Moldova local short form: Moldova former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: Chisinau (Kishinev) geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 50 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala) raions: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir, Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului Independence: 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 27 August (1991) Constitution: new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979 Legal system: based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida GRECIANII (since 10 October 2005) cabinet: Cabinet selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held in 2009); note - prime minister designated by the president, upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet; prime minister designated 15 April 2001, cabinet received a vote of confidence 19 April 2001 election results: Vladimir VORONIN reelected president; parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1; Vasile TARLEV designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of confidence - 75 of 101 Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic Moldova Bloc 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%; seats by party - PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc 34, PPCD 11 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature) Political parties and leaders: Braghis Faction [Dumitru BRAGHIS]; Christian Democratic People's Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]; Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]; Democratic Moldova Bloc (comprised of the AMN, Democratic Party, and PSL); Democratic Party [Dumitru DIACOV]; Our Moldova Alliance or AMN [Serafim URECHEANU]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Oleg SEREBRIAN] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae CHIRTOACA chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambasador Michael D. KIRBY embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [373] (22) 40-8300 FAX: [373] (22) 23-3044 Flag description: same color scheme as Romania - three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow Economy Moldova Economy - overview: Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import almost all of its energy supplies. Energy shortages contributed to sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991. As part of an ambitious reform effort after independence, Moldova introduced a convertible currency, freed prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises, backed steady land privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates. The government entered into agreements with the World Bank and the IMF to promote growth and reduce poverty. The economy returned to positive growth in 2000, and has remained at or above 6% every year since. Further reforms will come slowly because of strong political forces backing government controls. The economy remains vulnerable to higher fuel prices, poor agricultural weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors. GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.41 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.416 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21.3% industry: 23.3% services: 55.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.34 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 40% industry: 14% services: 46% (1998) Unemployment rate: 8%; note - roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad (2002 est.) Population below poverty line: 80% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 30.7% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.2 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.069 billion expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 79.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk Industries: sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles Industrial production growth rate: 17% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 2.942 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.6% hydro: 9.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 3.036 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 300 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 600 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 37,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 2.38 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 2.05 billion cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $-285 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.04 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: foodstuffs, textiles, machinery Exports - partners: Russia 32.9%, Italy 12.7%, Romania 10.6%, Ukraine 9.5%, Belarus 6.7%, Germany 4.5% (2005) Imports: $2.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles (2000) Imports - partners: Ukraine 20.9%, Russia 11.7%, Romania 11.2%, Germany 8.3%, Italy 6.6%, Turkey 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $597.5 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.986 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $100 million (2000) Currency (code): Moldovan leu (MDL) Currency code: MDL Exchange rates: lei per US dollar - 12.6 (2005), 12.33 (2004), 13.945 (2003), 13.571 (2002), 12.865 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Moldova Telephones - main lines in use: 929,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.09 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile cellular telephone service being introduced international: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 3 (1998) Radios: 3.22 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 30 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 1.26 million (1997) Internet country code: .md Internet hosts: 58,886 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (1999) Internet users: 406,000 (2005) Transportation Moldova Airports: 12 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Pipelines: gas 606 km (2006) Railways: total: 1,138 km broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 12,730 km paved: 10,973 km unpaved: 1,757 km (2003) Waterways: 424 km (on Dniester River) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 13,831 GRT/15,003 DWT by type: cargo 7 foreign-owned: 3 (Ukraine 3) (2006) Military Moldova Military branches: National Army: Ground Forces, Rapid Reaction Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; national service obligation - 12 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,066,459 females age 18-49: 1,117,070 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 693,913 females age 18-49: 911,568 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 43,729 females age 18-49: 42,354 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $8.7 million (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.4% (FY02) Transnational Issues Moldova Disputes - international: Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region which remains under OSCE supervision Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 1,000 (internal secessionist uprising in Transnistrian region in 1991) (2005) Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Monaco Introduction Monaco Background: The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present-day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling Grimaldi family secured control in the late 13th century, and a principality was established in 1338. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. Geography Monaco Location: Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy Geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 24 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 1.95 sq km land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 4.4 km border countries: France 4.4 km Coastline: 4.1 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers Terrain: hilly, rugged, rocky Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Agel 140 m Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Geography - note: second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban People Monaco Population: 32,543 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.2% (male 2,539/female 2,417) 15-64 years: 62.1% (male 9,959/female 10,266) 65 years and over: 22.6% (male 3,015/female 4,347) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 45.4 years male: 43.3 years female: 47.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.4% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.19 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.91 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 7.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.69 years male: 75.85 years female: 83.74 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s) adjective: Monegasque or Monacan Ethnic groups: French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% Religions: Roman Catholic 90% Languages: French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Monaco Country name: conventional long form: Principality of Monaco conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Monaco geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo Independence: 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi) National holiday: National Day (Prince of Monaco Holiday), 19 November Constitution: 17 December 1962 Legal system: based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005) head of government: Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government Legislative branch: unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) Political parties and leaders: National and Democratic Union or UND [Guy MAGNAN]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM) Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: Monaco does not have an embassy in the US consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) under the authority of the US ambassador to France is accredited to Monaco Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red Economy Monaco Economy - overview: Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbor. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas. GDP (purchasing power parity): $870 million note: Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates are extremely rough (2000 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 0.9% (2000 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $27,000 (2000 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 41,110 note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2004) Unemployment rate: 22% (1999) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.9% (2000) Budget: revenues: $719.2 million expenditures: $864.1 million; including capital expenditures of $283.1 million (2004) Agriculture - products: none Industries: tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France Exports: $656.5 million $NA note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France Imports: $636.6 million $NA note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France Debt - external: $18 billion (2000 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Monaco Telephones - main lines in use: 33,700 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 19,300 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: modern automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) Radios: 34,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 5 (1998) Televisions: 25,000 (1997) Internet country code: .mc Internet hosts: 12,720 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 16,000 (2002) Transportation Monaco Heliports: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 50 km paved: 50 km (1999) Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 77 (Bahamas 17, Barbados 1, Bermuda 2, France 1, Georgia 13, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 10, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 8, Norway 4, Panama 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Switzerland 2, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Monaco Military Monaco Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 6,256 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,971 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 148 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003) Transnational Issues Monaco Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Mongolia Introduction Mongolia Background: The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and later came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. The ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. Since then, parliamentary elections returned the MPRP overwhelmingly to power in 2000 and produced a coalition government in 2004. Geography Mongolia Location: Northern Asia, between China and Russia Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 105 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 1,564,116 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska Land boundaries: total: 8,220 km border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges) Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m Natural resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron Land use: arable land: 0.76% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.24% (2005) Irrigated land: 840 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia People Mongolia Population: 2,832,224 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.9% (male 402,448/female 387,059) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 967,546/female 969,389) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 45,859/female 59,923) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.6 years male: 24.3 years female: 25 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.46% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 21.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.95 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 52.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 55.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.89 years male: 62.64 years female: 67.25 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Mongolian(s) adjective: Mongolian Ethnic groups: Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000) Religions: Buddhist Lamaist 50%, none 40%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4% (2004) Languages: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% male: 98% female: 97.5% (2002) Government Mongolia Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia Government type: mixed parliamentary/presidential Capital: name: Ulaanbaatar geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 53 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs Independence: 11 July 1921 (from China) National holiday: Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921) Constitution: 12 February 1992 Legal system: blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine "continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 24 June 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Miegombyn ENKHBOLD (since 25 January 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Mendsaikhan ENKHSAIKHAN (since 28 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the president and confirmed by the State Great Hural (parliament) elections: presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 May 2005 (next to be held in May 2009); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by State Great Hural election results: Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected president; percent of vote - Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (MPRP) 53.44%, Mendsaikhanin ENKHSAIKHAN (DP) 20.05%, Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN (MRP) 13.92%, Badarchyn ERDENEBAT (M-MNSDP) 12.59%; Miegombyn ENKHBOLD elected prime minister by the State Great Hural 56 to 10 Legislative branch: unicameral State Great Hural 76 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms elections: last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - MPRP 48.78%, MDC 44.8%, independents 3.5%, Republican Party 1.5%, others 1.42%; seats by party - MPRP 36, MDC 34, others 4; note - following June 2004 election MDC collapsed; as of 1 December 2005 composition of legislature was MPRP 38, DP 25, M-MNSDP 6, CWRP 2, MRP 1, PP 1, independents 3 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved by the president) Political parties and leaders: Citizens' Will Republican Party or CWRP (also called Civil Courage Republican Party or CCRP) [Sanjaasurengiin OYUN]; Democratic Party or DP [Tsakhiagiyn ELBEGDORJ]; Motherland-Mongolian New Socialist Democratic Party or M-MNSDP [Badarchyn ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Miegombyn ENKHBOLD]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN]; People's Party or PP [Lamjav GUNDALAI] note: DP and M-MNSDP formed Motherland-Democracy Coalition (MDC) in 2003 and with CWRP contested June 2004 elections as single party; MDC's leadership dissolved coalition in December 2004 Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ARF, AsDB, CP, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ravdan BOLD chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117 FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mark C. MINTON embassy: Big Ring Road, 11th Micro Region, Ulaanbaatar mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002; P.O. Box 1021, Ulaanbaatar-13 telephone: [976] (11) 329095 FAX: [976] (11) 320776 Flag description: three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol) Economy Mongolia Economy - overview: Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has extensive mineral deposits. Copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession due to political inaction and natural disasters, as well as economic growth because of reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer droughts in 2000-2002 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to privatization. Growth was 10.6% in 2004 and 5.5% in 2005, largely because of high copper prices and new gold production. Mongolia's economy continues to be heavily influenced by its neighbors. For example, Mongolia purchases 80% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. China is Mongolia's chief export partner and a main source of the "shadow" or "grey" economy. The World Bank and other international financial institutions estimate the grey economy to be at least equal to that of the official economy, but the former's actual size is difficult to calculate since the money does not pass through the hands of tax authorities or the banking sector. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad both legally and illegally are sizeable, and money laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia settled its $11 billion debt with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable terms. Mongolia, which joined the World Trade Organization in 1997, seeks to expand its participation and integration into Asian regional economic and trade regimes. GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.272 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.2% according to official estimate (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20.6% industry: 21.4% services: 58% (2003 est.) Labor force: 1.488 million (2003) Labor force - by occupation: herding/agriculture 42%, mining 4%, manufacturing 6%, trade 14%, services 29%, public sector 5% (2003) Unemployment rate: 6.7% (2003) Population below poverty line: 36.1% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.5% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $702 million expenditures: $651 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses Industries: construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (2002 est.) Electricity - production: 3.24 billion kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 3.37 billion kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - exports: 18 million kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - imports: 130 million kWh (2005 est.) Oil - production: 548.8 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 11,220 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 515 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - imports: 11,210 bbl/day (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $852 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals Exports - partners: China 56.2%, Canada 15.6%, US 14.7% (2005) Imports: $1.011 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea Imports - partners: Russia 35.8%, China 25.7%, Japan 6.3%, South Korea 6%, Germany 4.2% (2005) Debt - external: $1.36 billion (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $215 million (2003) Currency (code): togrog/tugrik (MNT) Currency code: MNT Exchange rates: togrogs/tugriks per US dollar - 1,187.17 (2005), 1,185.3 (2004), 1,146.5 (2003), 1,110.3 (2002), 1,097.7 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Mongolia Telephones - main lines in use: 156,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 557,200 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas domestic: very low density of about 5.5 main lines per 100 persons; two wireless providers cover all but two provinces international: country code - 976; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 62, shortwave 3 (2004) Radios: 155,900 (1999) Television broadcast stations: 52 (plus 21 provincial repeaters and many low power repeaters) (2004) Televisions: 168,800 (1999) Internet country code: .mn Internet hosts: 272 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001) Internet users: 268,300 (2005) Transportation Mongolia Airports: 44 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 32 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Railways: total: 1,810 km broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 49,250 km paved: 1,724 km unpaved: 47,526 km (2002) Waterways: 580 km note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2004) Merchant marine: total: 61 ships (1000 GRT or over) 319,053 GRT/479,190 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 49, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 49 (China 4, Japan 1, North Korea 3, Lebanon 1, Malaysia 1, Russia 13, Singapore 10, Syria 1, Thailand 1, UAE 5, Ukraine 1, Vietnam 8) (2006) Military Mongolia Military branches: Mongolian People's Army (MPA), Mongolian People's Air Force (MPAF); there is no navy (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5 percent) is comprised of contract soldiers (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 736,182 females age 18-49: 734,679 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 570,435 females age 18-49: 607,918 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 34,674 females age 18-49: 34,251 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $23.1 million (FY02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.2% (FY02) Transnational Issues Mongolia Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Montenegro Introduction Montenegro Background: The use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century when the Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of Zeta; over subsequent centuries it was able to maintain its independence from the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro became a theocratic state ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality. After World War I, Montenegro was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and, at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser union of Serbia and Montenegro. Following a three-year postponement, Montenegro held an independence referendum in the spring of 2006 under rules set by the EU. The vote for severing ties with Serbia exceeded the 55% threshold, allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June 2006. Geography Montenegro Location: Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 19 18 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 14,026 sq km land: 13,812 sq km water: 214 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut Land boundaries: total: 625 km border countries: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km, Croatia 25 km, Serbia 203 km Coastline: 293.5 km Maritime claims: NA Climate: Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland Terrain: highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m Natural resources: bauxite, hydroelectricity Land use: arable land: 13.7% permanent crops: 1% other: 85.3% Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor Geography - note: strategic location along the Adriatic coast People Montenegro Population: 630,548 (2004) Population growth rate: 3.5% (2004) Birth rate: 12.6 births/1,000 population (2004) Death rate: 9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2004) Nationality: noun: Montenegrin(s) adjective: Montenegrin Ethnic groups: Montenegrin 43%, Serbian 32%, Bosniak 8%, Albanian 5%, other (Muslims, Croats, Roma) 12% Religions: Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic Languages: Serbian (Ijekavian dialect - official), Bosnian, Albanian, Croatian Government Montenegro Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Montenegro conventional short form: Montenegro local long form: Republika Crna Gora local short form: Crna Gora former: People's Republic of Montenegro, Socialist Republic of Montenegro Government type: republic Capital: name: Podgorica (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 42 26 N, 19 16 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Cetinje (capital city) Administrative divisions: 21 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Andrijevia, Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Plav, Pluzine, Pljevlja, Podgornica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Ulcinj, Zabljak Independence: 3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro); note - a referendum on independence was held 21 May 2006 National holiday: National Day, 13 July Constitution: 12 October 1992 (was approved by the Assembly) Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 11 May 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Zeljko STURANOVIC (since 10 November 2006) cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 May 2003 (next to be held in 2008); prime minister proposed by president, accepted by Assembly election results: Filip VUJANOVIC elected on the third round; Filip VUJANOVIC 63.3%, Miodrag ZIVKOVIC 30.8% Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly (81 seats, elected by direct vote for four-year terms; changed from 74 seats at the time of the elections) elections: last held 10 September 2006 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Coalition for a European Montenegro 41, SNS 12, Coalition SPP/NS/DSS 11, PZP 11, Liberals and Bosniaks 3, Democratic League-Democratic Prosperity 1, Democratic Union of Albanians 1, Albanian Alternative 1 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms); Supreme Court (judges have life tenure) Political parties and leaders: Albanian Alternative or AA; Bosniak Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC]; Coalition for a European Montenegro (Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS and Social Democratic Party or SDP) [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Coalition SPP/NS/DSS; Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity [Mehmet BARHDI]; Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA]; Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC]; Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC]; Serbian People's Party of Montenegro or SNS [Andrija MANDIC]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC]; Social Democratic Party of Montenegro or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Socialist People's Party or SNP [Predrag BULATOVIC] International organization participation: CEI, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, ICFTU, ILO, Interpol, IPU, ITU, OSCE, UN, UPU, WHO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Miodrag VLAHOVIC Flag description: a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered Economy Montenegro Economy - overview: The republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and continues to maintain its own central bank, uses the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official currency, collects customs tariffs, and manages its own budget. The dissolution of the loose political union between Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 led to separate membership in several international financial institutions, such as the IMF, World Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Montenegro is pursuing its own membership in the World Trade Organization as well as negotiating a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in anticipation of eventual membership. Severe unemployment remains a key political and economic problem for this entire region. Montenegro has privatized its large aluminum complex - the dominant industry - as well as most of its financial sector, and has begun to attract foreign direct investment in the tourism sector. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.412 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.125 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: NA GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: % NA industry: % NA services: % NA Labor force: 259,100 (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 2% industry: 30% services: 68% (2004) Unemployment rate: 27.7% (2005) Population below poverty line: 12.2% (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2004) Investment (gross fixed): % of GDP NA Budget: revenues: NA expenditures: NA Public debt: % of GDP NA Agriculture - products: grains, tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes; sheepherding; commercial fishing negligible Industries: steelmaking, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism Electricity - production: 2.864 billion kWh 2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.) Electricity - consumption: NA Oil - production: NA Oil - consumption: NA Natural gas - consumption: NA Current account balance: NA Exports: $171.3 million (2003) Exports - partners: Switzerland 83.9%, Italy 6.1%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3% (2003) Imports: $601.7 million (2003) Imports - partners: Greece 10.2%, Italy 10.2%, Germany 9.6%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.2% (2003) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: NA Debt - external: NA Economic aid - recipient: NA Currency (code): euro (EUR) Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8089 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Montenegro Telephones - main lines in use: 177,663 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 543,220 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites domestic: GSM wireless service, available through two providers with national coverage, is growing rapidly international: country code - 382 (the old code of 381 used by Serbia and Montenegro will also remain in use until Feb 2007); two international switches connect the national system Radio broadcast stations: 31 (2004) Television broadcast stations: 13 (2004) Internet country code: .me Internet users: 50,000 (2004) Transportation Montenegro Airports: 5 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Railways: total: 250 km standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2005) Roadways: total: 7,353 km paved: 4,274 km unpaved: 3,079 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 9,458 GRT/10,172 DWT by type: cargo 4 registered in other countries: 4 (Bahamas 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bar Military Montenegro Military service age and obligation: compulsory national military service abolished August 2006 Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.306 billion Military - note: Montenegrin plans call for the establishment of a fully professional armed forces Transnational Issues Montenegro Disputes - international: ethnic Albanians in Kosovo refuse demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement, which includes a section of boundary with Montenegro This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Montserrat Introduction Montserrat Background: English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possesion of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003. Geography Montserrat Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 62 12 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 40 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation Terrain: volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006) Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995) Environment - current issues: land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation Geography - note: the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages People Montserrat Population: 9,439 note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.3% (male 1,125/female 1,079) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,957/female 3,245) 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 532/female 501) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.9 years male: 28.6 years female: 29.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.05% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 17.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.85 years male: 76.67 years female: 81.14 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Montserratian(s) adjective: Montserratian Ethnic groups: black, white Religions: Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations Languages: English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.) Government Montserrat Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montserrat Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: NA Capital: name: Plymouth geographic coordinates: 16 44 N, 62 14 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat Administrative divisions: 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) Constitution: effective 19 December 1989 Legal system: English common law and statutory law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Deborah BARNES-JONES (since 10 May 2004) head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court) Political parties and leaders: Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Caricom, CDB, ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross Economy Montserrat Economy - overview: Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade. GDP (purchasing power parity): $29 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: -1% (2002 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,400 (2002 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.4% industry: 13.6% services: 81% (1996 est.) Labor force: 4,521 note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 6% (1998 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (2002 est.) Budget: revenues: $31.4 million expenditures: $31.6 million; including capital expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 est.) Agriculture - products: cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products Industries: tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 2 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.86 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 380 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $700,000 (2001) Exports - commodities: electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle Exports - partners: US, Antigua and Barbuda (2004) Imports: $17 million (2001) Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials Imports - partners: US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2004) Debt - external: $8.9 million (1997) Economic aid - recipient: Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.) Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Currency code: XCD Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) note: fixed rate since 1976 Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Montserrat Telephones - main lines in use: NA Telephones - mobile cellular: 70 (1994) Telephone system: general assessment: modern and fully digitalized domestic: NA international: country code - 1-664 Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 7,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: 3,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ms Internet hosts: 386 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 17 (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation Montserrat Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: 227 km note: volcanic eruptions that began in 1995 destroyed most of the road system (2003) Ports and terminals: Plymouth Military Montserrat Military branches: no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,298 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,899 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 84 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Montserrat Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Morocco Introduction Morocco Background: In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997. Parliamentary elections were held for the second time in September 2002 and municipal elections were held in September 2003. Geography Morocco Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 5 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 446,550 sq km land: 446,300 sq km water: 250 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than California Land boundaries: total: 2,017.9 km border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km Coastline: 1,835 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior Terrain: northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt Land use: arable land: 19% permanent crops: 2% other: 79% (2005) Irrigated land: 14,450 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar People Morocco Population: 33,241,259 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.6% (male 5,343,976/female 5,145,019) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 10,505,018/female 10,580,599) 65 years and over: 5% (male 725,116/female 941,531) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 23.9 years male: 23.4 years female: 24.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.55% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 21.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 40.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 43.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 36.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.94 years male: 68.62 years female: 73.37 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2005) Nationality: noun: Moroccan(s) adjective: Moroccan Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2% Religions: Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2% Languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51.7% male: 64.1% female: 39.4% (2003 est.) Government Morocco Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco conventional short form: Morocco local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah local short form: Al Maghrib Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Rabat geographic coordinates: 34 02 N, 6 51 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 15 regions; Grand Casablanca, Chaouia-Ouardigha, Doukkala-Abda, Fes-Boulemane, Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen, Guelmim-Es Smara, Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, Meknes-Tafilalet, Oriental, Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer, Souss-Massa-Draa, Tadla-Azilal, Tanger-Tetouan, Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate note: Morocco claims the territory of Western Sahara, the political status of which is considered undetermined by the US Government; portions of the regions Guelmim-Es Smara and Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra as claimed by Morocco lie within Western Sahara; Morocco claims another region, Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, which falls entirely within Western Sahara Independence: 2 March 1956 (from France) National holiday: Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30 July (1999) Constitution: 10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996 Legal system: based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003) Executive branch: chief of state: King MOHAMED VI (since 30 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Driss JETTOU (since 9 October 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch following legislative elections Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats; 295 by multi-seat constituencies and 30 from national lists of women; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 6 October 2003 (next to be held in 2006); Chamber of Representatives - last held 27 September 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RNI 42, MDS 33, UC 28, MP 27, PND 21, PI 21, USFP 16, MNP 15, PA 13, FFD 12, other 42; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - USFP 50, PI 48, PJD 42, RNI 41, MP 27, MNP 18, UC 16, PND 12, PPS 11, UD 10, other 50 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: Action Party or PA [Muhammad EL IDRISSI]; Alliance of Liberties or ADL [Ali BELHAJ]; Annahj Addimocrati or Annahj [Abdellah EL HARIF]; Avant Garde Social Democratic Party or PADS [Ahmed BENJELLOUN]; Citizen Forces or FC [Abderrahman LAHJOUJI]; Citizen's Initiatives for Development [Mohamed BENHAMOU]; Constitutional Union or UC [Mohamed ABIED (interim)]; Democratic and Independence Party or PDI [Abdelwahed MAACH]; Democratic and Social Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Aissa OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Union or UD [Bouazza IKKEN]; Environment and Development Party or PED [Ahmed EL ALAMI]; Front of Democratic Forces or FFD [Thami EL KHYARI]; Istiqlal Party (Independence Party) or PI [Abbas El FASSI]; Justice and Development Party or PJD [Saad Eddine OTHMANI]; Moroccan Liberal Party or PML [Mohamed ZIANE]; National Democratic Party or PND [Abdallah KADIRI]; National Ittihadi Congress Party or CNI [Abdelmajid BOUZOUBAA]; National Popular Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE]; National Rally of Independents or RNI [Ahmed OSMAN]; National Union of Popular Forces or UNFP [Abdellah IBRAHIM]; Parti Al Ahd or Al Ahd [Najib EL OUAZZANI, chairman]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Ismail ALAOUI]; Party of Renewal and Equity or PRE [Chakir ACHABAR]; Party of the Unified Socialist Left or GSU [Mohamed Ben Said AIT IDDER]; Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER]; Reform and Development Party or PRD [Abderrahmane EL KOUHEN]; Social Center Party or PSC [Lahcen MADIH]; Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Mohammed El-YAZGHI] Political pressure groups and leaders: Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI]; General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Moroccan Employers Association or CGEM [Hassan CHAMI]; National Labor Union of Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI]; Union of Moroccan Workers or UMT [Mahjoub BENSEDDIK] International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aziz MEKOUAR chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979 FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas T. RILEY embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat mailing address: PSC 74, Box 021, APO AE 09718 telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65 FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61 consulate(s) general: Casablanca Flag description: red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Sulayman's (Solomon's) seal in the center of the flag; red and green are traditional colors in Arab flags, although the use of red is more commonly associated with the Arab states of the Persian gulf; design dates to 1912 Economy Morocco Economy - overview: Moroccan economic policies brought macroeconomic stability to the country in the early 1990s but have not spurred growth sufficient to reduce unemployment that nears 20% in urban areas. Poverty has actually increased due to the volatile nature of GDP, Morocco's continued dependence on foreign energy, and its inability to promote the growth of small and medium size enterprises. Despite structural adjustment programs supported by the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is only fully convertible for current account transactions and Morocco's financial sector is rudimentary. Moroccan authorities understand that reducing poverty and providing jobs is key to domestic security and development. In 2004, Moroccan authorities instituted measures to boost foreign direct investment and trade by signing a free trade agreement with the US and selling government shares in the state telecommunications company and in the largest state-owned bank. The Free Trade agreement went into effect in January 2006. In 2005, GDP growth slipped to 1.2% and the budget deficit rose sharply - to 7.5% of GDP - because of substantial increases in wages and oil subsidies. Long-term challenges include preparing the economy for freer trade with the US and European Union, improving education and job prospects for Morocco's youth, and raising living standards, which the government hopes to achieve by increasing tourist arrivals and boosting competitiveness in textiles. GDP (purchasing power parity): $135.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $51.94 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21.7% industry: 35.7% services: 42.6% (2004 est.) Labor force: 11.19 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 40% industry: 15% services: 45% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 11% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 19% (2005 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 30.9% (1998-99) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40 (2005 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 23.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $12.94 billion expenditures: $16.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.19 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 72% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock Industries: phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism Industrial production growth rate: 4% NA% Electricity - production: 17.35 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 95.4% hydro: 4.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 17.58 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 1.45 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 158,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 147,800 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 100 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 5 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 650 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: NA cu m Natural gas - imports: NA cu m Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.218 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $1.255 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $9.472 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: clothing, fish, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, fruits, vegetables Exports - partners: France 30.3%, Spain 18%, UK 6.2%, Italy 5.2%, India 4.1% (2005) Imports: $18.15 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics Imports - partners: France 18.2%, Spain 11%, Saudi Arabia 6.8%, Russia 6.8%, Italy 6.1%, China 5.2%, Germany 4.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $16.47 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $15.61 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $218 million (2002) Currency (code): Moroccan dirham (MAD) Currency code: MAD Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.574 (2003), 11.021 (2002), 11.303 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Morocco Telephones - main lines in use: 1,341,200 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 12.393 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system with all important capabilities; however, density is low with only 4 main lines available for each 100 persons domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive; principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural service employs microwave radio relay international: country code - 212; 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998) Radio broadcast stations: AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998) Radios: 6.64 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 3.1 million (1997) Internet country code: .ma Internet hosts: 3,218 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000) Internet users: 4.6 million (2005) Transportation Morocco Airports: 60 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 26 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 34 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 11 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 715 km; oil 285 km (2006) Railways: total: 1,907 km standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 57,694 km paved: 32,551 km (including 417 km of expressways) unpaved: 25,143 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or over) 382,781 GRT/285,435 DWT by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 6, container 9, passenger/cargo 13, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 5 (France 1, Germany 2, Switzerland 1, UK 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Agadir, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Nador, Safi, Tangier Military Morocco Military branches: Royal Armed Forces (Forces Armees Royales, FAR): Royal Moroccan Army (includes Air Defense), Navy (includes Marines), Royal Moroccan Air Force (Force Aerienne Royale Marocaine) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 7,908,864 females age 18-49: 7,882,879 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 6,484,787 females age 18-49: 6,675,729 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 353,377 females age 18-49: 341,677 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.31 billion (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Morocco Disputes - international: claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussions have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation setting limits on exploration and refugee interdiction since Morocco's 2002 rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of a median line from the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa Illicit drugs: illicit producer of hashish; shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Mozambique Introduction Mozambique Background: Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development. The ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In December 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His newly elected successor, Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, has promised to continue the sound economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment. Geography Mozambique Location: Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania Geographic coordinates: 18 15 S, 35 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 801,590 sq km land: 784,090 sq km water: 17,500 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California Land boundaries: total: 4,571 km border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km Coastline: 2,470 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical to subtropical Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite Land use: arable land: 5.43% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 94.28% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,180 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces Environment - current issues: a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters; elephant poaching for ivory is a problem Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country People Mozambique Population: 19,686,505 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected; the 1997 Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 4,229,802/female 4,177,235) 15-64 years: 54.5% (male 5,207,149/female 5,519,291) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 230,616/female 322,412) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.3 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.38% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 35.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 21.35 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 129.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 134.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 124.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 39.82 years male: 39.53 years female: 40.13 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.62 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 12.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.3 million (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 110,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Mozambican(s) adjective: Mozambican Ethnic groups: African 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08% Religions: Catholic 23.8%, Muslim 17.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census) Languages: Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.8% male: 63.5% female: 32.7% (2003 est.) Government Mozambique Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique conventional short form: Mozambique local long form: Republica de Mocambique local short form: Mocambique former: Portuguese East Africa Government type: republic Capital: name: Maputo geographic coordinates: 25 58 S, 32 35 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia Independence: 25 June 1975 (from Portugal) National holiday: Independence Day, 25 June (1975) Constitution: 30 November 1990 Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Armando GUEBUZA (since 2 February 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February 2004) cabinet: Cabinet elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Armando GUEBUZA elected president; percent of vote - Armando GUEBUZA 63.7%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 31.7% Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on a secret ballot to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - FRELIMO 62%, RENAMO 29.7%; seats by party - FRELIMO 160, RENAMO 90 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its professional judges are appointed by the president and some are elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts note: although the constitution provides for a separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases Political parties and leaders: Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or FRELIMO [Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, president]; Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or RENAMO-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA, president] Political pressure groups and leaders: Institute for Peace and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS, president]; Etica [Abdul CARIMO Issa, chairman]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para Paz e Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president]; Human Rights and Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD [Artemisia FRANCO, secretary general] International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF (observer), OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Armando PANGUENE chancery: 1990 M Street NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146 FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Helen LA LIME embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo telephone: [258] (1) 492797 FAX: [258] (1) 490448 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book Economy Mozambique Economy - overview: At independence in 1975, Mozambique was one of the world's poorest countries. Socialist mismanagement and a brutal civil war from 1977-92 exacerbated the situation. In 1987, the government embarked on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and with political stability since the multi-party elections in 1994, have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate. Inflation was reduced to single digits during the late 1990s although it returned to double digits in 2000-03. Fiscal reforms, including the introduction of a value-added tax and reform of the customs service, have improved the government's revenue collection abilities. In spite of these gains, Mozambique remains dependent upon foreign assistance for much of its annual budget, and the majority of the population remains below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture continues to employ the vast majority of the country's work force. A substantial trade imbalance persists although the opening of the Mozal aluminum smelter, the country's largest foreign investment project to date, has increased export earnings. In late 2005, and after years of negotiations, the government signed an agreement to gain Portugal's majority share of the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectricity (HCB) company, a dam that was not transferred to Mozambique at independence because of the ensuing civil war and unpaid debts. More power is needed for additional investment projects in titanium extraction and processing and garment manufacturing that could further close the import/export gap. Mozambique's once substantial foreign debt has been reduced through forgiveness and rescheduling under the IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and Enhanced HIPC initiatives, and is now at a manageable level. GDP (purchasing power parity): $26.18 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.727 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 26.2% industry: 34.8% services: 39% (2005 est.) Labor force: 9.2 million (2000 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 81% industry: 6% services: 13% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.) Population below poverty line: 70% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 31.7% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 39.6 (1996-97) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 29.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.031 billion expenditures: $1.93 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 21% of GDP Agriculture - products: cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry Industries: food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2000) Electricity - production: 15.14 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.9% hydro: 97.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 10.46 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 9.5 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 5.875 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 11,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 60 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 60 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 127.4 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-639 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.69 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity Exports - partners: Belgium 25.5%, South Africa 12.2%, Spain 11.6%, Italy 11.6%, Germany 7.7% (2005) Imports: $2.041 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles Imports - partners: South Africa 36.3%, Australia 12.8%, India 5.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.051 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5.456 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $632.8 million (2001) Currency (code): metical (MZM) Currency code: MZM Exchange rates: meticais per US dollar - 23,061 (2005), 22,581 (2004), 23,782 (2003), 23,678 (2002), 20,704 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Mozambique Telephones - main lines in use: 69,700 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.22 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: fair system but not available generally (extremely low density with less than 1 main line per 100 persons) domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001) Radios: 730,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001) Televisions: 67,600 (2000) Internet country code: .mz Internet hosts: 6,985 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2002) Internet users: 138,000 (2005) Transportation Mozambique Airports: 158 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 136 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 87 (2006) Pipelines: gas 918 km; refined products 294 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,123 km narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 30,400 km paved: 5,685 km unpaved: 24,715 km (1999) Waterways: 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2002) Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,964 GRT/5,324 DWT by type: cargo 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Belgium 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Beira, Maputo, Nacala Military Mozambique Military branches: Mozambique Armed Defense Forces (FADM): Mozambique Army, Mozambique Navy (Marinha Mocambique, MM), Mozambique Air Force (Forca Aerea de Mocambique, FAM) (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 3,793,373 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,751,223 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 185,314 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $78.03 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Mozambique Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: Southern African transit point for South Asian hashish and heroin, and South American cocaine probably destined for the European and South African markets; producer of cannabis (for local consumption) and methaqualone (for export to South Africa); corruption and poor regulatory capability makes the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Namibia Introduction Namibia Background: South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia won its independence in 1990 and has been governed by SWAPO since. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. Geography Namibia Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 17 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 825,418 sq km land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than half the size of Alaska Land boundaries: total: 3,936 km border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km Coastline: 1,572 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore Land use: arable land: 0.99% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99% (2005) Irrigated land: 80 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: prolonged periods of drought Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip People Namibia Population: 2,044,147 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 393,878/female 387,147) 15-64 years: 58.1% (male 596,557/female 591,350) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 34,245/female 40,970) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20 years male: 19.8 years female: 20.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.59% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 24.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 18.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 48.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.39 years male: 44.46 years female: 42.29 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.06 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 21.3% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 210,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 16,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Namibian(s) adjective: Namibian Ethnic groups: black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5% note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups includes Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5% Religions: Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20% Languages: English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages (Oshivambo, Herero, Nama) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84% male: 84.4% female: 83.7% (2003 est.) Government Namibia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Namibia conventional short form: Namibia local long form: Republic of Namibia local short form: Namibia former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa Government type: republic Capital: name: Windhoek geographic coordinates: 22 34 S, 17 06 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April Administrative divisions: 13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa Independence: 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate) National holiday: Independence Day, 21 March (1990) Constitution: ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990 Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21 March 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Nahas ANGULA (since 21 March 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 November 2004 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Hifikepunye POHAMBA elected president; percent of vote - Hifikepunye POHAMBA 76.4%, Den ULENGA 7.3%, Katuutire KAURA 5.1%, Kuaima RIRUAKO 4.2%, Justus GAROEB 3.8%, other 3.2% Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; 2 members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Council - elections for regional councils, to determine members of the National Council, held 29-30 November 2004 (next to be held November 2010); National Assembly - last held 15-16 November 2004 (next to be held November 2009) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 89.7%, UDF 4.7%, NUDO 2.8%, DTA 1.9%; seats by party - SWAPO 24, UDF 1, DTA 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 75.1%, COD 7.2%, DTA 5%, NUDO 4.1%, UDF 3.5%, RP 1.9%, MAG 0.8%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4, NUDO 3, UDF 3, RP 1, MAG 1 note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission) Political parties and leaders: Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA, president]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Jurie VILJOEN]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]; Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]; National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Kuaima RIRUAKO] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick NANDAGO chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joyce BARR embassy: Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek telephone: [264] (61) 221601 FAX: [264] (61) 229792 Flag description: a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left section and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe that is contrasted by two narrow white-edge borders Economy Namibia Economy - overview: The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides the world's worst inequality of income distribution. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Privatization of several enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign investment. Increased fish production and mining of zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-05. GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.16 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $4.976 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.7% industry: 31.5% services: 58.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 820,000 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 47% industry: 20% services: 33% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 35% (1998) Population below poverty line: the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that 34.9% of the population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per day Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% 0.5% highest 10%: NA% 64.5% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 70.7 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.945 billion expenditures: $2.039 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 32.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes; livestock; fish Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper) Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.464 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: NA Electricity - consumption: 2.372 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 55 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 1.065 billion kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 16,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 12,770 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 62.3 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $509.2 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.04 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins Exports - partners: South Africa 33.4%, US 4% (2004) Imports: $2.35 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals Imports - partners: South Africa 85.2%, US (2004) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $312.1 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $712.9 million (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $160 million (2000 est.) Currency (code): Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR) Currency code: NAD; ZAR Exchange rates: Namibian dollars per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Namibia Telephones - main lines in use: 127,900 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 495,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each 100 persons domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are by open wire; 100% digital international: country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2002) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001) Radios: 232,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus about 20 low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 60,000 (1997) Internet country code: .na Internet hosts: 3,527 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 75,000 (2005) Transportation Namibia Airports: 137 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 21 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 116 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Railways: total: 2,382 km narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 42,237 km paved: 5,406 km unpaved: 36,831 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,265 GRT/3,605 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Luderitz, Walvis Bay Military Namibia Military branches: Namibian Defense Force: Army, Air Wing, Navy (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 441,293 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 217,118 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $149.5 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Namibia Disputes - international: border commission has yet to resolve small residual disputes with Botswana along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 12,618 (Angola) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Nauru Introduction Nauru Background: The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic. Geography Nauru Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands Geographic coordinates: 0 32 S, 166 55 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 30 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) Terrain: sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m Natural resources: phosphates, fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: periodic droughts Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator People Nauru Population: 13,287 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.9% (male 2,507/female 2,391) 15-64 years: 61.2% (male 4,004/female 4,123) 65 years and over: 2% (male 139/female 123) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.6 years male: 20 years female: 21.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.81% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 24.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.08 years male: 59.5 years female: 66.84 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan Ethnic groups: Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8% Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic) Languages: Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA Government Nauru Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru local long form: Republic of Nauru local short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island Government type: republic Capital: no official capital; government offices in Yaren District time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren Independence: 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968) Constitution: 29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day) Legal system: acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 22 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 22 June 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 23 October 2004 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary elections for president Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 23 October 2004 (next to be held not later than 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Nauru First Party 3, independents 15 note: the president dissolved parliament on 30 September 2004 and set new elections for 23 October 2004 Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Vinci Niel CLODUMAR chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074 FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079 consulate(s): Agana (Guam) Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru Flag description: blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru Economy Nauru Economy - overview: Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely. GDP (purchasing power parity): $60 million (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force - by occupation: note: 0.1% employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation Unemployment rate: 90% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): -3.6% (1993) Budget: revenues: $13.5 million expenditures: $13.5 million (2005) Agriculture - products: coconuts Industries: phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 23 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 21.39 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: phosphates Exports - partners: South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2005) Imports: $20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery Imports - partners: South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2005) Debt - external: $33.3 million (2002) Economic aid - recipient: $20 million mostly from Australia Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD) Currency code: AUD Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Nauru Telephones - main lines in use: 1,900 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,500 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 7,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: 500 (1997) Internet country code: .nr Internet hosts: 52 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 300 (2002) Transportation Nauru Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.) Ports and terminals: Nauru Military Nauru Military branches: no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,874 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia Transnational Issues Nauru Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Navassa Island Introduction Navassa Island Background: This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857 for its guano. Mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The lighthouse, built in 1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration of Navassa Island transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior. A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the following year it became a National Wildlife Refuge and annual scientific expeditions have continued. Geography Navassa Island Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti Geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 75 02 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 5.4 sq km land: 5.4 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 8 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: marine, tropical Terrain: raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high) Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m Natural resources: guano Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Natural hazards: hurricanes Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock but with enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus People Navassa Island Population: uninhabited note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island (July 2006 est.) Government Navassa Island Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Navassa Island Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Flag description: the flag of the US is used Economy Navassa Island Economy - overview: Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge waters. Transportation Navassa Island Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Navassa Island Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Navassa Island Disputes - international: claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Nepal Introduction Nepal Background: In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. A Maoist insurgency, launched in 1996, has gained traction and is threatening to bring down the regime, especially after a negotiated cease-fire between the Maoists and government forces broke down in August 2003. In 2001, the crown prince massacred ten members of the royal family, including the king and queen, and then took his own life. In October 2002, the new king dismissed the prime minister and his cabinet for "incompetence" after they dissolved the parliament and were subsequently unable to hold elections because of the ongoing insurgency. While stopping short of reestablishing parliament, the king in June 2004 reinstated the most recently elected prime minister who formed a four-party coalition government. Citing dissatisfaction with the government's lack of progress in addressing the Maoist insurgency and corruption, the king in February 2005 dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency, imprisoned party leaders, and assumed power. The king's government subsequently released party leaders and officially ended the state of emergency in May 2005, but the monarch retained absolute power until April 2006. After nearly three weeks of mass protests organized by the seven-party opposition and the Maoists, the king allowed parliament to reconvene on 28 April 2006. Geography Nepal Location: Southern Asia, between China and India Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 84 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 147,181 sq km land: 143,181 sq km water: 4,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas Land boundaries: total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south Terrain: Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore Land use: arable land: 16.07% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 83.08% (2005) Irrigated land: 11,700 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons Environment - current issues: deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively People Nepal Population: 28,287,147 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.7% (male 5,648,959/female 5,291,447) 15-64 years: 57.6% (male 8,365,526/female 7,925,941) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 513,777/female 541,497) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.3 years male: 20.1 years female: 20.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.17% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 30.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 65.32 deaths/1,000 live births male: 63.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 67.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.18 years male: 60.43 years female: 59.91 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 61,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3,100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese Ethnic groups: Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census) Religions: Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) note: only official Hindu state in the world Languages: Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census) note: many in government and business also speak English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.6% male: 62.7% female: 34.9% (2000-2004 est.) Government Nepal Country name: conventional long and short form: Nepal local long and short form: Nepal Government type: parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Kathmandu geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti Independence: 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah) National holiday: Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946) Constitution: 9 November 1990 Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (since 4 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 30 April 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Khadga Prasad OLI (since 2 May 2006) and Amik SHERCHAN since June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet historically appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; note - the prime minister selected the Cabinet in May 2006 in consultation with the political parties elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; note - following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition historically has been appointed prime minister by the monarch Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held in May 1999; note - Parliament was dissolved in May 2002 but was finally reconvened in April 2006 with most of the members that were elected in 1999 election results: House of Representatives (for 1999 parliament) - percent of vote by party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP (RPP) 10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%; seats by party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69, NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana Morcha 5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP 1; note - NC, NSP, and NDP have since each split into two parties Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council) Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Pashupati Shumsher RANA, chairman]; Nepali Congress-Democratic [Sher Bahadur DEUBA, president]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Sushil KOIRALA, vice president]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP - Mandal [Bhadri Prasad MANDAL, party president]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party - Ananda Devi [Ananda DEVI, president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chairman]; People's Front Nepal (Rastriya Jana Morcha) [Amik SHERCHAN, chairman]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; note - split from RPP in March 2005; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [leader NA]; note - merged with People's Front Nepal or PFN in 2002 Political pressure groups and leaders: Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI]; numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups International organization participation: AsDB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY embassy: Panipokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411-1179 FAX: [977] (1) 441-9963 Flag description: red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun Economy Nepal Economy - overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounting for 38% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Security concerns relating to the Maoist conflict have led to a decrease in tourism, a key source of foreign exchange. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, its civil strife, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. GDP (purchasing power parity): $39.14 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $6.655 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38% industry: 21% services: 41% (2005 est.) Labor force: 10.4 million note: severe lack of skilled labor (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 76% industry: 6% services: 18% Unemployment rate: 42% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 31% (2003-2004) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 39.1% (2003-2004) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.7 (FY04/05) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.8% (October 2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.153 billion expenditures: $1.789 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05/06) Agriculture - products: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat Industries: tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (FY04/05) Electricity - production: 2.565 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 8.5% hydro: 91.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.85 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - exports: 111 million kWh (2005) Electricity - imports: 241 million kWh (2005) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 11,980 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 11,760 bbl/day NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $822 million f.o.b.; note - does not include unrecorded border trade with India (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain Exports - partners: India 53.7%, US 17.4%, Germany 7.1% (2005) Imports: $2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer Imports - partners: India 47.5%, UAE 11.2%, China 10.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.9%, Kuwait 4.1% (2005) Debt - external: $3.34 billion (March 2005) Economic aid - recipient: $424 million (FY00/01) Currency (code): Nepalese rupee (NPR) Currency code: NPR Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 71.368 (2005), 73.674 (2004), 76.141 (2003), 77.877 (2002), 74.949 (2001) Fiscal year: 16 July - 15 July Communications Nepal Telephones - main lines in use: 448,600 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 248,800 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone network domestic: NA international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000) Radios: 840,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998) Televisions: 130,000 (1997) Internet country code: .np Internet hosts: 17,789 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000) Internet users: 175,000 (2005) Transportation Nepal Airports: 48 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 29 (2006) Railways: total: 59 km narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 15,905 km paved: 8,573 km unpaved: 7,332 km (2003) Military Nepal Military branches: Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service); Nepalese Police Force Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 6,107,091 females age 18-49: 5,744,989 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4.193 million females age 18-49: 3,853,102 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 308,031 females age 18-49: 286,604 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $104.9 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Nepal Disputes - international: joint border commission continues to work on small disputed sections of boundary with India; India has instituted a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal cross-border activities Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 104,915 (Bhutan) IDPs: 100,000-200,000 (ongoing conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels; displacement spread across the country) (2005) Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Netherlands Introduction Netherlands Background: The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. Geography Netherlands Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany Geographic coordinates: 52 30 N, 5 45 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 41,526 sq km land: 33,883 sq km water: 7,643 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey Land boundaries: total: 1,027 km border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km Coastline: 451 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land Land use: arable land: 21.96% permanent crops: 0.77% other: 77.27% (2005) Irrigated land: 5,650 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding Environment - current issues: water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling Geography - note: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde) People Netherlands Population: 16,491,461 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 1,515,123/female 1,445,390) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,656,448/female 5,525,481) 65 years and over: 14.2% (male 994,723/female 1,354,296) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.4 years male: 38.6 years female: 40.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.49% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.96 years male: 76.39 years female: 81.67 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 19,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women) adjective: Dutch Ethnic groups: Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-Western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese, and Indonesians) (1999 est.) Religions: Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Muslim 5.5%, other 2.5%, none 41% (2002) Languages: Dutch (official), Frisian (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Netherlands Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands conventional short form: Netherlands local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden local short form: Nederland Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Amsterdam geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: The Hague (seat of government) Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles Independence: 23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence) National holiday: Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April Constitution: adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002 Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch head of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002) and Deputy Prime Ministers Gerrit ZALM (since 27 May 2003) and Laurens Jan BRINKHORST (since 31 March 2005); note - Prime Minister BALKENENDE tendered his resignation on 30 June 2006 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; vice prime ministers appointed by the monarch note: there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors that provides consultations to the cabinet on legislative and administrative policy Legislative branch: bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: First Chamber - last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held May 2007); Second Chamber - last held 22 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 23, PvdA 19, VVD 15, Green Party 5, Socialist Party 4, D66 3, other 6; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 26.5, PvdA 21.2%, Socialist Party 16.6%, VVD 14.6%, Party for Freedom 5.9%, Green Party 4.6%, Christian Union 4.0%; seats by party - CDA 41, PvdA 33, Socialist Party 25, VVD 22, Party for Freedom 9, Green Party 7, Christian Union 6, other 7 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Ernst Hirsch BALLIN]; Christian Union Party [Andre ROUVOET]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Lousewies VAN DER LAAN]; Green Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or PvdA [Wouter BOS]; List Pim Fortuyn [Ton VAN DILLEN]; Party for Freedom [Geert WILDERS]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Pieter WINSEMIUS]; Socialist Party [Jan MARIJNISSEN]; plus a few minor parties Political pressure groups and leaders: Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV (consisting of a merger of Socialist and Catholic trade unions); Christian Trade Union Federation or CNV; Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or MHP; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large multinational firms; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises International organization participation: AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Christiaan Mark Johan KRONER chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300 FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York consulate(s): Boston Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roland E. ARNALL embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715 telephone: [31] (70) 310-2209 FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688 consulate(s) general: Amsterdam Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; one of the oldest flags in constant use, originating with WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, in the latter half of the 16th century Economy Netherlands Economy - overview: The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate unemployment and inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports. The Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment. Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001-05, as part of the global economic slowdown, but for the four years before that, annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the EU average. GDP (purchasing power parity): $497.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $581.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $30,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.1% industry: 24.4% services: 73.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 7.53 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 2% industry: 19% services: 79% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 6.6% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 10.5% NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 22.9% (1999) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 30.9 (2005) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $291.8 billion expenditures: $303.7 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 52.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing Industrial production growth rate: -1.4% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 95 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 4.3% other: 5.7% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 101.6 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 3.8 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 20.8 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 94,870 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 920,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 1.418 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 2.284 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 88.06 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 73.13 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 50.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 49.28 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 20.78 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.756 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $39.95 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $365.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs Exports - partners: Germany 24.9%, Belgium 13%, France 9.4%, UK 9.1%, Italy 5.7%, US 4.3%, Spain 4.1% (2005) Imports: $326.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing Imports - partners: Germany 16.6%, Belgium 9.3%, China 8.8%, US 7.6%, UK 5.8%, France 4.7%, Russia 4.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $20.54 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.645 trillion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $4 billion (2003 est.) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Netherlands Telephones - main lines in use: 7.6 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 15.834 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed and well maintained domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; cellular telephone system is one of the largest in Europe with five major network operators utilizing the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) international: country code - 31; 9 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2004) Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 246, shortwave 3 (2004) Radios: 15.3 million (1996) Television broadcast stations: 21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 8.1 million (1997) Internet country code: .nl Internet hosts: 8,363,158 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 52 (2000) Internet users: 10,806,328 (2004) Transportation Netherlands Airports: 27 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 20 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 81 km; gas 7,229 km; oil 578 km; refined products 716 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,808 km standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 134,000 km (including 3,270 km of expressways) (2004) Waterways: 6,183 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 558 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,042,775 GRT/5,016,265 DWT by type: bulk carrier 29, cargo 345, chemical tanker 29, container 59, liquefied gas 12, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 19, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 157 (Australia 1, Belgium 2, Denmark 9, Finland 13, Germany 56, Ireland 10, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 7, Sweden 26, UK 19, US 13) registered in other countries: 222 (Antigua and Barbuda 14, Australia 2, Austria 2, Bahamas 24, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 4, Cyprus 18, Gibraltar 5, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 29, Luxembourg 2, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands Antilles 54, Norway 3, Panama 21, Philippines 19, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 2, UK 3, US 4, unknown 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Amsterdam, Groningen, IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen, Zaanstad Military Netherlands Military branches: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Military Police, Defense Interservice Command (DICO) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 3,557,918 females age 20-49: 3,470,377 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 2,856,691 females age 20-49: 2,786,495 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 99,934 females age 20-49: 95,818 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9.408 billion (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (2004) Transnational Issues Netherlands Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: major European producer of ecstasy, illicit amphetamines, and other synthetic drugs; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Netherlands Antilles Introduction Netherlands Antilles Background: Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion is called Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe (France). Geography Netherlands Antilles Location: Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands Geographic coordinates: 12 15 N, 68 45 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 960 sq km land: 960 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin) Area - comparative: more than five times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 15 km border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint-Martin) 15 km Coastline: 364 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m Natural resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only) Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao) People Netherlands Antilles Population: 221,736 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 27,197/female 25,886) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 71,622/female 77,710) 65 years and over: 8.7% (male 7,925/female 11,396) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 32.8 years male: 31.1 years female: 34.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.79% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 14.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.03 years male: 73.76 years female: 78.41 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.99 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Dutch Antillean(s) adjective: Dutch Antillean Ethnic groups: mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian Religions: Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% (2001 census) Languages: Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.7% male: 96.7% female: 96.8% (2003 est.) Government Netherlands Antilles Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen former: Curacao and Dependencies Dependency status: an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs Government type: parliamentary Capital: name: Willemstad (on Curacao) geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note: each island has its own government Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) National holiday: Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April Constitution: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature) elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the Staten; election last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2007) note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP St. Maarten, UP Bonaire, WIPM Saba, DP Statia Legislative branch: unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP St. E 1, DP St. M 1, BDP 1, WIPM 1 note: the government of Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE is a coalition of several parties Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI] Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO]; Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT] Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL] Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St. Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD] Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party [Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]; People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St. Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party [Bienvenido RICHARDSON] note: political parties are indigenous to each island Political pressure groups and leaders: Unions (AVBO) and Employers Association (VBC) International organization participation: ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate) Diplomatic representation in the US: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 4613066 FAX: [599] (9) 4616489 Flag description: white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten Economy Netherlands Antilles Economy - overview: Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging population. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.8 billion (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $16,000 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000 est.) Labor force: 83,600 (2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1% industry: 20% services: 79% (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 17% (2002 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2003 est.) Budget: revenues: $757.9 million expenditures: $949.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) Agriculture - products: aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit Industries: tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao) Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.017 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 945.8 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 72,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $2.076 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum products Exports - partners: US 29.4%, Panama 14.4%, Mexico 8.8%, Haiti 5.6%, Venezuela 4.9%, Bahamas, The 4.5% (2005) Imports: $4.383 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: crude petroleum, food, manufactures Imports - partners: Venezuela 52.3%, US 21.4%, Italy 4.9%, Netherlands 4.6% (2005) Debt - external: $2.68 billion (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $21.5 million IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2004) Currency (code): Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) Currency code: ANG Exchange rates: Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Netherlands Antilles Telephones - main lines in use: 81,000 (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: 200,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: generally adequate facilities domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links international: country code - 599; submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 217,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and four Venezuelan channels) (2004) Televisions: 69,000 (1997) Internet country code: .an Internet hosts: 19,204 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 Internet users: 2,000 (2000) Transportation Netherlands Antilles Airports: 5 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Merchant marine: total: 152 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,289,462 GRT/1,671,649 DWT by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 13, cargo 68, chemical tanker 3, container 19, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 143 (Belgium 4, Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 60, Netherlands 54, Norway 5, Sweden 5, Turkey 9, UK 3, US 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Netherlands 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bopec Terminal, Fuik Bay, Kralendijk, Willemstad Military Netherlands Antilles Military branches: no regular military forces; National Guard, Police Force (2005) Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no conscription (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 54,200 females age 16-49: 56,868 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 45,273 females age 16-49: 47,166 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,720 females age 16-49: 1,657 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Transnational Issues Netherlands Antilles Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @New Caledonia Introduction New Caledonia Background: Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence. Geography New Caledonia Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia Geographic coordinates: 21 30 S, 165 30 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 19,060 sq km land: 18,575 sq km water: 485 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 2,254 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid Terrain: coastal plains with interior mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m Natural resources: nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper Land use: arable land: 0.32% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 99.46% (2005) Irrigated land: 100 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: cyclones, most frequent from November to March Environment - current issues: erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires Geography - note: consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls People New Caledonia Population: 219,246 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.4% (male 31,818/female 30,503) 15-64 years: 64.9% (male 71,565/female 70,815) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 6,773/female 7,772) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.8 years male: 27.4 years female: 28.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.24% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.69 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.57 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.27 years male: 71.29 years female: 77.39 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: New Caledonian(s) adjective: New Caledonian Ethnic groups: Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3% Religions: Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10% Languages: French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91% male: 92% female: 90% (1976 est.) Government New Caledonia Country name: conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies conventional short form: New Caledonia local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie Dependency status: territorial collectivity of France since 1998 Government type: NA Capital: name: Noumea geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 provinces named Iles Loyaute, Nord, and Sud Independence: none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014 National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands; formerly under French law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner Michel MATHIEU (since 15 July 2005) head of government: President of the Government Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU (since 10 June 2004) cabinet: Consultative Committee consists of eight members chosen from leading figures on the island to advise the High Commissioner elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress for a five-year term (no term limits); note - last election held 29 June 2004 when Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU was elected on the third vote with 8 votes for and 3 abstentions Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial (54 seats; members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3 note: New Caledonia currently holds 1 seat in the French Senate; by 2010, New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; New Caledonia also elects 2 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 and 16 June 2002 (next to be held by June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court Political parties and leaders: Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caledonian Union or UC; Federation des Comites de Coordination des Independantistes or FCCI [Francois BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS [leader NA] (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independent) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ICFTU, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of France) Flag description: the flag of France is used Economy New Caledonia Economy - overview: New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more than one-fourth of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years. GDP (purchasing power parity): $3.158 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $15,000 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15% industry: 8.8% services: 76.2% (1997 est.) Labor force: 78,990 (including 11,300 unemployed) (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 20% industry: 20% services: 60% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 17.1% (2004) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.6% (2000 est.) Budget: revenues: $856.3 million expenditures: $836.5 million (1996 est.) Agriculture - products: vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish Industries: nickel mining and smelting Industrial production growth rate: -0.6% (1996) Electricity - production: 1.581 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 76.3% hydro: 23.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.47 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $999 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: ferronickels, nickel ore, fish Exports - partners: Japan 21.4%, France 16%, Taiwan 11.4%, South Korea 10.1%, Spain 9%, China 7.2%, South Africa 5.2%, Belgium 4.5% (2005) Imports: $1.636 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs Imports - partners: France 39%, Singapore 17.4%, Australia 13%, NZ 5.3% (2005) Debt - external: $79 million (1998 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $525 million annual subsidy from France (2004) Currency (code): Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) Currency code: XPF Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications New Caledonia Telephones - main lines in use: 55,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 134,300 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 107,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 6 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 52,000 (1997) Internet country code: .nc Internet hosts: 13,962 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 76,000 (2005) Transportation New Caledonia Airports: 25 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Heliports: 6 (2006) Roadways: total: 5,432 km (2000) Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Noumea Military New Caledonia Military branches: no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 50,874 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 40,822 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,907 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues New Caledonia Disputes - international: Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @New Zealand Introduction New Zealand Background: The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances. Geography New Zealand Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia Geographic coordinates: 41 00 S, 174 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 268,680 sq km land: 268,021 sq km water: NA note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands Area - comparative: about the size of Colorado Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 15,134 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts Terrain: predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone Land use: arable land: 5.54% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 87.54% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,850 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world People New Zealand Population: 4,076,140 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.1% (male 439,752/female 419,174) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,374,850/female 1,361,570) 65 years and over: 11.8% (male 210,365/female 270,429) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 33.9 years male: 33.2 years female: 34.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.99% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 13.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 3.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.81 years male: 75.82 years female: 81.93 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,400 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: New Zealander(s) adjective: New Zealand Ethnic groups: European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census) Religions: Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census) Languages: English (official), Maori (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government New Zealand Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Wellington geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island Administrative divisions: 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast Dependent areas: Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau Independence: 26 September 1907 (from UK) National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) Constitution: consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987 Legal system: based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including seven Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later than 15 November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%, NZFP 5.72%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.12%, UF 2.67%, ACT New Zealand 1.51%, Progressive 1.16%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7, Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1 note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat than its entitlement under the party vote Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - Judges appointed by the Governor-General Political parties and leaders: ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [Don BRASH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation Economy New Zealand Economy - overview: Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has risen for six consecutive years and was more than $24,000 in 2005 in purchasing power parity terms. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth. Exports are equal to about 22% of GDP. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output. GDP (purchasing power parity): $102 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $94.6 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $25,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4.3% industry: 27.3% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.13 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10% industry: 25% services: 65% (1995) Unemployment rate: 3.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA (1991 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.2 (1997) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 23.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $43.1 billion expenditures: $37.57 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 21.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, lamb and mutton, dairy products; fish Industries: food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining Industrial production growth rate: -2.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 39.82 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 31.6% hydro: 57.8% nuclear: 0% other: 10.7% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 37.03 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 31,740 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 151,900 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 30,220 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 119,700 bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 89.62 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 4.773 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 4.773 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 37.38 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-9.688 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $22.21 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery Exports - partners: Australia 21.4%, US 14.1%, Japan 10.6%, China 5.1%, UK 4.7% (2005) Imports: $24.57 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics Imports - partners: Australia 20.9%, US 11%, Japan 11%, China 10.9%, Germany 4.9% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $8.893 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $42.84 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $99.7 million Currency (code): New Zealand dollar (NZD) Currency code: NZD Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications New Zealand Telephones - main lines in use: 1,800,500 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.53 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems domestic: NA international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; 8 satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7 other Radio broadcast stations: AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 3.75 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 1.926 million (1997) Internet country code: .nz Internet hosts: 1,050,197 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 36 (2000) Internet users: 3.2 million (2005) Transportation New Zealand Airports: 118 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 45 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 73 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 40 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 224 km; gas 1,693 km; liquid petroleum gas 45 km; oil 280 km; refined products 288 km (2006) Railways: total: 4,128 km narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 92,662 km paved: 59,109 km (including 169 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,553 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 136,361 GRT/124,972 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 2, Germany 1, Isle of Man 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Cook Islands 1, Dominica 4, France 1, UK 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Auckland, Lyttelton, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei Military New Zealand Military branches: New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18 (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 984,700 females age 17-49: 965,170 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 809,519 females age 17-49: 802,069 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 29,738 females age 17-49: 28,523 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.147 billion (FY03/04) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY02) Transnational Issues New Zealand Disputes - international: asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) [see Antarctica] This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Nicaragua Introduction Nicaragua Background: The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, saw the Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006 announced the return of former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt. Geography Nicaragua Location: Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 85 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 129,494 sq km land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the state of New York Land boundaries: total: 1,231 km border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km Coastline: 910 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation Climate: tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands Terrain: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m Natural resources: gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish Land use: arable land: 14.81% permanent crops: 1.82% other: 83.37% (2005) Irrigated land: 610 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Geography - note: largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua People Nicaragua Population: 5,570,129 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.4% (male 1,031,897/female 994,633) 15-64 years: 60.5% (male 1,677,633/female 1,691,353) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 76,758/female 97,855) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.9 years male: 20.5 years female: 21.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.89% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 24.51 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 28.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.63 years male: 68.55 years female: 72.81 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.75 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,400 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% Religions: Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) Languages: Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.5% male: 67.2% female: 67.8% (2003 est.) Government Nicaragua Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua Government type: republic Capital: name: Managua geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonomista); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Constitution: 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000 Legal system: civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo (since 10 October 2005); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo was elected Vice President by the deputies of the National Assembly after Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon resigned on 27 September 2005 head of government: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo (since 10 October 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE (ALN) 29%, Jose RIZO (PLC) 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN (MRS) 6.44%; note - ORTEGA will take office 10 January 2007 Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; members are elected by proportional representation and party lists to serve five-year terms; 1 seat for the previous president, 1 seat for the runner-up in previous presidential election) elections: last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FSLN 38, PLC 25, ALN 23 (22 plus one for presidential candidate Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election), MRS 5, APRE 1 (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS) Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) Political parties and leaders: Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon]; Central American Unionist Party or PUCA [Blanca ROJAS]; Christian Alternative Party or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Conservative Party or PC [Mario Sebastian RAPPACCIOLI]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN [Carlos GUERRA Gallardo]; Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal Party or PALI [Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO Molina]; Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Dora Maria TELLEZ]; Unity Alliance or AU Political pressure groups and leaders: National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or ATC, Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG, Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT is an umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including - Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union; Superior Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of business groups International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: P.O. Box 327 telephone: [505] 266-6010 FAX: [505] 266-3861 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band Economy Nicaragua Economy - overview: Nicaragua, one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest countries, has low per capita income, widespread underemployment, and a heavy external debt burden. Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the globe. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, GDP annual growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations. Nicaragua qualified in early 2004 for some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative because of its earlier successful performances under its International Monetary Fund policy program and other efforts. In October 2005, Nicaragua ratified the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which will provide an opportunity for Nicaragua to attract investment, create jobs, and deepen economic development. High oil prices helped drive inflation to 9.6% in 2005, leading to a fall in real GDP growth to 4% from over 5% in 2004. GDP (purchasing power parity): $16.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.03 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.5% industry: 27.5% services: 56% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.01 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 30.5% industry: 17.3% services: 52.2% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 5.6% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 50% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 45% (2001) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 55.1 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 27% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.134 billion expenditures: $1.358 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 82.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters Industries: food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 2.887 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 83.9% hydro: 7.7% nuclear: 0% other: 8.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.848 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 21.8 million kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 23.3 million kWh (2004) Oil - production: 14,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 758.9 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-835 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.55 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts Exports - partners: US 60.7%, Mexico 8.6%, El Salvador 6.2% (2005) Imports: $2.865 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products Imports - partners: US 19.6%, Mexico 10.3%, Venezuela 9.5%, Costa Rica 8.5%, Guatemala 6.7%, El Salvador 4.5%, South Korea 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $727.8 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.188 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $419.5 million (2005 est.) Currency (code): gold cordoba (NIO) Currency code: NIO Exchange rates: gold cordobas per US dollar - 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Nicaragua Telephones - main lines in use: 220,900 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.119 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by foreign investment domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System international: country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 1.24 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 320,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ni Internet hosts: 24,452 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 140,000 (2005) Transportation Nicaragua Airports: 176 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 165 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 141 (2006) Pipelines: oil 54 km (2006) Railways: total: 6 km narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 19,036 km paved: 2,299 km unpaved: 16,737 km (2005) Waterways: 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2005) Ports and terminals: Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff Military Nicaragua Military branches: Army (includes Navy, Air Force) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 1,309,970 females age 17-49: 1,315,186 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 1,051,425 females age 17-49: 1,129,649 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 65,170 females age 17-49: 63,133 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $32.27 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.7% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Nicaragua Disputes - international: Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Niger Introduction Niger Background: Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. Geography Niger Location: Western Africa, southeast of Algeria Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 8 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1.267 million sq km land: 1,266,700 sq km water: 300 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 5,697 km border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south Terrain: predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Niger River 200 m highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m Natural resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum Land use: arable land: 11.43% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 88.56% (2005) Irrigated land: 730 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: recurring droughts Environment - current issues: overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture People Niger Population: 12,525,094 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.9% (male 2,994,022/female 2,882,273) 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 3,262,114/female 3,083,522) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 150,982/female 152,181) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.5 years male: 16.5 years female: 16.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.92% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 50.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 20.91 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 118.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 122.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 114.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.76 years male: 43.8 years female: 43.73 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 7.46 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 70,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,800 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Nigerien(s) adjective: Nigerien Ethnic groups: Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French expatriates Religions: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 17.6% male: 25.8% female: 9.7% (2003 est.) Government Niger Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Niger conventional short form: Niger local long form: Republique du Niger local short form: Niger Government type: republic Capital: name: Niamey geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder Independence: 3 August 1960 (from France) National holiday: Republic Day, 18 December (1958) Constitution: new constitution adopted 18 July 1999 Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Prime Minister Hama AMADOU (since 31 December 1999) was appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president cabinet: 26-member Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); second round last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; note - expanded from 83 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNSD 47, CDS 22, PNDS 25, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1 Judicial branch: State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel Political parties and leaders: Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Hama AMADOU]; Niger Social Democratic Party or PSDN; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Autonomy or PNA-Alouma'a [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU] Political pressure groups and leaders: Coalition Against a High Cost of Living [Nouhou ARZIKA] International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aminata Maiga Djibrilla TOURE chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227 FAX: [1] (202)483-3169 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey telephone: [227] 73 31 69 FAX: [227] 73 55 60 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band Economy Niger Economy - overview: Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. It is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, a 2.9% population growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut the economy. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, it was announced that Niger had received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates into the forgiveness of approximately $86 million USD in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have recovered somewhat in the last few years. A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigerians. GDP (purchasing power parity): $11.59 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $3.432 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 39% industry: 17% services: 44% (2001) Labor force: 70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (2002 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 90% industry: 6% services: 4% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 63% (1993 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 35.4% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.5 (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.2% (2004 est.) Budget: revenues: $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources expenditures: $320 million; including capital expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.) Agriculture - products: cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry Industries: uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 230 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 263.9 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 50 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 5,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $222 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions Exports - partners: France 47.8%, Nigeria 21.4%, US 20.3% (2005) Imports: $588 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals Imports - partners: France 14.5%, US 10.7%, French Polynesia 7.5%, Nigeria 7.4%, Italy 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.1%, Belgium 4.6%, Germany 4.5%, China 4.5% (2005) Debt - external: $2.1 billion (2003 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $453.3 million (2003) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States (BCEAO) Currency code: XOF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Niger Telephones - main lines in use: 24,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 299,900 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001) Radios: 680,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002) Televisions: 125,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ne Internet hosts: 189 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 24,000 (2005) Transportation Niger Airports: 28 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: 10,100 km paved: 798 km unpaved: 9,302 km (1999) Waterways: 300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005) Ports and terminals: none Military Niger Military branches: Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, National Air Force (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,367,828 females age 18-49: 2,217,568 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,349,863 females age 18-49: 1,256,569 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 129,045 females age 18-49: 121,230 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $44.78 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Niger Disputes - international: Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Nigeria Introduction Nigeria Background: British influence and control over what would become Nigeria grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The president faces the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, the OBASANJO administration must defuse longstanding ethnic and religious tensions, if it is to build a sound foundation for economic growth and political stability. Although the April 2003 elections were marred by some irregularities, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. Geography Nigeria Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 8 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 923,768 sq km land: 910,768 sq km water: 13,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of California Land boundaries: total: 4,047 km border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km Coastline: 853 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north Terrain: southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land Land use: arable land: 33.02% permanent crops: 3.14% other: 63.84% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,820 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts; flooding Environment - current issues: soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea People Nigeria Population: 131,859,731 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 28,089,017/female 27,665,212) 15-64 years: 54.6% (male 36,644,885/female 35,405,915) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 1,930,007/female 2,124,695) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.7 years male: 18.7 years female: 18.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.38% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 40.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 16.94 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 97.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 104.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 90.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.08 years male: 46.52 years female: 47.66 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.49 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.4% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3.6 million (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 310,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever (2005) Nationality: noun: Nigerian(s) adjective: Nigerian Ethnic groups: Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5% Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68% male: 75.7% female: 60.6% (2003 est.) Government Nigeria Country name: conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria conventional short form: Nigeria Government type: federal republic Capital: name: Abuja geographic coordinates: 9 12 N, 7 11 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara Independence: 1 October 1960 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960) Constitution: new constitution adopted May 1999 Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Federal Executive Council elections: president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 April 2003 (next to be held April 2007) election results: Olusegun OBASANJO elected president; percent of vote - Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 61.9%, Muhammadu BUHARI (ANPP) 31.2%, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OJUKWU (APGA) 3.3%, other 3.6% Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of Senate (109 seats - 3 from each state plus 1 from Abuja, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, other 9.3%; seats by party - PDP 223, ANPP 96, AD 34, other 6; note - one seat is vacant Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee) Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA]; All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Don ETIEBET]; All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [disputed leadership]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Dr. Ahmadu ALI]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [disputed leadership] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Professor George A. OBIOZOR chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400 FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John CAMPBELL embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205 FAX: [234] (9) 523-0353 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green Economy Nigeria Economy - overview: Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under a new reform-minded administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In the last year the government has begun showing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003, the government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. GDP rose strongly in 2005, based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices. In November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a historic debt-relief deal that by March 2006 should eliminate $30 billion worth of Nigeria's total $37 billion external debt. The deal first requires that Nigeria repay roughly $12 billion in arrears to its bilateral creditors. Nigeria would then be allowed to buy back its remaining debt stock at a discount. The deal also commits Nigeria to more intensified IMF reviews. GDP (purchasing power parity): $175.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $77.33 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 26.9% industry: 48.7% services: 24.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 57.21 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 70% industry: 10% services: 20% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 2.9% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 60% (2000 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 40.8% (1996-97) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.6 (1996-97) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $12.86 billion expenditures: $13.54 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 11% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish Industries: crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood; hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 15.59 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 61.9% hydro: 38.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 14.46 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 40 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 2.451 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 310,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 36 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 19.2 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 7.41 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 7.83 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 4.502 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $5.597 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $52.16 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber Exports - partners: US 49.7%, Brazil 10.4%, Spain 7.6% (2005) Imports: $25.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals Imports - partners: China 10.4%, US 7.3%, UK 6.7%, Netherlands 6%, France 5.9%, Germany 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $28.28 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $32.45 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: IMF, $250 million (1998) Currency (code): naira (NGN) Currency code: NGN Exchange rates: nairas per US dollar - 132.59 (2005), 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003), 120.58 (2002), 111.23 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Nigeria Telephones - main lines in use: 1,223,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 21,571,131 (2006) Telephone system: general assessment: expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network has been slow due to faltering efforts at privatization domestic: the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002 resulted in faster growth in this service; wireless telephony has grown rapidly, in part responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; four wireless (GSM) service providers operate nationally; the combined growth resulted in a sharp increase in teledensity reported to be over 18% in March 2006 international: country code - 234; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Radio broadcast stations: AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001) Radios: 23.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2002) Televisions: 6.9 million (1997) Internet country code: .ng Internet hosts: 1,549 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000) Internet users: 5 million (2005) Transportation Nigeria Airports: 69 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 36 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 126 km; gas 2,812 km; liquid petroleum gas 125 km; oil 4,278 km; refined products 3,517 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,505 km narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 194,394 km paved: 60,068 km unpaved: 134,326 km (1999) Waterways: 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 277,709 GRT/475,414 DWT by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 5, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 36, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Norway 1, Pakistan 1, Singapore 1, Spain 1) registered in other countries: 28 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 11, Cambodia 2, Comoros 2, Panama 7, Poland 1, Seychelles 1, unknown 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bonny Inshore Terminal, Calabar, Lagos, Port Harcourt Military Nigeria Military branches: Nigerian Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger Air Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 26,802,678 females age 18-49: 25,668,446 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,052,914 females age 18-49: 13,860,806 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,353,180 females age 18-49: 1,329,267 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $737.6 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.8% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Nigeria Disputes - international: ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake Chad in the north; following the UN-brokered Greentree Agreement of 12 June 2006, Nigeria, in completion of the 2002 ICJ decision on the Cameroon-Nigerian land boundary, handed sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon on 14 August; all Nigerian military forces have reportedly withdrawn from the region but Nigeria will continue to maintain a police and administrative presence in the southeastern "transition zone" for a period of up to two years; Nigeria pledges to provide for the resettlement of those Bakassi residents who wish to remain Nigerian citizens; the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in implementation; a joint task force was established in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land boundary with Benin on the Okpara River; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 200,000 - 250,000 (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999) (2005) Illicit drugs: a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets; safehaven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity; Nigeria has improved some anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in June 2006; Nigeria's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Niue Introduction Niue Background: Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered. The population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to about 2,166 in 2006), with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest. Geography Niue Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga Geographic coordinates: 19 02 S, 169 52 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 260 sq km land: 260 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 64 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds Terrain: steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m Natural resources: fish, arable land Land use: arable land: 11.54% permanent crops: 15.38% other: 73.08% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons Environment - current issues: increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: one of world's largest coral islands People Niue Population: 2,166 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.01% (2006 est.) Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population Sex ratio: NA Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: NA HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Niuean(s) adjective: Niuean Ethnic groups: Niuen 78.2%, Pacific islander 10.2%, European 4.5%, mixed 3.9%, Asian 0.2%, unspecified 3% (2001 census) Religions: Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society) 61.1%, Latter-Day Saints 8.8%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, other 8.4%, unspecified 8.7%, none 1.9% (2001 census) Languages: Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan; English Literacy: definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA female: NA Government Niue Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Niue former: Savage Island Dependency status: self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue Government type: self-governing parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Alofi geographic coordinates: 19 01 S, 169 55 W time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none; note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 14 villages at the second order Independence: on 19 October 1974, Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) Constitution: 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act) Legal system: English common law; note - Niue is self-governing, with the power to make its own laws Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since NA May 2000) head of government: Premier Young VIVIAN (since 1 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet consists of the premier and three ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; premier elected by the Legislative Assembly for a three-year term; election last held 12 May 2005 (next to be held May 2008) election results: Young VIVIAN reelected premier; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - Young VIVIAN (NPP) 85%, O'Love JACOBSEN (independent) 15% Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; 6 elected from a common roll and 14 are village representatives) elections: last held 30 April 2005 (next to be held April 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Independents or AI; Niue People's Action Party or NPP [Young VIVIAN] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, FAO, IFAD, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) Flag description: yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large one on a blue disk in the center and a smaller one on each arm of the bold red cross Economy Niue Economy - overview: The economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population. Government expenditures regularly exceed revenues, and the shortfall is made up by critically needed grants from New Zealand that are used to pay wages to public employees. Niue has cut government expenditures by reducing the public service by almost half. The agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence gardening, although some cash crops are grown for export. Industry consists primarily of small factories to process passion fruit, lime oil, honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is an important source of revenue. The island in recent years has suffered a serious loss of population because of emigration to New Zealand. Efforts to increase GDP include the promotion of tourism and a financial services industry, although the International Banking Repeal Act of 2002 resulted in the termination of all offshore banking licenses. Economic aid from New Zealand in 2002 was about US$2 million. Niue suffered a devastating typhoon in January 2004, which decimated nascent economic programs. While in the process of rebuilding, Niue has been dependent on foreign aid. GDP (purchasing power parity): $7.6 million (2000 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $10.01 million GDP - real growth rate: 6.2% GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,800 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.5% industry: 26.9% services: 49.5% (2003) Labor force: NA 663 Labor force - by occupation: note: most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board Unemployment rate: 12% NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2005) Budget: revenues: $15.07 million expenditures: $16.33 million; including capital expenditures of $123,700 Agriculture - products: coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle Industries: tourism, handicrafts, food processing Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.79 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 20 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $201,400 (2004) Exports - commodities: canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passion fruit products, pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts Exports - partners: New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia (2004) Imports: $9.038 million (2004) Imports - commodities: food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs Imports - partners: New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2004) Debt - external: $418,000 (2002 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2.6 million from New Zealand (2002) Currency (code): New Zealand dollar (NZD) Currency code: NZD Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Niue Telephones - main lines in use: 1,100 est (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 400 (2002) Telephone system: domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island international: country code - 683 Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 1,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .nu Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 900 (2002) Transportation Niue Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 234 km paved: 86 km unpaved: 148 km (2001) Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Niue Military branches: no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force Military - note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand Transnational Issues Niue Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Norfolk Island Introduction Norfolk Island Background: Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Geography Norfolk Island Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia Geographic coordinates: 29 02 S, 167 57 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 34.6 sq km land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 32 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Bates 319 m Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons (especially May to July) Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: most of the 32 km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated People Norfolk Island Population: 1,828 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.2% 15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.01% (2006 est.) Birth rate: NA Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: NA Sex ratio: NA Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: NA HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Norfolk Islander(s) adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) Ethnic groups: descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesian Religions: Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.3%, none 18.1% (2001 census) Languages: English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian Literacy: NA Government Norfolk Island Country name: conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island conventional short form: Norfolk Island Dependency status: territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories Government type: NA Capital: name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E time difference: UTC+11.5 (16.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia) Independence: none (territory of Australia) National holiday: Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) Constitution: Norfolk Island Act of 1979 Legal system: based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003) head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2% Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms) elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Australia) Flag description: three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band Economy Norfolk Island Economy - overview: Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. GDP (purchasing power parity): $NA Labor force: 1,345 Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10% industry and services: 90% Unemployment rate: 0% Budget: revenues: $4.6 million expenditures: $4.8 million; including capital expenditures of $2 million (FY99/00) Agriculture - products: Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry Industries: tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2002) Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Exports: $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY91/92) Exports - commodities: postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados Exports - partners: Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2004) Imports: $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) Imports - commodities: NA Imports - partners: Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD) Currency code: AUD Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Norfolk Island Telephones - main lines in use: 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) Radios: 2,500 (1996) Television broadcast stations: 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) Televisions: 1,200 (1996) Internet country code: .nf Internet hosts: 100 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 700 Transportation Norfolk Island Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 80 km paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2002) Ports and terminals: none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade Military Norfolk Island Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia Transnational Issues Norfolk Island Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Northern Mariana Islands Introduction Northern Mariana Islands Background: Under US administration as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975, and came into force on 24 March 1976. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978. Geography Northern Mariana Islands Location: Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines Geographic coordinates: 15 12 N, 145 45 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 477 sq km land: 477 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,482 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October Terrain: southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m Natural resources: arable land, fish Land use: arable land: 13.04% permanent crops: 4.35% other: 82.61% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November) Environment - current issues: contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development Geography - note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean People Northern Mariana Islands Population: 82,459 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.4% (male 8,350/female 7,623) 15-64 years: 79% (male 26,715/female 38,442) 65 years and over: 1.6% (male 679/female 650) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 29.5 years male: 31.7 years female: 28.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.54% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 19.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 2.29 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 8.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.7 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female total population: 0.77 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.09 years male: 73.5 years female: 78.83 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.24 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: NA (US citizens) adjective: NA Ethnic groups: Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8% (2000 census) Religions: Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found) Languages: Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 96% (1980 est.) Government Northern Mariana Islands Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands abbreviation: CNMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Mariana Islands District Dependency status: commonwealth in political union with the US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs Government type: commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature Capital: name: Saipan geographic coordinates: 15 12 N, 145 45 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (commonwealth in political union with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four municipalities at the second order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian Independence: none (commonwealth in political union with the US) National holiday: Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978) Constitution: Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986 Legal system: based on US system, except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Benigno R. FITIAL (since 9 January 2006); Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. VILLAGOMEZ (since 9 January 2006) cabinet: the cabinet consists of the heads of the 10 principal departments under the executive branch who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate; other members include Special Assistants to the governor and office heads appointed by and reporting directly to the governor elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Benigno R. FITIAL elected governor in a four-way race; percent of vote - Benigno R. FITIAL (Covenant Party) 28.07%, Heinz HOFSCHNEIDER (Independent) 27.34%, Juan BABAUTA (Republican) 26.6%, Froilan TENORIO (Democrat) 17.99% Legislative branch: bicameral Legislature consists of the Senate (9 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year staggered terms) and the House of Representatives (18 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009); House of Representatives - last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held November 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Covenant Party 3, Republican Party 3, Democratic Party 2, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Covenant Party 7, Republican Party 7, Democratic Party 2, independent 2 note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or "resident representative" located in Washington, DC; seats by party - Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO) Judicial branch: Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court Political parties and leaders: Covenant Party [Benigno R. FITIAL]; Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Juan S. REYES] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Interpol (subbureau), SPC, UPU Flag description: blue, with a white, five-pointed star superimposed on the gray silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional foundation stone used in building) in the center, surrounded by a wreath Economy Northern Mariana Islands Economy - overview: The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the US. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown. The key tourist industry employs about 50% of the work force and accounts for roughly one-fourth of GDP. Japanese tourists predominate. Annual tourist entries have exceeded one-half million in recent years, but financial difficulties in Japan have caused a temporary slowdown. The agricultural sector is made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Garment production is by far the most important industry with the employment of 17,500 mostly Chinese workers and sizable shipments to the US under duty and quota exemptions. GDP (purchasing power parity): $900 million note: GDP estimate includes US subsidy (2000 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $633.4 million GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $12,500 (2000 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 44,470 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers (2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 3.9% NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.8% (2000) Budget: revenues: $193 million expenditures: $223 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY01/02 est.) Agriculture - products: coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle Industries: tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - exports: 0 kWh Electricity - imports: 0 kWh Exports: $NA Exports - commodities: garments Exports - partners: US (2004) Imports: $214.4 million $NA Imports - commodities: food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products Imports - partners: US, Japan (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: extensive funding from US Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Northern Mariana Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 21,000 (2000) Telephones - mobile cellular: 20,500 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 1-670; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 1 (2006) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 1 (Low Power TV on Saipan; in addition, two cable services on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (2006) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .mp Internet hosts: 20 (2005) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2001) Internet users: 10,000 (2003) Transportation Northern Mariana Islands Airports: 5 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 536 km (2004) Ports and terminals: Saipan, Tinian Military Northern Mariana Islands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Northern Mariana Islands Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Norway Introduction Norway Background: Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in 994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. The current focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU. Geography Norway Location: Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 10 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 323,802 sq km land: 307,442 sq km water: 16,360 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 2,542 km border countries: Finland 727 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km Coastline: 25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km) Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower Land use: arable land: 2.7% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.3% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,270 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: rockslides, avalanches Environment - current issues: water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in the world People Norway Population: 4,610,820 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.3% (male 455,122/female 434,009) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,542,439/female 1,496,745) 65 years and over: 14.8% (male 288,509/female 393,996) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.4 years male: 37.6 years female: 39.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.38% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 11.46 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 3.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.54 years male: 76.91 years female: 82.31 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,100 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Norwegian(s) adjective: Norwegian Ethnic groups: Norwegian, Sami 20,000 Religions: Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004) Languages: Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Government Norway Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway conventional short form: Norway local long form: Kongeriket Norge local short form: Norge Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Oslo geographic coordinates: 59 55 N, 10 45 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 19 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold Dependent areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard Independence: 7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union) National holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814) Constitution: 17 May 1814; amended many times Legal system: mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973) head of government: Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 October 2005) cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament Legislative branch: modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 September 2005 (next to be held September 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 32.7%, Progress Party 22.1%, Conservative Party 14.1%, Socialist Left Party 8.8%, Christian People's Party 6.8%, Center Party 6.5%, Liberal Party 5.9%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%, other 1.9%; seats by party - Labor Party 61, Progress Party 38, Conservative Party 23, Socialist Left Party 15, Christian People's Party 11, Center Party 11, Liberal Party 10 note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: Center Party [Aslaug Marie HAGA]; Christian People's Party [Dagfinn HOYBRATEN]; Coastal Party [Roy WAAGE]; Conservative Party [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Siv JENSEN]; Red Electoral Alliance [Torstein DAHLE]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Knut VOLLEBAEK chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870 consulate(s) general: Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Benson K. WHITNEY embassy: Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will move to Huseby in the near future mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707 telephone: [47] (22) 44 85 50 FAX: [47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51 Flag description: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Economy Norway Economy - overview: The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises). The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices, with oil and gas accounting for one-third of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, it contributes sizably to the EU budget. The government has moved ahead with privatization. Although Norwegian oil production peaked in 2000, natural gas production is still rising. Norwegians realize that once their gas production peaks they will eventually face declining oil and gas revenues; accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-and-gas-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $250 billion. After lackluster growth of 1% in 2002 and 0.5% in 2003, GDP growth picked up to 3.3% in 2004 and to 3.7% in 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $196.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $246.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $42,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.1% industry: 41.5% services: 56.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.4 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4% industry: 22% services: 74% (1995) Unemployment rate: 4.6% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 21.8% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 25.8 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $176.1 billion expenditures: $131.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 50.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish Industries: petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing Industrial production growth rate: -0.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 105.6 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.4% hydro: 99.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 106.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 5.6 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 13.5 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 3.22 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 257,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 3.466 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 88,870 bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 9.859 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 73.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 4.14 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 50.5 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 2.118 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $49.49 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $111.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish Exports - partners: UK 25.5%, Germany 12.6%, Netherlands 9.9%, France 9.1%, US 6.7%, Sweden 6.5% (2005) Imports: $58.12 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Sweden 14.6%, Germany 13.6%, Denmark 7.3%, UK 6.8%, China 5.5%, US 5%, France 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $46.99 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $281 billion; note - Norway is a net external creditor (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.4 billion (1998) Currency (code): Norwegian krone (NOK) Currency code: NOK Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003), 7.9838 (2002), 8.9917 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Norway Telephones - main lines in use: 2.129 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.755 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile systems instead of fixed-wire systems international: country code - 47; 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999) Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM at least 650, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 4.03 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 360 (plus 2,729 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 2.03 million (1997) Internet country code: .no Internet hosts: 1,364,448 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2000) Internet users: 3.14 million (2005) Transportation Norway Airports: 99 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 67 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 29 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 32 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 508 km; gas 5,910 km; oil 2,557 km; oil/gas/water 746 km (2006) Railways: total: 4,077 km standard gauge: 4,077 km 1.435-m gauge (2,680 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 92,513 km paved: 71,832 km (including 664 km of expressways) unpaved: 20,681 km (2005) Waterways: 1,577 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 724 ships (1000 GRT or over) 14,472,103 GRT/20,245,353 DWT by type: bulk carrier 67, cargo 153, chemical tanker 150, container 2, liquefied gas 79, passenger/cargo 121, petroleum tanker 75, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 19, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 47 foreign-owned: 168 (China 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 32, Estonia 1, Finland 4, Greece 1, Hong Kong 55, Iceland 4, Italy 4, Japan 1, Lithuania 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 3, Poland 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Sweden 28, UAE 1, UK 6, US 13) registered in other countries: 861 (Antigua and Barbuda 11, Australia 1, Bahamas 259, Barbados 29, Belize 2, Bermuda 5, Brazil 2, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 2, China 1, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 16, Denmark 3, Dominica 1, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Faroe Islands 4, Finland 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 12, Gibraltar 18, Hong Kong 26, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 27, Liberia 38, Libya 1, Malta 49, Marshall Islands 65, Mexico 1, Netherlands 7, Netherlands Antilles 5, Nigeria 1, Panama 66, Philippines 3, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16, Singapore 90, Spain 7, Sweden 7, Thailand 30, Tonga 1, UK 36, US 2, unknown 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Borg Havn, Bergen, Mo i Rana, Molde, Mongstad, Narvik, Oslo, Sture Military Norway Military branches: Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women; 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,014,592 females age 18-49: 982,734 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 827,016 females age 18-49: 801,358 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 29,179 females age 18-49: 28,023 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4,033.5 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (2003) Transnational Issues Norway Disputes - international: Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land and its continental shelf); despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Oman Introduction Oman Background: The inhabitants of the area of Oman have long prospered on Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century, a newly established sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship treaties with Britain. Over time, Oman's dependence on British political and military advisors increased, but it never became a British colony. In 1970, QABOOS bin Said al-Said overthrew the restrictive rule of his father; he has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world while preserving the longstanding close ties with the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries. Geography Oman Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE Geographic coordinates: 21 00 N, 57 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 212,460 sq km land: 212,460 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas Land boundaries: total: 1,374 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km Coastline: 2,092 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south Terrain: central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas Land use: arable land: 0.12% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 99.74% (2005) Irrigated land: 720 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil People Oman Population: 3,102,229 note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 675,423/female 648,963) 15-64 years: 54.7% (male 1,001,917/female 695,578) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 44,300/female 36,048) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19 years male: 21.7 years female: 16.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.28% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 36.24 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 3.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.44 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.23 male(s)/female total population: 1.25 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 18.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.37 years male: 71.14 years female: 75.72 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.77 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,300 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Omani(s) adjective: Omani Ethnic groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects Literacy: definition: NA total population: 75.8% male: 83.1% female: 67.2% Government Oman Country name: conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman conventional short form: Oman local long form: Saltanat Uman local short form: Uman former: Muscat and Oman Government type: monarchy Capital: name: Muscat geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 5 regions (manatiq, singular - mintaqat) and 4 governorates* (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Buraymi*, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat*, Musandam*, Zufar (Dhofar)* Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese) National holiday: Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940) Constitution: none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: in Oman's most recent Majlis al-Shura elections in 2003, suffrage was universal for all Omanis over age 21 except for members of the military and security forces; the next Majlis al-Shura elections are scheduled for 2007 Executive branch: chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary Legislative branch: bicameral Majlis Oman consists of an upper chamber or Majlis al-Dawla (58 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and a lower chamber or Majlis al-Shura (83 seats; members elected by popular vote for four-year terms; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers) elections: last held 4 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Shari'a law Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1981, 1988 FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gary A. GRAPPO embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Muscat telephone: [968] 24-698989 FAX: [968] 24-699771 Flag description: three horizontal bands of white, red, and green of equal width with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered near the top of the vertical band Economy Oman Economy - overview: Oman is a middle-income economy in the Middle East with notable oil and gas resources, a substantial trade surplus, and low inflation. Work on a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility progressed in 2005 and will contribute to slightly higher oil and gas exports in 2006. Oman continues to liberalize its markets and joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in November 2000. To reduce unemployment and limit dependence on foreign labor, the government is encouraging the replacement of foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Training in information technology, business management, and English support this objective. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources, metal manufacturing, petrochemicals, and international transshipment ports. In 2005, Oman signed agreements with several foreign investors to boost oil reserves, build and operate a power plant, and develop a second mobile phone network in the country. GDP (purchasing power parity): $40.39 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $24.98 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.7% industry: 39% services: 58.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 920,000 (2002 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 15% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 14.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $14.36 billion expenditures: $10.61 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 8.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 10.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 9.582 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 769,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 62,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 721,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 6.1 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 16.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 7.09 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 7.43 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 829.1 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $4.796 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $19.01 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles Exports - partners: China 21.7%, South Korea 19.5%, Japan 14.3%, Thailand 12.7%, UAE 7.1%, Taiwan 4.1% (2005) Imports: $8.709 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants Imports - partners: UAE 22.4%, Japan 15.7%, UK 7.7%, US 6.7%, Germany 5.8%, India 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.358 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $4.361 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $76.4 million (1995) Currency (code): Omani rial (OMR) Currency code: OMR Exchange rates: Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003), 0.3845 (2002), 0.3845 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Oman Telephones - main lines in use: 265,200 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.333 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable domestic: open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations international: country code - 968; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) Radios: 1.4 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 13 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1999) Televisions: 1.6 million (1997) Internet country code: .om Internet hosts: 3,555 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 245,000 (2005) Transportation Oman Airports: 137 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 131 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 52 914 to 1,523 m: 35 under 914 m: 35 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 4,072 km; oil 3,405 km (2006) Roadways: total: 34,965 km paved: 9,673 km (including 550 km of expressways) unpaved: 25,292 km (2001) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 10,797 GRT/5,040 DWT by type: passenger 1 registered in other countries: 2 (Kazakhstan 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Mina' Qabus, Salalah Military Oman Military branches: Royal Omani Armed Forces: Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman, RAFO) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 719,871 females age 18-49: 508,621 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 581,444 females age 18-49: 435,107 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 26,391 females age 18-49: 25,466 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $252.99 million (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 11.4% (2003) Transnational Issues Oman Disputes - international: boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah exclave, but details have not been made public Trafficking in persons: current situation: Oman is a destination country for men and women primarily from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India who migrate willingly, but may subsequently become victims of trafficking when subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers; there have been occasional reports that expatriate children engaged in camel racing may transit or reside in Omani territory tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Oman is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List because of a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons in 2005 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Pacific Ocean Introduction Pacific Ocean Background: The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south. Geography Pacific Ocean Location: body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 160 00 W Map references: Political Map of the World Area: total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies Area - comparative: about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world Coastline: 135,663 km Climate: planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December Terrain: surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest Elevation extremes: lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m Natural resources: oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish Natural hazards: surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea Geography - note: the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean Economy Pacific Ocean Economy - overview: The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to fluctuations in new drillings. Transportation Pacific Ocean Ports and terminals: Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong (China), Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan) Transportation - note: Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state) Transnational Issues Pacific Ocean Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Pakistan Introduction Pakistan Background: The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002. Geography Pakistan Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north Geographic coordinates: 30 00 N, 70 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 803,940 sq km land: 778,720 sq km water: 25,220 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California Land boundaries: total: 6,774 km border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km Coastline: 1,046 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north Terrain: flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m Natural resources: land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone Land use: arable land: 24.44% permanent crops: 0.84% other: 74.72% (2005) Irrigated land: 182,300 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August) Environment - current issues: water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent People Pakistan Population: 165,803,560 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 39% (male 33,293,428/female 31,434,314) 15-64 years: 56.9% (male 48,214,298/female 46,062,933) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 3,256,065/female 3,542,522) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.8 years male: 19.7 years female: 20 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.09% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 29.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 70.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 70.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 70.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.39 years male: 62.4 years female: 64.44 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 74,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,900 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks depending on location animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Nationality: noun: Pakistani(s) adjective: Pakistani Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants) Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3% Languages: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8% Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.7% male: 61.7% female: 35.2% (2004 est.) Government Pakistan Country name: conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan conventional short form: Pakistan local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan local short form: Pakistan former: West Pakistan Government type: federal republic Capital: name: Islamabad geographic coordinates: 33 42 N, 73 10 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas Independence: 14 August 1947 (from UK) National holiday: Republic Day, 23 March (1956) Constitution: 12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003 Legal system: based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims Executive branch: note: following a military takeover on 12 October 1999, Chief of Army Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Pervez MUSHARRAF, suspended Pakistan's constitution and assumed the additional title of Chief Executive; on 12 May 2000, Pakistan's Supreme Court unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and granted MUSHARRAF executive and legislative authority for three years from the coup date; on 20 June 2001, MUSHARRAF named himself as president and was sworn in, replacing Mohammad Rafiq TARAR; in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF's presidency was extended by five more years; on 1 January 2004, MUSHARRAF won a vote of confidence in the Senate, National Assembly, and four provincial assemblies chief of state: President General Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Shaukat AZIZ (since 28 August 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the president is elected by Parliament for a five-year term; note - in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF's presidency was extended by five more years (next to be held in 2007); the prime minister is selected by the National Assembly (next to be held in 2007) election results: AZIZ elected by the National Assembly on 27 August 2004 with 191 of the votes Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats - formerly 87; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve six-year terms and the National Assembly (342 seats - formerly 217; 60 seats represent women; 10 seats represent minorities; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009); National Assembly - last held 10 October 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PML 47, PPPP 9, MMA 20, MQM/A 6, PML/N 4, PML/F 1, PkMAP 3, ANP 2, PPP 3, JWP 1, BNP-Awami 1, BNP-Mengal 1, BNP/H 1, independents 1; National Assembly results - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party - PML/Q 126, PPPP 81, MMA 63, PML/N 19, MQM/A 17, NA 16, PML/F 5, PML/J 3, PPP/S 2, BNP 1, JWP 1, PAT 1, PML/Z 1, PTI 1, MQM/H 1, PkMAP 1, independents 3 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or Shari'a Court Political parties and leaders: Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National Party/Hayee Group or BNP/H [Dr. Hayee BALUCH]; Baluch National Party/Awami or BNP/Awami [Moheem Khan BALOCH]; Baluch National Party-Mengal or BNP/M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL]; Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP; Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamiat-i-Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami ul-HAQ faction or JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ]; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf faction or MQM/A [Altaf HUSSAIN]; Muttahida Quami Movement, Haqiqi faction or MQM/H [Afaq AHMAD]; National Alliance or NA [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI]; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]; Pakhtun Quami Party or PQP [Mohammed Afzal KHAN]; Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF]; Pakistan Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; note - as of May 2004, the PML/Q changed its name to PML and absorbed the PML/J, PML/Z, and NA; Pakistan National Party or PNP [Hasil BIZENJO]; Pakistan People's Party or PPP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Benazir BHUTTO]; Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN]; Tehrik-i-Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI] note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently Political pressure groups and leaders: military remains most important political force; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential International organization participation: ARF, AsDB, C (reinstated 2004), CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmud Ali DURRANI chancery: 3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 686-1544 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (California) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan CROCKER embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200 telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000 FAX: [92] (51) 2276427 consulate(s) general: Karachi consulate(s): Lahore, Peshawar Flag description: green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam Economy Pakistan Economy - overview: Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes, low levels of foreign investment, and a costly, ongoing confrontation with neighboring India. However, IMF-approved government policies, bolstered by generous foreign assistance and renewed access to global markets since 2001, have generated solid macroeconomic recovery the last four years. The government has made substantial macroeconomic reforms since 2000, although progress on more politically sensitive reforms has slowed. For example, in the budget for fiscal year 2006, Islamabad did not impose taxes on the agriculture or real estate sectors, despite Pakistan's chronically low tax-to-GDP ratio. While long-term prospects remain uncertain, given Pakistan's low level of development, medium-term prospects for job creation and poverty reduction are the best in more than a decade. Islamabad has raised development spending from about 2% of GDP in the 1990s to 4% in 2003, a necessary step towards reversing the broad underdevelopment of its social sector. GDP growth, spurred by double-digit gains in industrial production over the past year, has become less dependent on agriculture, and remained above 7% in 2004 and 2005. Inflation remains the biggest threat to the economy, jumping to more than 9% in 2005. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank announced that they would provide US $1 billion each in aid to help Pakistan rebuild areas hit by the October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. Foreign exchange reserves continued to reach new levels in 2005, supported by steady worker remittances. In the near term, growth probably cannot be sustained at the 7% level; however, massive international aid, increased government spending, lower taxes, and pay increases for government workers will help Pakistan maintain strong GDP growth over the longer term. GDP (purchasing power parity): $395.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $89.55 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21.6% industry: 25.1% services: 53.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 46.84 million note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 42% industry: 20% services: 38% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 6.6% plus substantial underemployment (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 32% (FY00/01 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 27.6% (FY96/97) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 41 (FY98/99) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 15.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $15.45 billion expenditures: $20.07 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 53.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs Industries: textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp Industrial production growth rate: 10.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 76.92 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 68.8% hydro: 28.2% nuclear: 3% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 71.54 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 63,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 365,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 341.8 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 23.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 23.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 759.7 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-1.109 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $14.85 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs Exports - partners: US 22.5%, UAE 8.9%, UK 5.8%, China 5.4%, Germany 4.6% (2005) Imports: $21.26 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea Imports - partners: China 13.8%, Saudi Arabia 10.3%, UAE 8.8%, Japan 6.1%, US 5%, Kuwait 5%, Germany 4.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $10.95 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $38.8 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2.4 billion (FY01/02) Currency (code): Pakistani rupee (PKR) Currency code: PKR Exchange rates: Pakistani rupees per US dollar - 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004), 57.752 (2003), 59.724 (2002), 61.927 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Pakistan Telephones - main lines in use: 5,277,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 12.771 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: the domestic system is mediocre, but improving; service is adequate for government and business use, in part because major businesses have established their own private systems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the national telecommunications system on a priority basis, significantly increasing network capacity; despite major improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services are still not readily available to the majority of the rural population domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks international: country code - 92; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (1999) Radio broadcast stations: AM 27, FM 1, shortwave 21 (1998) Radios: 13.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 22 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 3.1 million (1997) Internet country code: .pk Internet hosts: 72,765 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 30 (2000) Internet users: 10.5 million (2005) Transportation Pakistan Airports: 139 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 91 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 33 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 48 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Heliports: 18 (2006) Pipelines: gas 10,257 km; oil 2,001 km (2006) Railways: total: 8,163 km broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified) narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) Roadways: total: 255,856 km paved: 157,975 km (including 367 km of expressways) unpaved: 97,881 km (2004) Merchant marine: total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 397,740 GRT/657,656 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, container 1, petroleum tanker 4 registered in other countries: 11 (Comoros 2, North Korea 3, Malta 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim Military Pakistan Military branches: Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18; the Pakistani Air Force has inducted its first female combat pilot (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 39,028,014 females age 16-49: 36,779,584 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 29,428,747 females age 16-49: 28,391,887 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,969,055 females age 16-49: 1,849,254 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.26 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.9% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Pakistan Disputes - international: various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease-fire in the Kashmir, and in 2005 restored bus service across the highly militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on the impact of India's building the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration and in general the two states still dispute Indus River water sharing; to defuse tensions and prepare discussions on a maritime boundary, in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion of the disputed the Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, had repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees and had undertaken a census to count the remaining million or more, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to control the border with Afghanistan and stem organized terrorist or other illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings with Afghan and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 960,041 (Afghanistan) IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan); 3 million (October 2005 earthquake) (2005) Illicit drugs: opium poppy cultivation declined 58% to 3,147 hectares in 2005; federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that force eradication - fines and arrests will take place if the ban on poppy cultivation is not observed; key transit point for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Western markets, the Gulf States, and Africa; financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Palau Introduction Palau Background: After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence. Geography Palau Location: Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines Geographic coordinates: 7 30 N, 134 30 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 458 sq km land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,519 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November Terrain: varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m Natural resources: forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals Land use: arable land: 8.7% permanent crops: 4.35% other: 86.95% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons (June to December) Environment - current issues: inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands People Palau Population: 20,579 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.3% (male 2,789/female 2,622) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 7,664/female 6,549) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 453/female 502) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 31.7 years male: 32.7 years female: 30.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.31% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 14.46 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.42 years male: 67.26 years female: 73.77 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Palauan(s) adjective: Palauan Ethnic groups: Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other religion 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census) Languages: Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92% male: 93% female: 90% (1980 est.) Government Palau Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Palau conventional short form: Palau local long form: Beluu er a Belau local short form: Belau former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District Government type: constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994 Capital: name: Melekeok geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol Independence: 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) National holiday: Constitution Day, 9 July (1979) Constitution: 1 January 1981 Legal system: based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005) cabinet: NA elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. reelected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. 64%, Polycarp BASILIUS 33%; Elias Camsek CHIN elected vice president; percent of vote - Elias Camsek CHIN 70%, Sandra PIERANTOZZI 29% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (four new members elected); House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 16 (one new member elected) Judicial branch: Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA chancery: 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814 FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281 consulate(s) general: Honolulu consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: US ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau embassy: Koror (no street address) mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940 telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990 FAX: [680] 488-2911 Flag description: light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side Economy Palau Economy - overview: The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development. GDP (purchasing power parity): $124.5 million; note - includes US subsidy (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $145 million GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% 6.2% industry: NA% 12% services: NA% 81.8% Labor force: 9,777 (2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 20% industry: NA% services: NA% (1990) Unemployment rate: 4.2% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $72.07 million expenditures: $72.43 million; including capital expenditures of $12.98 million (FY98/99 est.) Agriculture - products: coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish Industries: tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production by source: NA Current account balance: $15.09 million Exports: $5.882 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: shellfish, tuna, copra, garments Exports - partners: US, Japan, Singapore (2004) Imports: $107.3 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs Imports - partners: US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea (2004) Debt - external: $0 (FY99/00) Economic aid - recipient: $19.6 million; note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provides Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Palau Telephones - main lines in use: 6,700 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,000 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2002) Radios: 12,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (cable) (2005) Televisions: 11,000 (1997) Internet country code: .pw Internet hosts: 3 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Transportation Palau Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: 61 km paved: 36 km unpaved: 25 km Ports and terminals: Koror Military Palau Military branches: no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 5,694 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,087 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 142 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years, but it has not stationed any military forces there (2005) Transnational Issues Palau Disputes - international: border delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines, Indonesia This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Panama Introduction Panama Background: Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transfered to Panama by the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan to expand the Canal. The project, which is to begin in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2014-15. Geography Panama Location: Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica Geographic coordinates: 9 00 N, 80 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 78,200 sq km land: 75,990 sq km water: 2,210 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina Land boundaries: total: 555 km border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km Coastline: 2,490 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May) Terrain: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower Land use: arable land: 7.26% permanent crops: 1.95% other: 90.79% (2005) Irrigated land: 430 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area Environment - current issues: water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean People Panama Population: 3,191,319 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.3% (male 492,403/female 472,996) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,025,898/female 998,926) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 94,122/female 106,974) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 26.1 years male: 25.8 years female: 26.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.6% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 21.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 16.37 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.22 years male: 72.68 years female: 77.87 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.9% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 16,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Panamanian(s) adjective: Panamanian Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6% Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15% Languages: Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians bilingual Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 93.2% female: 91.9% (2003 est.) Government Panama Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Panama conventional short form: Panama local long form: Republica de Panama local short form: Panama Government type: constitutional democracy Capital: name: Panama geographic coordinates: 8 58 N, 79 32 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*(Kuna Yala), and Veraguas Independence: 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821) National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1903) Constitution: 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983, 1994, and 2004 Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Martin TORRIJOS Espino (since 1 September 2004); First Vice President Samuel LEWIS Navarro (since 1 September 2004); Second Vice President Ruben AROSEMENA Valdes (since 1 September 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Martin TORRIJOS Espino (since 1 September 2004); First Vice President Samuel LEWIS Navarro (since 1 September 2004); Second Vice President Ruben AROSEMENA Valdes (since 1 September 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for two more terms); election last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held 3 May 2009); note - beginning in 2009, Panama will have only one vice president. election results: Martin TORRIJOS Espino elected president; percent of vote - Martin TORRIJOS Espino 47.5%, Guillermo ENDARA Galimany 30.6%, Jose Miguel ALEMAN 17%, Ricardo MARTINELLI 4.9% note: government coalition - PRD (Democratic Revolutionary Party), PP (Popular Party) Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (formerly called Legislative Assembly) or Asamblea Nacional (78 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in 2009, the number of seats will change to 71 elections: last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held 3 May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 40, PA 17, PS 8, MOLIRENA 3, CD 2, PP 2, PLN 1, other 5 note: legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based formula Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine judges appointed for 10-year terms); five superior courts; three courts of appeal Political parties and leaders: Democratic Change or CD [Ricardo MARTINELLI]; Democratic Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hugo GUIRAUD]; National Liberal Party or PLN [Anibal GALINDO]; Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Jesus ROSAS]; Panamenista Party or PA (formerly the Arnulfista Party) [Marco AMEGLIO]; Popular Party or PP (formerly Christian Democratic Party or PDC) [Ricardo ARIAS Calderon]; Solidarity Party or PS [Jose Raul MULINO] Political pressure groups and leaders: Chamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Council of Organized Workers or CONATO; National Council of Private Enterprise or CONEP; National Union of Construction and Similar Workers (SUNTRACS); Panamanian Association of Business Executives or APEDE; Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; Workers Confederation of the Republic of Panama or CTRP International organization participation: CAN (observer), CSN (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Federico HUMBERT Arias chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407 FAX: [1] (202) 483-8416 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William A. EATON embassy: Avenida Balboa and Calle 37, Apartado Postal 0816-02561, Zona 5, Panama City 5 mailing address: American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002 telephone: [507] 207-7000 FAX: [507] 227-1964 Flag description: divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white (hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and plain red; the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center Economy Panama Economy - overview: Panama's dollarised economy rests primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for three-fourths of GDP. Services include operating the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism. A slump in the Colon Free Zone and agricultural exports, the global slowdown, and the withdrawal of US military forces held back economic growth in 2000-03; growth picked up in 2004 and 2005 led by export-oriented services and a construction boom stimulated by tax incentives. The government has implemented tax reforms, as well as social security reforms, and backs regional trade agreements and development of tourism. Unemployment remains high. GDP (purchasing power parity): $23.33 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $14.89 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.8% industry: 15.6% services: 77.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.39 million note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 20.8% industry: 18% services: 61.2% (1995 est.) Unemployment rate: 9.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 37% (1999 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 35.7% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 56.4 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 16.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.426 billion expenditures: $3.959 billion; including capital expenditures of $471 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 64.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables; livestock; shrimp Industries: construction, brewing, cement and other construction materials, sugar milling Industrial production growth rate: 1.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 5.398 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 37% hydro: 61.3% nuclear: 0% other: 1.7% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 4.87 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 175 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 25 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - consumption: 78,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day; note - imports oil Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-705.7 million (2005 est.) Exports: $7.481 billion f.o.b.; note - includes the Colon Free Zone (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, clothing Exports - partners: US 44.9%, Spain 8.9%, Sweden 5.6%, Netherlands 4.9%, Costa Rica 4% (2005) Imports: $8.734 billion f.o.b. (includes the Colon Free Zone) (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals Imports - partners: US 27.5%, Netherlands Antilles 11.4%, Costa Rica 4.7%, Japan 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.211 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $9.758 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $197.1 million (1995) Currency (code): balboa (PAB); US dollar (USD) Currency code: PAB; USD Exchange rates: balboas per US dollar - 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Panama Telephones - main lines in use: 440,100 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.352 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: domestic and international facilities well developed domestic: NA international: country code - 507; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American Microwave System Radio broadcast stations: AM 101, FM 134, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 815,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 38 (including repeaters) (1998) Televisions: 510,000 (1997) Internet country code: .pa Internet hosts: 7,149 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000) Internet users: 300,000 (2005) Transportation Panama Airports: 117 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 53 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 28 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 64 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 53 (2006) Railways: total: 355 km standard gauge: 77 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 278 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 11,643 km paved: 4,028 km unpaved: 7,615 km (2000) Waterways: 800 km (includes 82 km Panama Canal) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 5,473 ships (1000 GRT or over) 146,511,342 GRT/219,940,567 DWT by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 1,776, cargo 992, chemical tanker 476, combination ore/oil 2, container 663, liquefied gas 193, livestock carrier 7, passenger 49, passenger/cargo 77, petroleum tanker 518, refrigerated cargo 299, roll on/roll off 123, specialized tanker 23, vehicle carrier 274 foreign-owned: 4,922 (Anguilla 1, Argentina 9, Australia 3, Bahamas, The 2, Belgium 11, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 1, Canada 4, Chile 9, China 420, Colombia 5, Croatia 5, Cuba 11, Cyprus 14, Denmark 34, Egypt 16, Estonia 3, France 15, Gabon 1, Germany 35, Greece 524, Hong Kong 169, India 19, Indonesia 50, Iran 4, Ireland 2, Israel 6, Italy 15, Japan 2007, Jordan 13, South Korea ( ( (291, Kuwait 2, Latvia 3, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 5, Malaysia 13, Maldives 1, Malta 3, Mexico 5, Monaco 9, Morocco 1, Netherlands 21, Nigeria 7, Norway 66, Pakistan 3, Peru 15, Philippines 13, Poland 15, Portugal 10, Qatar 1, Romania 9, Russia 7, Saudi Arabia 8, Singapore 67, South Africa 3, Spain 53, Sri Lanka 5, Sudan 1, Sweden 5, Switzerland 226, Syria 18, Taiwan 308, Thailand 9, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 42, UAE 105, UK 37, Ukraine 8, US 94, Venezuela 14, Vietnam 4, Yemen 3) registered in other countries: 1 (Venezuela 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Balboa, Colon, Cristobal Military Panama Military branches: an amendment to the Constitution abolished the armed forces, but there are security forces (Panamanian Public Forces or PPF includes the Panamanian National Police, National Maritime Service, and National Air Service) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 751,065 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 591,604 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 29,724 Military expenditures - dollar figure: $150 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.) Military - note: on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of "external aggression" Transnational Issues Panama Disputes - international: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate within the border region with Panama Illicit drugs: major cocaine transshipment point and primary money-laundering center for narcotics revenue; money-laundering activity is especially heavy in the Colon Free Zone; offshore financial center; negligible signs of coca cultivation; monitoring of financial transactions is improving; official corruption remains a major problem This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Papua New Guinea Introduction Papua New Guinea Background: The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives. Geography Papua New Guinea Location: Oceania, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 147 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than California Land boundaries: total: 820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km Coastline: 5,152 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m Natural resources: gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries Land use: arable land: 0.49% permanent crops: 1.4% other: 98.11% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis Environment - current issues: rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast People Papua New Guinea Population: 5,670,544 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.8% (male 1,090,879/female 1,054,743) 15-64 years: 58.3% (male 1,703,204/female 1,601,224) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 103,054/female 117,440) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 21.2 years male: 21.4 years female: 21.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.21% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 29.36 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 49.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 45.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.28 years male: 63.08 years female: 67.58 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.88 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 16,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 600 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2005) Nationality: noun: Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean Ethnic groups: Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian Religions: Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant 10%, indigenous beliefs 34% Languages: Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 64.6% male: 71.1% female: 57.7% (2002) Government Papua New Guinea Country name: conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea local short form: Papuaniugini former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea abbreviation: PNG Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Port Moresby geographic coordinates: 9 30 S, 147 10 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain Independence: 16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1975) Constitution: 16 September 1975 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by governor general Sir Paulius MATANE (since 29 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Sir Michael SOMARE (since 2 August 2002); deputy prime minister Don Polye (since 5 July 2006) cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the National Executive Council; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by the governor general Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament - sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly (109 seats, 89 elected from open electorates and 20 from provincial electorates; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 15-29 June 2002 and April and May 2003; completed in May 2003 (voting in the Southern Highlands was not completed during the June 2002 election period); next to be held not later than June 2007 election results: percent of vote by party - National Alliance 18%, URP 13%, PDM 12%, PPP 8%, Pangu 6%, PAP 5%, PLP 4%, others 34%; seats by party - National Alliance 19, URP 14, PDM 13, PPP 8, PANGU 6, PAP 5, PLP 4, others 40; as of January 2006 - National Alliance 25, URP 10, PNGP 9, PPP 9, PANGU 6, PAP 12, PLP 4, others 34 note: association with political parties is fluid (2005) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party [Dr. Banare BUN]; Melanesian Alliance Party or MAP [Sir Moi AVEL]; National Alliance Party or NA [Michael SOMARE]; National Party [Melcher PEP]; Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU [Rabbie NAMALIU]; Papua New Guinea First Party [Cecilking DORUBA]; Papua New Guinea Labor Party [Bob DANAYA]; Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP (was People's Democratic Movement or PDM) [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's Action Party or PAP [Moses MALADINA]; People's Labor Party or PLP [Ekis ROPENU]; People's National Congress or PNC [Peter O'NEILL]; People's Progress Party or PPP [Byron CHAN]; Pipol First Party [Luther WENGE]; United Party [Bire KIMASOPA]; United Resources Party or URP [Tim NEVILLE] (2005) Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Evan Jeremy PAKI chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680 FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert W. FITTS embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby mailing address: 4240 Port Moresby PI, US Department of State, Washington DC 20521-4240 telephone: [675] 321-1455 FAX: [675] 321-3423 Flag description: divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered Economy Papua New Guinea Economy - overview: Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. The economy has improved over the past three years because of high commodity prices following a prolonged period of instability. The government of Prime Minister SOMARE has expended much of its energy remaining in power and should be the first government in decades to serve a full five-year term. The government has also brought stability to the national budget thus far, largely through expenditure control. Numerous challenges still face the government including regaining investor confidence, restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and balancing relations with Australia, the former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges include the HIV/Aids epidemic, law and order, and land tenure issues. Australia annually supplies $240 million in aid, which accounts for nearly 20% of the national budget. GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.37 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $3.924 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 35.3% industry: 38.1% services: 26.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.413 million (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 85% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 2.8% up to 80% in urban areas (2004) Population below poverty line: 37% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 40.5% (1996) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.9 (1996) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.368 billion expenditures: $1.354 billion; including capital expenditures of $344 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 42.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla; shell fish, poultry, pork Industries: copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production, petroleum refining; construction, tourism Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.592 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 54.1% hydro: 45.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.481 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 50,000 bbl/day (January 2006 est.) Oil - consumption: 18,000 bbl/day (January 2006 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 170 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 140 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 140 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 345.5 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $482.1 million (2005 est.) Exports: $2.833 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns Exports - partners: Australia 28.7%, Japan 8.6%, China 5.4% (2005) Imports: $1.651 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals Imports - partners: Australia 54.6%, Singapore 13.4%, Japan 4.3%, Malaysia 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $748.8 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.882 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): kina (PGK) Currency code: PGK Exchange rates: kina per US dollar - 3.08 (2005), 3.2225 (2004), 3.5635 (2003), 3.8952 (2002), 3.3887 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Papua New Guinea Telephones - main lines in use: 62,000 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 26,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: services are adequate; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: mostly radiotelephone international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998) Radios: 410,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (all in the Port Moresby area) note: additional stations at Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Lae, and Rabaul are planned (2004) Televisions: 59,841 (1999) Internet country code: .pg Internet hosts: 1,573 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000) Internet users: 170,000 (2005) Transportation Papua New Guinea Airports: 582 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 561 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 488 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: oil 264 km (2006) Roadways: total: 19,600 km paved: 686 km unpaved: 18,914 km (1999) Waterways: 10,940 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 55,532 GRT/72,240 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 6 (UK 6) (2006) Ports and terminals: Kimbe, Lae, Rabaul Military Papua New Guinea Military branches: Papua New Guinea Defense Force (includes Maritime Operations Element, Air Operations Element) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,264,728 females age 18-49: 1,167,188 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 902,432 females age 18-49: 894,759 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $16.9 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY02) Transnational Issues Papua New Guinea Disputes - international: relies on assistance from Australia to keep out illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and secessionists This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Paracel Islands Introduction Paracel Islands Background: The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. Geography Paracel Islands Location: Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines Geographic coordinates: 16 30 N, 112 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: NA sq km land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: NA Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 518 km Maritime claims: NA Climate: tropical Terrain: mostly low and flat Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: typhoons Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group People Paracel Islands Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons Government Paracel Islands Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Paracel Islands Economy Paracel Islands Economy - overview: China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism. Transportation Paracel Islands Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded Military Paracel Islands Military - note: occupied by China Transnational Issues Paracel Islands Disputes - international: occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Paraguay Introduction Paraguay Background: In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, large, economically important areas were won from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER was overthrown in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then. Geography Paraguay Location: Central South America, northeast of Argentina Geographic coordinates: 23 00 S, 58 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 406,750 sq km land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California Land boundaries: total: 3,920 km border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west Terrain: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m Natural resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone Land use: arable land: 7.47% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 92.29% (2005) Irrigated land: 670 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June) Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country People Paraguay Population: 6,506,464 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.7% (male 1,245,149/female 1,204,970) 15-64 years: 57.5% (male 1,878,761/female 1,862,266) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 145,899/female 169,419) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 21.3 years male: 21.1 years female: 21.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.45% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 29.1 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 24.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.1 years male: 72.56 years female: 77.78 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (1999 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 600 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Paraguayan(s) adjective: Paraguayan Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10% Languages: Spanish (official), Guarani (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94% male: 94.9% female: 93% (2003 est.) Government Paraguay Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay conventional short form: Paraguay local long form: Republica del Paraguay local short form: Paraguay Government type: constitutional republic Capital: name: Asuncion geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital city*; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Asuncion*, Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion, Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro Independence: 14 May 1811 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May annually) Constitution: promulgated 20 June 1992 Legal system: based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 Executive branch: chief of state: President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI Joria (since 15 August 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI Joria (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008) election results: Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS elected president; percent of vote - Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS 37.1%, Julio Cesar Ramon FRANCO Gomez 23.9%, Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella 21.3%, Guillermo SANCHEZ Guffanti 13.5%, other 4.2% Legislative branch: bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANR 16, PLRA 12, UNACE 7, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANR 37, PLRA 21, UNACE 10, PQ 10, PPS 2 note: as of January 2006, changes in party affiliation has led to the composition of the legislature as follows: Chamber of Senators - seats by party - ANR 18, PLRA 12, UNACE 5, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - ANR 39, PLRA 21, UNACE 8, PQ 10, PPS 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura) Political parties and leaders: Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado Party or ANR [Herminio CACERES, interim president]; Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Enrique GONZALEZ Quintana, acting chairman]; Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella]; Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Luis TORALES Kennedy]; Partido Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Blas LLANO]; Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares] note: Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS on leave as party leader of the Colorado Party or ANR while serving as President of Paraguay; Lino Cesar OVIEDO Silva, leader of UNACE, is currently serving a ten-year prison term Political pressure groups and leaders: Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of Campesino Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation of Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or CNT [Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT [Jorge Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo] International organization participation: CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962 FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508 consulate(s) general: Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: Ambassador James C. CASON embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001 telephone: [595] (21) 213-715 FAX: [595] (21) 213-728 Flag description: three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles) Economy Paraguay Economy - overview: Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. This sector features both reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. The formal economy grew by an average of about 3% annually in 1995-97, but averaged near-zero growth in 1998-2001 and contracted by 2.3 percent in 2002, in response to regional contagion and an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty, corruption, lack of progress on structural reform, substantial internal and external debt, and deficient infrastructure. Aided by a firmer exchange rate and perhaps a greater confidence in the economic policy of the DUARTE FRUTOS administration, the economy rebounded between 2003 and 2005, posting modest growth each year. GDP (purchasing power parity): $29.11 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $7.281 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22.4% industry: 20.7% services: 56.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.68 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 45% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 16% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 32% (2005 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.8% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 56.8 (1999) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.334 billion expenditures: $1.37 billion; including capital expenditures of $700 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 36% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber Industries: sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power Industrial production growth rate: 0% (2000 est.) Electricity - production: 51.29 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 99.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0.1% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 3.528 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 44.17 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 25,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-255 million (2005 est.) Exports: $3.13 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather Exports - partners: Uruguay 26.7%, Brazil 15.2%, Argentina 4.8%, Chile 4.7% (2005) Imports: $3.832 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery Imports - partners: Brazil 26.8%, Argentina 21.1%, US 20.8%, China 9.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.297 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.45 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): guarani (PYG) Currency code: PYG Exchange rates: guarani per US dollar - 6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003), 5,716.3 (2002), 4,105.9 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Paraguay Telephones - main lines in use: 320,300 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.887 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is in Asuncion domestic: fair microwave radio relay network international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) Radios: 925,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 5 (2003) Televisions: 990,000 (2001) Internet country code: .py Internet hosts: 13,178 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2000) Internet users: 200,000 (2005) Transportation Paraguay Airports: 881 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 12 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 869 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 325 under 914 m: 518 (2006) Railways: total: 36 km standard gauge: 36 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 29,500 km paved: 14,986 km unpaved: 14,514 km (1999) Waterways: 3,100 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,749 GRT/39,280 DWT by type: cargo 15, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 3 (Argentina 3) registered in other countries: 1 (Ecuador 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion Military Paraguay Military branches: Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Paraguay, FAP) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,345,022 females age 18-49: 1,342,725 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,109,166 females age 18-49: 1,135,046 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 63,058 females age 18-49: 62,217 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $53.1 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Paraguay Disputes - international: unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations Illicit drugs: major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, and Europe; corruption and some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; weak anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Peru Introduction Peru Background: Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his ouster in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government - the first democratically elected president of Quechua ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, returned to the presidency with promises to improve social conditions. Geography Peru Location: Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 76 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 1,285,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska Land boundaries: total: 5,536 km border countries: Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 1,496 km (est.), Ecuador 1,420 km Coastline: 2,414 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes Terrain: western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m Natural resources: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas Land use: arable land: 2.88% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.65% (2005) Irrigated land: 12,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity Environment - current issues: deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River People Peru Population: 28,302,603 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.9% (male 4,456,195/female 4,300,233) 15-64 years: 63.7% (male 9,078,123/female 8,961,981) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 709,763/female 796,308) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 25.3 years male: 25 years female: 25.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.32% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 20.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 30.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 33.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.84 years male: 68.05 years female: 71.71 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.51 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 82,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Peruvian(s) adjective: Peruvian Ethnic groups: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% Religions: Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.) Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.7% male: 93.5% female: 82.1% (2004 est.) Government Peru Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Peru conventional short form: Peru local long form: Republica del Peru local short form: Peru Government type: constitutional republic Capital: name: Lima geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 25 regions (regiones, singular - region) and 1 province* (provincia); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali Independence: 28 July 1821 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 28 July (1821) Constitution: 31 December 1993 Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - members of the military and national police may not vote Executive branch: chief of state: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006) note: Prime Minister Jorge DEL CASTILLO Galvez (since 28 August 2006) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential and congressional elections held 9 April 2006, with runoff election held 4 June 2006; next to be held April 2011 election results: Alan GARCIA elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alan GARCIA 52.5%, Ollanta HUMALA Tasso 47.5% Legislative branch: unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 April 2006 (next to be held April 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UPP 21.2%, PAP 20.6%, UN 15.3%, AF 13.1%, FC 7.1%, PP 4.1%, RN 4.0%; seats by party - UPP 45, PAP 36, UN 17, AF 13, FC 5, PP 2, RN 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary) Political parties and leaders: Alliance For Progress (Alianza Para El Progreso) [Cesar ACUNA Peralta]; Alliance For The Future (Alianza Por El Futuro) or AF - a coalition of pro-FUJIMORI parties including Cambio 90, Nueva Mayoria, and Si Cumple [Martha CHAVEZ Cossio]; Centrist Front (Frente Del Centro) or FC - a coalition of Accion Popular, Somos Peru, and Coordinadora Nacional de Independientes [Valentin PANIAGUA Corazoa]; Independent Moralizing Front (Frente Independiente Moralizador) or FIM [Fernando OLIVERA Vega]; Nationalist Party Uniting Peru (Partido Nacionalista Uniendo al Peru) or UPP - a coalition of Union for Peru (UPP) and Peruvian Nationalist Party (PNP) [Ollanta HUMALA Tasso]; National Restoration (Restauracion Nacional) or RN [Humberto LAY Sun]; National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN [Lourdes FLORES Nano]; Peru Possible (Peru Posible) or PP [David WAISMAN]; Peruvian Aprista Party (Partido Aprista Peruano) or PAP - also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA [Alan GARCIA] Political pressure groups and leaders: leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)]; Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned), Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] International organization participation: APEC, CAN, CSN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Felipe ORTIZ de Zevallos chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869 FAX: [1] (202) 659-8124 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, Washington, DC Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador J. Curtis STRUBLE embassy: Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33 mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima), APO AA 34031-5000 telephone: [51] (1) 434-3000 FAX: [51] (1) 618-2397 Flag description: three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath Economy Peru Economy - overview: Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4 percent per year during the period 2002-2005, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance, the TOLEDO administration remained unpopular in 2005, and unemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Economic growth will be driven by the Camisea natural gas megaproject and by exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural products. Peru is expected to sign a free-trade agreement with the United States in early 2006. GDP (purchasing power parity): $167.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $69.81 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8% industry: 27% services: 65% (2003 est.) Labor force: 9.06 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 9% industry: 18% services: 73% (2001) Unemployment rate: 7.6% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 54% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 37.2% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 49.8 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $21.87 billion expenditures: $22.47 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion for general government, but excluding private enterprises (2005 est.) Public debt: 38% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish Industries: mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing Industrial production growth rate: 6.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 22.68 billion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 14.5% hydro: 84.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0.8% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 21.09 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 120,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 157,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 49,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 370 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 560 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 910 million cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 247.1 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $1.03 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $15.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee Exports - partners: US 31.1%, China 10.8%, Chile 6.6%, Canada 5.9%, Switzerland 4.6% (2005) Imports: $12.15 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper Imports - partners: US 18.2%, China 8.5%, Brazil 8%, Ecuador 7.4%, Colombia 6.1%, Argentina 5.1%, Chile 5.1%, Venezuela 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $14.18 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $30.94 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $491 million (2002) Currency (code): nuevo sol (PEN) Currency code: PEN Exchange rates: nuevo sol per US dollar - 3.2958 (2005), 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003), 3.5165 (2002), 3.5068 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Peru Telephones - main lines in use: 2,250,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 5.583 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate for most requirements domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 51; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Pan American submarine cable Radio broadcast stations: AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999) Radios: 6.65 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 3.06 million (1997) Internet country code: .pe Internet hosts: 269,981 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (2000) Internet users: 4.6 million (2005) Transportation Peru Airports: 268 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 54 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 214 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 63 under 914 m: 124 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 983 km; gas/lpg 61 km; liquid natural gas 106 km; liquid petroleum gas 517 km; oil 1,754 km; refined products 13 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,462 km standard gauge: 2,962 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 500 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 78,672 km paved: 10,314 km (including 276 km of expressways) unpaved: 68,358 km (2003) Waterways: 8,808 km note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2005) Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 38,954 GRT/62,255 DWT by type: cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Panama 15) (2006) Ports and terminals: Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas; note - Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries Military Peru Military branches: Peruvian Army (Ejercito Peruano), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru; includes naval air, naval infantry, and coast guard), Peruvian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service (1999) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 6,647,874 females age 18-49: 6,544,408 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,938,417 females age 18-49: 5,278,511 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 277,105 females age 18-49: 269,799 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $829.3 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Peru Disputes - international: Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral law to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundary along the parallel of latitude to an equidistance line which favors Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru does not support Bolivia's claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along the Peruvian border Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 60,000 (civil war from 1980-2000; most IDPs are indigenous peasants in Andean and Amazonian regions) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Peru is primarily a source country for women and children trafficked internally for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced domestic labor; most victims are girls and young women moved internally from rural to urban areas, or from city to city, and lured or coerced into prostitution in nightclubs, bars, and brothels; Peruvians have also been trafficked for sexual exploitation to Spain, Japan, the United States, and Venezuela; the government acknowledges that sex tourism occurs, particularly in the Amazon region of the country tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Peru is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking in 2005 Illicit drugs: until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer; cultivation of coca in Peru fell 15% to 31,150 hectares between 2002 and the end of 2003; much of the cocaine base is shipped to neighboring Colombia for processing into cocaine, while finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market; increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil and Bolivia for use in the Southern Cone or transshipped to Europe and Africa This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Philippines Introduction Philippines Background: The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected President and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during WWII, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Philippines attained their independence. The 20-year rule of Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a widespread popular rebellion forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts, which prevented a return to full political stability and economic development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992 and his administration was marked by greater stability and progress on economic reforms. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998, but was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in January 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and widespread demonstrations led to his ouster. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year term in May 2004. The Philippine Government faces threats from armed communist insurgencies and from Muslim separatists in the south. Geography Philippines Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 122 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 300,000 sq km land: 298,170 sq km water: 1,830 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arizona Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 36,289 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 nm in breadth exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October) Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands Elevation extremes: lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m Natural resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper Land use: arable land: 19% permanent crops: 16.67% other: 64.33% (2005) Irrigated land: 15,500 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis Environment - current issues: uncontrolled deforestation especially in watershed areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers; coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps that are important fish breeding grounds Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands; favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait People Philippines Population: 89,468,677 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 35% (male 15,961,365/female 15,340,065) 15-64 years: 61% (male 27,173,919/female 27,362,736) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,576,089/female 2,054,503) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 22.5 years male: 22 years female: 23 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.8% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 24.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 22.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.21 years male: 67.32 years female: 73.24 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Nationality: noun: Filipino(s) adjective: Philippine Ethnic groups: Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% (2000 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 80.9%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, Muslim 5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census) Languages: two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 92.5% female: 92.7% (2002) Government Philippines Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines conventional short form: Philippines local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas local short form: Pilipinas Government type: republic Capital: name: Manila geographic coordinates: 14 35 N, 121 00 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 79 provinces and 117 chartered cities provinces: Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Biliran, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu, Compostela, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela, Kalinga, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, La Union, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato, Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay chartered cities: Alaminos, Angeles, Antipolo, Bacolod, Bago, Baguio, Bais, Balanga, Batangas, Bayawan, Bislig, Butuan, Cabanatuan, Cadiz, Cagayan de Oro, Calamba, Calapan, Calbayog, Candon, Canlaon, Cauayan, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan, Danao, Dapitan, Davao, Digos, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Escalante, Gapan, General Santos, Gingoog, Himamaylan, Iligan, Iloilo, Isabela, Iriga, Kabankalan, Kalookan, Kidapawan, Koronadal, La Carlota, Laoag, Lapu-Lapu, Las Pinas, Legazpi, Ligao, Lipa, Lucena, Maasin, Makati, Malabon, Malaybalay, Malolos, Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila, Marawi, Markina, Masbate, Muntinlupa, Munoz, Naga, Olongapo, Ormoc, Oroquieta, Ozamis, Pagadian, Palayan, Panabo, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Passi, Puerto Princesa, Quezon, Roxas, Sagay, Samal, San Carlos (in Negros Occidental), San Carlos (in Pangasinan), San Fernando (in La Union), San Fernando (in Pampanga), San Jose, San Jose del Monte, San Pablo, Santa Rosa, Santiago, Silay, Sipalay, Sorsogon, Surigao, Tabaco, Tacloban, Tacurong, Tagaytay, Tagbilaran, Taguig, Tagum, Talisay (in Cebu), Talisay (in Negros Oriental), Tanauan, Tangub, Tanjay, Tarlac, Toledo, Tuguegarao, Trece Martires, Urdaneta, Valencia, Valenzuela, Victorias, Vigan, Zamboanga Independence: 12 June 1898 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 12 June (1898); note - 12 June 1898 was date of declaration of independence from Spain; 4 July 1946 was date of independence from US Constitution: 2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987 Legal system: based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001); note - president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001); note - president is both chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of Commission of Appointments elections: president and vice president (Manuel "Noli" DE CASTRO) elected on separate tickets by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: results of the election - Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO elected president; percent of vote - Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 40%, Fernando POE 37%, three others 23% Legislative branch: bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or Senado (24 seats - one-half elected every three years; members elected at large by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (212 members representing districts plus 24 sectoral party-list members; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; note - the Constitution prohibits the House of Representatives from having more than 250 members) elections: Senate - last held 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2007); House of Representatives - elections last held 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - Lakas 30%, LP 13%, KNP 13%, independents 17%, others 27%; seats by party - Lakas 7, LP 3, KNP (coalition) 3, independents 4, others 6; note - there are 23 rather than 24 sitting senators because one senator was elected vice president; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Lakas 93, NPC 53, LP 34, LDP 11, others 20; party-listers 24 (2004) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (15 justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and serve until 70 years of age); Court of Appeals; Sandigan-bayan (special court for hearing corruption cases of government officials) Political parties and leaders: Kabalikat Ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) [Ronaldo PUNO]; Laban Ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA]; Lakas Ng Edsa (National Union of Christian Democrats) or Lakas [Jose DE VENECIA]; Liberal Party or LP [Franklin DRILON/Eli QUINTO]; Nacionalista [Manuel VILLAR]; National People's Coalition or NPC [Frisco SAN JUAN]; PDP-Laban [Aquilino PIMENTEL]; People's Reform Party [Miriam Defensor SANTIAGO]; PROMDI [Emilio OSMENA]; Pwersa Ng Masang Pilipino (Party of the Philippine Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA]; Reporma [Renato DE VILLA] Political pressure groups and leaders: AKBAYAN [Reps. Etta ROSALES, Mario AGUJA, and Risa HONTIVEROS-BARAQUIEL]; ALAGAD [Rep. Rodante MARROLITA]; ALIF [Rep. Acmad TOMAWIS]; An Waray [Rep. Horencio NOEL]; Anak Mindanao [Mujiv HATAMIN]; ANAKPAWIS [Reps. Crispin BELTRAN and Rafael MARIANO]; APEC [Reps. Ernesto PABLO, Edgar VALDEZ]; Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) [Reps. Edgar VALDEZ, Ernesto PABLO, and Sunny Rose MADAMBA]; AVE [Rep. Eulogio MAGSAYSAY]; Bayan Muna [Reps. Satur OCAMPO, Joel VIRADOR, and Teodoro CASINO, Jr.]; BUHAY [Reps. Rene VELARDE and Hans Christian SENERES]; BUTIL [Rep. Benjamin CRUZ]; CIBAC [Rep. Emmanuel Joel VILLANUEVA]; COOP-NATCO [Rep. Guillermo CUA]; GABRIELA [Rep. Liza MAZA]; Partido Ng Manggagawa [Rep. Renato MAGTUBO]; Veterans Federation of the Philippines [Rep. Ernesto GIDAYA] (2006) International organization participation: APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Willy C. GAA chancery: 1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-9300 FAX: [1] (202) 328-7614 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Jose (Northern Mariana Islands), Tamuning (Guam) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita 1000, Manila mailing address: PSC 500, FPO AP 96515-1000 telephone: [63] (2) 528-6300 FAX: [63] (2) 522-4361 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top; representing peace and justice) and red (representing courage); a white equilateral triangle based on the hoist side represents equality; the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing one of the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain; each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star representing the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; the design of the flag dates to 1897; in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top Economy Philippines Economy - overview: The Philippines was less severely affected by the Asian financial crisis of 1998 than its neighbors, aided in part by its high level of annual remittances from overseas workers, and no sustained runup in asset prices or foreign borrowing prior to the crisis. From a 0.6% decline in 1998, GDP expanded by 2.4% in 1999, and 4.4% in 2000, but slowed to 3.2% in 2001 in the context of a global economic slowdown, an export slump, and political and security concerns. GDP growth accelerated to about 5% between 2002 and 2005 reflecting the continued resilience of the service sector, and improved exports and agricultural output. Nonetheless, it will take a higher, sustained growth path to make appreciable progress in the alleviation of poverty given the Philippines' high annual population growth rate and unequal distribution of income. The Philippines also faces higher oil prices, higher interest rates on its dollar borrowings, and higher inflation. Fiscal constraints limit Manila's ability to finance infrastructure and social spending. The Philippines' consistently large budget deficit has produced a high debt level, and this situation has forced Manila to spend a large portion of the national government budget on debt service. Large unprofitable public enterprises, especially in the energy sector, contribute to the government's debt because of slow progress on privatization. Credit rating agencies have at times expressed concern about the Philippines' ability to service the debt, though central bank reserves appear adequate and large remittance inflows appear stable. The implementation of the expanded Value Added Tax (VAT) in November 2005 boosted confidence in the government's fiscal capacity and helped to strengthen the peso, which gained 5.7 percent year-on-year, making it East Asia's best performing currency in 2005. Investors and credit rating institutions will continue to look for effective implementation of the new VAT and continued improvement in the government's overall fiscal capacity in the coming year. GDP (purchasing power parity): $412.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $91.36 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14.4% industry: 32.6% services: 53% (2005 est.) Labor force: 36.73 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 36% industry: 16% services: 48% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 8.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 40% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.9% (2003) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 46.6 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 15.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $12.38 billion expenditures: $15.77 billion; including capital expenditures of NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 72.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples, mangoes; pork, eggs, beef; fish Industries: electronics assembly, garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing, petroleum refining, fishing Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 47.82 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 55.6% hydro: 17.5% nuclear: 0% other: 26.9% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 44.48 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 14,360 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 335,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 312,000 bbl/day (2003) Oil - proved reserves: 152 million bbl (1 January 2004) Natural gas - production: 2.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 2.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 106.8 billion cu m (1 January 2004) Current account balance: $2.354 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $41.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: electronic equipment, machinery and transport equipment, garments, optical instruments, coconut products, fruits and nuts, copper products, chemicals Exports - partners: US 18%, Japan 17.5%, China 9.9%, Netherlands 9.8%, Hong Kong 8.1%, Singapore 6.6%, Malaysia 6%, Taiwan 4.6% (2005) Imports: $42.66 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment, fuels, vehicles and vehicle parts, plastic, chemicals, grains Imports - partners: US 19.2%, Japan 17%, Singapore 7.9%, Taiwan 7.5%, China 6.3%, South Korea 4.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.6%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $18.5 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $65.71 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA commitments, $2 billion (2004) Currency (code): Philippine peso (PHP) Currency code: PHP Exchange rates: Philippine pesos per US dollar - 55.086 (2005), 56.04 (2004), 54.203 (2003), 51.604 (2002), 50.993 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Philippines Telephones - main lines in use: 3,437,500 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 32.81 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and inter-island service adequate domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations international: country code - 63; 9 international gateways; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan Radio broadcast stations: AM 369, FM 583, shortwave 5 note: each shortwave station operates on multiple frequencies in the language of the target audience (2004) Radios: 11.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 225; note - 1373 CATV networks (2004) Televisions: 3.7 million (1997) Internet country code: .ph Internet hosts: 111,262 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 33 (2000) Internet users: 7.82 million (2005) Transportation Philippines Airports: 256 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 83 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 36 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 173 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 69 under 914 m: 99 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: gas 565 km; oil 135 km; refined products 105 km (2006) Railways: total: 897 km narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2005) Roadways: total: 200,037 km paved: 19,804 km unpaved: 180,233 km (2003) Waterways: 3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 403 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,661,285 GRT/6,426,183 DWT by type: bulk carrier 82, cargo 115, chemical tanker 13, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 17, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 73, petroleum tanker 42, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 13, vehicle carrier 13 foreign-owned: 66 (Greece 5, Hong Kong 3, Japan 26, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 19, Norway 3, UAE 1, US 8) registered in other countries: 41 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Cambodia 1, Cayman Islands 1, Comoros 1, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 16, Indonesia 1, Panama 13, Singapore 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iligan, Iloilo, Manila, Surigao Military Philippines Military branches: Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Philippine Air Force (Hukbomg Himpapawid ng Pilipinas) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 20,131,179 females age 18-49: 20,009,526 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,170,096 females age 18-49: 16,931,191 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 907,542 females age 18-49: 878,712 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $836.9 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Philippines Disputes - international: Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 150,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu Sayyaf groups) (2005) Illicit drugs: domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in recent years; longstanding marijuana producer This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Pitcairn Islands Introduction Pitcairn Islands Background: Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today. Geography Pitcairn Islands Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand Geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 06 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 47 sq km land: 47 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 51 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March) Terrain: rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m Natural resources: miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore Land use: arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons (especially November to March) Environment - current issues: deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement) Geography - note: Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore People Pitcairn Islands Population: 45 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.01% (2006 est.) Birth rate: NA Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: NA Sex ratio: NA Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: NA HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Pitcairn Islander(s) adjective: Pitcairn Islander Ethnic groups: descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives Religions: Seventh-Day Adventist 100% Languages: English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect) Literacy: NA Government Pitcairn Islands Country name: conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: NA Capital: name: Adamstown geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK) Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) Constitution: 30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964 Legal system: local island by-laws Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal with three years residency Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council head of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Jay WARREN (since 15 December 2004) cabinet: NA elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held December 2007) election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council Legislative branch: unicameral Island Council (10 seats - 5 elected by popular vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor including 1 seat for the Island Secretary, the Island Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor and council; elected members serve one-year terms) elections: last held in 24 December 2005 (next to be held December 2006) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents Judicial branch: Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Judicial Officers are appointed by the Governor Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: SPC, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a shield featuring a yellow anchor Economy Pitcairn Islands Economy - overview: The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. The fertile soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams, and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The major sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to collectors and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships. In October 2004, more than one-quarter of Pitcairn's small labor force was arrested, putting the economy in a bind, since their services were required as lighter crew to load or unload passing ships. GDP (purchasing power parity): $NA Labor force: 15 able-bodied men (2004) Labor force - by occupation: note: no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing Budget: revenues: $746,000 expenditures: $1.028 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY04/05) Agriculture - products: honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens Industries: postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered generator Exports: $NA Exports - commodities: fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps Imports: $NA Imports - commodities: fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs Economic aid - recipient: $3.465 million (2004) Currency (code): New Zealand dollar (NZD) Currency code: NZD Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Pitcairn Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: satellite phone services domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB) international: country code - 872; satellite earth station (Inmarsat) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0, note - 15 Ham radio operators (VP6) (2004) Radios: NA Televisions: NA Internet country code: .pn Internet hosts: 8 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA Internet users: NA Transportation Pitcairn Islands Roadways: total: 6 km unpaved: 6 km (dirt roads) Ports and terminals: Adamstown (on Bounty Bay) Military Pitcairn Islands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Pitcairn Islands Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Poland Introduction Poland Background: Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment, underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations. Geography Poland Location: Central Europe, east of Germany Geographic coordinates: 52 00 N, 20 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 312,685 sq km land: 304,465 sq km water: 8,220 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 3,056 km border countries: Belarus 416 km, Czech Republic 790 km, Germany 467 km, Lithuania 103 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 210 km, Slovakia 541 km, Ukraine 529 km Coastline: 491 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties Climate: temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers Terrain: mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border Elevation extremes: lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m highest point: Rysy 2,499 m Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land Land use: arable land: 40.25% permanent crops: 1% other: 58.75% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding Environment - current issues: situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to EU code, but at substantial cost to business and the government Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Geography - note: historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain People Poland Population: 38,536,869 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.9% (male 3,142,811/female 2,976,363) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 13,585,306/female 13,704,763) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,961,326/female 3,166,300) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 37 years male: 35.1 years female: 39 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.05% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.97 years male: 70.95 years female: 79.23 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% ; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 14,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Pole(s) adjective: Polish Ethnic groups: Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002) Languages: Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2003 est.) Government Poland Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Poland conventional short form: Poland local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska local short form: Polska Government type: republic Capital: name: Warsaw geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Zachodniopomorskie Independence: 11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed) National holiday: Constitution Day, 3 May (1791) Constitution: adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997, passed by national referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 1997 Legal system: mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI (since 10 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Ludwik DORN (since 23 November 2005), Roman GIERTYCH (since 5 May 2006), Zyta GILOWSKA (since 22 September 2006), Andrzej LEPPER (since 16 October 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held October 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46% Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly elections: Senate - last held 25 September 2005 (next to be held by September 2009); Sejm elections last held 25 September 2005 (next to be held by September 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PiS 49, PO 34, LPR 7, SO 3, PSL 2, independents 5; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PiS 27%, PO 24.1%, SO 11.4%, SLD 11.3%, LPR 8%, PSL 7%, other 11.2%; seats by party - PiS 155, PO 133, SO 56, SLD 55, LPR 34, PSL 25, German minorities 2 note: two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm only Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms) Political parties and leaders: Catholic-National Movement or RKN [Antoni MACIEREWICZ]; Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Conservative Peasants Party or SKL [Artur BALASZ]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK]; Democratic Party or PD [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK]; Dom Ojczysty (Fatherland Home); German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI]; Peasant-Democratic Party or PLD [Roman JAGIELINSKI]; Polish Accord or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Waldemar PAWLAK]; Ruch Patriotyczny or RP [Jan OLSZEWSKI]; Samoobrona or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Marek BOROWSKI]; Social Movement or RS [Krzysztof PIESIEWICZ]; Union of Labor or UP [Andrzej SPYCHALSKI] Political pressure groups and leaders: All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan GUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Jozef GLEMP]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK] International organization participation: ACCT (observer), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Janusz REITER chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802 FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch) telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000 FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688 consulate(s) general: Krakow Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white Economy Poland Economy - overview: Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done, especially in bringing down the unemployment rate - currently the highest in the EU. The privatization of small- and medium-sized state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further development. Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy), while recently initiated, have stalled. Reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance depends mainly on reducing losses in Polish state enterprises, restraining entitlements, and overhauling the tax code to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers, most of whom pay no tax. The previous Socialist-led government introduced a package of social and administrative spending cuts to reduce public spending by about $17 billion through 2007, but full implementation of the plan was trumped by election-year politics in 2005. The right-wing Law and Justice party won parliamentary elections in September, and Lech KACZYNSKI won the presidential election in October 2005, running on a state-interventionist fiscal and monetary platform. Poland joined the EU in May 2004, and surging exports to the EU contributed to Poland's strong growth in 2004, though its competitiveness could be threatened by the zloty's appreciation. GDP per capita roughly equals that of the three Baltic states. Poland stands to benefit from nearly $23.2 billion in EU funds, available through 2006. Farmers have already begun to reap the rewards of membership via booming exports, higher food prices, and EU agricultural subsidies. GDP (purchasing power parity): $505.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $246.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 31.1% services: 64% (2005 est.) Labor force: 17.1 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 16.1% industry: 29% services: 54.9% (2002) Unemployment rate: 18.2% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 17% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 26.7% (2002) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34.1 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $52.73 billion expenditures: $63.22 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 47.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy Industries: machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles Industrial production growth rate: 3.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 150.8 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 98.1% hydro: 1.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 121.3 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 15.2 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 5 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 24,530 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 476,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 53,000 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 413,700 bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 142.4 million bbl (December 2004) Natural gas - production: 4.33 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - consumption: 14.97 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 44 million cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 9.45 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 154.4 billion cu m (December 2004) Current account balance: $-4.364 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $92.72 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2003) Exports - partners: Germany 28.2%, France 6.2%, Italy 6.1%, UK 5.6%, Czech Republic 4.6%, Russia 4.4%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005) Imports: $95.67 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003) Imports - partners: Germany 29.6%, Russia 8.7%, Italy 6.6%, Netherlands 5.9%, France 5.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $42.56 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $101.5 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $13.9 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Currency (code): zloty (PLN) Currency code: PLN Exchange rates: zlotych per US dollar - 3.2355 (2005), 3.6576 (2004), 3.8891 (2003), 4.08 (2002), 4.0939 (2001) note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Poland Telephones - main lines in use: 11.803 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 29,166,400 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony domestic: wireless service, available since 1993 (GSM service available since 1996) and provided by three nation-wide networks, has grown rapidly in response to the weak fixed-line coverage; third generation UMTS service available in urban areas; cellular coverage is generally good with more gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and still lags in rural areas international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik) Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 20.2 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 40 (2006) Televisions: 13.05 million (1997) Internet country code: .pl Internet hosts: 358,476 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 19 (2000) Internet users: 10.6 million (2005) Transportation Poland Airports: 122 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 83 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 40 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 39 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Pipelines: gas 13,552 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km (2006) Railways: total: 23,072 km broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational; 11,910 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 423,997 km paved: 295,356 km (including 405 km of expressways) unpaved: 128,641 km (2004) Waterways: 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 55,701 GRT/45,082 DWT by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Nigeria 1) registered in other countries: 106 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Bahamas 15, Belize 2, Cyprus 20, Liberia 14, Malta 27, Norway 2, Panama 15, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Slovakia 2, Vanuatu 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin Military Poland Military branches: Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (includes Navy (Marynarka Wojenna, MW)), Polish Air Force (Polskie Sily Powietrzne, PSP) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; in 2005, Poland plans to shorten the length of conscript service obligation from 12 to 9 months; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004, women are only allowed to serve as officers and noncommissioned officers (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 9,681,703 females age 17-49: 9,480,641 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 7,739,472 females age 17-49: 7,859,165 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 275,446 females age 17-49: 265,164 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.5 billion (2002) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.71% (2002) Transnational Issues Poland Disputes - international: as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland must implement the strict Schengen border rules Illicit drugs: major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Portugal Introduction Portugal Background: Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986. Geography Portugal Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain Geographic coordinates: 39 30 N, 8 00 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 92,391 sq km land: 91,951 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana Land boundaries: total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km Coastline: 1,793 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south Terrain: mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m Natural resources: fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower Land use: arable land: 17.29% permanent crops: 7.84% other: 74.87% (2005) Irrigated land: 6,500 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes Environment - current issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification Geography - note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar People Portugal Population: 10,605,870 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.5% (male 915,604/female 839,004) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,484,545/female 3,544,674) 65 years and over: 17.2% (male 751,899/female 1,070,144) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.5 years male: 36.4 years female: 40.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.36% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.7 years male: 74.43 years female: 81.2 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 22,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese Ethnic groups: homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995) Languages: Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.3% male: 95.5% female: 91.3% (2003 est.) Government Portugal Country name: conventional long form: Portuguese Republic conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Lisbon geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu Independence: 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (independent republic proclaimed) National holiday: Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died Constitution: 25 April 1976; revised many times Legal system: civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO Silva (since 9 March 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES (since 12 March 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held January 2011); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Anibal CAVACO Silva elected president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO Silva 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo de SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3% Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%, CDU 7.6%, PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%; seats by party - PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14, PP 12, BE 8 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura) Political parties and leaders: Green Ecologist Party or PEV [Heloisa APOLONIA]; Popular Party or PP [Jose Ribeiro e CASTRO]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo de SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]; Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU (includes PEV and PCP) [Jeronimo de SOUSA] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis Alves CATARINO chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726 consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alfred J. HOFFMAN Jr. embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300 FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109 consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores) Flag description: two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line Economy Portugal Economy - overview: Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth had been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but fell back in 2001-05. GDP per capita stands at two-thirds that of the Big Four EU economies. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness while keeping the budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling. GDP (purchasing power parity): $200.6 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $170.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 0.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $19,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.3% industry: 27.4% services: 67.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 5.52 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10% industry: 30% services: 60% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.6% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 38.5 (1997) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $78.84 billion expenditures: $90.27 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 63.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, swine, poultry, dairy products; fish Industries: textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metals and metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; rubber and plastic products; ceramics; electronics and communications equipment; rail transportation equipment; aerospace equipment; ship construction and refurbishment; wine; tourism Industrial production growth rate: 0% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 44.32 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 64.5% hydro: 31.3% nuclear: 0% other: 4.1% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 44.01 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 3.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 5.9 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 326,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 28,830 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 357,300 bbl/day (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 2.983 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 2.553 billion cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $-17.1 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $38.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper products, hides Exports - partners: Spain 25.9%, France 13.1%, Germany 11.9%, UK 8%, US 5.4%, Italy 4.3% (2005) Imports: $60.35 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum, textiles, agricultural products Imports - partners: Spain 29%, Germany 13.4%, France 8.5%, Italy 5.2%, Netherlands 4.3%, UK 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $10.36 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $287.8 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $271 million (1995) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Portugal Telephones - main lines in use: 4.234 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 11.448 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations international: country code - 351; 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned Radio broadcast stations: AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 3.02 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 62 (plus 166 repeaters) note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands (1995) Televisions: 3.31 million (1997) Internet country code: .pt Internet hosts: 845,980 (2005) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 7,782,700 (2006) Transportation Portugal Airports: 66 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 43 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 11 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 22 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,099 km; oil 8 km; refined products 174 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,850 km broad gauge: 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified) narrow gauge: 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 72,600 km paved: 62,436 km (including 1,700 km of expressways) unpaved: 10,164 km (2002) Waterways: 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2003) Merchant marine: total: 111 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,077,300 GRT/1,363,435 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 27, chemical tanker 15, container 7, liquefied gas 11, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 9 foreign-owned: 82 (Australia 1, Belgium 8, Cyprus 1, Denmark 4, Germany 17, Greece 4, Italy 12, Japan 9, Malta 1, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Spain 15, Switzerland 3, US 1) registered in other countries: 16 (Cyprus 2, Hong Kong 1, Malta 3, Panama 10) (2006) Ports and terminals: Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines Military Portugal Military branches: Army, Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP), National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service was ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,435,042 females age 18-49: 2,405,816 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,952,819 females age 18-49: 1,977,264 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 67,189 females age 18-49: 60,626 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3,497.8 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.3% (2003) Transnational Issues Portugal Disputes - international: Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz Illicit drugs: gateway country for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market (especially from Brazil); transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Puerto Rico Introduction Puerto Rico Background: Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status. Geography Puerto Rico Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 66 30 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 13,790 sq km land: 8,870 sq km water: 4,921 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 501 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,339 m Natural resources: some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil Land use: arable land: 3.69% permanent crops: 5.59% other: 90.72% (2005) Irrigated land: 400 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts; hurricanes Environment - current issues: erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages Geography - note: important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north People Puerto Rico Population: 3,927,188 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.3% (male 428,610/female 409,484) 15-64 years: 65.8% (male 1,239,255/female 1,345,519) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 218,045/female 286,275) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34.7 years male: 33 years female: 36.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.4% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.4 years male: 74.46 years female: 82.54 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.75 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 7,397 (1997) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens) adjective: Puerto Rican Ethnic groups: white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9% Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% Languages: Spanish, English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.1% male: 93.9% female: 94.4% (2002 est.) Government Puerto Rico Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico conventional short form: Puerto Rico Dependency status: unincorporated, organized territory of the US with commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President Government type: commonwealth Capital: name: San Juan geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 66 07 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US with commonwealth status); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco Independence: none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) National holiday: US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25 July (1952) Constitution: ratified 3 March 1952, approved by US Congress 3 July 1952, effective 25 July 1952 Legal system: based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of justice Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Puerto Rico, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (PPD) elected governor; percent of vote - 48.4% Legislative branch: bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (at least 27 seats - currently 29; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PNP 43.4%, PPD 40.3%, PIP 9.4%; seats by party - PNP 17, PPD 9, PIP 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PNP 46.3%, PPD 43.1%, PIP 9.7%; seats by party - PNP 32, PPD 18, PIP 1 note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); Luis FORTUNO elected resident commissioner; results - percent of vote by party - PNP 48.6%; seats by party - PNP 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate) Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Party [Roberto PRATS]; National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Dr. Tiody FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP (pro-US statehood) [Pedro ROSSELLO]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD (pro-commonwealth) [Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA]; Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] Political pressure groups and leaders: Boricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group also known as Los Macheteros); note - the following radical groups are considered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance, Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution International organization participation: Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WToO (associate) Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed Economy Puerto Rico Economy - overview: Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 2004. Growth fell off in 2001-03, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy, and has recovered in 2004-2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $73.27 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $18,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 45% services: 54% (2002 est.) Labor force: 1.3 million (2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3% industry: 20% services: 77% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 12% (2002) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (2003 est.) Budget: revenues: $6.7 billion expenditures: $9.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens Industries: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, tourism Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 23.03 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.2% hydro: 0.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 21.42 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 436.1 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 218,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 740 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 630 million cu m (2001 est.) Exports: $46.9 billion f.o.b. (2001) Exports - commodities: chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment Exports - partners: US 90.3%, UK 1.6%, Netherlands 1.4%, Dominican Republic 1.4% (2004) Imports: $29.1 billion c.i.f. (2001) Imports - commodities: chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products Imports - partners: US 55.0%, Ireland 23.7%, Japan 5.4% (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Puerto Rico Telephones - main lines in use: 1,111,900 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.682 million (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service international: country code - 1-787, 939; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US Radio broadcast stations: AM 74, FM 53, shortwave 0 (2006) Radios: 2.7 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 32 (2006) Televisions: 1.021 million (1997) Internet country code: .pr Internet hosts: 404 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 76 (2000) Internet users: 1 million (2005) Transportation Puerto Rico Airports: 30 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Railways: total: 96 km narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 25,645 km paved: 24,363 km (including 426 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,282 km (2004) Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 77,177 GRT/50,138 DWT by type: roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 3 (US 3) registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Las Mareas, Mayaguez, San Juan Military Puerto Rico Military branches: no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary National Guard, Police Force Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Puerto Rico Disputes - international: increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico each year looking for work This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Qatar Introduction Qatar Background: Ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, overthrew him in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Geography Qatar Location: Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia Geographic coordinates: 25 30 N, 51 15 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut Land boundaries: total: 60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km Coastline: 563 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish Land use: arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.27% other: 98.09% (2005) Irrigated land: 130 sq km (2002) Natural hazards: haze, dust storms, sandstorms common Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits People Qatar Population: 885,359 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.4% (male 105,546/female 101,371) 15-64 years: 73% (male 446,779/female 199,133) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 24,059/female 8,471) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 31.7 years male: 37.1 years female: 22.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.5% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 14.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.24 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.87 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 18.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.9 years male: 71.37 years female: 76.57 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.81 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.09% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari Ethnic groups: Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14% Religions: Muslim 95% Languages: Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 89.1% female: 88.6% (2004 est.) Government Qatar Country name: conventional long form: State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar Government type: traditional emirate Capital: name: Doha geographic coordinates: 25 17 N, 51 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal Independence: 3 September 1971 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 3 September (1971) Constitution: ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by the amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005 Legal system: discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Shari'a law dominates family and personal matters Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad al-Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince TAMIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, fourth son of the monarch (selected Heir Apparent by the monarch on 5 August 2003); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa al-Thani, brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, brother of the monarch (since 20 January 1998); First Deputy Prime Minister HAMAD bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani (since 16 September 2003, also Foreign Minister since 1992); Second Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin Hamad al-ATIYAH (since 16 September 2003, also Electricity and Water Minister since 1999 and Energy and Industry Minister since 1992) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary note: in April 2003, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election for the CMC was held in March 1999 Legislative branch: unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed) note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their terms extended every four years since; the new constitution, which came into force on 9 June 2005, provides for a 45-member Consultative Council, or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the amir would appoint the remaining members; preparations are underway to conduct elections to the Majlis al-Shura in early 2007 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal note: under a judiciary law issued in 2003, the former two court systems, civil and Islamic law, were merged under a higher court, the Court of Cassation, established for appeals Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Hamad bin Mubarak al-KHALIFA chancery: 2555 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603 FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061 consulate(s) general: Houston Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Chase UNTERMEYER embassy: Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha telephone: [974] 488 4101 FAX: [974] 488 4176 Flag description: maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side Economy Qatar Economy - overview: Oil and gas account for more than 60% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have given Qatar a per capita GDP about 80% of that of the leading West European industrial countries. Proved oil reserves of 16 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 25 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total and third largest in the world. Qatar has permitted substantial foreign investment in the development of its gas fields during the last decade and is expected to become the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter by 2007. In recent years, Qatar has consistently posted trade surpluses largely because of high oil prices and increased natural gas exports, becoming one of the world's fastest growing and highest per-capita income countries. GDP (purchasing power parity): $24.46 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $28.07 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $28,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.2% industry: 80.1% services: 19.7% (2005 est.) Labor force: 440,000 (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 2.7% (2001) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $17.31 billion expenditures: $11.31 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 35.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish Industries: crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship repair Industrial production growth rate: 10% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 9.735 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 9.053 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 790,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 33,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 16 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 30.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 11.61 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 18.2 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 25.77 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $9.27 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $24.9 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel Exports - partners: Japan 37.1%, South Korea 19.5%, Singapore 8.3% (2005) Imports: $6.706 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals Imports - partners: France 11.5%, Japan 10.5%, US 10.4%, Germany 8.4%, Saudi Arabia 7.3%, UK 7%, Italy 6.5%, South Korea 5.5%, UAE 4.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.552 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $21.13 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Qatari rial (QAR) Currency code: QAR Exchange rates: Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.64 (2005), 3.64 (2004), 3.64 (2003), 3.64 (2002), 3.64 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Qatar Telephones - main lines in use: 205,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 716,800 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system centered in Doha domestic: NA international: country code - 974; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 256,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 230,000 (1997) Internet country code: .qa Internet hosts: 301 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 219,000 (2005) Transportation Qatar Airports: 5 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 319 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 1,024 km; liquid petroleum gas 87 km; oil 844 km (2006) Roadways: total: 1,230 km paved: 1,107 km unpaved: 123 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 23 ships (1000 GRT or over) 750,669 GRT/1,177,673 DWT by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 3, container 8, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 8 (Kuwait 7, US 1) registered in other countries: 4 (Honduras 1, Liberia 2, Panama 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Doha Military Qatar Military branches: Qatari Amiri Land Force (QALF), Qatari Amiri Navy (QAN), Qatari Amiri Air Force (QAAF) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; land forces enlisted personnel are largely unprofessional foreign nationals (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 302,873 females age 18-49: 137,856 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 238,566 females age 18-49: 116,595 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 7,851 females age 18-49: 7,040 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $723 million (FY00) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 10% (FY00) Transnational Issues Qatar Disputes - international: none Trafficking in persons: current situation: Qatar is a destination country for men and women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly, but are subsequently trafficked into involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers; the problem of trafficking of foreign children as camel jockeys was thoroughly addressed by government action in 2005, but independent confirmation of the problem's complete elimination is not yet available tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Qatar has made noticeable progress in rescuing and repatriating child camel jockeys, establishing a shelter for abused domestic workers, and creating hotlines to register complaints; however, Qatar is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide sufficient evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2005, particularly with regard to labor exploitation This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Reunion Introduction Reunion Background: The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. Geography Reunion Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Geographic coordinates: 21 06 S, 55 36 E Map references: World Area: total: 2,517 sq km land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 207 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m Natural resources: fish, arable land, hydropower Land use: arable land: 13.94% permanent crops: 1.59% other: 84.47% (2005) Irrigated land: 120 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean People Reunion Population: 787,584 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.8% (male 120,147/female 114,589) 15-64 years: 64% (male 248,895/female 255,156) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 19,847/female 28,950) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 26.9 years male: 25.7 years female: 28.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.34% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.37 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.18 years male: 70.78 years female: 77.75 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.45 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Reunionese (singular and plural) adjective: Reunionese Ethnic groups: French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian Religions: Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) Languages: French (official), Creole widely used Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.) Government Reunion Country name: conventional long form: Department of Reunion conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island Dependency status: overseas department of France Government type: NA Capital: name: Saint-Denis geographic coordinates: 20 52 S, 55 28 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons Independence: none (overseas department of France) National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: French law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Pierre-Henry MACCIONI (since 28 August 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Nassimah DINDAR (since NA March 2004) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils Legislative branch: unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held in 2001 (next to be held in 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRC 1, UDF 1, UMP 1; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 3, PS 1, independent 1 Judicial branch: Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Elie HOARAU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Michel VERGOZ]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: InOC, UPU, WFTU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of France) Flag description: unofficial, local flag designed to emphasize solidarity among the people of Reunion; the field is divided vertically with three narrow stripes of blue, white, and red along the hoist edge representing the French national flag; the remainder of the field is divided diagonally into four triangles colored (clockwise from the hoist side) blue, golden yellow, red, and green; in the center, the apexes of the triangles are surmounted by a white disk; the only official flag is the national flag of France Economy Reunion Economy - overview: The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrated the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.79 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8% industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.) Labor force: 299,000 (2002) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 13% industry: 12% services: 75% (2000) Unemployment rate: 31% (2002) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Budget: revenues: $554.7 million expenditures: $554.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn Industries: sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.19 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 55.5% hydro: 44.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.107 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 18,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $248.5 million f.o.b. (2002) Exports - commodities: sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3% Exports - partners: France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2004) Imports: $3.306 billion c.i.f. (2002) Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products Imports - partners: France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.) Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Reunion Telephones - main lines in use: 300,000 (2001) Telephones - mobile cellular: 579,200 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) Radios: 173,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) Televisions: 127,000 (1997) Internet country code: .re Internet hosts: 29 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 200,000 (2005) Transportation Reunion Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,214 km (including 88 km of four-lane roads) (2001) Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Le Port Military Reunion Military branches: no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 183,421 females age 18-49: 185,606 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 142,578 females age 18-49: 154,273 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 7,339 females age 18-49: 7,007 (2005 est.) Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Reunion Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Romania Introduction Romania Background: The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in March of 2004 and completed accession talks with the European Union (EU) in December 2004; it is scheduled to accede to the EU in 2007. Geography Romania Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 25 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 237,500 sq km land: 230,340 sq km water: 7,160 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon Land boundaries: total: 2,508 km border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km Coastline: 225 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms Terrain: central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m Natural resources: petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower Land use: arable land: 39.49% permanent crops: 1.92% other: 58.59% (2005) Irrigated land: 30,770 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides Environment - current issues: soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine People Romania Population: 22,303,552 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.7% (male 1,799,072/female 1,708,030) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 7,724,368/female 7,797,065) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 1,347,392/female 1,927,625) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 36.6 years male: 35.3 years female: 37.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.12% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.7 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 11.77 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 25.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.63 years male: 68.14 years female: 75.34 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.37 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,500 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 350 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian Ethnic groups: Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002 census) Religions: Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census) Languages: Romanian (official), Hungarian, German Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 99.1% female: 97.7% (2003 est.) Government Romania Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Romania local long form: none local short form: Romania Government type: republic Capital: name: Bucharest geographic coordinates: 44 26 N, 26 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti (Bucharest)*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea Independence: 9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed 26 March 1881); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed) National holiday: Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918) Constitution: 8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003 Legal system: former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Calin Popescu-TARICEANU (since 29 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 November 2004, with runoff between the top two candidates held 12 December 2004 (next to be held November-December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the Parliament election results: percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 51.23%, Adrian NASTASE 48.77% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (137 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera Deputatilor (332 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 28 November 2004 (next expected to be held in November 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 28 November 2004 (next expected to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 37.1%, PNL-PD 31.8%, PRM 13.6%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 44, PNL 30, PD 20, PRM 20, PC 11, UDMR 10, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 36.8%, PNL-PD 31.5%, PRM 13%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 111, PNL 66, PD 45, PRM 34, ex-PRM (Ciontu Group) 12, UDMR 22, PC 20, PIN (GUSA Group) 3, independent 1, ethnic minorities 18 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (comprised of 11 judges appointed for three-year terms by the president in consultation with the Superior Council of Magistrates, which is comprised of the minister of justice, the prosecutor general, two civil society representatives appointed by the Senate, and 14 judges and prosecutors elected by their peers); a separate body, the Constitutional Court, validates elections and makes decisions regarding the constitutionality of laws, treaties, ordinances, and internal rules of the Parliament; it is comprised of nine members serving nine-year terms, with three members each appointed by the president, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies Political parties and leaders: Conservative Party or PC [Dan VOICULESCU], formerly Humanist Party or PUR; Democratic Party or PD [Emil BOC]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Calin Popescu-TARICEANU]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mircea Dan GEOANA], formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR Political pressure groups and leaders: various human rights and professional associations International organization participation: ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Daniela GITMAN chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851, 4852 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nicholas F. TAUBMAN embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, US Department of State, 5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch) telephone: [40] (21) 200-3300 FAX: [40] (21) 200-3442 information office: Cluj-Napoca Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova Economy Romania Economy - overview: Romania began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. Despite the global slowdown in 2001-02, strong domestic activity in construction, agriculture, and consumption have kept GDP growth above 4%. An IMF standby agreement, signed in 2001, has been accompanied by slow but palpable gains in privatization, deficit reduction, and the curbing of inflation. The IMF Board approved Romania's completion of the standby agreement in October 2003, the first time Romania has successfully concluded an IMF agreement since the 1989 revolution. In July 2004, the executive board of the IMF approved a 24-month standby agreement for $367 million. IMF concerns about Romania's tax policy and budget deficit led to a breakdown of this agreement in 2005. In the past, the IMF has criticized the government's fiscal, wage, and monetary policies. Meanwhile, macroeconomic gains have only recently started to spur creation of a middle class and address Romania's widespread poverty, while corruption and red tape continue to handicap the business environment. Romanian government confidence in continuing disinflation was underscored by its currency revaluation in 2005, making 10,000 "old" lei equal 1 "new" leu. GDP (purchasing power parity): $181.8 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $72.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10.1% industry: 35% services: 54.9% (2004 est.) Labor force: 9.31 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 31.6% industry: 30.7% services: 37.7% (2004) Unemployment rate: 7.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: At-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers 12% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 27.6% (2003) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 28.8 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (2005) Investment (gross fixed): 24.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $29.97 billion expenditures: $31.37 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 20.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep Industries: textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 57 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 62.5% hydro: 27.6% nuclear: 9.9% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 37.5 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 3.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 380 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 119,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 212,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 163,000 bbl/day bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 500 million bbl (yearend 2004) Natural gas - production: 13.2 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 18.8 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 5.9 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 300 billion cu m (yearend 2004) Current account balance: $-8.2 billion (2005) Exports: $31.2 billion f.o.b. (2005) Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products Exports - partners: Italy 19.4%, Germany 14%, Turkey 7.9%, France 7.4%, UK 5.5%, Hungary 4.1%, US 4.1% (2005) Imports: $41 billion f.o.b. (2005) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels and minerals, chemicals, textile and products, basic metals, agricultural products Imports - partners: Italy 15.5%, Germany 14%, Russia 8.3%, France 6.8%, Turkey 4.9%, China 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $21.6 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $35.68 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $3.3 billion in committed EU pre-accession aid (2004-06) Currency (code): leu (ROL) is being phased out in 2006; "new" leu (RON) was introduced in 2005 due to currency revaluation: 10,000 ROL = 1 RON Currency code: ROL Exchange rates: lei per US dollar - 3 (2005), 3 (2004), 3 (2003), 3 (2002), 3 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Romania Telephones - main lines in use: 4.391 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 13.354 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: rapidly improving domestic and international service, especially in wireless telephony domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; liberalization in 2003 is transforming telecommunications; there has been 20% growth in fixed lines with a penetration rate of 58% of households; nation-wide wireless service is growing even faster with four major providers and a penetration rate of 32% international: country code - 40; satellite earth station - 10 (Intelsat 4); digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest (2005) Radio broadcast stations: AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998) Radios: 7.2 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 5.25 million (1997) Internet country code: .ro Internet hosts: 57,470 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 38 (2000) Internet users: 4.94 million (2005) Transportation Romania Airports: 61 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 25 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 3,508 km; oil 2,427 km (2006) Railways: total: 11,385 km standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge (3,888 km electrified) broad gauge: 60 km 1.524-m gauge narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 198,817 km paved: 60,043 km (including 228 km of expressways) unpaved: 138,774 km (2003) Waterways: 1,731 km note: includes 1,075 km on Danube River, 524 km on secondary branches, and 132 km on canals (2005) Merchant marine: total: 23 ships (1000 GRT or over) 198,767 GRT/246,732 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 15, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Italy 1) registered in other countries: 48 (Georgia 11, North Korea 11, Malta 9, Panama 9, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Syria 3, unknown 4) (2006) Ports and terminals: Braila, Constanta, Galati, Tulcea Military Romania Military branches: Land Forces, Naval Forces, Romanian Air Force (Fortele Aerienne Romane, FAR), Special Operations (2006) Military service age and obligation: all military inductees (including women) are volunteers who contract for an initial five-year term of service; subsequent voluntary service contracts are for successive three-year terms until the age of 36; minimum age for voluntary military service is 18 (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 5,061,984 females age 20-49: 4,975,427 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 3,932,579 females age 20-49: 4,076,288 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 172,093 females age 20-49: 165,547 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $985 million (2002) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.47% (2002) Transnational Issues Romania Disputes - international: Romania and Ukraine have taken their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania also opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea; Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Romania, to which Romania had objected Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe; although not a significant financial center, role as a narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering which occurs via the banking system, currency exchange houses, and casinos This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Russia Introduction Russia Background: Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the Communist period. While some progress has been made on the economic front, recent years have seen a recentralization of power under Vladimir PUTIN and the erosion of nascent democratic institutions. A determined guerrilla conflict still plagues Russia in Chechnya and threatens to destabilize the North Caucasus region. Geography Russia Location: Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part of Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 17,075,200 sq km land: 16,995,800 sq km water: 79,400 sq km Area - comparative: approximately 1.8 times the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 20,096.5 km border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,340 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 280.5 km, Mongolia 3,485 km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 232 km, Ukraine 1,576 km Coastline: 37,653 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m Natural resources: wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources Land use: arable land: 7.17% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 92.72% (2005) Irrigated land: 46,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia Environment - current issues: air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Geography - note: largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak People Russia Population: 142,893,540 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 10,441,151/female 9,921,102) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 49,271,698/female 52,679,463) 65 years and over: 14.4% (male 6,500,814/female 14,079,312) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 38.4 years male: 35.2 years female: 41.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.37% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.95 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 14.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 15.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.08 years male: 60.45 years female: 74.1 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 860,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 9,000 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian Ethnic groups: Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census) Religions: Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.) note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule Languages: Russian, many minority languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.5% (2003 est.) Government Russia Country name: conventional long form: Russian Federation conventional short form: Russia local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya local short form: Rossiya former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Government type: federation Capital: name: Moscow geographic coordinates: 55 45 N, 37 35 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Russia is divided into eleven time zones Administrative divisions: 48 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respublik, singular - respublika), 9 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 7 krays (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast (avtonomnaya oblast') oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl' republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan (Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya (Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas), Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk), Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola), Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk) autonomous okrugs: Aga Buryat (Aginskoye), Chukotka (Anadyr'), Evenk (Tura), Khanty-Mansi, Koryak (Palana), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Taymyr [Dolgano-Nenets] (Dudinka), Ust'-Orda Buryat (Ust'-Ordynskiy), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard) krays: Altay (Barnaul), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Permskiy, Primorskiy (Vladivostok), Stavropol' federal cities: Moscow (Moskva), Saint Petersburg (Sankt-Peterburg) autonomous oblast: Yevrey [Jewish] (Birobidzhan) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Russia Day, 12 June (1990) Constitution: adopted 12 December 1993 Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (acting president 31 December 1999-6 May 2000, president since 7 May 2000) head of government: Premier Mikhail Yefimovich FRADKOV (since 5 March 2004); First Deputy Premier Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV (since 14 November 2005), Deputy Premiers Aleksandr Dmitriyevich ZHUKOV (since 9 March 2004) and Sergey Borisovich IVANOV (since 14 November 2005) cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the president note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma election results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN 71.2%, Nikolay KHARITONOV 13.7%, other (no candidate above 5%) 15.1% Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 88 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; currently elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at least 7% of the vote; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: State Duma - last held 7 December 2003 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of the 225 party list seats - United Russia 37.1%, CPRF 12.7%, LDPR 11.6%, Motherland 9.1%; seats by party - United Russia 222, CPRF 53, LDPR 38, Motherland 37, People's Party 19, Yabloko 4, SPS 2, other 7, independents 65, repeat election required 3; composition as of 1 July 2006 - United Russia 309, CPRF 45, LDPR 35, Motherland 29, People's Party 12, independents 18, vacant 2 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Supreme Arbitration Court; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the president Political parties and leaders: A Just Russia or JR [Sergei MIRONOV] (formed from the merger of three small political parties: Motherland Party (Rodina), Pensioner's Party, and Party of Life); Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF [Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; People's Party [Gennady RAIKOV]; Union of Right Forces or SPS [Nikita BELYKH]; United Russia or UR [Boris Vyacheslavovich GRYZLOV]; Yabloko Party [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC, CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, G- 8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer), ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708 FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William J. BURNS embassy: Bolshoy Deviatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721 telephone: [7] (495) 728-5000 FAX: [7] (495) 728-5090 consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red Economy Russia Economy - overview: Russia ended 2005 with its seventh straight year of growth, averaging 6.4% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Although high oil prices and a relatively cheap ruble are important drivers of this economic rebound, since 2000 investment and consumer-driven demand have played a noticeably increasing role. Real fixed capital investments have averaged gains greater than 10% over the last five years, and real personal incomes have realized average increases over 12%. During this time, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. Russia has also improved its international financial position since the 1998 financial crisis, with its foreign debt declining from 90% of GDP to around 31%. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Russia to increase its foreign reserves from only $12 billion to some $180 billion at yearend 2005. These achievements, along with a renewed government effort to advance structural reforms, have raised business and investor confidence in Russia's economic prospects. Nevertheless, serious problems persist. Economic growth slowed to 5.9% for 2005 while inflation remains high. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia's manufacturing base is dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based economic growth. Other problems include a weak banking system, a poor business climate that discourages both domestic and foreign investors, corruption, and widespread lack of trust in institutions. In addition, a string of investigations launched against a major Russian oil company, culminating with the arrest of its CEO in the fall of 2003 and the acquisition of the company by a state owned firm, have raised concerns by some observers that President PUTIN is granting more influence to forces within his government that desire to reassert state control over the economy. State control has increased in the past year with a number of large acquisitions. Most fundamentally, Russia has made little progress in building the rule of law, the bedrock of a modern market economy. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.584 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $740.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $11,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.4% industry: 37.1% services: 57.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 74.22 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10.3% industry: 21.4% services: 68.3% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.6% plus considerable underemployment (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 17.8% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 38.7% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $176.7 billion expenditures: $125.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 12.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; defense industries including radar, missile production, and advanced electronic components, shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 931 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 66.3% hydro: 17.2% nuclear: 16.4% other: 0.1% (2003) Electricity - consumption: 811.5 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 24 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 14 billion kWh (2002) Oil - production: 9.15 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 2.8 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 5.15 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 75,000 bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 69 billion bbl (2003 est.) Natural gas - production: 587 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 402.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 157.2 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 12 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 47.57 trillion cu m (2003) Current account balance: $84.25 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $245 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures Exports - partners: Netherlands 10.3%, Germany 8.3%, Italy 7.9%, China 5.5%, Ukraine 5.2%, Turkey 4.5%, Switzerland 4.4% (2005) Imports: $125 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, sugar, semifinished metal products Imports - partners: Germany 13.6%, Ukraine 8%, China 7.4%, Japan 6%, Belarus 4.7%, US 4.7%, Italy 4.6%, South Korea 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $182.2 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $215.3 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: in FY01 from US, $979 million (including $750 million in non-proliferation subsidies); in 2001 from EU, $200 million (2000 est.) Currency (code): Russian ruble (RUR) Currency code: RUR Exchange rates: Russian rubles per US dollar - 28.284 (2005), 28.814 (2004), 30.692 (2003), 31.349 (2002), 29.169 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Russia Telephones - main lines in use: 40.1 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 120 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: the telephone system underwent significant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy; however, a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density international: country code - 7; Russia is connected internationally by three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems Radio broadcast stations: AM 323, FM 1,500 est., shortwave 62 (2004) Radios: 61.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 7,306 (1998) Televisions: 60.5 million (1997) Internet country code: .ru; note - Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" that was allocated to the Soviet Union, and whose legal status and ownership are contested by the Russian Government, ICANN, and several Russian commercial entities Internet hosts: 1,979,924 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 300 (June 2000) Internet users: 23.7 million (2005) Transportation Russia Airports: 1,623 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 616 over 3,047 m: 51 2,438 to 3,047 m: 198 1,524 to 2,437 m: 130 914 to 1,523 m: 100 under 914 m: 137 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,007 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 127 under 914 m: 780 (2006) Heliports: 52 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 122 km; gas 156,285 km; oil 72,283 km; refined products 13,658 km (2006) Railways: total: 87,157 km broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified) narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island) note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve industries (2005) Roadways: total: 871,000 km paved: 738,000 km (including 29,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 133,000 km note: includes public and departmental roads (2004) Waterways: 102,000 km (including 33,000 km with guaranteed depth) note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2005) Merchant marine: total: 1,178 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,080,341 GRT/6,287,784 DWT by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 46, cargo 743, chemical tanker 25, combination ore/oil 38, container 13, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 219, refrigerated cargo 54, roll on/roll off 15, specialized tanker 5 foreign-owned: 100 (Belgium 4, Canada 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 1, Germany 2, Greece 1, Latvia 2, Malta 4, Norway 1, Switzerland 7, Turkey 63, Ukraine 11, US 1) registered in other countries: 465 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 6, Belize 36, Bulgaria 1, Cambodia 105, Comoros 4, Cyprus 53, Dominica 2, Finland 1, Georgia 28, North Korea 1, Liberia 77, Malta 70, Marshall Islands 1, Mongolia 13, Panama 7, Saint Kitts and Nevis 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 29, Sierra Leone 1, Tuvalu 2, Ukraine 1, Vanuatu 1, Venezuela 1, unknown 14) (2006) Ports and terminals: Anapa, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Rostov-na-Donu, Saint Petersburg, Taganrog, Vanino, Vostochnyy Military Russia Military branches: Ground Forces (SV), Navy (VMF), Air Forces (VVS); Airborne Troops (VDV), Strategic Rocket Troops (RVSN), and Space Troops (KV) are independent "combat arms," not subordinate to any of the three branches Military service age and obligation: Russia has adopted a mixed conscript-contract force; 18-27 years of age; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; length of compulsory military service is two years; plans call for reduction in mandatory service to 18 months in 2007 and to one year by 2008; 30% of Russian army personnel were contract servicemen at the end of 2005; planning calls for volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010, with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts; as of November 2006, the Armed Forces had more than 60 units manned with contract personnel totalling over 78,000 contract privates and sergeants; 88 Ministry of Defense units have been designated as permanent readiness units and are expected to become all-volunteer by end 2007; these include most air force, naval, and nuclear arms units, as well as all airborne and naval infantry units, most motorized rifle brigades, and all special forces detachments (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 35,247,049 females age 18-49: 35,986,426 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 21,049,651 females age 18-49: 29,056,021 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,286,069 females age 18-49: 1,244,264 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Russia Disputes - international: in 2005, China and Russia ratified the treaty to divide up the islands in the Amur, Ussuri, and Argun Rivers, representing the final portion of their centuries-long border disputes; the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting all but small, strategic segments of the land boundary and the maritime boundary; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia signed equidistance boundaries in the Caspian seabed but the littoral states have no consensus on dividing the water column; Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone; various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia (Kareliya) and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union following the Second World War but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands; in May 2005, Russia recalled its signatures to the 1996 border agreements with Estonia (1996) and Latvia (1997), when the two Baltic states announced issuance of unilateral declarations referencing Soviet occupation and ensuing territorial losses; Russia demands better treatment of ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, to strict Schengen border rules; delimitation of land boundary with Ukraine is complete, but states have renewed discussions on demarcation; the dispute over the maritime boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-going expert-level discussions; discussions toward economic and political union with Belarus advance slowly; Kazakhstan and Russia boundary delimitation ratified November 2005 and demarcation is underway; Russian Duma has not yet ratified 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement with the US in the Bering Sea Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 339,000 (displacement from Chechnya and North Ossetia) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Russia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for various purposes; it remains a significant source of women trafficked to over 50 countries for commercial sexual exploitation; Russia is also a transit and destination country for men and women trafficked from Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Korea to Central and Western Europe and the Middle East for purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; internal trafficking remains a problem in Russia with women trafficked from rural areas to urban centers for commercial sexual exploitation, and men are trafficked internally and from Central Asia for forced labor in the construction and agricultural industries; debt bondage is common among trafficking victims, and child sex tourism remains a concern tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Russia is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for a third consecutive year for its continued failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of victim protection and assistance Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active illicit crop eradication program; used as transshipment point for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin American cocaine bound for growing domestic markets, to a lesser extent Western and Central Europe, and occasionally to the US; major source of heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime are key concerns; heroin increasingly popular in domestic market This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Rwanda Introduction Rwanda Background: In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the former Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda, but about 10,000 remain in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo and have formed an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF tried in 1990. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output, and ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived Tutsi political dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization and intolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu extremist insurgency across the border, and Rwandan involvement in two wars in recent years in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy. Geography Rwanda Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 26,338 sq km land: 24,948 sq km water: 1,390 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land Land use: arable land: 45.56% permanent crops: 10.25% other: 44.19% (2005) Irrigated land: 90 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo Environment - current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural People Rwanda Population: 8,648,248 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,817,998/female 1,802,134) 15-64 years: 55.6% (male 2,392,778/female 2,417,467) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 87,325/female 130,546) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.43% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 40.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 16.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 89.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 94.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 84.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.3 years male: 46.26 years female: 48.38 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.43 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 250,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 22,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Nationality: noun: Rwandan(s) adjective: Rwandan Ethnic groups: Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001) Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.4% male: 76.3% female: 64.7% (2003 est.) People - note: Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa Government Rwanda Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda conventional short form: Rwanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda local short form: Rwanda former: Ruanda, German East Africa Government type: republic; presidential, multiparty system Capital: name: Kigali geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 04 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - prefigintara for singular and plural); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962) Constitution: new constitution adopted 4 June 2003 Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult Executive branch: chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 25 August 2003 (next to be held NA 2008) election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 by the Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning, to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80 seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women elected by local bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations, to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held NA, members appointed as part of the transitional government (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: seats by party under the 2003 Constitution - RPF 40, PSD 7, PL 6, additional 27 members indirectly elected Judicial branch: Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts; District Courts; mediation committees Political parties and leaders: Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA] (officially banned); Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Prosper HIGIRO]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned); Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA] Political pressure groups and leaders: IBUKA - association of genocide survivors International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Zac NSENGA chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael ARIETTI embassy: 337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 50 56 01 through 03 FAX: [250] 57 2128 Flag description: three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width), yellow, and green, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blue band Economy Rwanda Economy - overview: Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded and inflation has been curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005. Kigali's high defense expenditures have caused tension between the government and international donors and lending agencies. An energy shortage and instability in neighboring states may slow growth in 2006, while the lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continues to handicap export growth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $12.54 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.817 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40.1% industry: 22.9% services: 37% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.6 million (2000) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 60% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 24.2% (1985) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 28.9 (1985) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $509.9 million expenditures: $584.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock Industries: cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2001 est.) Electricity - production: 98 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.3% hydro: 97.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 121.1 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 30 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 6,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-166 million (2005 est.) Exports: $98 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, tea, hides, tin ore Exports - partners: Germany 11%, China 6.5%, Belgium 4.5% (2005) Imports: $243 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material Imports - partners: Kenya 23.8%, Uganda 6.2%, Belgium 5.4%, Germany 5.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $357 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $1.4 billion (2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $425 million (2003) Currency (code): Rwandan franc (RWF) Currency code: RWF Exchange rates: Rwandan francs per US dollar - 610 (2005), 574.62 (2004), 537.66 (2003), 476.33 (2002), 442.8 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Rwanda Telephones - main lines in use: 23,000 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 290,000 note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several provincial capitals (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business and government domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the provinces by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone international: country code - 250; international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service) Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 8 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters, three international FM programs include the BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle), shortwave 1 (2005) Radios: 601,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (2004) Televisions: NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997) Internet country code: .rw Internet hosts: 1,590 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2002) Internet users: 38,000 (2005) Transportation Rwanda Airports: 9 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Roadways: total: 12,000 km paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999) Waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2005) Ports and terminals: Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye Military Rwanda Military branches: Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 2,004,750 females age 16-49: 1,990,935 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 1,103,823 females age 16-49: 1,096,644 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $53.66 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.9% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Rwanda Disputes - international: Tutsi, Hutu, Hema, Lendu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda to gain control over populated areas and natural resources - government heads pledge to end conflicts, but localized violence continues despite UN peacekeeping efforts; DROC and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism in 2005 to address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels and the Congo providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means and bases to attack Rwandan forces; as of 2004, Rwandan refugees lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 45,460 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 4,158 (incursions by Hutu rebels from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997-99; most IDPs in northwest) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Saint Helena Introduction Saint Helena Background: Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903. Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic. Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases the site for a meteorological station on Gough Island. Geography Saint Helena Location: islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest of Saint Helena Geographic coordinates: Saint Helena: 15 57 S 5 42 W Ascension Island: 7 57 S 14 22 W Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S 12 30 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 413 sq km land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: Saint Helena: 60 km Ascension Island: NA Tristan da Cunha: 40 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena) Terrain: the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 m Natural resources: fish, lobster Land use: arable land: 12.9% permanent crops: 0% other: 87.1% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961 Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa People Saint Helena Population: 7,502 note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.8% (male 717/female 692) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 2,751/female 2,593) 65 years and over: 10% (male 342/female 407) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 36 years male: 36.2 years female: 35.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.56% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.93 years male: 75.02 years female: 80.98 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.55 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian note: referred to locally as "Saints" Ethnic groups: African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% Religions: Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic Languages: English Literacy: definition: age 20 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.) Government Saint Helena Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: NA Capital: name: Jamestown geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha* Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) Constitution: 1 January 1989 Legal system: British common law and statutes, supplemented by local statutes Suffrage: NA years of age Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 12 Judicial branch: Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ICFTU, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship Economy Saint Helena Economy - overview: The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK. GDP (purchasing power parity): $18 million (1998 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,500 (1998 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 2,486 note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 6% industry: 48% services: 46% (1987 est.) Unemployment rate: 14% (1998 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.2% (1997 est.) Budget: revenues: $11.2 million expenditures: $11 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93) Agriculture - products: coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha) Industries: construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 5 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 4.65 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 100 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts Exports - partners: Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2005) Imports: $45 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts Imports - partners: UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2005) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997) Currency (code): Saint Helenian pound (SHP) Currency code: SHP Exchange rates: Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Saint Helena Telephones - main lines in use: 2,200 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: general assessment: can communicate worldwide domestic: automatic digital network international: country code - 290; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1) Radio broadcast stations: Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005) Radios: 3,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 0 note: three television channels are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by UHF (2005) Televisions: 2,000 (1997) Internet country code: .sh; note - the IANA has assigned .ac as the ccTLD for Ascension Island Internet hosts: 329 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 1,000 note - includes Ascension Island (2003) Communications - note: South Africa maintains a meteorological station on Gough Island Transportation Saint Helena Airports: 1 note: Wideawake Field on Ascension Island (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km) paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2002) Ports and terminals: Saint Helena: Jamestown Ascension Island: Georgetown Tristan da Cunha: Calshot Harbor Transportation - note: there is no air connection to Saint Helena or Tristan da Cunha; an international airport for Saint Helena is in development for 2010 Military Saint Helena Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Saint Helena Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Saint Kitts and Nevis Introduction Saint Kitts and Nevis Background: First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nevis continues in its efforts to try and separate from Saint Kitts. Geography Saint Kitts and Nevis Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: 17 20 N, 62 45 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km) land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 135 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) Terrain: volcanic with mountainous interiors Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m Natural resources: arable land Land use: arable land: 19.44% permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: hurricanes (July to October) Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape complements that of its sister island People Saint Kitts and Nevis Population: 39,129 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.5% (male 5,515/female 5,263) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 12,605/female 12,572) 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 1,313/female 1,861) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.8 years male: 27.1 years female: 28.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.5% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.33 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -4.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 14.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.4 years male: 69.56 years female: 75.42 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.31 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s) adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian Ethnic groups: predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese Religions: Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic Languages: English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) Government Saint Kitts and Nevis Country name: conventional long form: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Basseterre geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland, Saint James Windward, Saint John Capesterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capesterre, Saint Paul Charlestown, Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle Island, Trinity Palmetto Point Independence: 19 September 1983 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 19 September (1983) Constitution: 19 September 1983 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Cuthbert Montraville SEBASTIAN (since 1 January 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general in consultation with the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3 appointed and 11 popularly elected from single-member constituencies; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 October 2004 (next to be held by 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SKNLP 7, CCM 2, NRP 1, PAM 1 Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis) Political parties and leaders: Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Vance AMORY]; Nevis Reformation Party or NRP [Joseph PARRY]; People's Action Movement or PAM [Lindsey GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party or SKNLP [Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Izben Cordinal WILLIAMS chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636 FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a broad black band bearing two white, five-pointed stars; the black band is edged in yellow; the upper triangle is green, the lower triangle is red Economy Saint Kitts and Nevis Economy - overview: Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Although the crop still dominates the agricultural sector, activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange; about 40,000 tourist visited Nevis during the 2003-2004 season. Additional tourist facilities, including a second cruise ship pier, hotels, and golf courses are under construction. GDP (purchasing power parity): $339 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $453 million GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.5% industry: 25.8% services: 70.7% (2001) Labor force: 18,170 (June 1995) Unemployment rate: 4.5% (1997) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.7% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $89.7 million expenditures: $128.2 million; including capital expenditures of $19.5 million (2003 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish Industries: sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 111.7 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 103.9 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $70 million (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco Exports - partners: US 63.5%, Canada 8.4%, UK 5.8% (2005) Imports: $405 million (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, manufactures, food, fuels Imports - partners: US 46.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.7%, UK 5.4%, France 4.5%, Japan 4.2% (2005) Debt - external: $314 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $-110,000 (2004) Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Currency code: XCD Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Saint Kitts and Nevis Telephones - main lines in use: 25,000 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 10,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: good inter-island and international connections domestic: inter-island links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004 international: country code - 1-869; international calls are carried by submarine cable or Intelsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 28,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three repeaters) (2004) Televisions: 10,000 (1997) Internet country code: .kn Internet hosts: 50 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 10,000 (2002) Transportation Saint Kitts and Nevis Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Railways: total: 50 km narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations during harvest season and for tourists (2005) Roadways: total: 320 km paved: 138 km unpaved: 182 km (1999 est) Merchant marine: total: 50 ships (1000 GRT or over) 261,556 GRT/381,593 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 36, chemical tanker 5, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 41 (Greece 1, Monaco 1, Russia 5, Spain 2, Syria 3, Tanzania 1, Turkey 6, UAE 19, Ukraine 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Basseterre, Charlestown Military Saint Kitts and Nevis Military branches: Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 9,196 females age 18-49: 9,236 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 7,119 females age 18-49: 7,645 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 357 females age 18-49: 347 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Saint Kitts and Nevis Disputes - international: joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Saint Lucia Introduction Saint Lucia Background: The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. Geography Saint Lucia Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: 13 53 N, 60 58 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 616 sq km land: 606 sq km water: 10 sq km Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 158 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m Natural resources: forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential Land use: arable land: 6.45% permanent crops: 22.58% other: 70.97% (2005) Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hurricanes and volcanic activity Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean People Saint Lucia Population: 168,458 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.8% (male 25,941/female 24,319) 15-64 years: 65% (male 53,916/female 55,582) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 3,186/female 5,514) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 25.2 years male: 24.4 years female: 26.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.29% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 19.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.08 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 13.17 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.84 years male: 70.29 years female: 77.65 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Saint Lucian(s) adjective: Saint Lucian Ethnic groups: black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, Rastafarian 2.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census) Languages: English (official), French patois Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 90.1% male: 89.5% female: 90.6% (2001 est.) Government Saint Lucia Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Lucia Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Castries geographic coordinates: 14 01 N, 61 00 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort Independence: 22 February 1979 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 22 February (1979) Constitution: 22 February 1979 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Sir John COMPTON (since 15 December 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; 6 members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6 Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Political parties and leaders: National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Sir John COMPTON] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia Flag description: blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border Economy Saint Lucia Economy - overview: Changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be cut. GDP (purchasing power parity): $866 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $825 million GDP - real growth rate: 5.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7% industry: 20% services: 73% (2002 est.) Labor force: 43,800 (2001 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 21.7% industry: 24.7% services: 53.6% (2002 est.) Unemployment rate: 20% (2003 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $141.2 million expenditures: $146.7 million; including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa Industries: clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing Industrial production growth rate: -8.9% (1997 est.) Electricity - production: 281 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 261.4 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 2,520 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $82 million (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil Exports - partners: France 29.3%, US 17.4%, China 17%, UK 13.1%, Brazil 6.2% (2005) Imports: $410 million (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels Imports - partners: US 24.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 15.5%, Netherlands 14.5%, Venezuela 5.6%, UK 5.6%, France 4.7% (2005) Debt - external: $257 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $-21.5 million (2004) Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Currency code: XCD Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Saint Lucia Telephones - main lines in use: 51,100 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 93,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system domestic: system is automatically switched international: country code - 1-758; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 111,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (of which one is a commercial broadcast station and one is a community antenna television or CATV channel) (2004) Televisions: 32,000 (1997) Internet country code: .lc Internet hosts: 21 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2000) Internet users: 55,000 (2005) Transportation Saint Lucia Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 910 km paved: 48 km unpaved: 862 km (2000) Ports and terminals: Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort Military Saint Lucia Military branches: no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 42,742 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 33,539 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,651 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Saint Lucia Disputes - international: joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Illicit drugs: transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Saint Pierre and Miquelon Introduction Saint Pierre and Miquelon Background: First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. Geography Saint Pierre and Miquelon Location: Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada) Geographic coordinates: 46 50 N, 56 20 W Map references: North America Area: total: 242 sq km land: 242 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 120 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy Terrain: mostly barren rock Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports Land use: arable land: 12.5% permanent crops: 0% other: 87.5% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard Environment - current issues: recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment Geography - note: vegetation scanty People Saint Pierre and Miquelon Population: 7,026 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.5% (male 843/female 807) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,342/female 2,272) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 348/female 414) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34.1 years male: 33.7 years female: 34.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.17% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 13.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.38 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.61 years male: 76.27 years female: 81.06 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French Ethnic groups: Basques and Bretons (French fishermen) Religions: Roman Catholic 99% Languages: French (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1982 est.) Government Saint Pierre and Miquelon Country name: conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon Dependency status: self-governing territorial collectivity of France Government type: NA Capital: name: Saint-Pierre geographic coordinates: 46 46 N, 56 11 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these new dates become effective in 2007 Administrative divisions: none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon at the second order Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763) National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and taxation Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Yves FAUQUEUR (since 28 August 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Marc PLANTAGENEST (since NA) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held, 21 April 2002 (first round) and 5 May 2002 (second round) (next to be held in 2007); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council is elected by the members of the council Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: elections last held 19 and 26 March 2000 (next to be held in April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PS 12, PRG 2, UDF-RPR 5 note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2013); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1 Judicial branch: Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel Political parties and leaders: Left Radical Party or PRG; Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP); Socialist Party or PS; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: UPU, WFTU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territorial collectivity of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territorial collectivity of France) Flag description: a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with yellow wavy lines under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the rectangle into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one above the other; these three heraldic arms represent settlement by colonists from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy; the flag of France is used for official occasions Economy Saint Pierre and Miquelon Economy - overview: The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector. GDP (purchasing power parity): $48.3 million note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,000 (2001 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 3,261 (1999) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 18% industry: 41% services: 41% (1996 est.) Unemployment rate: 10.3% (1999) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (1991-96 average) Budget: revenues: $70 million expenditures: $60 million; including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) Agriculture - products: vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish Industries: fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 44.15 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 41.06 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 480 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts Exports - partners: Spain 33.6%, Belgium 21.8%, India 18.3%, France 9.4%, US 7.5% (2005) Imports: $70 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials Imports - partners: France 51.3%, Canada 31.8%, Belgium 4.1% (2005) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: approximately $60 million in annual grants from France Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Saint Pierre and Miquelon Telephones - main lines in use: 4,800 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: general assessment: adequate domestic: NA international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 4,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997) Televisions: 4,000 (1997) Internet country code: .pm Internet hosts: 0 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation Saint Pierre and Miquelon Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Saint-Pierre Military Saint Pierre and Miquelon Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Saint Pierre and Miquelon Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Introduction Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Background: Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. Geography Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: 13 15 N, 61 12 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km) land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 84 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) Terrain: volcanic, mountainous Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m Natural resources: hydropower, cropland Land use: arable land: 17.95% permanent crops: 17.95% other: 64.1% (2005) Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays People Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Population: 117,848 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.7% (male 16,007/female 15,426) 15-64 years: 66.9% (male 40,676/female 38,155) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,315/female 4,269) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 26.9 years male: 26.7 years female: 27.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.26% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -7.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.85 years male: 71.99 years female: 75.77 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.83 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian Ethnic groups: black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 7% Religions: Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant Languages: English, French patois Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96% (1970 est.) Government Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Kingstown geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick Independence: 27 October 1979 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1979) Constitution: 27 October 1979 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.26%, NDP 44.68%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Political parties and leaders: New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Flag description: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern Economy Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Economy - overview: Economic growth in this lower-middle-income country hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals following 11 September 2001. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. Saint Vincent is also a producer of marijuana and is being used as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America. GDP (purchasing power parity): $342 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $428 million GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10% industry: 26% services: 64% (2001 est.) Labor force: 41,680 (1991 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 26% industry: 17% services: 57% (1980 est.) Unemployment rate: 15% (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $94.6 million expenditures: $85.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish Industries: food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch Industrial production growth rate: -0.9% (1997 est.) Electricity - production: 95 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 69.3% hydro: 30.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 88.35 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $37 million (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis racquets Exports - partners: France 50.3%, Italy 21%, Greece 11%, US 4.2% (2005) Imports: $225 million (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels Imports - partners: France 36.1%, Singapore 12.5%, Italy 11.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 7.9%, US 7.2% (2005) Debt - external: $223 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $10.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (2004) Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Currency code: XCD Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Telephones - main lines in use: 22,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 70,600 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines international: country code - 1-784; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 77,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three repeaters) (2004) Televisions: 18,000 (1997) Internet country code: .vc Internet hosts: 94 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2000) Internet users: 8,000 (2005) Transportation Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Airports: 6 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 829 km paved: 580 km unpaved: 249 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 589 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,449,699 GRT/8,051,250 DWT by type: bulk carrier 106, cargo 351, chemical tanker 5, container 20, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 38, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 529 (Bangladesh 1, Barbados 1, Belgium 3, Bulgaria 17, Canada 6, China 103, Croatia 9, Cyprus 1, Czech Republic registered in other countries: 1 (Comoros 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Kingstown Military Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Military branches: no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 31,489 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 25,787 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 1,204 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Disputes - international: joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Samoa Introduction Samoa Background: New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997. Geography Samoa Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Geographic coordinates: 13 35 S, 172 20 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 2,944 sq km land: 2,934 sq km water: 10 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 403 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October) Terrain: two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish, hydropower Land use: arable land: 21.13% permanent crops: 24.3% other: 54.57% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism Environment - current issues: soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: occupies an almost central position within Polynesia People Samoa Population: 176,908 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 23,492/female 22,653) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 74,202/female 44,894) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 5,299/female 6,368) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 25.2 years male: 28.1 years female: 22 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.2% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.62 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -11.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.65 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 26.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71 years male: 68.2 years female: 73.94 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.94 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12 HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3 Nationality: noun: Samoan(s) adjective: Samoan Ethnic groups: Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4% Religions: Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, other Christian 4.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.6% female: 99.7% (2003 est.) Government Samoa Country name: conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa conventional short form: Samoa local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa local short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa Government type: mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Apia geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 45W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano Independence: 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, 1 June 1962 is the date that independence is celebrated Constitution: 1 January 1962 Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA (cochief of state from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963) head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister from 1992 and assumed the duties of acting prime minister in 1996, when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; TUILA'EPA was confirmed as prime minister (November 1998) after TOFILAU died; Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice elections: upon the death of Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA, a new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve five-year terms) elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be held not later than March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles Court Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]; Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Beach Road, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia, 0815 telephone: [685] 21436/21452/21631/22696 FAX: [685] 22030 Flag description: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation Economy Samoa Economy - overview: The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. The decline of fish stocks in the area is a continuing problem. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 88,000 tourists visited the islands in 2001. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1 billion (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $399 million GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.4% industry: 58.4% services: 30.2% (2001 est.) Labor force: 90,000 (2000 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (2005) Budget: revenues: $171.3 million expenditures: $78.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2001-02) Agriculture - products: coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa Industries: food processing, building materials, auto parts Industrial production growth rate: 2.8% (2000) Electricity - production: 116 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 58% hydro: 42% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 107.9 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-2.428 million Exports: $94 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer Exports - partners: Australia 75.9%, American Samoa 13.6%, US 6.5% (2005) Imports: $285 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs Imports - partners: NZ 31%, Australia 22.6%, US 13.5%, Japan 7.5%, Fiji 6%, China 4.6% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $70.15 million Debt - external: $177 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $30.8 million (2004) Currency (code): tala (SAT) Currency code: SAT (former WST code is still in wide use) Exchange rates: tala per US dollar - 2.7103 (2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002), 3.478 (2001) Fiscal year: June 1 - May 31 Communications Samoa Telephones - main lines in use: 13,300 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 24,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate domestic: NA international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 174,849 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (2002) Televisions: 8,634 (1999) Internet country code: .ws Internet hosts: 10,680 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 6,000 (2004) Transportation Samoa Airports: 4 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 790 km paved: 332 km unpaved: 458 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Apia Military Samoa Military branches: no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 58,722 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 45,294 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 2,306 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship Transnational Issues Samoa Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @San Marino Introduction San Marino Background: The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco) also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marino in 301 A.D. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy. Social and political trends in the republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbor. Geography San Marino Location: Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy Geographic coordinates: 43 46 N, 12 25 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 61.2 sq km land: 61.2 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 39 km border countries: Italy 39 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers Terrain: rugged mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m highest point: Monte Titano 755 m Natural resources: building stone Land use: arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 0% other: 83.33% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution Geography - note: landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines People San Marino Population: 29,251 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.8% (male 2,534/female 2,372) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 9,316/female 10,055) 65 years and over: 17% (male 2,149/female 2,825) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.6 years male: 40.3 years female: 41 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.26% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.71 years male: 78.23 years female: 85.5 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.34 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural) adjective: Sammarinese Ethnic groups: Sammarinese, Italian Religions: Roman Catholic Languages: Italian Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 97% female: 95% (1976 est.) Government San Marino Country name: conventional long form: Republic of San Marino conventional short form: San Marino local long form: Repubblica di San Marino local short form: San Marino Government type: independent republic Capital: name: San Marino geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle Independence: 3 September A.D. 301 National holiday: Founding of the Republic, 3 September (A.D. 301) Constitution: 8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution Legal system: based on civil law system with Italian law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Cochiefs of State Captain Regent Antonio CARATTONI and Captain Regent Roberto GIORGETTI (for the period 1 October 2006-31 March 2007) head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Fiorenzo STOLFI (since 27 July 2006) cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term elections: cochiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Great and General Council for a six-month term; election last held in September 2006 (next to be held March 2007); secretary of state for foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term; election last held 13 December 2003 (next to be held NA) election results: Antonio CARATTONI and Roberto GIORGETTI elected captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA; Fabio BERARDI elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs; percent of legislative vote - NA note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council) selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent (cochiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which has 10 other members, all selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are 10 secretaries of state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed some of the prerogatives of a prime minister Legislative branch: unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 4 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PDCS 32.9%, Party of Socialists and Democrats 31.9%, APDS 11.9%, United Left 8.7%, New Socialist Party 5.4%; seats by party - PDCS 21, Party of Socialists and Democrats 20, APDS 7, United Left 5, New Socialist Party 3, other 4 Judicial branch: Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII Political parties and leaders: Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Ideas in Movement or IM [Alessandro ROSSI]; National Alliance or AN; New Socialist Party; Party of Socialists and Democrats [Claudio FELICI]; San Marino Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Giovanni LONFERNINI]; San Marino Popular Alliance of Democrats or APDS [Roberto GIORGETTI]; San Marino Socialist Party or PSS [Alberto CECCHETTI]; Socialists for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]; United Left Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: CE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: San Marino does not have an embassy in the US honorary consulate(s) general: New York, Washington, DC honorary consulate(s): Detroit, Honolulu Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in San Marino; the US Consul General in Florence (Italy) is accredited to San Marino Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty) Economy San Marino Economy - overview: The tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2000 more than 3 million tourists visited San Marino. The key industries are banking, wearing apparel, electronics, and ceramics. Main agricultural products are wine and cheeses. The per capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to those of the most prosperous regions of Italy, which supplies much of its food. GDP (purchasing power parity): $940 million (2001 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $880 million GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2002 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $34,600 (2001 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 19,970 (2003) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1% industry: 42% services: 57% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 2.6% (2001) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): -1.7% (2001) Budget: revenues: $400 million expenditures: $400 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese, hides Industries: tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1997 est.) Exports: trade data are included with the statistics for Italy Exports - commodities: building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods, hides, ceramics Imports: trade data are included with the statistics for Italy Imports - commodities: wide variety of consumer manufactures, food Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): euro (EUR) Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications San Marino Telephones - main lines in use: 20,600 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 16,800 (2002) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate connections domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into Italian system international: country code - 378; connected to Italian international network Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 16,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from Italy) (1997) Televisions: 9,000 (1997) Internet country code: .sm Internet hosts: 3,140 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 14,300 (2002) Transportation San Marino Roadways: total: 104 km paved: 104 km (2003) Military San Marino Military branches: no regular military forces; Voluntary Military Force (Corpi Militari Voluntar) performs ceremonial duties and limited police functions (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 6,331 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 5,107 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 135 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $700,000 (FY00/01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Italy Transnational Issues San Marino Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Sao Tome and Principe Introduction Sao Tome and Principe Background: Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. Although independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. Though the first free elections were held in 1991, the political environment has been one of continued instability with frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea is likely to have a significant impact on the country's economy. Geography Sao Tome and Principe Location: Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 7 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1,001 sq km land: 1,001 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: more than five times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 209 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May) Terrain: volcanic, mountainous Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m Natural resources: fish, hydropower Land use: arable land: 8.33% permanent crops: 48.96% other: 42.71% (2005) Irrigated land: 100 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous People Sao Tome and Principe Population: 193,413 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 47.5% (male 46,478/female 45,302) 15-64 years: 48.8% (male 45,631/female 48,661) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 3,368/female 3,973) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.2 years male: 15.6 years female: 16.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.15% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 40.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -2.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 41.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 43.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.31 years male: 65.73 years female: 68.95 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.62 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Nationality: noun: Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean Ethnic groups: mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese) Religions: Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census) Languages: Portuguese (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.3% male: 85% female: 62% (1991 est.) Government Sao Tome and Principe Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe local short form: Sao Tome e Principe Government type: republic Capital: name: Sao Tome geographic coordinates: 0 12 N, 6 39 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995 Independence: 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1975) Constitution: approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990 Legal system: based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Tome Soares da VERA CRUZ (since 21 April 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held July 2011); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president; percent of vote - Fradique DE MENEZES 60%, Patrice TROVOADA 38.5% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 26 March 2006 (next to be held March 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - MDFM-PCD 37.2%, MLSTP 28.9%, ADI 20.0%, NR 4.7%, other 9.2%; seats by party - MDFM-PCD 23, MLSTP 19, ADI 12, NR 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement or MDFM; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA]; Ue-Kedadji coalition; other small parties Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA chancery: 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 317-0580 FAX: [1] (212) 935-7348 consulate(s): Atlanta Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands Flag description: three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Sao Tome and Principe Economy - overview: This small, poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa production has substantially declined in recent years because of drought and mismanagement, but strengthening prices helped boost export earnings in 2003. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program, and is expected to benefit from an additional round of HIPC debt relief in early 2006, to help bring down the country's $300 million debt burden. In August 2005, Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 million. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development of petroleum resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split with Nigeria. The first production licenses were sold in 2004, though a dispute over licensing with Nigeria delayed Sao Tome's receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Real GDP growth reached 6% in 2004, and also probably in 2005, as a result of increases in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment. GDP (purchasing power parity): $214 million (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $71.38 million GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,200 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.7% industry: 14.8% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 35,050 Labor force - by occupation: note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 54% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 32.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $26.39 million expenditures: $59.48 million; including capital expenditures of $54 million (2004 est.) Agriculture - products: cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish Industries: light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 15 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 41.2% hydro: 58.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 13.95 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 650 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-20 million (2005 est.) Exports: $8 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil Exports - partners: Netherlands 61.1%, Belgium 9.2%, Turkey 5.5%, South Korea 4% (2005) Imports: $38 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products Imports - partners: UK 94.2%, Portugal 2.7%, US 1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $20 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $318 million (2002) Economic aid - recipient: $200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program Currency (code): dobra (STD) Currency code: STD Exchange rates: dobras per US dollar - 9,900.4 (2005), (2004), 9,347.6 (2003), 9,088.3 (2002), 8,842.1 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Sao Tome and Principe Telephones - main lines in use: 7,000 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 12,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: adequate facilities domestic: minimal system international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002) Radios: 38,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (2002) Televisions: 23,000 (1997) Internet country code: .st Internet hosts: 735 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 20,000 (2005) Transportation Sao Tome and Principe Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 320 km paved: 218 km unpaved: 102 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 21,527 GRT/29,823 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 7 foreign-owned: 3 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Sao Tome Military Sao Tome and Principe Military branches: Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP): Army, Coast Guard, Presidential Guard (2004) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 33,438 females age 18-49: 35,279 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 25,950 females age 18-49: 28,660 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $581,729 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.8% (2005 est.) Military - note: Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resources at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay and conditions have been a problem in the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance as initial steps towards the improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is exercised from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005) Transnational Issues Sao Tome and Principe Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Saudi Arabia Introduction Saudi Arabia Background: In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. A son of ABD AL-AZIZ rules the country today, and the country's Basic Law stipulates that the throne shall remain in the hands of the aging sons and grandsons of the kingdom's founder. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after Operation Desert Storm remained a source of tension between the royal family and the public until the US military's near-complete withdrawal to neighboring Qatar in 2003. The first major terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia in several years, which occurred in May and November 2003, prompted renewed efforts on the part of the Saudi government to counter domestic terrorism and extremism, which also coincided with a slight upsurge in media freedom and announcement of government plans to phase in partial political representation. As part of this effort, the government permitted elections - held nationwide from February through April 2005 - for half the members of 179 municipal councils. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns. Geography Saudi Arabia Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 45 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 1,960,582 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 4,431 km border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km Coastline: 2,640 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified Climate: harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper Land use: arable land: 1.67% permanent crops: 0.09% other: 98.24% (2005) Irrigated land: 16,200 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms Environment - current issues: desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal People Saudi Arabia Population: 27,019,731 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,261,530/female 5,059,041) 15-64 years: 59.4% (male 9,159,519/female 6,895,616) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 342,020/female 302,005) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 21.4 years male: 22.9 years female: 19.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.18% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 29.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 2.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -4.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.33 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.2 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.67 years male: 73.66 years female: 77.78 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian Ethnic groups: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% Religions: Muslim 100% Languages: Arabic Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 78.8% male: 84.7% female: 70.8% (2003 est.) Government Saudi Arabia Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conventional short form: Saudi Arabia local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah Government type: monarchy Capital: name: Riyadh geographic coordinates: 24 38 N, 46 43 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom) National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932) Constitution: governed according to Shari'a law; the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993 Legal system: based on Shari'a law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: adult male citizens age 21 or older note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial municipal council elections held nationwide from February through April 2005 Executive branch: chief of state: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928) note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928) note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and includes many royal family members elections: none; the monarch is hereditary Legislative branch: Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms); note - in October 2003, Council of Ministers announced its intent to introduce elections for half of the members of local and provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period of four to five years; in November 2004, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs initiated voter registration for partial municipal council elections held nationwide from February through April 2005 Judicial branch: Supreme Council of Justice Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BIS, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador TURKI al-Faysal bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800 FAX: [1] (202) 944-3113 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James C. OBERWETTER embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693 telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800 FAX: [966] (1) 488-3989 consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah) Flag description: green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (translated as "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God") above a white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); design dates to the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932 Economy Saudi Arabia Economy - overview: This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 25% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 5.5 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, particularly, in the oil and service sectors. The government is encouraging private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. The government has begun to permit private sector and foreign investor participation in the power generation and telecom sectors. As part of its effort to attract foreign investment and diversify the economy, Saudi Arabia acceded to the WTO in 2005 after many years of negotiations. With high oil revenues enabling the government to post large budget surpluses, Riyadh has been able to substantially boost spending on job training and education, infrastructure development, and government salaries. GDP (purchasing power parity): $346.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $264 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3% industry: 61.3% services: 35.4% (2005 est.) Labor force: 6.76 million note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 12% industry: 25% services: 63% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some estimates range as high as 25%) (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 16.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $143.7 billion expenditures: $89.65 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 44.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals; ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics; metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, construction Industrial production growth rate: 5.3% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 145.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 134.9 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 9.475 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 1.775 million bbl/day (2003) Oil - exports: 7.92 million bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: 0 bbl/day (2003) Oil - proved reserves: 262.7 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 60.06 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 60.06 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2002) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2002) Natural gas - proved reserves: 6.544 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $90.73 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $165 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 90% Exports - partners: US 16.4%, Japan 16.1%, South Korea 9.1%, China 6.9%, Singapore 5.1%, Taiwan 4.2% (2005) Imports: $44.93 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles Imports - partners: US 13%, Germany 9.5%, Japan 7.9%, China 7.3%, France 4.7%, Italy 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $26.76 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $36.78 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon; since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance to the Palestinians; pledged $230 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq; pledged $133 million in direct grant aid, $187 million in concessional loans, and $153 million in export credits for Pakistan earthquake relief Currency (code): Saudi riyal (SAR) Currency code: SAR Exchange rates: Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.747 (2005), 3.75 (2004), 3.75 (2003), 3.75 (2002), 3.75 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 March - 28 February Communications Saudi Arabia Telephones - main lines in use: 3.8 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 13.3 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems international: country code - 966; microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 6.25 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 117 (1997) Televisions: 5.1 million (1997) Internet country code: .sa Internet hosts: 10,931 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 22 (2003) Internet users: 2.54 million (2005) Transportation Saudi Arabia Airports: 208 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 73 over 3,047 m: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 135 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Heliports: 6 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 212 km; gas 1,880 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,183 km; oil 4,531 km; refined products 1,150 km (2006) Railways: total: 1,392 km standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2005) Roadways: total: 152,044 km paved: 45,461 km unpaved: 106,583 km (2000) Merchant marine: total: 60 ships (1000 GRT or over) 837,272 GRT/1,064,377 DWT by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 15, container 4, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 9 (Egypt 2, Kuwait 5, Sudan 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 55 (Bahamas 12, Comoros 3, Dominica 3, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Liberia 24, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 3, Panama 8) (2006) Ports and terminals: Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah Military Saudi Arabia Military branches: Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 7,648,999 females age 18-49: 5,417,922 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 6,592,709 females age 18-49: 4,659,347 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 247,334 females age 18-49: 234,500 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $18 billion (2002) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 10% (2002) Transnational Issues Saudi Arabia Disputes - international: despite resistance from nomadic groups, the demarcation of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen boundary established under the 2000 Jeddah Treaty is almost complete; Saudi Arabia still maintains the concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier along sections of the border with Yemen in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran; the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as stipulated in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds that the agreement was not formally ratified Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 240,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Saudi Arabia is a destination country for workers from South and Southeast Asia who are subjected to conditions that constitute involuntary servitude including being subjected to physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement, and withholding of passports as a restriction on their movement; domestic workers are particularly vulnerable because some are confined to the house in which they work, unable to seek help; Saudi Arabia is also a destination country for Nigerian, Yemeni, Pakistani, Afghan, Somali, Malian, and Sudanese children trafficked for forced begging and involuntary servitude as street vendors; some Nigerian women were reportedly trafficked into Saudi Arabia for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 3 - Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin, cocaine, and hashish; improving anti-money-laundering legislation and enforcement This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Senegal Introduction Senegal Background: Independent from France in 1960, Senegal was ruled by the Socialist Party for forty years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. A southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982, but Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping. Geography Senegal Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania Geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 14 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 196,190 sq km land: 192,000 sq km water: 4,190 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Dakota Land boundaries: total: 2,640 km border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km Coastline: 531 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind Terrain: generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore Land use: arable land: 12.51% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling Geography - note: westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal People Senegal Population: 11,987,121 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.8% (male 2,467,021/female 2,422,385) 15-64 years: 56.1% (male 3,346,756/female 3,378,518) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 174,399/female 198,042) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.1 years male: 18.9 years female: 19.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.34% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 32.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 52.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 49.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 59.25 years male: 57.7 years female: 60.85 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.38 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.8% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 44,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3,500 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and Rift Valley fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Senegalese (singular and plural) adjective: Senegalese Ethnic groups: Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4% Religions: Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1% Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.2% male: 50% female: 30.7% (2003 est.) Government Senegal Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Senegal conventional short form: Senegal local long form: Republique du Senegal local short form: Senegal former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia); Mali Federation Government type: republic Capital: name: Dakar geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor Independence: 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 National holiday: Independence Day, 4 April (1960) Constitution: new constitution adopted 7 January 2001 Legal system: based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Macky SALL (since 21 April 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last held under prior constitution (seven-year terms) 27 February and 19 March 2000 (next to be held 27 February 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 58.49%, Abdou DIOUF (PS) 41.51% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) note: the former National Assembly, dissolved in the spring of 2001, had 140 seats elections: last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held 27 February 2007) note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006, they will now coincide with presidential elections in 2007 election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 89, AFP 11, PS 10, other 10 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals Political parties and leaders: African Party for Democracy and Socialism or And Jef (also known as PADS/AJ) [Landing SAVANE, secretary general]; African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM]; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD [Cheikh Abdoulaye DIEYE]; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madier DIOUF]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE]; Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition [Abdoulaye WADE] (a coalition led by the PDS); Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]; other small parties Political pressure groups and leaders: labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Janice L. JACOBS embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 823-4296 FAX: [221] 822-2991 Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Senegal Economy - overview: In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during 1995-2004. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. However, Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal will benefit from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt. GDP (purchasing power parity): $20.57 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $7.972 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17.2% industry: 20.9% services: 61.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.82 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 77% industry and services: 23% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 48%; note - urban youth 40% (2001 est.) Population below poverty line: 54% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 33.5% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 41.3 (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.657 billion expenditures: $1.926 billion; including capital expenditures of $357 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 46% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish Industries: agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials, ship construction and repair Industrial production growth rate: 3.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 1.332 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.239 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 31,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $-848 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.526 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton Exports - partners: Mali 16.9%, India 13.1%, France 9.5%, Spain 6.1%, Italy 5.5%, Gambia, The 4.6% (2005) Imports: $2.405 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: food and beverages, capital goods, fuels Imports - partners: France 22.8%, Nigeria 11.4%, Brazil 4.5%, Thailand 4.3%, US 4.2%, UK 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.191 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $3.529 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $449.6 million (2003 est.) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Currency code: XOF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Senegal Telephones - main lines in use: 266,600 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.73 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: good system domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001) Radios: 1.24 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997) Televisions: 361,000 (1997) Internet country code: .sn Internet hosts: 412 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002) Internet users: 540,000 (2005) Transportation Senegal Airports: 20 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 43 km (2006) Railways: total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 13,576 km paved: 3,972 km (including 7 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,604 km (2003) Waterways: 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005) Ports and terminals: Dakar Military Senegal Military branches: Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,443,840 females age 18-49: 2,461,939 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,558,175 females age 18-49: 1,642,533 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 129,331 females age 18-49: 129,398 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $117.3 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Senegal Disputes - international: The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem Senegalese citizens from the Casamance region fleeing separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 19,778 (Mauritania) IDPs: 17,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2005) Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Serbia Introduction Serbia Background: The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 was resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Josip TITO took full control of Yugoslavia upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his new government and its successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In the early 1990s, post-TITO Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were recognized as independent states in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC, Serbia led various military intervention efforts to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992, but Serbia continued its campaign until signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. In 1998-99, massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international response, including the NATO bombing of Belgrade and the stationing of a NATO-led force (KFOR), in Kosovo. Federal elections in the fall of 2000, brought about the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity. In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted, and it was once more accepted into UN organizations under the name of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo has been governed by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since June 1999, under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, pending a determination by the international community of its future status. In 2002, the Serbian and Montenegrin components of Yugoslavia began negotiations to forge a looser relationship. In February 2003 lawmakers restructured the country into a loose federation of two republics called Serbia and Montenegro. The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro included a provision that allowed either republic to hold a referendum after three years that would allow for their independence from the state union. In the spring of 2006, Montenegro took advantage of the provision to undertake a successful independence vote enabling it to secede on 3 June. Two days later, Serbia declared that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. Geography Serbia Location: Southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary Geographic coordinates: 44 00 N, 21 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 88,361 sq km land: 88,361 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than South Carolina Land boundaries: total: 2,027 km border countries: Albania 115 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 302 km, Bulgaria 318 km, Croatia 241 km, Hungary 151 km, Macedonia 221 km, Montenegro 203 km, Romania 476 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall) Terrain: extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills Elevation extremes: lowest point: NA highest point: Daravica 2,656 m Natural resources: oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land Land use: arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes Environment - current issues: air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East People Serbia Population: 9,396,411 (2002 census) Median age: total: 40.4 years male: 39.1 years female: 41.7 years Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74 years male: 71 years female: 76 years Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2006 est.) Nationality: noun: Serb(s) adjective: Serbian Ethnic groups: Serb 66%, Albanian 17%, Hungarian 3.5%, other 13.5% (1991) Religions: Serbian Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Protestant Languages: Serbian (official nationwide); Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian (all official in Vojvodina); Albanian (official in Kosovo) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.4% male: 98.9% female: 94.1% (2002 est.) Government Serbia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Serbia conventional short form: Serbia local long form: Republika Srbija local short form: Srbija former: People's Republic of Serbia, Socialist Republic of Serbia Government type: republic Capital: name: Belgrade geographic coordinates: 44 50 N, 20 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 29 districts (okrugov; singular - okrug), 1 capital city* Serbia Proper: Belgrad*, Bor, Branicevo, Jablanica, Kolubara, Macva, Moravica, Nisava, Pcinja, Pirot, Podunavlje, Pomoravlje, Rasina, Raska, Sumadija, Toplica, Zajecar, Zlatibor Vojvodina Autonomous Province: Central Banat, North Backa, North Banat, South Backa, South Banat, Srem, West Backa Kosovo and Metojia Autonomous Province: Kosovo, Kosovska-Mitrovica, Kosovo-Pomoravlje, Pec, Prizren Independence: 5 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro) National holiday: National Day, 27 April Constitution: 28 September 1990; note - a new draft constitution approved by Parliament on 30 September 2006 stresses that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia; the draft must still be approved by a national referendum Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Boris TADIC (since 11 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Vojislav KOSTUNICA (since 3 March 2004) cabinet: Federal Ministries act as cabinet elections: president elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009); prime minister elected by the Assembly election results: Boris TADIC elected president in the second round of voting; Boris TADIC received 53% of the vote Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (250 deputies elected by direct vote for a four-year term) elections: last held 28 December 2003 (next to be held December 2007) election results: SRS 83, DSS 53, DS 37, G17 Plus 34, SPO-NS 22, SPS 22 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (nine justices with life tenure) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Serbia or DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party or DS [Boris TADIC]; G17 Plus [Mladjan DINKIC is acting leader]; Serbian Radical Party or SRS [Vojislav SESELJ, but Tomislav NIKOLIC is acting leader]; Socialist Party of Serbia or SPS [vacant, but Ivica DACIC is head of the SPS Main Board]; New Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC]; Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO [Vuk DRASKOVIC] International organization participation: ABEDA, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD (suspended), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan VUJACIC chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333 FAX: [1] (202) 332-3933 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael C. POLT embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070 telephone: [381] (11) 361-9344 FAX: [381] (11) 361-8230 note: there is a branch office in Pristina at 30 Nazim Hikmet 38000 Prstina, Kososvo; telephone: [381] (38) 549-516; FAX:[381] (38) 549-890 Flag description: three equal horizontal stripes of red (top), blue, and white; charged with the coat of arms of Serbia shifted slightly to the hoist side Economy Serbia Economy - overview: MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended period of economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left the economy only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in October 2000, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government implemented stabilization measures and embarked on a market reform program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in December 2000, a down-sized Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June 2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. In November 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reschedule the country's $4.5 billion public debt and wrote off 66% of the debt. In July 2004, the London Club of private creditors forgave $1.7 billion of debt, just over half the total owed. Belgrade has made only minimal progress in restructuring and privatizing its holdings in major sectors of the economy, including energy and telecommunications. It has made halting progress towards EU membership and is currently pursuing a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Brussels. Serbia is also pursuing membership in the World Trade Organization. Unemployment remains an ongoing political and economic problem. The Republic of Montenegro severed its economy from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era; therefore, the formal separation of Serbia and Montenegro in June 2006 had little real impact on either economy. Kosovo's economy continues to transition to a market-based system and is largely dependent on the international community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. The euro and the Yugoslav dinar are both accepted currencies in Kosovo. While maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues to work with the EU and Kosovo's local provisional government to accelerate economic growth, lower unemployment, and attract foreign investment to help Kosovo integrate into regional economic structures. The complexity of Serbia and Kosovo's political and legal relationships has created uncertainty over property rights and hindered the privatization of state-owned assets in Kosovo. Most of Kosovo's population lives in rural towns outside of the largest city, Pristina. Inefficient, near-subsistence farming is common. note: economic data for Serbia currently reflects information for the former Serbia and Montenegro, unless otherwise noted; data for Serbia alone will be added when available GDP (purchasing power parity): $41.15 billion for Serbia (including Kosovo) (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $19.19 billion for Serbia alone (excluding Kosovo) (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5.9% for Serbia alone (excluding Kosovo) (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,400 for Serbia (including Kosovo) (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.6% industry: 25.5% services: 57.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.961 million for Serbia (including Kosovo) (2002 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 30% industry: 46% services: 24% note: excluding Kosovo and Montenegro (2002) Unemployment rate: 31.6% note: unemployment is approximately 50% in Kosovo (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 30% note: data covers the former Serbia and Montenegro (1999 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 14.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $11.45 billion expenditures: $11.12 billion; including capital expenditures $NA; note - figures are for Serbia and Montenegro; Serbian Statistical Office indicates that for 2006 budget, Serbia will have revenues of $7.08 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 53.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, maize, sugar beets, sunflower, beef, pork, milk Industries: sugar, agricultural machinery, electrical and communication equipment, paper and pulp, lead, transportation equipment Industrial production growth rate: 1.4% (2006 est.) Electricity - production: 33.87 billion kWh (excluding Kosovo and Montenegro) (2004) Electricity - consumption: NA Electricity - exports: 12.05 billion kWh (excluding Kosovo; exported to Montenegro) (2004) Electricity - imports: 11.23 billion kWh (excluding Kosovo; imports from Montenegro) (2004) Oil - production: 14,660 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption: 85,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 38.75 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 650 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 2.55 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m Natural gas - proved reserves: 48.14 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-2.451 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $4.553 billion (excluding Kosovo and Montenegro) (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment Imports: $10.58 billion (excluding Kosovo and Montenegro) (2005 est.) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.35 billion Debt - external: $15.43 billion (including Montenegro) (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2 billion pledged in 2001 to Serbia and Montenegro (disbursements to follow over several years; aid pledged by EU and US has been placed on hold because of lack of cooperation by Serbia in handing over General Ratco MLADIC to the criminal court in The Hague) Currency (code): new Yugoslav dinar (YUM); note - in Kosovo both the euro and the Yugoslav dinar are legal Exchange rates: new Yugoslav dinars per US dollar - 58.6925 (2005) Communications Serbia Telephones - main lines in use: 2,685,400 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 5.229 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has been slow as a result of damage stemming from the 1999 war and transition to a competitive market-based system; network was only 65% digitalized in 2005 domestic: teledensity remains below the average for neighboring states; GSM wireless service, available through two providers with national coverage, is growing very rapidly; best telecommunications service limited to urban centers international: country code - 381 Radio broadcast stations: 153 (2001) Internet country code: .rs; note - former ccTLD .yu will remain in service until the end of 2006 Internet hosts: NA Internet users: 1.4 million (2006) Transportation Serbia Airports: 39 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Heliports: 4 (2006) Pipelines: gas 3,177 km; oil 393 km (2006) Railways: total: 4,135 km standard guage: 4,135 km 1.435-m guage (electrified 1,195 km) (2005) Roadways: total: 37,887 km paved: 23,937 km unpaved: 13,950 km (2002) Waterways: 587 km - primarily on Danube and Sava rivers (2005) Merchant marine: note: see entry for Montenegro Military Serbia Military branches: Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije, VS): Serbian Land Forces (Kopnene Vojska, KoV), Air Force and Air Defense Force (Vozduhoplostvo i Protivozduhoplovna Odbrana, ViPO), naval force to be determined (2006) Military service age and obligation: peacetime service obligation begins at age 17 and lasts until age 60 for men and 50 for women; under a state of war or impending war, the obligation can begin at age 16 and be extended beyond 60 (2006) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $14.85 million Transnational Issues Serbia Disputes - international: the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo remains unresolved and several thousand peacekeepers from the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) have administered the region since 1999, with Kosovar Albanians overwhelmingly supporting and Serbian officials opposing Kosovo independence; the international community had agreed to begin a process to determine final status but contingency of solidifying multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo has not been satisfied; ethnic Albanians in Kosovo refuse demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Serbia and Montenegro delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but sections with Serbia along the Drina River remain in dispute Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 180,117 (Croatia); 95,297 (Bosnia and Herzegovina) IDPs: 225,000 - 251,000 (mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999) (2005) Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western Europe on the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money laundering This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Seychelles Introduction Seychelles Background: A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993. The most recent presidential elections were held in 2001; President RENE, who had served since 1977, was re-elected. In April 2004 RENE stepped down and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president. Geography Seychelles Location: archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar Geographic coordinates: 4 35 S, 55 40 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 455 sq km land: 455 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 491 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May) Terrain: Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees Land use: arable land: 2.17% permanent crops: 13.04% other: 84.79% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible Environment - current issues: water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: 41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands People Seychelles Population: 81,541 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.9% (male 10,667/female 10,440) 15-64 years: 68% (male 27,060/female 28,366) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 1,607/female 3,401) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.1 years male: 27 years female: 29.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.43% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -5.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 15.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.08 years male: 66.69 years female: 77.63 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Seychellois (singular and plural) adjective: Seychellois Ethnic groups: mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab Religions: Roman Catholic 82.3%, Anglican 6.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.1%, other Christian 3.4%, Hindu 2.1%, Muslim 1.1%, other non-Christian 1.5%, unspecified 1.5%, none 0.6% (2002 census) Languages: Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2002 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.9% male: 91.4% female: 92.3% (2003 est.) Government Seychelles Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles conventional short form: Seychelles local long form: Republic of Seychelles local short form: Seychelles Government type: republic Capital: name: Victoria geographic coordinates: 4 38 S, 55 27 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK) National holiday: Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993) Constitution: 18 June 1993 Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 28-30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: President James MICHEL elected president; percent of vote - James MICHEL (SPPF) 53.73%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (SNP) 45.71%, Philippe BOULLE 0.56%; note - this was the first election in which President James MICHEL participated; he was originally sworn in as president after former president France Albert RENE stepped down in April 2004 Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%, DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the president Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Daniel BELLE]; Mouvement Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL]; Seychelles National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] (formerly the United Opposition or UO); Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] (the governing party) Political pressure groups and leaders: Roman Catholic Church; trade unions International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jeremie BONNELAME chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785 FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786 Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles Flag description: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side Economy Seychelles Economy - overview: Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. Sharp drops illustrated the vulnerability of the tourist sector in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf War, and once again following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Growth slowed in 1998-2002, and fell in 2003, due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors, but resumed in 2004, erasing a persistent budget deficit. Growth turned negative again in 2005. Tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity of foreign exchange have impaired short-term economic prospects. The black-market value of the Seychelles rupee is half the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency, the tourist sector may remain sluggish as vacationers seek cheaper destinations such as Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar. GDP (purchasing power parity): $626 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $722 million (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: -3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,800 (2002 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.2% industry: 30.4% services: 66.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 30,900 (1996) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10% industry: 19% services: 71% (1989) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 42% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $343.3 million expenditures: $332.2 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 167% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; poultry; tuna Industries: fishing, tourism, processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 241.3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 224.4 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 7,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-32 million (2005 est.) Exports: $312.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports) Exports - partners: UK 23%, Spain 19.6%, France 11.4%, Japan 9.7%, Italy 7.4%, Germany 5.7%, Netherlands 5.4% (2005) Imports: $459.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 16.7%, Spain 14.9%, Singapore 7.6%, France 7.5%, Italy 6.2%, South Africa 6.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $41 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $508 million (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $16.4 million (1995) Currency (code): Seychelles rupee (SCR) Currency code: SCR Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.5 (2005), 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003), 5.48 (2002), 5.8575 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Seychelles Telephones - main lines in use: 21,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 57,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: effective system domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 42,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 11,000 (1997) Internet country code: .sc Internet hosts: 72 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 20,000 (2005) Transportation Seychelles Airports: 15 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Roadways: total: 458 km paved: 440 km unpaved: 18 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 69,777 GRT/113,501 DWT by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (Nigeria 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Victoria Military Seychelles Military branches: Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes Navy Wing, Air Wing), National Guard (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 21,612 females age 18-49: 22,459 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 16,122 females age 18-49: 18,777 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $14.85 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Seychelles Disputes - international: together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Sierra Leone Introduction Sierra Leone Background: The government is slowly reestablishing its authority after the 1991 to 2002 civil war that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The last UN peacekeepers withdrew in December 2005, leaving full responsibility for security with domestic forces, but a new civilian UN office remains to support the government. Mounting tensions related to planned 2007 elections, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to continuing progress in Sierra Leone's stability. Geography Sierra Leone Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 11 30 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina Land boundaries: total: 958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km Coastline: 402 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite Land use: arable land: 7.95% permanent crops: 1.05% other: 91% (2005) Irrigated land: 300 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms Environment - current issues: rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Geography - note: rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa People Sierra Leone Population: 6,005,250 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,321,563/female 1,370,721) 15-64 years: 52% (male 1,494,502/female 1,625,733) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 90,958/female 101,773) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.4 years male: 17.1 years female: 17.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.3% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 45.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 23.03 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 160.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 177.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 142.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 40.22 years male: 38.05 years female: 42.46 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.08 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 7% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 170,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 11,000 (2001 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005) Nationality: noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean Ethnic groups: 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 29.6% male: 39.8% female: 20.5% (2000 est.) Government Sierra Leone Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone conventional short form: Sierra Leone local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone local short form: Sierra Leone Government type: constitutional democracy Capital: name: Freetown geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1961) Constitution: 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held 28 July 2007) election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4% Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court Political parties and leaders: All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others Political pressure groups and leaders: trade unions and student unions International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas N. HULL embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: [232] (22) 225471 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue Economy Sierra Leone Economy - overview: Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings, accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity, such as the rehabilitation of bauxite mining. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.939 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.128 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 49% industry: 31% services: 21% (2001 est.) Labor force: 1.369 million (1981 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.6% (1989) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 62.9 (1989) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2002 est.) Budget: revenues: $96 million expenditures: $351 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish Industries: diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 260.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 242.4 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0.8361 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 6,510 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $185 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish Exports - partners: Belgium 66.2%, Germany 13.5%, US 4.6% (2005) Imports: $531 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals Imports - partners: Germany 18.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.2%, UK 8.5%, US 6.9%, China 5.6%, Netherlands 5.4%, South Africa 4.1% (2005) Debt - external: $1.61 billion (2003 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $297.4 million (2003 est.) Currency (code): leone (SLL) Currency code: SLL Exchange rates: leones per US dollar - 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003), 2,099 (2002), 1,986.2 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Sierra Leone Telephones - main lines in use: 24,000 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 113,200 (2003) Telephone system: general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) Radios: 1.12 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (1999) Televisions: 53,000 (1997) Internet country code: .sl Internet hosts: 20 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2001) Internet users: 10,000 (2005) Transportation Sierra Leone Airports: 10 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: 11,300 km paved: 904 km unpaved: 10,396 km (2002) Waterways: 800 km (600 km year round) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 54 ships (1000 GRT or over) 185,037 GRT/249,996 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 36, chemical tanker 3, combination ore/oil 3, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 14 (China 2, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Russia 1, Syria 1, UAE 3, Ukraine 4, US 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands Military Sierra Leone Military branches: Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Maritime Wing) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,086,091 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 539,697 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $14.25 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Sierra Leone Disputes - international: domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone perpetuate insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone pressures Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga occupied since 1998 Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 65,433 (Liberia) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Singapore Introduction Singapore Background: Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe. Geography Singapore Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 692.7 sq km land: 682.7 sq km water: 10 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 193 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve Elevation extremes: lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports Land use: arable land: 1.47% permanent crops: 1.47% other: 97.06% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes People Singapore Population: 4,492,150 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.6% (male 362,329/female 337,964) 15-64 years: 76.1% (male 1,666,709/female 1,750,736) 65 years and over: 8.3% (male 165,823/female 208,589) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 37.3 years male: 36.9 years female: 37.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.42% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 9.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 2.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.71 years male: 79.13 years female: 84.49 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.06 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 4,100 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Singaporean(s) adjective: Singapore Ethnic groups: Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census) Religions: Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census) Languages: Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 96.6% female: 88.6% (2002) Government Singapore Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore local long form: Republic of Singapore local short form: Singapore Government type: parliamentary republic Capital: name: Singapore geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation) National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965) Constitution: 3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution) Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President S. R. NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) note: uses S. R. NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Shunmugan JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Minister WONG Kan Seng (since 1 September 2005); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004); Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004) cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; last appointed 17 August 2005 - see note (next election to be held by August 2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president election results: Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN appointed president in August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine nominated members; the losing opposition candidate who came closest to winning a seat may be appointed as a "nonconstituency" member elections: last held 6 May 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%, SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals Political parties and leaders: People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; Singapore Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong]; Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia LIM Swee Lian] note: SDA includes National Solidarity Party or NSP, Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100 FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876 consulate(s) general: San Francisco consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia L. HERBOLD embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001 telephone: [65] 6476-9100 FAX: [65] 6476-9340 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle Economy Singapore Economy - overview: Singapore, a highly-developed and successful free-market economy, enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the four largest West European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing. It was hard hit in 2001-03 by the global recession, by the slump in the technology sector, and by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which curbed tourism and consumer spending. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal stimulus, low interest rates, a surge in exports, and internal flexibility led to vigorous growth in 2004, with real GDP rising by 8% - by far the economy's best performance since 2000 - but growth slowed to 5.7% in 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $126.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $110.6 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $28,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0% industry: 33.9% services: 66.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.28 million (September 2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%, financial, business, and other services 39%, other 26% (2003) Unemployment rate: 3.1% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Distribution of family income - Gini index: 42.5 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $18.67 billion expenditures: $18.21 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.1 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 102.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs; fish, ornamental fish Industries: electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade Industrial production growth rate: 9.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 36.8 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 33.2 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004) Oil - production: 8,290 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 800,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 5.32 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 2.5 billion cu m note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2001 est.) Current account balance: $32.74 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $204.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels Exports - partners: Malaysia 14.7%, US 11.5%, Indonesia 10.7%, Hong Kong 10.4%, China 9.5%, Japan 6%, Thailand 4.5%, Australia 4.1% (2005) Imports: $188.3 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Malaysia 14.4%, US 12.4%, China 10.8%, Japan 10.1%, Indonesia 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, South Korea 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $115.8 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $23.76 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Singapore dollar (SGD) Currency code: SGD Exchange rates: Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Singapore Telephones - main lines in use: 1.848 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.385 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent service domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless service in February 2005 international: country code - 65; 9 submarine cables provide direct connection to more than 100 countries; 4 satellite earth stations, supplemented by VSAT coverage Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2 (2003) Radios: 2.6 million (2000) Television broadcast stations: 1 (broadcasting on six channels); additional reception of numerous UHF and VHF signals originating in Malaysia and Indonesia; note - digital TV for reception in public spaces and transportation is transmitted from 10 sites (2006) Televisions: 1.33 million (1997) Internet country code: .sg Internet hosts: 898,762 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2000) Internet users: 2,421,800 (2005) Transportation Singapore Airports: 9 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 139 km; refined products 8 km (2006) Roadways: total: 3,234 km paved: 3,234 km (including 150 km of expressways) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 1,063 ships (1000 GRT or over) 31,033,735 GRT/49,715,650 DWT by type: bulk carrier 155, cargo 87, chemical tanker 136, container 214, liquefied gas 53, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 353, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 40 foreign-owned: 592 (Australia 7, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 12, China 23, Denmark 52, Germany 9, Greece 9, Hong Kong 50, India 5, Indonesia 56, Italy 2, Japan 100, South Korea 17, Malaysia 35, Netherlands 2, Norway 90, Philippines 5, Slovenia 1, Sweden 12, Taiwan 59, Thailand 22, UAE 7, UK 9, US 7) registered in other countries: 285 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 12, Belize 6, Bolivia 3, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 10, Cyprus 1, Dominica 9, France 2, Honduras 11, Hong Kong 24, Indonesia 17, Isle of Man 7, North Korea 1, Liberia 28, Malaysia 44, Marshall Islands 6, Mongolia 10, Nigeria 1, Panama 67, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Thailand 6, Tuvalu 6, US 2, unknown 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Singapore Military Singapore Military branches: Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Republic of Singapore Air Force (includes Air Defense) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation reduced to 24 months beginning December 2004 (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,215,568 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 982,368 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.47 billion (FY01 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.9% (FY01) Transnational Issues Singapore Disputes - international: disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works, bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait Illicit drugs: as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for money laundering This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Slovakia Introduction Slovakia Background: The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Geography Slovakia Location: Central Europe, south of Poland Geographic coordinates: 48 40 N, 19 30 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km Area - comparative: about twice the size of New Hampshire Land boundaries: total: 1,524 km border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters Terrain: rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m Natural resources: brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land Land use: arable land: 29.23% permanent crops: 2.67% other: 68.1% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,830 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys People Slovakia Population: 5,439,448 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 465,304/female 443,967) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 1,929,448/female 1,947,735) 65 years and over: 12% (male 244,609/female 408,385) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 35.8 years male: 34.2 years female: 37.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.15% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.73 years male: 70.76 years female: 78.89 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.33 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 200 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census) Languages: Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2001 est.) Government Slovakia Country name: conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska Republika local short form: Slovensko Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Bratislava geographic coordinates: 48 09 N, 17 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) National holiday: Constitution Day, 1 September (1992) Constitution: ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC, Robert KALINAK, Stefan HARABIN, Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1% Legislative branch: unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 June 2006 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%, SNS 11.7%, SMK 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%; seats by party - Smer 50, SDKU 31, SNS 20, SMK 20, LS-HZDS 15, KDH 14 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council); Special Court (judges elected by a council of judges and appointed by president) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Vladimir DADO]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA] Political pressure groups and leaders: Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ International organization participation: ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054 FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rodolphe "Skip" M. VALLEE embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338 FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the coat of arms of Slovakia (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white Cross of Lorraine surmounting three blue hills); the coat of arms is centered vertically and offset slightly to the hoist side Economy Slovakia Economy - overview: Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business-friendly policies, such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-05, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 16.4% in 2005, but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004. GDP (purchasing power parity): $88.78 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $43.07 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $16,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.5% industry: 29.4% services: 67.2% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.24 million (30 September 2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003) Unemployment rate: 16.4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: At-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers: 21% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 20.9% (1992) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 25.8 (1996) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 26% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $22.7 billion expenditures: $23.2 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 42.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products Industries: metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 30.57 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 30.3% hydro: 16% nuclear: 53.6% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 24.8 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 10.59 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 8.731 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 11,480 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 74,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 2,160 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 59,000 bbl/day bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 9 million bbl (1 January 2006) Natural gas - production: 165 million cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 6.8 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 1 million cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 7.3 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 15.01 billion cu m (1 January 2003) Current account balance: $-4.066 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $30.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004) Exports - partners: Germany 26.2%, Czech Republic 14.1%, Austria 7.1%, Italy 6.7%, Poland 6.3%, Hungary 5.7% (2005) Imports: $32.9 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003) Imports - partners: Germany 25.1%, Czech Republic 19.3%, Russia 10.5%, Austria 6.1%, Poland 4.7%, Hungary 4.6%, Italy 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $14.97 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $26.94 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $1.9 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Currency (code): Slovak koruna (SKK) Currency code: SKK Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002), 48.355 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Slovakia Telephones - main lines in use: 1.197 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.54 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: a modernization and privatization program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving service quality domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been added international: country code - 421; three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services Radio broadcast stations: AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 3.12 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004) Televisions: 2.62 million (1997) Internet country code: .sk Internet hosts: 210,758 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000) Internet users: 2.5 million (2005) Transportation Slovakia Airports: 36 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 18 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,662 km broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified) narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2005) Roadways: total: 42,993 km paved: 37,533 km (including 316 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,460 km (2003) Waterways: 172 km (on Danube River) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 43 ships (1000 GRT or over) 217,819 GRT/309,049 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 36, chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: 40 (Bulgaria 7, Estonia 1, Greece 4, Israel 7, Poland 2, Syria 2, Turkey 8, UK 1, Ukraine 8) registered in other countries: 2 (Cyprus 1, Georgia 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bratislava, Komarno Military Slovakia Military branches: Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily), Training and Support Forces (Vycviku a Podpory Sily) (2005) Military service age and obligation: complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force went into effect at the beginning of 2006 after 140 years of mandatory army service; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,351,848 females age 18-49: 1,322,647 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,089,645 females age 18-49: 1,093,077 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 41,544 females age 18-49: 40,183 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $406 million (2002) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.87% FY05 (2005) Transnational Issues Slovakia Disputes - international: Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which Slovakia had protested; consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia must implement the strict Schengen border rules Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Slovenia Introduction Slovenia Background: The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new multinational state, which was named Yugoslavia in 1929. After World War II, Slovenia became a republic of the renewed Yugoslavia, which though Communist, distanced itself from Moscow's rule. Dissatisfied with the exercise of power by the majority Serbs, the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short 10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a modern state. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Geography Slovenia Location: Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia Geographic coordinates: 46 07 N, 14 49 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 20,273 sq km land: 20,151 sq km water: 122 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey Land boundaries: total: 1,382 km border countries: Austria 330 km, Croatia 670 km, Hungary 102 km, Italy 280 km Coastline: 46.6 km Maritime claims: NA Climate: Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east Terrain: a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Triglav 2,864 m Natural resources: lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver, hydropower, forests Land use: arable land: 8.53% permanent crops: 1.43% other: 90.04% (2005) Irrigated land: 30 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding and earthquakes Environment - current issues: Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; pollution of coastal waters with heavy metals and toxic chemicals; forest damage near Koper from air pollution (originating at metallurgical and chemical plants) and resulting acid rain Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes People Slovenia Population: 2,010,347 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 13.8% (male 143,079/female 135,050) 15-64 years: 70.5% (male 714,393/female 702,950) 65 years and over: 15.7% (male 121,280/female 193,595) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.6 years male: 39 years female: 42.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.05% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.33 years male: 72.63 years female: 80.29 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 280 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Slovene(s) adjective: Slovenian Ethnic groups: Slovene 83.1%, Serb 2%, Croat 1.8%, Bosniak 1.1%, other or unspecified 12% (2002 census) Religions: Catholic 57.8%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian 0.9%, Muslim 2.4%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1% (2002 census) Languages: Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census) Literacy: definition: NA total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% Government Slovenia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia conventional short form: Slovenia local long form: Republika Slovenija local short form: Slovenija former: People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia Government type: parliamentary republic Capital: name: Ljubljana geographic coordinates: 46 03 N, 14 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 182 municipalities (obcine, singular - obcina) and 11 urban municipalities* (mestne obcine , singular - mestna obcina ) Ajdovscina, Beltinci, Benedikt, Bistrica ob Sotli, Bled, Bloke, Bohinj, Borovnica, Bovec, Braslovce, Brda, Brezice, Brezovica, Cankova, Celje*, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Cerknica, Cerkno, Cerkvenjak, Crensovci, Crna na Koroskem, Crnomelj, Destrnik, Divaca, Dobje, Dobrepolje, Dobrna, Dobrova-Horjul-Polhov Gradec, Dobrovnik-Dobronak, Dolenjske Toplice, Dol pri Ljubljani, Domzale, Dornava, Dravograd, Duplek, Gorenja Vas-Poljane, Gorisnica, Gornja Radgona, Gornji Grad, Gornji Petrovci, Grad, Grosuplje, Hajdina, Hoce-Slivnica, Hodos-Hodos, Horjul, Hrastnik, Hrpelje-Kozina, Idrija, Ig, Ilirska Bistrica, Ivancna Gorica, Izola-Isola, Jesenice, Jezersko, Jursinci, Kamnik, Kanal, Kidricevo, Kobarid, Kobilje, Kocevje, Komen, Komenda, Koper-Capodistria*, Kostel, Kozje, Kranj*, Kranjska Gora, Krizevci, Krsko, Kungota, Kuzma, Lasko, Lenart, Lendava-Lendva, Litija, Ljubljana*, Ljubno, Ljutomer, Logatec, Loska Dolina, Loski Potok, Lovrenc na Pohorju, Luce, Lukovica, Majsperk, Maribor*, Markovci, Medvode, Menges, Metlika, Mezica, Miklavz na Dravskem Polju, Miren-Kostanjevica, Mirna Pec, Mislinja, Moravce, Moravske Toplice, Mozirje, Murska Sobota*, Muta, Naklo, Nazarje, Nova Gorica*, Novo Mesto*, Odranci, Oplotnica, Ormoz, Osilnica, Pesnica, Piran-Pirano, Pivka, Podcetrtek, Podlehnik, Podvelka, Polzela, Postojna, Prebold, Preddvor, Prevalje, Ptuj*, Puconci, Race-Fram, Radece, Radenci, Radlje ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne na Koroskem, Razkrizje, Ribnica, Ribnica na Pohorju, Rogasovci, Rogaska Slatina, Rogatec, Ruse, Salovci, Selnica ob Dravi, Semic, Sempeter-Vrtojba, Sencur, Sentilj, Sentjernej, Sentjur pri Celju, Sevnica, Sezana, Skocjan, Skofja Loka, Skofljica, Slovenj Gradec*, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje pri Jelsah, Smartno ob Paki, Smartno pri Litiji, Sodrazica, Solcava, Sostanj, Starse, Store, Sveta Ana, Sveti Andraz v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Jurij, Tabor, Tisina, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trnovska Vas, Trzic, Trzin, Turnisce, Velenje*, Velika Polana, Velike Lasce, Verzej, Videm, Vipava, Vitanje, Vodice, Vojnik, Vransko, Vrhnika, Vuzenica, Zagorje ob Savi, Zalec, Zavrc, Zelezniki, Zetale, Ziri, Zirovnica, Zuzemberk, Zrece note: there may be 45 more municipalities Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) National holiday: Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991) Constitution: adopted 23 December 1991 Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed) Executive branch: chief of state: President Janez DRNOVSEK (since 22 December 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Janez JANSA (since 9 November 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 November and 1 December 2002 (next to be held in the fall of 2007); following National Assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually nominated to become prime minister by the president and elected by the National Assembly; election last held 9 November 2004 (next National Assembly elections to be held October 2008) election results: Janez DRNOVSEK elected president; percent of vote - Janez DRNOVSEK 56.5%, Barbara BREZIGAR 43.5%; Janez JANSA elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - 57 to 27 Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consisting of a National Assembly or Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 40 are directly elected and 50 are selected on a proportional basis; note - the numbers of directly elected and proportionally elected seats varies with each election; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Drzavni Svet (40 seats; this is primarily an advisory body with limited legislative powers; it may propose laws, ask to review any National Assembly decisions, and call national referenda; members - representing social, economic, professional, and local interests - are indirectly elected to five-year terms by an electoral college) elections: National Assembly - last held 3 October 2004 (next to be held October 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - SDS 29.1%, LDS 22.8%, ZLSD 10.2%, NSi 9%, SLS 6.8%, SNS 6.3%, DeSUS 4.1%, other 11.7%; seats by party - SDS 29, LDS 23, ZLSD 10, NSi 9, SLS 7, SNS 6, DeSUS 4, Hungarian and Italian minorities 1 each Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the Judicial Council); Constitutional Court (judges elected for nine-year terms by the National Assembly and nominated by the president) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Retired (Persons) of Slovenia or DeSUS [Karl ERJAVEC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Jelko KACIN]; New Slovenia or NSi [Andrej BAJUK]; Slovenian Democratic Party or SDS [Janez JANSA]; Slovene National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC]; Slovene People's Party or SLS [Janez PODOBNIK]; Slovene Youth Party or SMS [Darko KRANJC]; Social Democrats or SD [Borut PAHOR] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ZBOGAR chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 667-5363 FAX: [1] (202) 667-4563 consulate(s) general: Cleveland, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas B. ROBERTSON embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana mailing address: American Embassy Ljubljana, US Department of State, 7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140 telephone: [386] (1) 200-5500 FAX: [386] (1) 200-5555 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the center; beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an inverted triangle, which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries); the seal is located in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue bands Economy Slovenia Economy - overview: With its small transition economy and population of approximately two million, Slovenia is a model of economic success and stability for its neighbors in the former Yugoslavia. The country, which joined the EU in 2004, has excellent infrastructure, a well-educated work force, and an excellent central location. It enjoys a GDP per capita substantially higher than any of the other transitioning economies of Central Europe. In March 2004, Slovenia became the first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor partner at the World Bank. Slovenia plans to adopt the euro by 2007 and has met the EU's Maastricht criteria for inflation. Despite its economic success, Slovenia faces growing challenges. Much of the economy remains in state hands and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia is one of the lowest in the EU on a per capita basis. Taxes are relatively high, the labor market is often seen as inflexible, and legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in China, India, and elsewhere. The current center-right government, elected in October 2004, has pledged to accelerate privatization of a number of large state holdings and is interested in increasing FDI in Slovenia. In late 2005, the government's new Committee for Economic Reforms was elevated to cabinet-level status. The Committee's program includes plans for lowering the tax burden, privatizing state-controlled firms, improving the flexibility of the labor market, and increasing the government's efficiency. GDP (purchasing power parity): $43.27 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $35.21 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $21,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.8% industry: 36.9% services: 60.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 920,000 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4.8% industry: 39.1% services: 56.1% (2004) Unemployment rate: 6.3% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: At-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers: 10% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 21.4% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 28.4 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 24.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $16.02 billion expenditures: $16.73 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 28.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep, poultry Industries: ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools Industrial production growth rate: 3.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 14.02 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 35.2% hydro: 27.3% nuclear: 36.8% other: 0.7% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 12.52 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 5.811 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 5.975 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 11.05 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 52,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2003) Natural gas - imports: 963 million cu m (2002) Current account balance: $-303 million (2005 est.) Exports: $18.53 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food Exports - partners: Germany 19.9%, Italy 12.7%, Croatia 9.4%, Austria 8.1%, France 8.1% (2005) Imports: $19.62 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food Imports - partners: Germany 19.5%, Italy 18.6%, Austria 12%, France 7.2%, Croatia 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $8.16 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $18.97 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $484 million in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Currency (code): tolar (SIT) Currency code: SIT Exchange rates: tolars per US dollar - 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003), 240.25 (2002), 242.75 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Slovenia Telephones - main lines in use: 816,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.759 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: 100% digital (2000) international: country code - 386 Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 160, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 805,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 48 (2001) Televisions: 710,000 (1997) Internet country code: .si Internet hosts: 61,735 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000) Internet users: 1.09 million (2005) Transportation Slovenia Airports: 14 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,526 km; oil 11 km (2006) Railways: total: 1,229 km standard gauge: 1,229 km 1.435-m gauge (504 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 38,400 km paved: 38,400 km (including 477 km of expressways) (2003) Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 26 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 1, Cyprus 4, Georgia 1, Liberia 2, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Koper Military Slovenia Military branches: Slovenian Army (includes air and naval forces) Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 17-49: 496,929 females age 17-49: 483,959 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 405,593 females age 17-49: 397,167 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 12,816 females age 17-49: 12,178 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $370 million (FY00) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (FY00) Transnational Issues Slovenia Disputes - international: the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains unratified and in dispute; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovenia must implement the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia Illicit drugs: minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Solomon Islands Introduction Solomon Islands Background: The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on this archipelago. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been very effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions. Geography Solomon Islands Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 159 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 5,313 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel Land use: arable land: 0.62% permanent crops: 2.04% other: 97.34% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea People Solomon Islands Population: 552,438 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.3% (male 116,370/female 111,834) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 154,793/female 151,308) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 8,696/female 9,437) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.9 years male: 18.7 years female: 19 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.61% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 30.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 20.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.91 years male: 70.4 years female: 75.55 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander Ethnic groups: Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census) Religions: Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census) Languages: Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population note: 120 indigenous languages Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA Government Solomon Islands Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands local long form: none local short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Honiara geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978) Constitution: 7 July 1978 Legal system: English common law, which is widely disregarded Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE (since 4 May 2006); note - Prime Minister Snyder RINI, elected on 18 April 2006 and sworn in on 20 April 2006, resigned on 26 April prior to no confidence vote in parliament; SOGAVARE elected on 4 May cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%, SIPRA 6.3%, Democratic 4.9%, PAP 6.3%, LAFARI 2.8%, Liberal 5%, SOCRED 4.3%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4, SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2, independents 30 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal Political parties and leaders: Association of Independent Members or AIM [Thomas CHAN]; Christian Alliance Solomon Islands or CASI [Edward RONIA]; LAFARI Party [John GARO]; National Party [Francis HILLY]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Allan KEMAKEZA]; Social Credit Party or SOCRED [Manasseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon First Party [David QUAN]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party [Gabriel SURI]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Solomon Islands Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir Peter KENILOREA] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions Political pressure groups and leaders: Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force (MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003 International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925 Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands Flag description: divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green Government - note: June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003; by 2006, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) had been scaled back to 259 police officers and 20 military, in addition to civilian technical advisers; in response to rioting that broke out in mid-April 2006, Australia dispatched an addtional 220 troops and 70 police officers to help restore order Economy Solomon Islands Economy - overview: The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of its livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. Prior to the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI has enabled a return to law and order, a new period of economic stability, and modest growth as the economy rebuilds. GDP (purchasing power parity): $800 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $286 million GDP - real growth rate: 4.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.) Labor force: 249,200 (1999) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 75% industry: 5% services: 20% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.6% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $49.7 million expenditures: $75.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2003) Agriculture - products: cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish Industries: fish (tuna), mining, timber Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 55 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 51.15 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,270 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $171 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa Exports - partners: China 40.7%, South Korea 13.2%, Thailand 6.9%, Japan 6.3%, Philippines 4.5%, Italy 4.1% (2005) Imports: $159 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals Imports - partners: Australia 25.8%, Singapore 25.3%, NZ 4.6%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2005) Debt - external: $166 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $122 million annually, mainly from Australia (2004 est.) Currency (code): Solomon Islands dollar (SBD) Currency code: SBD Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Solomon Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 7,400 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004) Radios: 57,000 (1997) Televisions: 3,000 (1997) Internet country code: .sb Internet hosts: 2,658 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 8,400 (2005) Transportation Solomon Islands Airports: 35 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (1999) Ports and terminals: Honiara, Malloco Bay, Shortland Harbor, Viru Harbor, Yandina Military Solomon Islands Military branches: no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 114,253 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 92,796 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 6,033 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Solomon Islands Disputes - international: Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Somalia Introduction Somalia Background: Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 in order to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule that managed to impose a degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades. After the regime's overthrow early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May of 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence, aided by the overwhelming dominance of a ruling clan and economic infrastructure left behind by British, Russian, and American military assistance programs. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring self-declared autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998, but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government, but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored. The mandate of the Transitional National Government (TNG), created in August 2000 in Arta, Djibouti, expired in August 2003. A two-year peace process, led by the Government of Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as Transitional Federal President of Somalia and the formation of a transitional government, known as the Somalia Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs). The Somalia TFIs include a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA), a transitional Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed GHEDI, and a 90-member cabinet. The TFIs are currently divided between Mogadishu and Jowhar, but discussions to co-locate the TFIs in one city are ongoing. Suspicion of Somali links with global terrorism further complicates the picture. Geography Somalia Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 49 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 637,657 sq km land: 627,337 sq km water: 10,320 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas Land boundaries: total: 2,340 km border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km Coastline: 3,025 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm Climate: principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m Natural resources: uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves Land use: arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 98.32% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season Environment - current issues: famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection Geography - note: strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal People Somalia Population: 8,863,338 note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.4% (male 1,973,294/female 1,961,083) 15-64 years: 53% (male 2,355,861/female 2,342,988) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 97,307/female 132,805) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.6 years male: 17.5 years female: 17.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.85% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 45.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 16.63 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 114.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 124.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 105.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.47 years male: 46.71 years female: 50.28 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 43,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Nationality: noun: Somali(s) adjective: Somali Ethnic groups: Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000) Religions: Sunni Muslim Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 37.8% male: 49.7% female: 25.8% (2001 est.) Government Somalia Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Somalia local long form: Jamhuuriyada Demuqraadiga Soomaaliyeed local short form: Soomaaliya former: Somali Republic; Somali Democratic Republic Government type: no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government Capital: name: Mogadishu geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 22 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed Independence: 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic) National holiday: Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland Constitution: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979 note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing Legal system: no national system; Shari'a (Islamic) and secular courts based on Somali customary law (xeer) are present in some localities; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Transitional Federal President Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed (since 14 October 2004); note - a transitional governing entity with a five-year mandate, known as the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), was established in October 2004; the TFI relocated to Somalia in June 2004, but its members remain divided between Mogadishu and Jowhar inside Somalia, and the government continues to struggle to establish effective governance in the country head of government: Prime Minister Ali Mohamed GEDI (since 24 December 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Transitional Federal Assembly election results: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed, the former leader of the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia, was elected president by the Transitional Federal Assembly Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly note: fledgling parliament; a 275-member Transitional Federal Assembly; the new parliament consists of 61 seats assigned to each of four large clan groups (Darod, Digil-Mirifle, Dir, and Hawiye) with the remaining 31 seats divided between minority clans Judicial branch: following the breakdown of the central government, most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or Shari'a (Islamic) law with a provision for appeal of all sentences Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous clan and sub-clan factions are currently vying for power International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation in the US: Somalia does not have an embassy in the US (ceased operations on 8 May 1991); note - the TFG and other factions have representatives in Washington and at the United Nations Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya at United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; mailing address: Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831; telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000; FAX [254] (20) 363-6157 Flag description: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; blue field influenced by the flag of the UN Government - note: although an interim government was created in 2004, other regional and local governing bodies continue to exist and control various cities and regions of the country, including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia, the semi-autonomous State of Puntland in northeastern Somalia, and traditional clan and faction strongholds Economy Somalia Economy - overview: Somalia's economic fortunes are driven by its deep political divisions. The northwestern area has declared its independence as the "Republic of Somaliland"; the northeastern region of Puntland is a semi-autonomous state; and the remaining southern portion is riddled with the struggles of rival factions. Economic life continues, in part because much activity is local and relatively easily protected. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings, but Saudi Arabia's ban on Somali livestock, due to Rift Valley Fever concerns, has severely hampered the sector. Nomads and semi-nomads, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the principal imports. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and sold as scrap metal. Despite the seeming anarchy, Somalia's service sector has managed to survive and grow. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money exchange services have sprouted throughout the country, handling between $500 million and $1 billion in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate, and militias provide security. The ongoing civil disturbances and clan rivalries, however, have interfered with any broad-based economic development and international aid arrangements. Somalia's arrears to the IMF continued to grow in 2005. Statistics on Somalia's GDP, growth, per capita income, and inflation should be viewed skeptically. In late December 2004, a major tsunami caused an estimated 150 deaths and resulted in destruction of property in coastal areas. GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.809 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.483 billion GDP - real growth rate: 2.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 65% industry: 10% services: 25% (2000 est.) Labor force: 3.7 million (very few skilled laborers) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 71% industry and services: 29% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%; note - businesses print their own money, so inflation rates cannot be easily determined Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Agriculture - products: bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; fish Industries: a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 235.6 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 219.1 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 5,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Exports: $241 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal Exports - partners: UAE 52.6%, Yemen 14.6%, Oman 6.3%, India 4.2% (2005) Imports: $576 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, qat Imports - partners: Djibouti 30.1%, Kenya 13.7%, Brazil 8.4%, India 8%, Oman 5.3%, UAE 5% (2005) Debt - external: $3 billion (2001 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $60 million (1999 est.) Currency (code): Somali shilling (SOS) Currency code: SOS Exchange rates: Somali shillings per US dollar - 11,000 (November 2000), 2,620 (January 1999), 7,500 (November 1997 est.), 7,000 (January 1996 est.), 5,000 (1 January 1995) note: the Republic of Somaliland, a self-declared independent country not recognized by any foreign government, issues its own currency, the Somaliland shilling Fiscal year: NA Communications Somalia Telephones - main lines in use: 100,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 500,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions; private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and charge the lowest international rates on the continent domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers international: country code - 252; international connections are available from Mogadishu by satellite Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 11, shortwave 1 in Mogadishu; 1 FM in Puntland, 1 FM in Somaliland (2001) Radios: 470,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4; note - two in Mogadishu; two in Hargeisa (2001) Televisions: 135,000 (1997) Internet country code: .so Internet hosts: 3 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (one each in Boosaaso, Hargeisa, and Mogadishu) (2000) Internet users: 90,000 (2005) Transportation Somalia Airports: 65 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 7 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 58 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Roadways: total: 22,100 km paved: 2,608 km unpaved: 19,492 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,659 GRT/2,540 DWT by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Boosaaso, Berbera, Chisimayu (Kismaayo), Merca, Mogadishu Military Somalia Military branches: a Somali National Army was attempted under the interim government; numerous factions and clans maintain independent militias, and the Somaliland and Puntland regional governments maintain their own security and police forces Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,787,727 females age 18-49: 1,714,792 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,022,360 females age 18-49: 1,038,697 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $22.34 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Somalia Disputes - international: "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities to landlocked Ethiopia and establish commercial ties with regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek support from neighboring states in their secessionist aspirations and in conflicts with each other; Ethiopia has only an administrative line with the Oromo region of southern Somalia and maintains alliances with local Somali clans opposed to the unrecognized Somali Interim Government, which plans eventual relocation from Kenya to Mogadishu; rival militia and clan fighting in southern Somalia periodically spills over into Kenya Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 400,000 (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources) 5,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @South Africa Introduction South Africa Background: After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule. Geography South Africa Location: Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Geographic coordinates: 29 00 S, 24 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1,219,912 sq km land: 1,219,912 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries: total: 4,862 km border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km Coastline: 2,798 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas Land use: arable land: 12.1% permanent crops: 0.79% other: 87.11% (2005) Irrigated land: 14,980 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: prolonged droughts Environment - current issues: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland People South Africa Population: 44,187,637 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.7% (male 6,603,220/female 6,525,810) 15-64 years: 65% (male 13,955,950/female 14,766,843) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 905,870/female 1,429,944) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.1 years male: 23.3 years female: 25 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.4% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.2 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 60.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 64.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 42.73 years male: 43.25 years female: 42.19 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 21.5% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5.3 million (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 370,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: South African(s) adjective: South African Ethnic groups: black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census) Religions: Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, other Christian 36%, Islam 1.5%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census) Languages: IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.) Government South Africa Country name: conventional long form: Republic of South Africa conventional short form: South Africa former: Union of South Africa abbreviation: RSA Government type: republic Capital: name: Pretoria (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 29 12 S, 28 10 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital) Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum National holiday: Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) Constitution: 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 24 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009) election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation) Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February 1997, the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held 14 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%; seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other 21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts Political parties and leaders: African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance or DA [Anthony LEON] (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the Freedom Alliance or FA); Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; New National Party or NNP; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA] Political pressure groups and leaders: Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jendayi E. FRAZER embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048 FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244 consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg Flag description: two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes Economy South Africa Economy - overview: South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income. GDP (purchasing power parity): $540.8 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $187.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $12,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.5% industry: 30.3% services: 67.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 15.23 million economically active (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 30% industry: 25% services: 45% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 26.6% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 50% (2000 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 45.9% (1994) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 59.3 (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 16.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $65.91 billion expenditures: $70.62 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 35.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair Industrial production growth rate: 3.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 215.9 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 93.5% hydro: 1.1% nuclear: 5.5% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 197.4 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 10.14 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 6.739 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 216,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 484,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 7.84 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 2.35 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 2.35 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 28.32 million cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-11.08 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $50.91 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment Exports - partners: UK 11.1%, US 9.1%, Japan 8.3%, Germany 6.3%, China 5.2%, Italy 4.5% (2005) Imports: $52.97 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Germany 14.9%, US 7%, China 6.9%, UK 6.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.5%, Japan 5.9%, Iran 5.8%, France 4.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $20.63 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $29.97 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $487.5 million (2000) Currency (code): rand (ZAR) Currency code: ZAR Exchange rates: rand per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications South Africa Telephones - main lines in use: 4.729 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 33.96 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 17 million (2001) Television broadcast stations: 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 6 million (2000) Internet country code: .za Internet hosts: 645,179 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 150 (2001) Internet users: 5.1 million (2005) Transportation South Africa Airports: 731 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 146 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 914 to 1,523 m: 67 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 585 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 302 under 914 m: 249 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 100 km; gas 1,062 km; oil 966 km; refined products 1,354 km (2006) Railways: total: 20,872 km narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,868 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 362,099 km paved: 73,506 km unpaved: 288,593 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,815 GRT/39,295 DWT by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Panama 3, UK 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay Military South Africa Military branches: South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint Operations Command, Joint Support Command, Military Intelligence, Military Health Service (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women have a long history of military service in noncombat roles, dating back to World War I (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 10,354,769 females age 18-49: 10,626,550 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,927,757 females age 18-49: 4,609,071 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 512,407 females age 18-49: 506,078 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.55 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (2005 est.) Military - note: with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete Transnational Issues South Africa Disputes - international: South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 5,774 (Angola) 9,516 (Democratic Republic of Congo) 7,118 (Somalia) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: South Africa is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked internally - and occasionally to European and Asian countries - for sexual exploitation; women from other African countries are trafficked to South Africa and, less frequently, onward to Europe for sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked from neighboring countries for forced agricultural labor; Asian and Eastern European women are trafficked to South Africa for debt-bonded sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - South Africa is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show increasing efforts to address trafficking in 2005 Illicit drugs: transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Southern Ocean Introduction Southern Ocean Background: A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary oceans by the US Government. Geography Southern Ocean Location: body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica Geographic coordinates: 60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude Map references: Antarctic Region Area: total: 20.327 million sq km note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of the US Coastline: 17,968 km Climate: sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter Terrain: the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers Elevation extremes: lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench highest point: sea level 0 m Natural resources: probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes Natural hazards: huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue Environment - current issues: increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries Environment - international agreements: the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing) note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north Geography - note: the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds Economy Southern Ocean Economy - overview: Fisheries in 2003-04 landed 136,262 metric tons, of which 87% (118,166 tons) was krill and 8% (11,182 tons) Patagonian toothfish, compared to 142,555 tons in 2002-03 of which 83% (117,728 tons) was krill and 12% (16,479 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2004-05 Antarctic summer 28,202 tourists, most of them seaborne (approximately 97%), visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 in 1999-2000. Transportation Southern Ocean Ports and terminals: McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica note: few ports or harbors exist on southern side of Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most Antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers (see Article 7); The Hydrographic Committee on Antarctica (HCA), a special hydrographic commission of International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area; it coordinates and facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate charts and other aids to navigation in support of safety of navigation in region; membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member State whose government has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources and/or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area; members of HCA are Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and the UK (2005) Transportation - note: Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal Transnational Issues Southern Ocean Disputes - international: Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @South Georgia and the South Sandwich Introduction South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Background: The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island. Geography South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Location: Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America Geographic coordinates: 54 30 S, 37 00 W Map references: Antarctic Region Area: total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of eleven islands Area - comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: NA km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow Terrain: most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia People South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Government South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Country name: conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken - formerly a whaling station on South Georgia - is a scientific base Legal system: the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land) Economy South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Economy - overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly. Communications South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken Radio broadcast stations: 0 (2003) Television broadcast stations: 0 (2003) Internet country code: .gs Internet hosts: 271 (2006) Transportation South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Ports and terminals: Grytviken Military South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Disputes - international: Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Spain Introduction Spain Background: Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986), have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and relatively high unemployment. Geography Spain Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 504,782 sq km land: 499,542 sq km water: 5,240 sq km note: there are 2 autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon Land boundaries: total: 1,917.8 km border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km Coastline: 4,964 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean) Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land Land use: arable land: 27.18% permanent crops: 9.85% other: 62.97% (2005) Irrigated land: 37,800 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic droughts Environment - current issues: pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar People Spain Population: 40,397,842 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 3,000,686/female 2,821,325) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 13,751,963/female 13,653,426) 65 years and over: 17.7% (male 2,993,496/female 4,176,946) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.9 years male: 38.6 years female: 41.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.13% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.06 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.65 years male: 76.32 years female: 83.2 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 140,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% Languages: Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%; note - Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages are official regionally Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 98.7% female: 97.2% (2003 est.) Government Spain Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain conventional short form: Spain local long form: Reino de Espana local short form: Espana Government type: parliamentary monarchy Capital: name: Madrid geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Spain is divided into two time zones, including the Canary Islands Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country) note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central government, are all located along the coast of Morocco and are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania) Independence: the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century AD and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain National holiday: National Day, 12 October Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968 head of government: President of the Government and Prime Minister Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004); First Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister of the Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (PSOE) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52.29% Legislative branch: bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE 38.9%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC 1.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%, CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU 2, CC 3, other 8 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Political parties and leaders: Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino RIVERO Baute]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA]; Party of Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY]; Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Joan Puigcercos BOIXASSA]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar LLAMAZARES] Political pressure groups and leaders: business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; university students; Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Commissions or CC.OO.; Nunca Mas (Galician for "Never Again"; formed in response to the oil tanker Prestige oil spill) International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340 FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr. embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642 telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200 FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303 consulate(s) general: Barcelona Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar Economy Spain Economy - overview: The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990, averaging five percent annual growth. After a European-wide recession in the early 1990s, the Spanish economy resumed moderate growth starting in 1994. Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is 80% that of the four leading West European economies. The center-right government of former President AZNAR successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 10.1%. Growth of 2.5% in 2003, 2.6% in 2004, and 3.4% in 2005 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering European economy. The socialist president, RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, has initiated economic and social reforms that are generally popular among the masses of people, but that are anathema to religious and other conservative elements. Adjusting to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe, reducing unemployment, and absorbing widespread social changes will pose challenges to Spain over the next few years. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.033 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.019 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $25,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 29.5% services: 66.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 20.67 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 5.3% industry: 30.1% services: 64.6% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 9.2% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 32.5 (1990) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 29.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $440.9 billion expenditures: $448.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $12.8 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 42.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 247.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 50.4% hydro: 18.2% nuclear: 27.2% other: 4.1% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 231.2 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 7.5 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 8.7 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 24,540 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1.544 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 135,100 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 1.582 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 10.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 216 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 23.27 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 17.26 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 2.662 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-83.14 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $194.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods Exports - partners: France 19.4%, Germany 11.4%, Portugal 9.5%, UK 8.5%, Italy 8.4% (2005) Imports: $271.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments Imports - partners: Germany 15%, France 14.5%, Italy 8.5%, UK 5.8%, Netherlands 4.9%, China 4.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $17.23 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $970.7 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.33 billion (1999) Currency (code): euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by the financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions with the member countries Currency code: EUR Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Spain Telephones - main lines in use: 18.322 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 41.328 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities; teledensity is 45 main lines for each 100 persons domestic: NA international: country code - 34; 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries Radio broadcast stations: AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 13.1 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 224 (plus 2,105 repeaters) note: these figures include 11 television broadcast stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands (1995) Televisions: 16.2 million (1997) Internet country code: .es Internet hosts: 2,520,711 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 56 (2000) Internet users: 19,204,771 (2006) Transportation Spain Airports: 157 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 96 over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 61 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 44 (2006) Heliports: 8 (2006) Pipelines: gas 7,962 km; oil 622 km; refined products 3,447 km (2006) Railways: total: 14,873 km broad gauge: 11,919 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km electrified) standard gauge: 998 km 1.435-m gauge (998 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,928 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 666,292 km paved: 659,629 km (including 12,009 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,663 km (2003) Waterways: 1,000 km (2003) Merchant marine: total: 169 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,902,839 GRT/1,874,161 DWT by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 13, chemical tanker 14, container 27, liquefied gas 9, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 49, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 36 (Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 12, Italy 2, Mexico 3, Norway 7, UK 1, Uruguay 2, US 7) registered in other countries: 112 (Bahamas 12, Belize 3, Brazil 4, Cambodia 1, Cape Verde 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 7, Italy 1, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 3, Nigeria 1, Panama 53, Portugal 15, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2, UK 1, Venezuela 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Algeciras, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gijon, Huelva, La Coruna, Tarragona, Valencia Military Spain Military branches: Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force (Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 9,366,588 females age 20-49: 9,155,057 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 7,623,356 females age 20-49: 7,434,465 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 233,384 females age 20-49: 221,805 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $9,906.5 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (2003) Transnational Issues Spain Disputes - international: in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz Illicit drugs: key European gateway country and consumer for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market; destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and organized crime This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Spratly Islands Introduction Spratly Islands Background: The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef, but has not made any formal claim. Geography Spratly Islands Location: Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines Geographic coordinates: 8 38 N, 111 55 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: less than 5 sq km land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea Area - comparative: NA Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 926 km Maritime claims: NA Climate: tropical Terrain: flat Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m Natural resources: fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious maritime hazard Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs People Spratly Islands Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (2004) Government Spratly Islands Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands Economy Spratly Islands Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored. There are no reliable estimates of potential reserves. Commercial exploitation has yet to be developed. Transportation Spratly Islands Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Spratly Islands Military - note: Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam Transnational Issues Spratly Islands Disputes - international: all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Sri Lanka Introduction Sri Lanka Background: The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formalized a cease-fire in February 2002, with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Geography Sri Lanka Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,340 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower Land use: arable land: 13.96% permanent crops: 15.24% other: 70.8% (2005) Irrigated land: 7,430 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes People Sri Lanka Population: 20,222,240 note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.1% (male 2,488,689/female 2,379,233) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 6,727,399/female 7,140,751) 65 years and over: 7.3% (male 687,842/female 798,326) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 29.8 years male: 28.7 years female: 30.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.78% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.51 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 13.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.41 years male: 70.83 years female: 76.12 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.84 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,500 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) Religions: Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.3% male: 94.8% female: 90% (2003 est.) Government Sri Lanka Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai former: Serendib, Ceylon Government type: republic Capital: name: Colombo geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital) Administrative divisions: 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western note: in 1998 the Government of Sri Lanka proposed a merger of the former Northern and Eastern provinces; while this merger was never ratified, the Government treats North Eastern Province as a de facto singular administrative unit Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 4 February (1948) Constitution: adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978 Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 19 November 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the ceremonial title of prime minister head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 19 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held 2011) election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSE elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3% Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010) election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.83%, TNA 6.84%, JHU 5.97%, SLMC 2.02%, UPF 0.54%, EPDP 0.27%, others 0.93%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, UNP dissident 1, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, JHU dissidents 2, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president Political parties and leaders: All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [KUMARGURUPARAM]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [Shrimani ATULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP; Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D. GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Tilak KARUNARATNE]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sihala Urumaya or SU; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [SABARATNAM]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R. SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial councils Political pressure groups and leaders: Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups International organization participation: AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bernard GOONETILLEKE chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028) FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr. embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500 FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345 Flag description: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels Economy Sri Lanka Economy - overview: In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average annual rate of about 5.5% in the 1990s, but 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history, by 1.4%, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to 5% between 2002 and 2005. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for a largely independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property. GDP (purchasing power parity): $86.07 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $21.62 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17.8% industry: 27.6% services: 54.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 8.08 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 38% industry: 17% services: 45% (1998 est.) Unemployment rate: 7.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 22% (1997 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 28% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34.4 (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 26.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.804 billion expenditures: $5.469 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 92.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining Industrial production growth rate: 8.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 7.308 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 51.7% hydro: 48.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 6.796 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 79,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-776 million (2005 est.) Exports: $6.442 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish Exports - partners: US 30.9%, UK 11.6%, India 7.3%, Belgium 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2005) Imports: $8.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment Imports - partners: India 19.7%, China 9.9%, Singapore 7.2%, Iran 5.5%, Malaysia 4.6%, Hong Kong 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.737 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $11.05 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $577 million (1998) Currency (code): Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) Currency code: LKR Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002), 89.383 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Sri Lanka Telephones - main lines in use: 1.244 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.362 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: very inadequate domestic service, particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization of national telephone company and encouragement to private investment; good international service (1999) domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low (1999) international: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999) Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 3.85 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 21 (1997) Televisions: 1.53 million (1997) Internet country code: .lk Internet hosts: 6,526 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000) Internet users: 280,000 (2005) Transportation Sri Lanka Airports: 16 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Railways: total: 1,449 km broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 97,287 km paved: 78,802 km unpaved: 18,485 km (2003) Waterways: 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 144,066 GRT/196,418 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, container 2, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 7 (Germany 5, UAE 2) registered in other countries: 5 (Panama 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Colombo, Galle Military Sri Lanka Military branches: Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lankan Air Force (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 4,933,217 females age 18-49: 5,153,597 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 3,789,627 females age 18-49: 4,281,043 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 174,049 females age 18-49: 167,201 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $606.2 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Sri Lanka Disputes - international: none Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 353,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to Tamil conflict); 450,000 (resulting from 2004 tsunami) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Sudan Introduction Sudan Background: Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972, but broke out again in 1983. The second war and famine-related effects resulted in more than 4 million people displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than 2 million deaths over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords; a final Naivasha peace treaty of January 2005 granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years, after which a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict that broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003 has resulted in at least 200,000 deaths and nearly 2 million displaced; as of late 2005, peacekeeping troops were struggling to stabilize the situation. Sudan also has faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia and Chad, and armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations. Geography Sudan Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 2,505,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US Land boundaries: total: 7,687 km border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km Coastline: 853 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November) Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m Natural resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower Land use: arable land: 6.78% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 93.05% (2005) Irrigated land: 18,630 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: dust storms and periodic persistent droughts Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries People Sudan Population: 41,236,378 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 8,993,483/female 8,614,022) 15-64 years: 54.9% (male 11,327,679/female 11,297,798) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 536,754/female 466,642) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.3 years male: 18.1 years female: 18.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.55% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 34.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 61.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 60.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 58.92 years male: 57.69 years female: 60.21 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.72 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.3% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 400,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 23,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese Ethnic groups: black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% Religions: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum) Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English note: program of "Arabization" in process Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61.1% male: 71.8% female: 50.5% (2003 est.) Government Sudan Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan conventional short form: Sudan local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan local short form: As-Sudan former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Government type: Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulates national elections for the 2008 - 2009 timeframe. Capital: name: Khartoum geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 25 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah (El Gezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah (Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb al Istiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr al Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei), Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal (Northern Bahr al Ghazal), Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shamal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (Eastern Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab) Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956) Constitution: 12 April 1973; suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan signed December 2005 Legal system: based on English common law and Shari'a law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Shari'a law in the northern states; Shari'a law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under the CPA following the civil war; Shari'a law will not apply to the southern states Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet elections: election last held 13-23 December 2000; next to be held no later than July 2009 under terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement election results: Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election note: al-BASHIR assumed power as chairman of Sudan's Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC) in June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until mid-October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; he was elected president by popular vote for the first time in March 1996 Legislative branch: bi-cameral body comprising the National Assembly and Council of States (replaced unicameral National Assembly of 360 seats); pending elections and National Election Law, the Presidency appointed 450 members to the National Assembly according to the provisions of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement: 52% NCP; 28% SPLM; 14% other Northerners; 6% other Southerners; 2 representatives from every state constitute the Council of States; terms in each chamber are five years following the first elections elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held 2008-2009 timeframe) election results: NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement Judicial branch: Constitutional Court of nine justices; National Supreme Court; National Courts of Appeal; other national courts; National Judicial Service Commission will undertake overall management of the National Judiciary Political parties and leaders: political parties in the Government of National Unity include: National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed OMAR]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva Mayardit KIIR]; and elements of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of the Democratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi] Political pressure groups and leaders: Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI] International organization participation: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad Interim Khidir HAROUN (since April 2001) chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Cameron HUME embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (183) 774701 FAX: [249] (183) 774137 note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum; consular services are being established in Juba (southern Sudan) Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side Economy Sudan Economy - overview: Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments, but it still faces formidable economic problems, starting from its low level of per capita output. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms. In 1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of 1999 recorded its first trade surplus, which, along with monetary policy, has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production, revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped sustain GDP growth at 8.6% in 2004. Agricultural production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force, contributing 39% of GDP, and accounting for most of GDP growth, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - resulting from the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the Christian/pagan south, adverse weather, and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years. GDP (purchasing power parity): $85.89 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $22.75 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38.7% industry: 20.3% services: 41% (2003 est.) Labor force: 7.415 million (1996 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry: 7% services: 13% (1998 est.) Unemployment rate: 18.7% (2002 est.) Population below poverty line: 40% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 16.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $6.182 billion expenditures: $5.753 billion; including capital expenditures of $304 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 107% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock Industries: oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly Industrial production growth rate: 8.5% (1999 est.) Electricity - production: 3.165 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 52.1% hydro: 47.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.943 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 401,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 70,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 275,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 0 bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 1.6 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 84.95 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-3.013 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $6.989 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar Exports - partners: China 71.1%, Japan 12%, Saudi Arabia 2.8% (2005) Imports: $5.028 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat Imports - partners: China 20.7%, Saudi Arabia 9.4%, UAE 5.9%, Egypt 5.5%, Japan 5.1%, India 4.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.45 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $27.34 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $172 million (2001) Currency (code): Sudanese dinar (SDD) Currency code: SDD Exchange rates: Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 243.61 (2005), 257.91 (2004), 260.98 (2003), 263.31 (2002), 258.7 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Sudan Telephones - main lines in use: 670,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.828 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000) Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 7.55 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (1997) Televisions: 2.38 million (1997) Internet country code: .sd Internet hosts: 16 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2002) Internet users: 2.8 million (2005) Transportation Sudan Airports: 88 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 73 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 156 km; oil 3,930 km; refined products 1,613 km (2006) Railways: total: 5,978 km narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2005) Roadways: total: 11,900 km paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (1999) Waterways: 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,326 GRT/14,068 DWT by type: cargo 1, livestock carrier 1 registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 1, Saudi Arabia 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Port Sudan Military Sudan Military branches: Sudanese People's Armed Forces (SPAF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - three years (August 2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 8,291,695 females age 18-49: 8,135,683 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 5,427,474 females age 18-49: 5,649,566 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 442,915 females age 18-49: 426,320 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $587 million (2001 est.) (2004) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3% (1999) (2004) Transnational Issues Sudan Disputes - international: the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-twentieth century have penetrated all of its border states that provide shelter for fleeing refugees and cover to disparate domestic and foreign conflicting elements; since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military have driven about 200,000 Darfur region refugees into eastern Chad; large numbers of Sudanese refugees have also fled to Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; southern Sudan provides shelter to Ugandans seeking periodic protection from soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by civil and ethnic fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundary extends into the southern Sudan, creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is economically developing the "Hala'ib Triangle" north of the Treaty Line; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations from the Central African Republic along the border Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 110,927 (Eritrea) 5,023 (Chad) 7,983 (Uganda) 14,812 (Ethiopia) IDPs: 5,300,000 - 6,200,000 (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing genocide) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan may also be a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked for domestic servitude; boys are trafficked to the Middle East, particularly Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, for use as camel jockeys; small numbers of girls are reportedly trafficked within Sudan for domestic servitude, as well as for commercial sexual exploitation in small brothels in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps; the terrorist rebel organization "Lord's Resistance Army" (LRA) continues to abduct and forcibly conscript small numbers of children in Southern Sudan for use as cooks, porters, and combatants in its ongoing war against Uganda; some of these children are then trafficked across borders into Uganda or possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo; children are utilized by rebel groups and the Sudanese Armed Forces and associated militias in the ongoing conflict in Darfur; during the decades of civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were enslaved by members of Baggara tribes and subjected to various forms of forced labor without remuneration, as well as physical and sexual abuse; with the cessation of the North-South conflict and the ongoing peace process, there were no known new abductions of Dinka by Baggara tribes during 2005; however, inter-tribal abductions of a different nature continue in Southern Sudan and warrant further investigation tier rating: Tier 3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Suriname Introduction Suriname Background: First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party New Front coalition - returned to power in 1991 and has ruled since. Geography Suriname Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 56 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 163,270 sq km land: 161,470 sq km water: 1,800 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Georgia Land boundaries: total: 1,707 km border countries: Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km Coastline: 386 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps Elevation extremes: lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m Natural resources: timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore Land use: arable land: 0.36% permanent crops: 0.06% other: 99.58% (2005) Irrigated land: 510 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast People Suriname Population: 439,117 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29% (male 65,412/female 62,069) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 145,913/female 138,076) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 12,223/female 15,424) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 26.5 years male: 26 years female: 26.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.2% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -8.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 23.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.01 years male: 66.66 years female: 71.47 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.32 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.7% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5,200 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Surinamer(s) adjective: Surinamese Ethnic groups: Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2% Religions: Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5% Languages: Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88% male: 92.3% female: 84.1% (2000 est.) Government Suriname Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Suriname conventional short form: Suriname local long form: Republiek Suriname local short form: Suriname former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana Government type: constitutional democracy Capital: name: Paramaribo geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica Independence: 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands) National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975) Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987 Legal system: based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ram SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ram SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly or, if no presidential or vice presidential candidate receives a two-thirds constitutional majority in the National Assembly after two votes, by a simple majority in the larger United People's Assembly (893 representatives from the national, local, and regional councils), for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN reelected president; percent of vote - Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN 62.9%, Rabin PARMESSAR 35.4%, other 1.7%; note - after two votes in the parliament failed to secure a two-thirds majority for a candidate, the vote then went to a special session of the United People's Assembly on 3 August 2005 Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NF 39.73%, NDP 22.2%, VVV 13.79%, A-Com 7.21%, A-1 5.86%, other 7.42%; seats by party - NF 23, NDP 15, VVV 5, A-Com 5, A-1 3 Judicial branch: Cantonal Courts and a Court of Justice as an appellate court (justices are nominated for life) Political parties and leaders: Alternative-1 or A-1 (a coalition of Amazone Party of Suriname or APS [Kenneth VAN GENDEREN], Democrats of the 21st Century or D-21 [Soewarto MOESTADJA], Nieuw Suriname or NS [Radjen Nanan PANDAY], Political Wing of the FAL or PVF [Jiwan SITAL], Trefpunt 2000 or T-2000 [Arti JESSURUN]); General Interior Development Party or ABOP [Ronnie BRUNSWIJK]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Desire BOUTERSE]; New Front for Democracy and Development or NF (a coalition which includes A-Combination or A-Com [leader NA], Democratic Alternative 1991 or DA-91 which split from the A-1 before the elections of May 2005 and are an independent, business-oriented party [Winston JESSURUN], National Party Suriname or NPS [Ronald VENETIAAN], United Reform Party or VHP [Ram SARDJOE], Pertjaja Luhur or PL [Salam Paul SOMOHARDJO], Surinamese Labor Party or SPA [Siegfried GILDS]); Party for Democracy and Development in Unity or DOE [Marten SCHALKWIJK]; People's Alliance for Progress or VVV (a coalition of Democratic National Platform 2000 or DNP-2000 [Jules WIJDENBOSCH], Grassroots Party for Renewal and Democracy or BVD [Tjan GOBARDHAN], Party for National Unity and Solidarity of the Highest Order or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA], Party for Progression, Justice, and Perseverance or PPRS [Renee KAIMAN], Pendawalima or PL [Raymond SAPOEN]); Progressive Laborers and Farmers Union or PALU [Jim HOK]; Progressive Political Party or PPP [Surinder MUNGRA]; Seeka [Paul ABENA]; Union of Progressive Surinamers or UPS [Sheoradj PANDAY] Political pressure groups and leaders: Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE]; Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE]; Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD] International organization participation: ACP, Caricom, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Henry Lothar ILLES chancery: Suite 460, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-7488 FAX: [1] (202) 244-5878 consulate(s) general: Miami Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa Bobbie SCHREIBER HUGHES embassy: Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129, Paramaribo mailing address: US Department of State, 3390 Paramaribo Place, Washington, DC, 20521-3390 telephone: [597] 472-900 FAX: [597] 425-690 Flag description: five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band Economy Suriname Economy - overview: The economy is dominated by the mining industry, which accounts for more than a third of GDP and subjects government revenues to mineral price volatility. The short-term economic outlook depends on the government's ability to control inflation and on the development of projects in the bauxite and gold mining sectors. Suriname's economic prospects for the medium term will depend on continued commitment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and to the introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote competition. The government of Ronald VENETIAAN, in his first term, implemented an austerity program, raised taxes, and attempted to control spending. Economic policies are likely to remain the same during VENETIAAN's second term. Prospects for local onshore oil production are good, as a drilling program is underway. Offshore oil drilling was given a boost in 2004 when the State Oil Company (Staatsolie) signed exploration agreements with Repsol, Mearsk, and Occidental. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.893 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13% industry: 22% services: 65% (2001) Labor force: 156,700 (2004) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 8% industry: 14% services: 78% Unemployment rate: 9.5% (2004) Population below poverty line: 70% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.5% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $392.6 million expenditures: $425.9 million (2004) Agriculture - products: paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest products Industries: bauxite and gold mining, alumina production; oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing Industrial production growth rate: 6.5% (1994 est.) Electricity - production: 2.014 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 25.2% hydro: 74.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.873 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 12,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - consumption: 14,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 1,370 bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: 1,644 bbl/day (2003) Oil - proved reserves: 150 million bbl (2005) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 0 cu m (2005) Exports: $881 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: alumina, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas Exports - partners: Norway 23.5%, US 16.5%, Canada 16.1%, Belgium 9.7%, France 7.9%, UAE 7.3% (2005) Imports: $750 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods Imports - partners: US 29.3%, Netherlands 17.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.7%, China 6.5%, Japan 5.2% (2005) Debt - external: $504.3 million (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $46 million Netherlands provided $37 million for project and program assistance, European Development Fund $4 million, Belgium $2 million (2003) Currency (code): Surinam dollar (SRD) Currency code: SRG Exchange rates: Surinamese dollars per US dollar - 2.7317 (2005), Surinamese guilders per US dollar - 2.7336 (2004), 2.6013 (2003), 2.3468 (2002), 2.1785 (2001) note: during 1998, the exchange rate splintered into four distinct rates; in January 1999 the government floated the guilder, but subsequently fixed it when the black-market rate plunged; in January 2004, the government introduced the Surinamese dollar as replacement for the guilder, tied to a US dollar-dominated currency basket Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Suriname Telephones - main lines in use: 81,100 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 232,800 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: international facilities are good domestic: microwave radio relay network international: country code - 597; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 13, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 300,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus seven repeaters) (2000) Televisions: 63,000 (1997) Internet country code: .sr Internet hosts: 126 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 30,000 (2005) Transportation Suriname Airports: 47 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 42 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 36 (2006) Pipelines: oil 51 km (2006) Roadways: total: 4,492 km paved: 1,168 km unpaved: 3,324 km (2002) Waterways: 1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,078 GRT/1,214 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Paramaribo Military Suriname Military branches: National Army, Naval Element, Air Wing (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 111,582 females age 18-49: 103,769 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 77,793 females age 18-49: 72,943 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $7.5 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.7% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Suriname Disputes - international: area claimed by French Guiana between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters Illicit drugs: growing transshipment point for South American drugs destined for Europe via the Netherlands and Brazil; transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Svalbard Introduction Svalbard Background: First discovered by the Norwegians in the 12th century, the islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognized in 1920; five years later it officially took over the territory. Geography Svalbard Location: Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway Geographic coordinates: 78 00 N, 20 00 E Map references: Arctic Region Area: total: 61,020 sq km land: 61,020 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island) Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 3,587 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 4 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not recognized by Russia Climate: arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year Terrain: wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and north coasts Elevation extremes: lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m Natural resources: coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry) (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area; site of future seed repository under construction by the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Norwegian Government People Svalbard Population: 2,701 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.02% (2006 est.) Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population Sex ratio: NA Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: NA HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0% (2001) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 0 (2001) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 0 (2001) Ethnic groups: Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3% (1998) Languages: Norwegian, Russian Literacy: NA Government Svalbard Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitzbergen) Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was awarded to Norway Government type: NA Capital: name: Longyearbyen geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 33 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Independence: none (territory of Norway) Legal system: NA Executive branch: chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991) head of government: Governor Odd Olsen INGERO (since 8 June 2001) and Assistant Governor Rune Baard HANSEN (since NA) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice International organization participation: none Flag description: the flag of Norway is used Economy Svalbard Economy - overview: Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. The treaty of 9 February 1920 gives the 41 signatories equal rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Russian. The settlements on Svalbard are essentially company towns. The Norwegian state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the Norwegian population on the island, runs many of the local services, and provides most of the local infrastructure. There is also some hunting of seal, reindeer, and fox. GDP (purchasing power parity): $NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% Labor force: NA Budget: revenues: $11.5 million expenditures: $11.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 57.9984% hydro: 42.0016% nuclear: 0% other: 0% Exports: $NA Imports: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $8.2 million from Norway (1998) Currency (code): Norwegian krone (NOK) Currency code: NOK Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003), 7.9838 (2002), 8.9917 (2001) Communications Svalbard Telephones - main lines in use: NA Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system: general assessment: probably adequate domestic: local telephone service international: country code - 47-790; satellite earth station - 1 of unknown type (for communication with Norwegian mainland only) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: NA Televisions: NA Internet country code: .sj Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (Svalbard and Jan Mayen) (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation Svalbard Airports: 4 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Ports and terminals: Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden Military Svalbard Military expenditures - dollar figure: $5.501 billion Military - note: demilitarized by treaty on 9 February 1920 Transnational Issues Svalbard Disputes - international: despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Swaziland Introduction Swaziland Background: Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured the monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection. Geography Swaziland Location: Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa Geographic coordinates: 26 30 S, 31 30 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 17,363 sq km land: 17,203 sq km water: 160 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey Land boundaries: total: 535 km border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: varies from tropical to near temperate Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m Natural resources: asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc Land use: arable land: 10.25% permanent crops: 0.81% other: 88.94% (2005) Irrigated land: 500 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: drought Environment - current issues: limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa People Swaziland Population: 1,136,334 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.7% (male 233,169/female 229,103) 15-64 years: 55.8% (male 303,260/female 330,460) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 16,071/female 24,271) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.5 years male: 17.8 years female: 19.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.23% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 27.41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 29.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 71.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 75.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 32.62 years male: 32.1 years female: 33.17 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.53 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 38.8% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 220,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 17,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi Ethnic groups: African 97%, European 3% Religions: Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish and other 30% Languages: English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.6% male: 82.6% female: 80.8% (2003 est.) Government Swaziland Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland conventional short form: Swaziland local long form: Umbuso weSwatini local short form: eSwatini Government type: monarchy Capital: name: Mbabane geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital) Administrative divisions: 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni Independence: 6 September 1968 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 6 September (1968) Constitution: the first constitution was signed into law in July 2005 and is scheduled to be implemented in January 2006 Legal system: based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age Executive branch: chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986) head of government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003) cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory body, consists of the Senate (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats - 10 appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 18 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008) election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch Political parties and leaders: political parties are banned by the government under an emergency decree that will be revoked when the new constitution takes effect (January 2006)- the following are considered political associations; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002 FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lewis LUCKE embassy: Central Bank Building, Mahlokahla Street, Mbabane mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445 FAX: [268] 404-5959 Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally Economy Swaziland Economy - overview: In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives about nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends nearly two-thirds of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2004-05 because of drought, and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS. GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.68 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.117 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.9% industry: 51.5% services: 36.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 155,700 (2003) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Unemployment rate: 40% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 69% (2005) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 50.2% (1995) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 10.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $805.6 million expenditures: $957.1 million; including capital expenditures of $147 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep Industries: mining (coal, raw asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel Industrial production growth rate: 3.7% (FY95/96) Electricity - production: 392 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 58% hydro: 42% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.161 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 821.4 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2004) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - consumption: 3,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $7 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.991 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit Exports - partners: South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2004) Imports: $2.149 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals Imports - partners: South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9%, Singapore 0.3% (2004) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $311 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $357 million (2003 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $104 million (2001) Currency (code): lilangeni (SZL) Currency code: SZL Exchange rates: emalangeni per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Swaziland Telephones - main lines in use: 35,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 200,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2 plus 4 repeaters, shortwave 3 (2004) Radios: 170,000 (1999) Television broadcast stations: 12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004) Televisions: 23,000 (2000) Internet country code: .sz Internet hosts: 2,472 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2002) Internet users: 36,000 (2005) Transportation Swaziland Airports: 18 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Railways: total: 301 km narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 3,594 km paved: 1,078 km unpaved: 2,516 km (2002) Military Swaziland Military branches: Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes air wing), Royal Swaziland Police Force (RSPF) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; both sexes are eligible for military service (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 227,617 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 89,609 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $41.6 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Swaziland Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Sweden Introduction Sweden Background: A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe delayed Sweden's entry into the EU until 1995, and waived the introduction of the euro in 1999. Geography Sweden Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 15 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than California Land boundaries: total: 2,233 km border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km Coastline: 3,218 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m Natural resources: iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower Land use: arable land: 5.93% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 94.06% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,150 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic Environment - current issues: acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas People Sweden Population: 9,016,596 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 775,433/female 732,773) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 3,001,928/female 2,918,242) 65 years and over: 17.6% (male 689,756/female 898,464) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.9 years male: 39.8 years female: 42 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.16% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.27 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 2.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.51 years male: 78.29 years female: 82.87 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,600 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Swede(s) adjective: Swedish Ethnic groups: indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks Religions: Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist Languages: Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Sweden Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Stockholm geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholms, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands Independence: 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king) National holiday: Flag Day, 6 June Constitution: 1 January 1975 Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977) head of government: Prime Minister Fredrik REINFELDT (since 5 October 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by the parliament; election last held 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010) election results: Fredrik REINFELDT elected prime minister with 175 out of 349 votes Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 September 2006 (next to be held September 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 37.2%, Moderates 27.8%, Center Party 8.3%, People's Party 8.0%, Christian Democrats 6.9%, Left Party 6.3%, Greens 5.4%; seats by party - Social Democrats 130, Moderates 97, Center Party 29, People's Party 28, Christian Democrats 24, Left Party 22, Greens 19 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet) Political parties and leaders: Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party [Goran HAGGLUND]; Environment Party the Greens [no formal leader but party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT]; People's Party [Lars LEIJONBORG]; Social Democratic Party [Goran PERSSON] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 6, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gunnar LUND chancery: 902 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael M. WOOD embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds VAG 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, US Department of State, 5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750 (pouch) telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64 Flag description: blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Economy Sweden Economy - overview: Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and of jobs. The government's commitment to fiscal discipline resulted in a substantial budgetary surplus in 2001, which was cut by more than half in 2002, due to the global economic slowdown, declining revenue, and increased spending. The Swedish central bank (the Riksbank) focuses on price stability with its inflation target of 2%. Growth remained sluggish in 2003, but picked up in 2004 and 2005. Presumably because of generous sick-leave benefits, Swedish workers report in sick more often than other Europeans. In September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system, concerned about the impact on democracy and sovereignty. GDP (purchasing power parity): $268.3 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $348.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $29,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.1% industry: 28.2% services: 70.7% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.49 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 2% industry: 24% services: 74% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 5.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 20.1% (1992) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 25 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 17% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $210.5 billion expenditures: $205.9 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 50.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, sugar beets; meat, milk Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles Industrial production growth rate: 1.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 127.9 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 4% hydro: 50.8% nuclear: 43% other: 2.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 131.8 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 11.5 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 24.3 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 2,441 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 346,100 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 203,700 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 553,100 bbl/day (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 980 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 968 million cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $25.62 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $126.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals Exports - partners: US 10.6%, Germany 10.2%, Norway 8.7%, UK 7.3%, Denmark 6.5%, Finland 5.7%, France 4.9%, Netherlands 4.5%, Belgium 4.3% (2005) Imports: $104.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing Imports - partners: Germany 17.5%, Denmark 8.9%, Norway 7.8%, UK 6.6%, Netherlands 6.2%, Finland 5.8%, France 5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $22.33 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $516.1 billion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.7 billion (1997) Currency (code): Swedish krona (SEK) Currency code: SEK Exchange rates: Swedish kronor per US dollar - 7.4731 (2005), 7.3489 (2004), 8.0863 (2003), 9.7371 (2002), 10.3291 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Sweden Telephones - main lines in use: 6.447 million (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 8.436 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels international: country code - 46; 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 8.25 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 4.6 million (1997) Internet country code: .se Internet hosts: 2,958,435 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 29 (2000) Internet users: 6.8 million (2005) Transportation Sweden Airports: 255 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 155 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 80 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 36 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 100 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 91 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: gas 798 km (2006) Railways: total: 11,481 km standard gauge: 11,481 km 1.435-m gauge (9,400 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 424,981 km paved: 132,339 km (including 1,544 km of expressways) unpaved: 292,642 km (2003) Waterways: 2,052 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 198 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,703,834 GRT/2,382,754 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 28, chemical tanker 47, container 5, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 36, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 31, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 21 foreign-owned: 37 (Belgium 2, Denmark 4, Finland 11, Germany 3, Italy 7, Japan 2, Norway 7, US 1) registered in other countries: 161 (Bahamas 6, Bermuda 14, Cayman Islands 9, Cook Islands 3, Cyprus 3, Denmark 1, France 2, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 9, Gibraltar 5, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 8, Malta 3, Netherlands 26, Netherlands Antilles 5, Norway 28, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 12, UK 15, US 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Goteborg, Helsingborg, Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Oxelosund, Stenungsund, Stockholm, Trelleborg Military Sweden Military branches: Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army (Armen), Royal Swedish Navy (Marinen), Swedish Air Force (Svenska Flygvapnet) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 7-17 months depending on conscript role; after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age of 47 (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 1,838,427 females age 19-49: 1,774,659 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 1,493,668 females age 19-49: 1,441,257 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 58,724 females age 19-49: 55,954 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $5.51 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Sweden Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Switzerland Introduction Switzerland Background: The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality. Geography Switzerland Location: Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 8 00 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey Land boundaries: total: 1,852 km border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt Land use: arable land: 9.91% permanent crops: 0.58% other: 89.51% (2005) Irrigated land: 250 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: avalanches, landslides, flash floods Environment - current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps People Switzerland Population: 7,523,934 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.3% (male 637,585/female 591,297) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 2,585,062/female 2,539,345) 65 years and over: 15.6% (male 480,198/female 690,447) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 40.1 years male: 39 years female: 41.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.43% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 9.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 3.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.51 years male: 77.69 years female: 83.48 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.43 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss Ethnic groups: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% Religions: Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 4.3%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census) Languages: German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national languages, but only the first three are official languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Switzerland Country name: conventional long form: Swiss Confederation conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German); Confederation Suisse (French); Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) local short form: Schweiz (German); Suisse (French); Svizzera (Italian) Government type: formally a confederation, but similar in structure to a federal republic Capital: name: Bern geographic coordinates: 46 57 N, 7 26 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich Independence: 1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation) National holiday: Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291) Constitution: revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, officially entered into force 1 January 2000 Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 8 January 2006); Vice President Micheline CALMY-REY (since 8 January 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 8 January 2006); Vice President Micheline CALMY-REY (since 8 January 2006) cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly usually from among its own members for a four-year term elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for a one-year term (they may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Moritz LUENBERGER elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - NA; Micheline CALMY-REY elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - NA Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats - consists of two representatives from each canton and one from each half canton; members serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats - members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons 19 October 2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 19 October 2003 (next to be held October 2007) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CVP 15, FDP 14, SVP 8, SPS 6, other 3; National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 26.6%, SPS 23.3%, FDP 17.3%, CVP 14.4%, Greens 7.4%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SVP 55, SPS 54, FDP 36, CVP 28, Green Party 13, other small parties 14 Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly) Political parties and leaders: Green Party (Grune Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruth GENNER]; Christian Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Doris LEUTHARD, president]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Marianne KLEINER-SCHLAEPFER, president]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Hans-Juerg FEHR, president]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER, president]; and other minor parties Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Urs ZISWILER chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco consulate(s): Boston Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Peter R. CONEWAY embassy: Jubilaumsstrasse 93, CH-3005 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44 Flag description: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag Economy Switzerland Economy - overview: Switzerland is a peaceful, prosperous, and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big Western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Switzerland remains a safehaven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8%, to 0.2% in 2002, and to -0.3% in 2003, with a small rise to 1.8% in 2004-05. Even so, unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average. GDP (purchasing power parity): $240.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $367 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $32,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.5% industry: 34% services: 64.5% (2003 est.) Labor force: 3.8 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4.6% industry: 26.3% services: 69.1% (1998) Unemployment rate: 3.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 25.2% (1992) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.1 (1992) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $138.1 billion expenditures: $143.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 52% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 63.4 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.3% hydro: 59.5% nuclear: 37.1% other: 2% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 55.86 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 33.2 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 30.1 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 1,950 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 258,900 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 10,420 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 289,500 bbl/day (2001) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 3.209 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 3.093 billion cu m (2001 est.) Current account balance: $58.24 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $148.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products Exports - partners: Germany 19.4%, US 10.9%, Italy 9.1%, France 8.7%, UK 5.4%, Spain 4.1% (2005) Imports: $135 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles Imports - partners: Germany 31.6%, Italy 10.5%, France 10%, US 5.6%, Netherlands 4.8%, Austria 4.6%, UK 4.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $57.64 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $856 billion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) Currency (code): Swiss franc (CHF) Currency code: CHF Exchange rates: Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Switzerland Telephones - main lines in use: 5.123 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 6.847 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent domestic and international services domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 7.1 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 3.31 million (1997) Internet country code: .ch Internet hosts: 2,442,659 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000) Internet users: 5,097,822 (2005) Transportation Switzerland Airports: 65 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 42 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 16 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Heliports: 2 (2006) Pipelines: gas 1,831 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2006) Railways: total: 4,583 km standard gauge: 3,234 km 1.435-m gauge (3,223 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,339 km 1.000-m gauge (1,338 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 71,297 km paved: 71,297 km (including 1,726 of expressways) (2004) Waterways: 65 km (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2003) Merchant marine: total: 27 ships (1000 GRT or over) 492,434 GRT/810,559 DWT by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 10, chemical tanker 3, container 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Monaco 2) registered in other countries: 320 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas 2, Belize 1, Bermuda 2, Cyprus 4, France 2, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Germany 1, Indonesia 3, Liberia 7, Malta 21, Marshall Islands 13, Mauritius 2, Morocco 1, Panama 226, Portugal 3, Russia 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Tonga 1, Turkey 1, UK 3, Vanuatu 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Basel Military Switzerland Military branches: Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe); Switzerland has no navy, but maintains a fleet of military patrol boats to patrol Swiss borders (2006) Military service age and obligation: the Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged to do military service"; every Swiss male has to serve for at least 260 days in the armed forces; 19 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscripts receive 15 weeks of compulsory training, followed by 10 intermittent recalls for training over the next 22 years; women are accepted on a voluntary basis but are not drafted (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 1,707,694 females age 19-49: 1,662,099 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 1,375,889 females age 19-49: 1,342,945 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 46,319 females age 19-49: 43,829 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.548 billion (FY01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY01) Transnational Issues Switzerland Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Syria Introduction Syria Background: Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, France administered Syria until its independence in 1946. The country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic, but in September 1961 the two entities separated and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel, and over the past decade Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of President al-ASAD in July 2000, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April of 2005. Geography Syria Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 38 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 185,180 sq km land: 184,050 sq km water: 1,130 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory Area - comparative: slightly larger than North Dakota Land boundaries: total: 2,253 km border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km Coastline: 193 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 41 nm Climate: mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus Terrain: primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower Land use: arable land: 24.8% permanent crops: 4.47% other: 70.73% (2005) Irrigated land: 13,330 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Geography - note: there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.) People Syria Population: 18,881,361 note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 37% (male 3,592,915/female 3,384,722) 15-64 years: 59.7% (male 5,779,257/female 5,500,887) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 296,070/female 327,510) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.7 years male: 20.6 years female: 20.9 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.3% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 27.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 28.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.32 years male: 69.01 years female: 71.7 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian Ethnic groups: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.9% male: 89.7% female: 64% (2003 est.) Government Syria Country name: conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic conventional short form: Syria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah local short form: Suriyah former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt) Government type: republic under an authoritarian, military-dominated regime Capital: name: Damascus geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 30 September Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) National holiday: Independence Day, 17 April (1946) Constitution: 13 March 1973 Legal system: based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; religious law is used in the family court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president approved by popular referendum for a seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held 10 July 2000 - after the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held 2007); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29% note: Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June, the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council on 25 June; he was approved by a popular referendum on 10 July Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, independents 33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receives one-half of the seats Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the President); High Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by the President); Court of Cassation (national level); State Security Courts (hear cases related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to marriage and divorce); Courts of First Instance (local level; include magistrate, summary, and peace courts) Political parties and leaders: Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallal Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL] Political pressure groups and leaders: Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes several groups but has no designated leader); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes several groups but has no designated leader); Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM] International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael CORBIN embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342 FAX: [963] (11) 224-7938 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980 Economy Syria Economy - overview: The Syrian Government estimates the economy grew by 4.5 percent in real terms in 2005, led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together account for about half of GDP. Economic performance and the exchange rate on the informal market were hit by international political developments following the assassination in February of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-HARIRI and the specter of international sanctions. Higher crude oil prices countered declining oil production and exports and helped to narrow the budget deficit and widen the current account surplus. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports, increasing pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution. GDP (purchasing power parity): $71.42 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $25.84 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24.9% industry: 23% services: 51.9% (2004 est.) Labor force: 5.12 million (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 30% industry: 27% services: 43% (2002 est.) Unemployment rate: 12.3% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 20% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $6.392 billion expenditures: $7.613 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.23 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 40.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk Industries: petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2002 est.) Electricity - production: 29.53 billion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 57.6% hydro: 42.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 28.26 billion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 403,800 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 240,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 285,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 2.5 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 6.95 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 6.95 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 240.7 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $1.097 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $6.344 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat Exports - partners: Iraq 22.3%, Saudi Arabia 15.3%, Italy 8.4%, Germany 8.3%, Lebanon 7.7%, Egypt 4.3%, France 4.2% (2005) Imports: $5.973 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 10.6%, China 5.6%, Egypt 5.4%, Italy 5.3%, UAE 5.2%, Ukraine 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.363 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $8.566 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $180 million (2002 est.) Currency (code): Syrian pound (SYP) Currency code: SYP Exchange rates: Syrian pounds per US dollar - (public sector rate): 11.225 (2005), 11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), (parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut): NA (2005), NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2001), (official rate for repaying loans): 11.25 (2004) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Syria Telephones - main lines in use: 2.903 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.95 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 963; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 4.15 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 1.05 million (1997) Internet country code: .sy Internet hosts: 66 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 1.1 million (2005) Transportation Syria Airports: 92 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 26 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 66 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 54 (2006) Heliports: 7 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,764 km; oil 2,000 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,711 km standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 91,795 km paved: 18,451 km unpaved: 73,344 km (2003) Waterways: 900 km (not economically significant) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 108 ships (1000 GRT or over) 386,603 GRT/563,506 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 93, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 11 (Lebanon 7, Romania 3, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 130 (Cambodia 20, Comoros 4, Cyprus 3, Dominica 1, Georgia 43, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 14, Lebanon 1, Malta 7, Mongolia 1, Panama 18, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Slovakia 2, unknown 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Baniyas, Latakia Military Syria Military branches: Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy), Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 4,356,413 females age 18-49: 4,123,339 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 3,453,888 females age 18-49: 3,421,558 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 225,113 females age 18-49: 211,829 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.9% (FY00) Transnational Issues Syria Disputes - international: Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence personnel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 432,048 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) 14,391 (Iraq) IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Syria is a destination country for women from South and Southeast Asia and Africa for domestic servitude and from Eastern Europe and Iraq for sexual exploitation; women are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of exploitation and involuntary servitude including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports and other restrictions on movement, and physical and sexual abuse; Eastern European women recruited for work in Syria as cabaret dancers are not permitted to leave their work premises without permission and have their passports withheld; some displaced Iraqi women and children are reportedly forced into sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Taiwan Introduction Taiwan Background: In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the native population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform. Geography Taiwan Location: Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China Geographic coordinates: 23 30 N, 121 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,566.3 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m Natural resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos Land use: arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% other: 75% (2001) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: earthquakes and typhoons Environment - current issues: air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal Environment - international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status Geography - note: strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait People Taiwan Population: 23,036,087 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.4% (male 2,330,951/female 2,140,965) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,269,421/female 8,040,169) 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 1,123,429/female 1,131,152) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 34.6 years male: 34.1 years female: 35 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.61% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.43 years male: 74.67 years female: 80.47 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan adjective: Taiwan Ethnic groups: Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2% Religions: mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: NA% female: NA% (2003) Government Taiwan Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa Government type: multiparty democracy Capital: name: Taipei geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller islands near central island and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural) counties: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung (county), Kin-men, Lien-chiang, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei (county), T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin municipalities: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan special municipalities: Kao-hsiung city, T'ai-pei city note: Taiwan generally uses Wade-Giles system for romanization; special municipality of Taipei adopted standard pinyin romanization for street and place names within city boundaries, other local authorities have selected a variety of romanization systems National holiday: Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911) Constitution: 25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005 Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000) and Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000) head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) SU Tseng-chang (since 25 January 2006) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) TSAI Ing-wen (since 25 January 2006) cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier election results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9% Legislative branch: Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on basis of proportion of island-wide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms); National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body; delegates nominated by parties and elected by proportional representation six to nine months after Legislative Yuan calls to amend Constitution, impeach president, or change national borders) - see note note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by National Assembly in June 2005, number of seats in legislature will be reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with election in 2007; amendments also eliminated National Assembly thus giving Taiwan a unicameral legislature elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005; dissolved in June 2005 election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP 38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%; seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7, independents 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP 42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU 7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP 127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP 18, others 17 (2005) Judicial branch: Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [YU Shyi-kun]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu)]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU Chin-chiang]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or NP Political pressure groups and leaders: Taiwan independence movement, various business and environmental groups note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the UN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include the World United Formosans for Independence and the Organization for Taiwan Nation Building International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTO note: Taiwan has acquired observer status on the competition committee and special observer status on the Trade Committee of the OECD, and is seeking observer status with the backing of the US in WHO Diplomatic representation in the US: none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 12 other US cities Diplomatic representation from the US: none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162 Flag description: red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays Economy Taiwan Economy - overview: Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing guidance of investment and foreign trade by government authorities. In keeping with this trend, some large, government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Agriculture contributes less than 2% to GDP, down from 32% in 1952. Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia. China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and, in 2005, Taiwan's third-largest source of imports after Japan and the US. Taiwan has benefited from cross-Strait economic integration and a sharp increase in world demand to achieve substantial growth in its export sector and a seven-year-high real GDP growth of 6.1% in 2004. However, excess inventory, higher international oil prices, and rising interest rates dampened consumption in developed markets, and GDP growth dropped to 3.8% in 2005. The service sector, which accounts for 69% of Taiwan's GDP, has continued to expand, while unemployment and inflation rates have declined. GDP (purchasing power parity): $630 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $323.4 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $27,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 25.9% services: 72.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 10.6 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 6% industry: 35.8% services: 58.2% (2005 est.) Unemployment rate: 4.1% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 0.9% (2005) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $41.67 billion expenditures: $50.26 billion; including capital expenditures of $14.4 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 33.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish Industries: electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 218.3 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 71.4% hydro: 6% nuclear: 22.6% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 206.1 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004) Oil - production: 8,354 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 915,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 2.9 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 970 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 8.45 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - imports: 7.48 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 76.46 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $16.22 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $189.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002) Exports - partners: China 21.6%, US 16.22%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 7.7% (2005) Imports: $181.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002) Imports - partners: Japan 25.3%, US 11.6%, China 11%, South Korea 7.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $258 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $87.5 billion (2005 est.) Currency (code): new Taiwan dollar (TWD) Currency code: TWD Exchange rates: new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002), 33.09 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00; calendar year (after FY00) Communications Taiwan Telephones - main lines in use: 13.615 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 22.17 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized international: country code - 886; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe (1999) Radio broadcast stations: AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999) Radios: 16 million (1994) Television broadcast stations: 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 8.8 million (1998) Internet country code: .tw Internet hosts: 4,320,310 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000) Internet users: 13.21 million (2005) Transportation Taiwan Airports: 42 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 38 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,497 km narrow gauge: 1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified) note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau) used to carry products and limited numbers of passengers (2005) Roadways: total: 37,299 km paved: 35,621 km (including 1,789 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,678 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 112 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,798,992 GRT/4,652,921 DWT by type: bulk carrier 35, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 25, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3) registered in other countries: 463 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 2, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 6, Italy 10, Liberia 69, Malta 2, Panama 308, Singapore 59, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung Military Taiwan Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command Military service age and obligation: 19-35 years of age for military service; service obligation 16 months (to be shortened to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 5,883,828 females age 19-49: 5,680,773 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 4,749,537 females age 19-49: 4,644,607 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 174,173 females age 19-49: 163,683 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $7.93 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Taiwan Disputes - international: involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting Trafficking in persons: current situation: Taiwan is primarily a destination for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; women from China and Southeast Asian countries are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and children, primarily from Vietnam, are trafficked through the use of fraudulent marriages, deceptive employment offers, and illegal smuggling for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant share of foreign workers - primarily from Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines - are recruited legally for low-skilled jobs, and are subjected to forced labor or involuntary servitude by labor agencies or employers upon arrival in Taiwan; to a much lesser extent, there is internal trafficking of children for sexual exploitation and trafficking of a small and declining number of Taiwanese women to Japan for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Taiwan is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts over the past year to address trafficking, despite ample resources to do so, particularly the serious level of forced labor and sexual servitude among legally migrating Southeast Asian contract workers and brides Illicit drugs: regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; renewal of domestic methamphetamine production is a problem This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Tajikistan Introduction Tajikistan Background: The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it is now in the process of strengthening its democracy and transitioning to a free market economy after its 1992-1997 civil war. There have been no major security incidents in recent years, although the country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development assistance, which could create jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace. Geography Tajikistan Location: Central Asia, west of China Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 71 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 143,100 sq km land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Wisconsin Land boundaries: total: 3,651 km border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains Terrain: Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest Elevation extremes: lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m Natural resources: hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold Land use: arable land: 6.52% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.59% (2005) Irrigated land: 7,220 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: earthquakes and floods Environment - current issues: inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR People Tajikistan Population: 7,320,815 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.9% (male 1,396,349/female 1,375,168) 15-64 years: 57.4% (male 2,091,476/female 2,108,889) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 154,162/female 194,771) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20 years male: 19.7 years female: 20.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.19% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 32.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 106.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 117.83 deaths/1,000 live births female: 94.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.94 years male: 62.03 years female: 68 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 200 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.) Nationality: noun: Tajikistani(s) adjective: Tajikistani Ethnic groups: Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6% (2000 census) Religions: Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.) Languages: Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.6% female: 99.1% (2003 est.) Government Tajikistan Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: Tojikiston former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: Dushanbe geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand) note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses Independence: 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991) Constitution: 6 November 1994 Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992) head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006 (next to be held November 2013); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Emomali RAHMONOV reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 76.4%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 7.2%, other 16.4% Legislative branch: bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the former president; all serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 February and 13 March 2005 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held February 2010) and 25 March 2005 for the National Assembly (next to be held February 2010) election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other 2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir KARAKULOV]; Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV]; Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimjon BOBOYEV]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV] Political pressure groups and leaders: unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV]; Party of Justice [Abdurahim KARIMOV]; People's Unity Party [Abdumalik ABDULLOJONOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV]; Socialist Party [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; note - this is the SPT that was disbanded, another pro-government SPT (listed above under political parties) replaced it; Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV] International organization participation: AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV chancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090 FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Ave., Dushanbe 734003 mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189 telephone: [992] (37) 229-20-00 FAX: [992] (37) 229-20-50 Flag description: three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe Economy Tajikistan Economy - overview: Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 6% of the land area is arable; cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Even though 64% of its people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997, but experienced a slight drop in its growth rate to 8% in 2005 from 10.6% in 2004. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises would further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002, including a $250 million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt to Russia. Tajikistan ranks third in the world in terms of water resources per head. A proposed investment to finish the hydropower dams Rogun and Sangtuda would substantially add to electricity production. If finished, Rogun will be the world's tallest dam. GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.617 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.887 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.4% industry: 28.6% services: 48% (2005 est.) Labor force: 3.7 million (2003) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 67.2% industry: 7.5% services: 25.3% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 12% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 64% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 25.2% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34.7 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $442.3 million expenditures: $542.6 million; including capital expenditures of $86 million (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats Industries: aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers Industrial production growth rate: 8.2% (2002 est.) Electricity - production: 16.5 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.9% hydro: 98.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 15.05 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 3.874 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 4.81 billion kWh (2004) Oil - production: 354.8 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 25,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 30 million cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.) Current account balance: $-44 million (2005 est.) Exports: $950 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles Exports - partners: Netherlands 46.6%, Turkey 15.8%, Russia 9.1%, Uzbekistan 7.3%, Latvia 4.9%, Iran 4% (2005) Imports: $1.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Russia 19.3%, Kazakhstan 12.7%, Uzbekistan 11.5%, Azerbaijan 8.6%, China 7%, Ukraine 6.2%, Romania 4.6%, Turkmenistan 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $186.8 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $888 million (2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $67 million from US (2005) Currency (code): somoni Currency code: TJS Exchange rates: Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004), 3.0614 (2003), 2.7641 (2002), 2.3722 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Tajikistan Telephones - main lines in use: 245,200 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 265,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not linked to the national network domestic: cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002) Radios: 1.291 million (1991) Television broadcast stations: 13 (2001) Televisions: 820,000 (1997) Internet country code: .tj Internet hosts: 98 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2002) Internet users: 5,000 (2005) Transportation Tajikistan Airports: 40 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 22 (2006) Pipelines: gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2006) Railways: total: 482 km broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 27,767 km (2000) Waterways: 200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006) Military Tajikistan Military branches: Ground Troops, Air and Air Defense Troops, Mobile Troops (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,556,415 females age 18-49: 1,568,780 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,244,941 females age 18-49: 1,297,891 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 87,846 females age 18-49: 85,869 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $35.4 million (FY01) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.9% (FY01) Transnational Issues Tajikistan Disputes - international: boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands, but neither state has published maps of ceded areas and demarcation has not yet commenced; talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan Illicit drugs: major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan seizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Tanzania Introduction Tanzania Background: Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities. Geography Tanzania Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 35 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 945,087 sq km land: 886,037 sq km water: 59,050 sq km note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar Area - comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of California Land boundaries: total: 3,861 km border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km Coastline: 1,424 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands Terrain: plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m Natural resources: hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel Land use: arable land: 4.23% permanent crops: 1.16% other: 94.61% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,840 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought Environment - current issues: soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest People Tanzania Population: 37,445,392 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,204,593/female 8,176,489) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 9,906,446/female 10,178,066) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 422,674/female 557,124) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 17.7 years male: 17.5 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.83% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 37.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -3.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 96.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 105.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 87.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 45.64 years male: 44.93 years female: 46.37 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.97 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 8.8% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.6 million (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 160,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Tanzanian(s) adjective: Tanzanian Ethnic groups: mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African Religions: mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic total population: 78.2% male: 85.9% female: 70.7% (2003 est.) Government Tanzania Country name: conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania conventional short form: Tanzania local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania local short form: Tanzania former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar Government type: republic Capital: name: Dar es Salaam geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on a regular basis Administrative divisions: 26 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West Independence: 26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964 National holiday: Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964) Constitution: 25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984 Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was reelected to that office on 30 October 2005 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 December 2005(next to be held in December 2010); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Jakaya KIKWETE elected president; percent of vote - Jakaya KIKWETE 80.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 11.7%, Freeman MBOWE 5.9% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, 5 to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2010) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, women appointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to take place soon Judicial branch: Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court (consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts; Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the higher courts) Political parties and leaders: Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy and Development) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM (Revolutionary Party) [Jakaya Mrisho KIKWETE]; Civic United Front or CUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party [Christopher MTIKLA] (unregistered); Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine Lyatonga MREME]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew Mhando DARAJA chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6125 FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael L. RETZER embassy: 140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam telephone: [255] (22) 2666-010 through 2666-015 FAX: [255] (22) 2666-701, 2668-501 Flag description: divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue Economy Tanzania Economy - overview: Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through 2005 featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private-sector growth and investment. Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP growth of more than 6% in 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $27.11 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $12.12 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43.2% industry: 17.2% services: 39.6% (2004 est.) Labor force: 19.22 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2002 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 36% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 30.1% (1993) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 38.2 (1993) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 18.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.235 billion expenditures: $2.669 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 65.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats Industries: agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); diamond, gold, and iron mining, salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer Industrial production growth rate: 8.4% (1999 est.) Electricity - production: 3.152 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 18.9% hydro: 81.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.959 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 28 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 22,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-558 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.581 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton Exports - partners: China 10.2%, Canada 8.6%, India 7.3%, Netherlands 5.2%, Japan 4.5%, Kenya 4.4%, Germany 4.3% (2005) Imports: $2.391 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil Imports - partners: South Africa 12.2%, China 9.6%, India 7%, UAE 6.1%, Kenya 5.2%, UK 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.074 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $8.178 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $1.2 billion (2001) Currency (code): Tanzanian shilling (TZS) Currency code: TZS Exchange rates: Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 1,128.93 (2005), 1,089.33 (2004), 1,038.42 (2003), 966.58 (2002), 876.41 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Tanzania Telephones - main lines in use: 148,400 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.942 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: fair system operating below capacity and being modernized for better service; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system under construction domestic: trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital international: country code - 255; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 8.8 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (1999) Televisions: 103,000 (1997) Internet country code: .tz Internet hosts: 8,609 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000) Internet users: 333,000 (2005) Transportation Tanzania Airports: 124 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 113 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 33 (2006) Pipelines: gas 254 km; oil 872 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,690 km narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 78,891 km paved: 6,808 km unpaved: 72,083 km (2003) Waterways: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2005) Merchant marine: total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 24,801 GRT/31,507 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 4 registered in other countries: 2 (Honduras 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Zanzibar City Military Tanzania Military branches: Tanzanian People's Defense Force (JWTZ): Army, Naval Wing, Air Defense Command (includes air wing), National Service Military service age and obligation: 15 years of age for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for compulsory military service upon graduation from secondary school; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 7,422,869 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 3,879,630 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $21.2 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Tanzania Disputes - international: disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 443,706 (Burundi) 153,474 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 3,036 (Somalia) (2005) Illicit drugs: growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African, European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Thailand Introduction Thailand Background: A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing armed violence in its three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces. Geography Thailand Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 100 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 514,000 sq km land: 511,770 sq km water: 2,230 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming Land boundaries: total: 4,863 km border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km Coastline: 3,219 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid Terrain: central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere Elevation extremes: lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m Natural resources: tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land Land use: arable land: 27.54% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 65.53% (2005) Irrigated land: 49,860 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts Environment - current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore People Thailand Population: 64,631,595 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 22% (male 7,284,068/female 6,958,632) 15-64 years: 70% (male 22,331,312/female 22,880,588) 65 years and over: 8% (male 2,355,190/female 2,821,805) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 31.9 years male: 31.1 years female: 32.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.68% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 13.87 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.04 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 19.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.25 years male: 69.95 years female: 74.68 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.5% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 570,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 58,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: leptospirosis note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US personnel who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005) Nationality: noun: Thai (singular and plural) adjective: Thai Ethnic groups: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% Religions: Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census) Languages: Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 94.9% female: 90.5% (2002) Government Thailand Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand conventional short form: Thailand local long form: Ratcha Anachak Thai local short form: Prathet Thai former: Siam Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Bangkok geographic coordinates: 13 45 N, 100 31 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep Mahanakhon (Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phetchaburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket, Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized) National holiday: Birthday of King PHUMIPHON, 5 December (1927) Constitution: constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997; abrogated on 19 September 2006 after coup; interim constitution promulgated on 1 October 2006; junta has promised new constitution by October 2007 Legal system: based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946) head of government: Interim Prime Minister SURAYUT Chulanon (since 1 October 2006); Interim Deputy Prime Ministers KHOSIT Panpiamrat (since 9 October 2006); PRIDIYATHON Thewakun (since 9 October 2006) note: Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat was overthrown on 19 September 2006 in a coup led by General SONTHI Boonyaratglin cabinet: Council of Ministers note: there is also a Privy Council elections: none; monarch is hereditary; according to 1997 constitution, prime minister was designated from among members of House of Representatives; following national elections for House of Representatives, leader of party that could organize a majority coalition usually was appointed prime minister by king Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consisted of the Senate or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); after coup in September 2006, junta appointed an interim National Assembly with 250 members to act as Senate and House of Representatives; body has no vote on government matters elections: Senate - last held 19 April 2006; House of Representatives - last held 6 February 2005; junta scheduled next general election by October 2007 election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - (2005 election) percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TRT 376, DP 97, TNP 25, PP 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [ABHISIT Wetchachiwa]; People's Party or PP (Mahachon Party) [ANEK Laothamatas]; Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BARNHARN SILPA-ARCHA]; Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT [CHATURON Chaisang] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Virasakdi FUTRAKUL chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007-3681 telephone: [1] (202) 944-3600 FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph L. BOYCE embassy: 120-122 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330 mailing address: APO AP 96546 telephone: [66] (2) 205-4000 FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131 consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai Flag description: five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red Economy Thailand Economy - overview: With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to have fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. The country was one of East Asia's best performers in 2002-04. Boosted by increased consumption and strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 6.9% in 2003 and 6.1% in 2004 despite a sluggish global economy. Bangkok has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth. In 2004, Thailand and the US began negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took 8,500 lives in Thailand and caused massive destruction of property in the southern provinces of Krabi, Phangnga, and Phuket. Growth slowed to 4.4% in 2005. The downturn can be attributed to high oil prices, weaker demand from Western markets, severe drought in rural regions, tsunami-related declines in tourism, and lower consumer confidence. Moreover, the THAKSIN administration's expansionist economic policies, including plans for multi-billion-dollar mega-projects in infrastructure and social development, has raised concerns about fiscal discipline and the health of financial institutions. On the positive side, the Thai economy performed well beginning in the third quarter of 2005. Export-oriented manufacturing - in particular automobile production - and farm output are driving these gains. In 2006, the economy should benefit from an influx of investment and a revived tourism sector; however, a possible avian flu epidemic could significantly harm economic prospects throughout the region. GDP (purchasing power parity): $550.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $183.9 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.9% industry: 44.1% services: 46% (2005 est.) Labor force: 35.36 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 49% industry: 14% services: 37% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 1.8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 10% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 51.1 (2002) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 29% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $30.64 billion expenditures: $31.76 billion; including capital expenditures of $5 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 47.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans Industries: tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer Industrial production growth rate: 9.1% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 114.7 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 91.3% hydro: 6.4% nuclear: 0% other: 2.4% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 107.3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 315 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 980 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 230,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 851,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 583 million bbl (November 2003) Natural gas - production: 22.28 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 29.15 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 5.2 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 377.7 billion cu m (November 2003) Current account balance: $-3.689 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $105.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances Exports - partners: US 15.5%, Japan 13.7%, China 8.3%, Singapore 6.8%, Hong Kong 5.6%, Malaysia 5.2% (2005) Imports: $107 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels Imports - partners: Japan 22%, China 9.4%, US 7.4%, Malaysia 6.8%, UAE 4.8%, Singapore 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $52.07 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $52.46 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $72 million (2002) Currency (code): baht (THB) Currency code: THB Exchange rates: baht per US dollar - 40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004), 41.485 (2003), 42.96 (2002), 44.432 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Thailand Telephones - main lines in use: 7.035 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 27.379 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: high quality system, especially in urban areas like Bangkok; WTO requirement for privatization of telecom sector is planned to be complete by 2006 domestic: fixed line system provided by both a government owned and commercial provider; wireless service expanding rapidly and outpacing fixed lines international: country code - 66; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); landing country for APCN submarine cable Radio broadcast stations: AM 204, FM 334, shortwave 6 (1999) Radios: 13.96 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 111 (2006) Televisions: 15.19 million (1997) Internet country code: .th Internet hosts: 938,784 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2000) Internet users: 8.42 million (2005) Transportation Thailand Airports: 108 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 66 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 42 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Heliports: 3 (2006) Pipelines: gas 3,760 km; refined products 379 km (2006) Railways: total: 4,071 km narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 57,403 km paved: 56,542 km unpaved: 861 km (2000) Waterways: 4,000 km note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2005) Merchant marine: total: 400 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,808,509 GRT/4,317,320 DWT by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 145, chemical tanker 14, container 21, liquefied gas 29, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 91, refrigerated cargo 32, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 45 (China 1, Egypt 1, Indonesia 1, Japan 4, Norway 30, Singapore 6, UK 2) registered in other countries: 34 (Bahamas 1, Mongolia 1, Panama 9, Singapore 22, Tuvalu 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Prachuap Port, Si Racha Military Thailand Military branches: Royal Thai Army (RTA), Royal Thai Navy (RTN, includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force (Knogtap Agard Thai, RTAF) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obligation - two years; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 21-49: 14,903,855 females age 21-49: 15,265,854 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 21-49: 10,396,032 females age 21-49: 11,487,690 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 526,276 females age 21-49: 514,396 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.775 billion (FY00) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (2003) Transnational Issues Thailand Disputes - international: separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Burma over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers; Cambodia claims Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory and obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; ethnic Karens from Burma flee into Thailand - to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops - resulting in Thailand sheltering about 120,000 Burmese refugees in 2005; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric dam construction on the Salween River near the border; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 120,814 (Burma) IDPs: 6,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005) Illicit drugs: a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; illicit transit point for heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption; major consumer of methamphetamine since the 1990s This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Togo Introduction Togo Background: French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, continued to rule well into the 21st century. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government continued to be dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967. Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. While most bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen, the EU initiated a partial resumption of cooperation and development aid to Togo in late 2004 based upon commitments by Togo to expand opportunities for political opposition and liberalize portions of the economy. Upon his death in February 2005, President EYADEMA was succeeded by his son Faure GNASSINGBE. The succession, supported by the military and in contravention of the nation's constitution, was challenged by popular protest and a threat of sanctions from regional leaders. GNASSINGBE succumbed to pressure and in April 2005 held elections that legitimized his succession. Geography Togo Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 1 10 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 56,785 sq km land: 54,385 sq km water: 2,400 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia Land boundaries: total: 1,647 km border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km Coastline: 56 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 30 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north Terrain: gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Agou 986 m Natural resources: phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land Land use: arable land: 44.2% permanent crops: 2.11% other: 53.69% (2005) Irrigated land: 70 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna People Togo Population: 5,548,702 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 1,177,141/female 1,169,321) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 1,485,621/female 1,570,117) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 59,870/female 86,632) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.3 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.72% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 37.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 60.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 52.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 57.42 years male: 55.41 years female: 59.49 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.96 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 110,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 10,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nationality: noun: Togolese (singular and plural) adjective: Togolese Ethnic groups: African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1% Religions: indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20% Languages: French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60.9% male: 75.4% female: 46.9% (2003 est.) Government Togo Country name: conventional long form: Togolese Republic conventional short form: Togo local long form: Republique togolaise local short form: none former: French Togoland Government type: republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule Capital: name: Lome geographic coordinates: 6 08 N, 1 13 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes Independence: 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1960) Constitution: multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992 Legal system: French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult Executive branch: chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 6 February 2005); note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE; popular elections in April 2005 validated the succession head of government: Prime Minister Yawovi AGBOYIBO (since 16 September 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held NA); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas LAWSON 1%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.5% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 October 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPT 72, RSDD 3, UDPS 2, Juvento 2, MOCEP 1, independents 1 note: two opposition parties boycotted the election, the Union of the Forces for Change and the Action Committee for Renewal Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Political parties and leaders: Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP; Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Akoussoulelou BODJONA chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory ENGLE embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou and Rue 15 Beniglato, Lome mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome telephone: [228] 221 29 91 through 221 29 94 FAX: [228] 221 79 52 Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Economy Togo Economy - overview: This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export earnings, with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. The government's decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly. Progress depends on follow-through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors. Togo is working with donors to write a PRGF that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan. GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.802 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $1.999 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 39.5% industry: 20.4% services: 40.1% (2003 est.) Labor force: 1.302 million (1998) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 65% industry: 5% services: 30% (1998 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 32% (1989 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $251.3 million expenditures: $292.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish Industries: phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 165.9 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 98.7% hydro: 1.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 654.3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 500 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 8,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-199 million (2005 est.) Exports: $768 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa Exports - partners: Ghana 21.1%, Burkina Faso 18.2%, Benin 11.5%, Mali 7.3%, India 5.8%, Nigeria 4% (2005) Imports: $1.047 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products Imports - partners: France 17.8%, China 13.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 6.5%, Italy 4.5%, Spain 4.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $318 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2 billion (2005) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $80 million (2000 est.) Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Currency code: XOF Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Togo Telephones - main lines in use: 58,600 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 443,600 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile cellular system domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 940,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus two repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 73,000 (1997) Internet country code: .tg Internet hosts: 520 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2001) Internet users: 300,000 (2005) Transportation Togo Airports: 9 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Railways: total: 568 km narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 7,520 km paved: 2,376 km unpaved: 5,144 km (1999) Waterways: 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,918 GRT/3,852 DWT by type: cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Kpeme, Lome Military Togo Military branches: Togolese Armed Forces (FAT): Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,102,661 females age 18-49: 1,124,463 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 696,933 females age 18-49: 707,821 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $29.98 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Togo Disputes - international: in 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary Trafficking in persons: current situation: Togo is a source, transit, and destination country for children, women, and men trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; the majority of victims are children, and trafficking within the country is more prevalent than international trafficking; children are trafficked to work as domestic servants, produce porters, roadside sellers, agricultural laborers, and for sexual exploitation; Togolese women may be trafficked to Europe for forced labor and sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Togo is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for failure to show evidence of increased efforts to combat trafficking over the past year, particularly in the areas of prosecution and protection Illicit drugs: transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Tokelau Introduction Tokelau Background: Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. Geography Tokelau Location: Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Geographic coordinates: 9 00 S, 172 00 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 10 sq km land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 101 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) Terrain: low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile) permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: lies in Pacific typhoon belt Environment - current issues: very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand Geography - note: consists of three atolls, each with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over three meters above sea level People Tokelau Population: 1,392 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42% 15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.01% (2006 est.) Birth rate: NA Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: NA Sex ratio: NA Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA male: NA female: NA Total fertility rate: NA HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Tokelauan(s) adjective: Tokelauan Ethnic groups: Polynesian Religions: Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%, other 2% note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with the Congregational Christian Church predominant Languages: Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English Literacy: NA Government Tokelau Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tokelau Dependency status: self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on self-governance, in February 2006, did not produce the two thirds majority vote necessary for changing the current political status Government type: NA Capital: none; each atoll has its own administrative center time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territory of New Zealand) Independence: none (territory of New Zealand) National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) Constitution: administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970 Legal system: New Zealand and local statutes Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); New Zealand is represented by Administrator David PAYTON (since 17 October 2006) head of government: Kolouei O'BRIEN (2006); note - position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders) cabinet: the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau, consisting of three Faipule (village leaders) and three Pulenuku (village mayors), functions as a cabinet elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the head of government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves a one-year term Legislative branch: unicameral General Fono (21 seats; based upon proportional representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; Nukunonu has 6 seats, Fakaofo has 7 seats, Atafu has 8 seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono elections: last held January 2005 (next to be held January 2008) Judicial branch: Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: PIF (observer), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of New Zealand) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of New Zealand) Flag description: the flag of New Zealand is used Economy Tokelau Economy - overview: Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public services, with annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to families from relatives in New Zealand. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.5 million (1993 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,000 (1993 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 440 Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Budget: revenues: $430,800 expenditures: $2.8 million; including capital expenditures of NA (1987 est.) Agriculture - products: coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats; fish Industries: small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Exports: $0 f.o.b. (2002) Exports - commodities: stamps, copra, handicrafts Exports - partners: New Zealand (2004) Imports: $969,200 c.i.f. (2002) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, building materials, fuel Imports - partners: New Zealand (2004) Debt - external: $0 Economic aid - recipient: about $4 million annually from New Zealand Currency (code): New Zealand dollar (NZD) Currency code: NZD Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Communications Tokelau Telephones - main lines in use: 300 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (2001) Telephone system: general assessment: modern satellite-based communications system; domestic: radiotelephone service between islands international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: 1 radio station provides service to all islands (2002) Radios: 1,000 (1997) Internet country code: .tk Internet hosts: 298 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation Tokelau Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only Military Tokelau Military expenditures - dollar figure: $66.72 million Military - note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand Transnational Issues Tokelau Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Tonga Introduction Tonga Background: Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific. Geography Tonga Location: Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 175 00 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 748 sq km land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 419 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) Terrain: most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m Natural resources: fish, fertile soil Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 14.67% other: 65.33% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou Environment - current issues: deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited) People Tonga Population: 114,689 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.3% (male 20,679/female 19,843) 15-64 years: 60.5% (male 34,399/female 34,964) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,059/female 2,745) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 20.7 years male: 20.1 years female: 21.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.01% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 25.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.82 years male: 67.32 years female: 72.45 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Tongan(s) adjective: Tongan Ethnic groups: Polynesian, Europeans Religions: Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents) Languages: Tongan, English Literacy: definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English total population: 98.9% male: 98.8% female: 99% (1999 est.) Government Tonga Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga conventional short form: Tonga local long form: Pule'anga Tonga local short form: Tonga former: Friendly Islands Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: Nuku'alofa geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u Independence: 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate) National holiday: Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970) Constitution: 4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967 Legal system: based on English law Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King George TUPOU V (since 11 September 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Feleti SEVELE (since 11 February 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Viliami TANGI (since 16 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet currently consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch for life; 4 appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly, including 2 each from the nobles and peoples representatives serving three year terms note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the cabinet, and two governors elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the monarch Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, 9 for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and 9 elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms) elections: last held 21 March 2005 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7, independents 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (Chief Justice and high court justices from overseas chosen and approved by Privy Council) Political parties and leaders: People's Democratic Party [Tesina FUKO] Political pressure groups and leaders: Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE] International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025 FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024 consulate(s) general: San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga Flag description: red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner Economy Tonga Economy - overview: Tonga, a small, open, South Pacific island economy, has a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. High unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in inflation, pressures for democratic reform, and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the government. GDP (purchasing power parity): $178.5 million (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $244 million GDP - real growth rate: 2.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23% industry: 27% services: 50% (FY03/04 est.) Labor force: 33,910 (2003) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 65% industry and services: 35% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 13% (FY03/04 est.) Population below poverty line: 24% NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.1% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $56.97 million expenditures: $83.88 million; including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY99/00 est.) Agriculture - products: squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish Industries: tourism, fishing Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 34 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 31.62 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-4.321 million Exports: $34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops Exports - partners: Japan 41.5%, US 33.1%, NZ 6.3% (2005) Imports: $122 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals Imports - partners: NZ 33.4%, Fiji 26.7%, Australia 10.5%, US 8.4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $40.83 million Debt - external: $80.7 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $19.3 million Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02) Currency (code): pa'anga (TOP) Currency code: TOP Exchange rates: pa'anga per US dollar - 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003), 2.1952 (2002), 2.1236 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Tonga Telephones - main lines in use: 11,200 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 16,400 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: competition between Tonga Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and Shoreline Communications Tonga (SCT) is accelerating expansion of telecommunications; SCT recently granted authority to develop high-speed digital service for telephone, Internet, and television domestic: fully automatic switched network international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004) Radios: 61,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (2004) Televisions: 2,000 (1997) Internet country code: .to Internet hosts: 18,775 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 3,000 (2004) Transportation Tonga Airports: 6 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 680 km paved: 184 km unpaved: 496 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 62,185 GRT/72,960 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 1, Norway 1, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Nuku'alofa Military Tonga Military branches: Tonga Defense Services: Land Force (Royal Guard), Naval Force (includes Royal Marines, Air Wing) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 25,420 females ag3 18-49: 24,827 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 19,840 females age 18-49: 21,342 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males ag3 18-49: 1,586 females age 18-49: 1,538 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Tonga Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Trinidad and Tobago Introduction Trinidad and Tobago Background: First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing. Geography Trinidad and Tobago Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N, 61 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 362 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December) Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, asphalt Land use: arable land: 14.62% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (2005) Irrigated land: 40 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms Environment - current issues: water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt People Trinidad and Tobago Population: 1,065,842 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 109,936/female 104,076) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 398,657/female 361,093) 65 years and over: 8.6% (male 41,162/female 50,918) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 31.2 years male: 30.8 years female: 31.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.87% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.57 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -11.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 25.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.76 years male: 65.71 years female: 67.86 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 29,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,900 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian Ethnic groups: Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, other Christian 5.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census) Languages: English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98% (2003 est.) Government Trinidad and Tobago Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Port-of-Spain geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin ward: Tobago Independence: 31 August 1962 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 31 August (1962) Constitution: 1 August 1976 Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 February 2003 (next to be held in 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 43% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the opposition party for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London Political parties and leaders: National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TU [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]; Democratic Action Committee or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES], note - only active in Tobago Political pressure groups and leaders: Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR] International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462 Flag description: red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side Economy Trinidad and Tobago Economy - overview: Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade surplus. Prospects for growth in 2006 are good as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas are expected to remain high, and foreign direct investment continues to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime. GDP (purchasing power parity): $18.11 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $13.02 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $16,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.7% industry: 57% services: 42.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 620,000 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 21% (1992 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.9% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $4.5 billion expenditures: $4.06 billion; including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 43% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry Industries: petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles Industrial production growth rate: 9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 6.076 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.8% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 5.651 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 29,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 990 million bbl (1 January 2004) Natural gas - production: 24.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 12.79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 11.79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 733 billion cu m (1 January 2004) Current account balance: $2.88 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $9.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers Exports - partners: US 68.8%, Jamaica 5.5%, Barbados 2.9% (2005) Imports: $6.011 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals Imports - partners: US 27.7%, Venezuela 13.3%, Brazil 11.8%, Japan 5.5%, Canada 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.888 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2.767 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $24 million (1999 est.) Currency (code): Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD) Currency code: TTD Exchange rates: Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Trinidad and Tobago Telephones - main lines in use: 323,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 800,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 680,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 6 (2005) Televisions: 425,000 (1997) Internet country code: .tt Internet hosts: 30,732 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 17 (2000) Internet users: 160,000 (2005) Transportation Trinidad and Tobago Airports: 6 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 253 km; gas 1,278 km; oil 571 km (2006) Roadways: total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 16,760 GRT/7,941 DWT by type: liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain Military Trinidad and Tobago Military branches: Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes air wing) (2004) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 290,715 females age 18-49: 258,410 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 202,958 females age 18-49: 173,797 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $66.72 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.6% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Trinidad and Tobago Disputes - international: Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to challenge this boundary as it may extend into its waters as well Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Tunisia Introduction Tunisia Background: Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society. Geography Tunisia Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya Geographic coordinates: 34 00 N, 9 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 163,610 sq km land: 155,360 sq km water: 8,250 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Georgia Land boundaries: total: 1,424 km border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km Coastline: 1,148 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm Climate: temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south Terrain: mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara Elevation extremes: lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt Land use: arable land: 17.05% permanent crops: 13.08% other: 69.87% (2005) Irrigated land: 3,940 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration People Tunisia Population: 10,175,014 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.6% (male 1,293,235/female 1,212,994) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 3,504,283/female 3,478,268) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 327,521/female 358,713) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.8 years male: 27.3 years female: 28.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.99% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 15.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 23.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.12 years male: 73.4 years female: 76.96 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2005 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2005) Nationality: noun: Tunisian(s) adjective: Tunisian Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% Religions: Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% Languages: Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.3% male: 83.4% female: 65.3% (2004 est.) Government Tunisia Country name: conventional long form: Tunisian Republic conventional short form: Tunisia local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah local short form: Tunis Government type: republic Capital: name: Tunis geographic coordinates: 36 48 N, 10 11 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan) Independence: 20 March 1956 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 20 March (1956) Constitution: 1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002 Legal system: based on French civil law system and Shari'a law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a fourth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 94.5%, Mohamed BOUCHIHA 3.8%, Mohamed Ali HALOUANI 1% Legislative branch: bicameral system consists of the Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Advisors (126 seats; 85 members elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, and professional associations and trade unions; 41 members are presidential appointees; members serve six-year terms) elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Advisors - last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held July 2011) election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3, PSL 2; Chamber of Advisors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 71 (14 trade union seats vacant (boycotted)) Judicial branch: Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation Political parties and leaders: Al-Tajdid Movement [Ali HALOUANI]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party [Nejib CHEBBI]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI] Political pressure groups and leaders: the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC (suspended), OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nejib HACHANA chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador designate Robert F. GODEC embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [216] 71 107-000 FAX: [216] 71 107-090 Flag description: red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam Economy Tunisia Economy - overview: Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Progressive social policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia relative to the region. Real growth slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9% in 2002 because of agricultural drought and lackluster tourism. Better rains in 2003 through 2005, however, helped push GDP growth to about 5% for these years. Tourism also recovered after the end of combat operations in Iraq. Tunisia is gradually removing barriers to trade with the EU. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency, and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges ahead. GDP (purchasing power parity): $82.85 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $30.94 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13.2% industry: 31.8% services: 55% (2005 est.) Labor force: 3.41 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 55% industry: 23% services: 22% (1995 est.) Unemployment rate: 14.2% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 7.4% (2005 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.8% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40 (2005 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 22.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $7.322 billion expenditures: $8.304 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 59.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages Industrial production growth rate: 0.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 11.56 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 10.76 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 10 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 5 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 76,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - consumption: 90,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 1.7 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 2.15 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 3.84 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 1.58 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 77.87 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-359.2 million (2005 est.) Exports: $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons Exports - partners: France 30.9%, Italy 21.1%, Germany 9.4%, Spain 5.5%, Libya 4.5% (2005) Imports: $12.86 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food Imports - partners: France 25.5%, Italy 22.9%, Germany 9.5%, Spain 5.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.375 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $16.09 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $114.6 million (2002) Currency (code): Tunisian dinar (TND) Currency code: TND Exchange rates: Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003), 1.4217 (2002), 1.4387 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Tunisia Telephones - main lines in use: 1,257,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 5.681 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay international: country code - 216; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 2.06 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 920,000 (1997) Internet country code: .tn Internet hosts: 428 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 953,800 (2005) Transportation Tunisia Airports: 30 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Pipelines: gas 2,945 km; oil 1,227 km; refined products 351 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,153 km standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) dual gauge: 8 km 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2005) Roadways: total: 18,997 km paved: 12,424 km (including 142 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,573 km (2001) Merchant marine: total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 146,759 GRT/115,118 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo 4 (2006) Ports and terminals: Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Skhira Military Tunisia Military branches: Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 2,441,741 females age 20-49: 2,406,362 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 2,035,431 females age 20-49: 2,000,757 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 108,817 females age 20-49: 103,087 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $356 million (FY99) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (FY99) Transnational Issues Tunisia Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Turkey Introduction Turkey Background: Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey, mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy, enabling it to begin accession membership talks with the European Union. Geography Turkey Location: Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 35 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Texas Land boundaries: total: 2,648 km border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km Coastline: 7,200 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior Terrain: high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m Natural resources: coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower Land use: arable land: 29.81% permanent crops: 3.39% other: 66.8% (2005) Irrigated land: 52,150 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van Environment - current issues: water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Geography - note: strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country People Turkey Population: 70,413,958 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.5% (male 9,133,226/female 8,800,070) 15-64 years: 67.7% (male 24,218,277/female 23,456,761) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 2,198,073/female 2,607,551) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.1 years male: 27.9 years female: 28.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.06% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.62 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 5.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 39.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 43.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 35.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.62 years male: 70.18 years female: 75.18 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.92 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% - note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish Ethnic groups: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated) Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews) Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the Europe part of Turkey Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 94.3% female: 78.7% (2003 est.) Government Turkey Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Turkey conventional short form: Turkey local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti local short form: Turkiye Government type: republican parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Ankara geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel (Mersin), Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak Independence: 29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire) National holiday: Republic Day, 29 October (1923) Constitution: 7 November 1982 Legal system: civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a single seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held May 2007); prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60% note: president must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot Legislative branch: unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held in 2007); note - a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister, on 14 March 2003 election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%, DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, Anavatan 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and other; seats by party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; seats by party as of 1 December 2005 - AKP 357, CHP 154, ANAVATAN 22, DYP 4, SHP 4, HYP 1, independents 4, vacant 4 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court Political parties and leaders: Anavatan Partisi (once was Motherland Party) or ANAVATAN [Erkan MUMCU]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic People's Party or DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment Party) or SP [Necmettin ERBAKAN]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasr Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004 Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU] International organization participation: AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ross WILSON embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555 FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir Flag description: red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening Economy Turkey Economy - overview: Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still accounts for more than 35% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electronics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. The economy is turning around with the implementation of economic reforms, and 2004 GDP growth reached 9%. Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low. Despite the strong economic gains in 2002-05, which were largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high current account deficit and high debt. The public sector fiscal deficit exceeds 6% of GDP - due in large part to high interest payments, which accounted for about 37% of central government spending in 2004. Prior to 2005, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Turkey averaged less than $1 billion annually, but further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost FDI. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion. GDP (purchasing power parity): $584.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $332.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.7% industry: 29.8% services: 58.5% (2005 est.) Labor force: 24.7 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 35.9% industry: 22.8% services: 41.2% (3rd qtr. 2004) Unemployment rate: 10.2% plus underemployment of 4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 20% (2002) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 30.7% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 42 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $93.58 billion expenditures: $115.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 68% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock Industries: textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper Industrial production growth rate: 5.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 133.6 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 79.3% hydro: 20.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 140.3 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - exports: 600 million kWh (2002) Electricity - imports: 1.2 billion kWh (2002) Oil - production: 50,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 715,100 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 46,110 bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 616,500 bbl/day (2001) Oil - proved reserves: 288.4 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 560 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 22.6 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-23.08 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $72.49 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment Exports - partners: Germany 12.9%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7.6%, US 6.7%, France 5.2%, Spain 4.1% (2005) Imports: $101.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment Imports - partners: Germany 11.7%, Russia 11%, Italy 6.5%, China 5.9%, France 5%, US 4.6%, UK 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $52.49 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $170.1 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $635.8 million (2002) Currency (code): Turkish lira (YTL); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005 Currency code: TRL, YTL Exchange rates: Turkish liras per US dollar - 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004), 1.5009 (2003), 1.5072 (2002), 1.2256 (2001) note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish Lira (TRL) was converted to new Turkish Lira (YTL) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish Lira Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Turkey Telephones - main lines in use: 18.978 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 43.609 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially with cellular telephones domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing rapidly international: country code - 90; international service is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002) Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001) Radios: 11.3 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 20.9 million (1997) Internet country code: .tr Internet hosts: 1,313,135 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2001) Internet users: 16 million (2005) Transportation Turkey Airports: 117 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 89 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 28 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Heliports: 18 (2006) Pipelines: gas 4,621 km; oil 3,543 km (2006) Railways: total: 8,697 km standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 347,553 km paved: 154,807 km (including 1,886 km of expressways) unpaved: 192,747 km (2004) Waterways: 1,200 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 545 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,772,864 GRT/7,313,070 DWT by type: bulk carrier 109, cargo 239, chemical tanker 50, container 24, liquefied gas 6, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 50, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 24, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 7 (Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Italy 3, Switzerland 1) registered in other countries: 411 (Albania 1, Antigua and Barbuda 8, Bahamas 8, Belize 11, Cambodia 26, Comoros 11, Dominica 3, Georgia 30, Isle of Man 3, North Korea 4, Liberia 1, Libya 2, Malta 123, Marshall Islands 20, Netherlands Antilles 9, Panama 42, Russia 63, Saint Kitts and Nevis 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 25, Slovakia 8, Tuvalu 2, UK 2, unknown 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Aliaga, Ambarli, Eregli, Haydarpasa, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Toros Military Turkey Military branches: Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Land Forces, Naval Forces (includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Force (Turk Hava Kuvvetleri) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 16,756,323 females age 20-49: 16,051,706 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 13,905,901 females age 20-49: 13,335,812 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 679,734 females age 20-49: 659,090 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $12.155 billion (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.3% (2003) Military - note: in the early 1990s, the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly equipped infantry force; there were 14 infantry divisions, but only one was mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were mechanized; the overhaul that has taken place since has produced highly mobile forces with greatly enhanced firepower in accordance with NATO's new strategic concept (2005) Transnational Issues Turkey Disputes - international: complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 350,000-1,000,000 (fighting from 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2005) Illicit drugs: key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and - to a far lesser extent the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Turkmenistan Introduction Turkmenistan Background: Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President Saparmurat NIYAZOV retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes in order to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. Geography Turkmenistan Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 60 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 488,100 sq km land: 488,100 sq km water: NEGL Area - comparative: slightly larger than California Land boundaries: total: 3,736 km border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km Coastline: 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: subtropical desert Terrain: flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) note: Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt Land use: arable land: 4.51% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 95.35% (2005) Irrigated land: 18,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; the western and central low-lying, desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau People Turkmenistan Population: 5,042,920 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.2% (male 913,988/female 863,503) 15-64 years: 60.7% (male 1,501,486/female 1,557,155) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 79,227/female 127,561) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 21.8 years male: 20.9 years female: 22.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.83% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 27.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 72.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.83 years male: 58.43 years female: 65.41 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.37 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2004 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 200 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2004 est.) Nationality: noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen Ethnic groups: Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003) Religions: Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2% Languages: Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.3% female: 98.3% (1999 est.) Government Turkmenistan Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none local short form: Turkmenistan former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch Capital: name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Independence: 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1991) Constitution: adopted 18 May 1992 Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty); in November 2005, the People's Council voted down NIYAZOV's suggestion to hold presidential elections in 2009 elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992; note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the People's Council on 28 December 1999; deputy chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers are appointed by the president election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5% Legislative branch: under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); membership is scheduled to be increased to 65 seats elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV] note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; UDPT is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOV chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jennifer L. BRUSH embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070 telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45 FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14 Flag description: green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or velayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe Economy Turkmenistan Economy - overview: Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an almost 50% decline in cotton exports. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2005, Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate export routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term external debt. At the same time, however, total exports rose by 20% to 30% per year in 2003-2005, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. In 2005, Ashgabat sought to raise natural gas export prices to its main customers, Russia and Ukraine, from $44 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $66 per tcm. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, the government's irrational use of oil and gas revenues, and its unwillingness to adopt market-oriented reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain. GDP (purchasing power parity): $39.14 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $13.99 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: IMF estimate: 6% note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are widely regarded as unreliable (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20.9% industry: 38% services: 41.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 2.32 million (2003 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 48.2% industry: 13.8% services: 37% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 60% (2004 est.) Population below poverty line: 58% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 31.7% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40.8 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 35.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.401 billion expenditures: $1.542 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, grain; livestock Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing Industrial production growth rate: 22% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 11.41 billion kWh (2004 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 8.847 billion kWh (2002) Electricity - exports: 1.136 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002) Oil - production: 203,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 80,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 273 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 54.6 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 15.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - exports: 38.6 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 2.01 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $236 million (2005 est.) Exports: $4.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles Exports - partners: Ukraine 43.5%, Iran 15%, Hungary 5.4% (2005) Imports: $4.175 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs Imports - partners: UAE 12.4%, Azerbaijan 10.9%, US 9.4%, Russia 8.9%, Ukraine 7.4%, Turkey 7.2%, Iran 6.1%, Germany 5.3%, Kazakhstan 4.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.963 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $16 million from the US (2001) Currency (code): Turkmen manat (TMM) Currency code: TMM Exchange rates: in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 24,000 to 25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar; the official rate has consistently been 5,200 manat to the dollar Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Turkmenistan Telephones - main lines in use: 376,100 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 52,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: poorly developed domestic: NA international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 1.225 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 (government owned and programmed) (2004) Televisions: 820,000 (1997) Internet country code: .tm Internet hosts: 585 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 Internet users: 36,000 (2005) Transportation Turkmenistan Airports: 29 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 24,000 km paved: 19,488 km unpaved: 4,512 km (1999) Waterways: 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006) Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,870 GRT/25,801 DWT by type: cargo 4, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: Turkmenbasy Military Turkmenistan Military branches: Ground Forces, Artillery and Rocket Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,132,833 females age 18-49: 1,162,569 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 759,978 females age 18-49: 940,179 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 56,532 females age 18-49: 55,413 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $90 million (FY99) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (FY99) Transnational Issues Turkmenistan Disputes - international: cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation of land boundary with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 12,085 (Tajikistan) (2005) Illicit drugs: transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Turks and Caicos Islands Introduction Turks and Caicos Islands Background: The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory. Geography Turks and Caicos Islands Location: Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti Geographic coordinates: 21 45 N, 71 35 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 389 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry Terrain: low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 m Natural resources: spiny lobster, conch Land use: arable land: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: frequent hurricanes Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater Geography - note: about 40 islands (eight inhabited) People Turks and Caicos Islands Population: 21,152 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.9% (male 3,432/female 3,312) 15-64 years: 64.4% (male 7,155/female 6,457) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 362/female 434) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.5 years male: 28.3 years female: 26.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.82% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 21.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 10.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 15.18 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.73 years male: 72.48 years female: 77.08 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.05 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: none adjective: none Ethnic groups: black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10% Religions: Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990) Languages: English (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) People - note: destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and US Government Turks and Caicos Islands Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands abbreviation: TCI Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: NA Capital: name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK) Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK) National holiday: Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) Constitution: Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9 August 2006) Legal system: based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Richard TAUWHARE (since 11 July 2005) head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003); note - the office of premier was created in the new constitution cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council, and the attorney general elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (21 seats of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal Political parties and leaders: People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK) Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus Economy Turks and Caicos Islands Economy - overview: The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the annual 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. GDP (purchasing power parity): $216 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2000 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $11,500 (2002 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: 4,848 (1990 est.) Labor force - by occupation: note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services Unemployment rate: 10% (1997 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1995) Budget: revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1997-98 est.) Agriculture - products: corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish Industries: tourism, offshore financial services Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 5 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 4.65 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 80 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $169.2 million (2000) Exports - commodities: lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells Exports - partners: US, UK (2004) Imports: $175.6 million (2000) Imports - commodities: food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials Imports - partners: US, UK (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $4.1 million (1997) Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Turks and Caicos Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 5,700 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,700 (1999) Telephone system: general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service available international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 8,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks) (2004) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .tc Internet hosts: 2,735 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation Turks and Caicos Islands Airports: 8 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Roadways: total: 121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2003) Ports and terminals: Grand Turk, Providenciales Military Turks and Caicos Islands Military expenditures - dollar figure: $192.8 million Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Turks and Caicos Islands Disputes - international: have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Tuvalu Introduction Tuvalu Background: In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period. Geography Tuvalu Location: Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 178 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 26 sq km land: 26 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 24 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) Terrain: very low-lying and narrow coral atolls Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 66.67% other: 33.33% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level Environment - current issues: since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon People Tuvalu Population: 11,810 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,819/female 1,752) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 3,715/female 3,923) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 228/female 373) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 24.6 years male: 23.6 years female: 26 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.51% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 19.47 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.32 years male: 66.08 years female: 70.66 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.98 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Tuvaluan(s) adjective: Tuvaluan Ethnic groups: Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% Religions: Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6% Languages: Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) Literacy: NA Government Tuvalu Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tuvalu local long form: none local short form: Tuvalu former: Ellice Islands note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands Government type: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Funafuti geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet Administrative divisions: none Independence: 1 October 1978 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October (1978) Constitution: 1 October 1978 Legal system: NA Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA (since 14 August 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last held 14 August 2006 (next to be held following parliamentary elections in 2010) election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected Prime Minister in a Parliamentary election on 14 August 2006 Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15 Judicial branch: High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction) Political parties and leaders: there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO Diplomatic representation in the US: Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534 Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu Flag description: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands Economy Tuvalu Economy - overview: Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad. About 1,000 Tuvaluans are being repatriated from Nauru, with the decline of phosphate resources there. Substantial income is received annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals, this fund has grown from an initial $17 million to over $35 million in 1999. The US Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts of up to 7%. Tuvalu derives around $1.5 million per year from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and income from overseas investments. GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.94 million (2002 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $14.94 million GDP - real growth rate: 1.2% (2002 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,600 (2002 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.6% NA% industry: 27.2% NA% services: 56.2% NA% Labor force: 3,615 (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (2003 est.) Budget: revenues: $22.78 million expenditures: $14.23 million; including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.) Agriculture - products: coconuts; fish Industries: fishing, tourism, copra Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA Current account balance: $2.323 million Exports: $1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: copra, fish Exports - partners: Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2005) Imports: $9.186 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods Imports - partners: Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%, NZ 4.1% (2005) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.) Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar Currency code: AUD Exchange rates: Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Tuvalu Telephones - main lines in use: 700 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) Radios: 4,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 0 (2004) Televisions: 800 Internet country code: .tv Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 1,300 (2002) Transportation Tuvalu Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 8 km paved: 8 km (2002) Merchant marine: total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 196,790 GRT/256,436 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 37, chemical tanker 1, container 2, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 43 (China 23, Hong Kong 8, Kenya 1, Russia 2, Singapore 6, Thailand 1, Turkey 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Funafuti Military Tuvalu Military branches: no regular military forces; Police Force Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Tuvalu Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Uganda Introduction Uganda Background: The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections. Geography Uganda Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 32 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 236,040 sq km land: 199,710 sq km water: 36,330 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon Land boundaries: total: 2,698 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast Terrain: mostly plateau with rim of mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m Natural resources: copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land Land use: arable land: 21.57% permanent crops: 8.92% other: 69.51% (2005) Irrigated land: 90 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; poaching is widespread Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Geography - note: landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers People Uganda Population: 28,195,754 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 50% (male 7,091,763/female 6,996,385) 15-64 years: 47.8% (male 6,762,071/female 6,727,230) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 266,931/female 351,374) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 15 years male: 14.9 years female: 15.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.37% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 47.35 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 12.24 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 66.15 deaths/1,000 live births male: 69.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 52.67 years male: 51.68 years female: 53.69 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.71 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 530,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 78,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Ugandan(s) adjective: Ugandan Ethnic groups: Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%, Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi 2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8% Religions: Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18% Languages: English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 69.9% male: 79.5% female: 60.4% (2003 est.) Government Uganda Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Uganda conventional short form: Uganda Government type: republic Capital: name: Kampala geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe note: as of a July 2005, 13 new districts were reportedly added bringing the total up to 69; the new districts are Amolatar, Amuria, Budaka, Butaleja, Ibanda, Kaabong, Kabingo, Kaliro, Kiruhura, Koboko, Manafwa, Mityana, Nakaseke; a total of nine more districts are in the process of being added Independence: 9 October 1962 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 9 October (1962) Constitution: 8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system Legal system: in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex officio members; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - election results had not been posted as of March 2006 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president) Political parties and leaders: Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or DP [Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza BESIGYE]; Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]; National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Miria OBOTE] note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's transition to a multi-party political system Political pressure groups and leaders: Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edith G. SSEMPALA chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires William FITZGERALD embassy: 1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala telephone: [256] (41) 234-142 FAX: [256] (41) 258-451 Flag description: six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side Economy Uganda Economy - overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Growth in 2003-05 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets. GDP (purchasing power parity): $47.76 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $7.909 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 31.1% industry: 22.2% services: 46.9% (2004 est.) Labor force: 13.17 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 82% industry: 5% services: 13% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: 35% (2001 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 21% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 43 (1999) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 23.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.845 billion expenditures: $1.904 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 64.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production Industrial production growth rate: 9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 1.729 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.9% hydro: 99.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 1.448 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 160 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-355 million (2005 est.) Exports: $768 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold Exports - partners: Kenya 15.1%, Belgium 9.9%, Netherlands 9.7%, France 7.1%, Germany 5.1%, Rwanda 4% (2005) Imports: $1.608 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals Imports - partners: Kenya 32%, UAE 8.6%, South Africa 6.4%, India 5.7%, China 5.2%, UK 4.4%, US 4.1%, Japan 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.286 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $4.973 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $959 million (2003) Currency (code): Ugandan shilling (UGX) Currency code: UGX Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,780.7 (2005), 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002), 1,755.7 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Uganda Telephones - main lines in use: 100,800 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.525 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short-range traffic international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001) Radios: 5 million (2001) Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001) Televisions: 500,000 (2001) Internet country code: .ug Internet hosts: 1,365 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000) Internet users: 500,000 (2005) Transportation Uganda Airports: 31 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Railways: total: 1,244 km narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 70,746 km paved: 16,272 km unpaved: 54,474 km (2003) Waterways: on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile (2005) Ports and terminals: Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell Military Uganda Military branches: Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (UPDF): Army, Marine Unit, Air Wing Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; the government has stated that recruitment below that age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces" Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 5,012,620 females age 18-49: 4,855,858 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 2,889,808 females age 18-49: 2,780,135 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $192.8 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Uganda Disputes - international: Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces; Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) into the southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; LRA forces have attacked Kenyan villages across the border Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 214,673 (Sudan) 18,902 (Rwanda) 14,982 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 1,330,000-2,000,000 note - ongoing Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion, mainly in the north; LRA frequently attacks IDP camps (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Ukraine Introduction Ukraine Background: Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime minister in August of 2006. Geography Ukraine Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east Geographic coordinates: 49 00 N, 32 00 E Map references: Asia, Europe Area: total: 603,700 sq km land: 603,700 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas Land boundaries: total: 4,663 km border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km Coastline: 2,782 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation Climate: temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south Terrain: most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land Land use: arable land: 53.8% permanent crops: 1.5% other: 44.7% (2005) Irrigated land: 22,080 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Geography - note: strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe People Ukraine Population: 46,710,816 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.1% (male 3,377,868/female 3,203,738) 15-64 years: 69.3% (male 15,559,998/female 16,831,486) 65 years and over: 16.6% (male 2,635,651/female 5,102,075) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.2 years male: 35.9 years female: 42.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.6% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 8.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 14.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 9.9 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.98 years male: 64.71 years female: 75.59 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.17 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.4% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 360,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 20,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Ukrainian(s) adjective: Ukrainian Ethnic groups: Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census) Religions: Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 19%, Orthodox (no particular jurisdiction) 16%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 1.7%, Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004 est.) Languages: Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.8% female: 99.6% (2003 est.) Government Ukraine Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ukraine local long form: none local short form: Ukrayina former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic Capital: name: Kyiv (Kiev) geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Independence: 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991); 22 January (1918), the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the day the short-lived Western and Central Ukrainian republics united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996 Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 4 August 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister - Mykola AZAROV (since 5 August 2006) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers selected by the prime minister; the only exceptions are the foreign and defense ministers, who are chosen by the president note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Secretariat helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - a special repeat runoff presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21 November 2004 contest - won by Mr. YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant violations; under constitutional reforms that went into effect 1 January 2006, the majority in parliament takes the lead in naming the prime minister election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 51.99%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2% Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the national electoral vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 26 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party/bloc in 2002 - Party of Regions 32.1%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 22.3%, Our Ukraine 13.9%, SPU 5.7%, CPU 3.7%; seats by party/bloc - Party of Regions 186, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 129, Our Ukraine 81, SPU 33, CPU 21 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Fatherland Party (Batkivshchyna) [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]; Lytyvn-led People's Bloc group [Ihor SHAROV]; Our Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; People's Trust group [Anton KISSE]; PORA! (It's Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV]; Progressive Socialist Party [Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order Party [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Party of Regions [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Republican Party [Yuriy BOYKO]; Social Democratic Party (United) or SDPU(o) [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK]; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; Ukrainian People's Party [Yuriy KOSTENKO]; United Ukraine [Bohdan HUBSKYY]; Vidrodzhennya (Revival) [Anton KISSE] Political pressure groups and leaders: Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV] International organization participation: Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer), ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Oleh V. SHAMSHUR chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606 FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William B. TAYLOR embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynsky Street, 04053 Kyiv mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850 telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000 FAX: [380] (44) 490-4085 Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grain fields under a blue sky Economy Ukraine Economy - overview: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements. Shortly after independence was ratified in December 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. A dispute with Russia over pricing led to a temporary gas cut-off; Ukraine concluded a deal with Russia in January 2006, which almost doubled the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas, and could cost the Ukrainian economy $1.4-2.2 billion and cause GDP growth to fall 3-4%. Ukrainian government officials eliminated most tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing capital markets, and improving the legislative framework for businesses. Reforms in the more politically sensitive areas of structural reform and land privatization are still lagging. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. GDP growth was 2.4% in 2005, down from 12.4% in 2004. The current account surplus reached $2.2 billion in 2005. The privatization of the Kryvoryzhstal steelworks in late 2005 produced $4.8 billion in windfall revenue for the government. Some of the proceeds were used to finance the budget deficit, some to recapitalize two state banks, some to retire public debt, and the rest may be used to finance future deficits. GDP (purchasing power parity): $329.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $75.14 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,000 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18.7% industry: 45.2% services: 36.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 22.67 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 24% industry: 32% services: 44% (1996) Unemployment rate: 3.1% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is around 9-10% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 29% (2003 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 24.8% (2005) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 29 (1999) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $23.59 billion expenditures: $22.98 billion; note - this is the consolidated budget (January-September 2005) Public debt: 17% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar) Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 181.3 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 48.6% hydro: 7.9% nuclear: 43.5% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 176 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: 1 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 255 million kWh (2004) Oil - production: 85,660 bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 491,700 bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: 8,891 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - imports: 444,600 bbl/day NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 395 million bbl (9 November 2004) Natural gas - production: 20.3 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - consumption: 75.8 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - exports: 3.9 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 59.8 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.121 trillion cu m (9 November 2004) Current account balance: $2.531 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $38.22 billion (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products Exports - partners: Russia 22.1%, Turkey 6%, Italy 5.6% (2005) Imports: $37.18 billion (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals Imports - partners: Russia 35.5%, Germany 9.4%, Turkmenistan 7.4%, China 5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $19.39 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $23.93 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion (1998) Currency (code): hryvnia (UAH) Currency code: UAH Exchange rates: hryvnia per US dollar - 5.1247 (2005), 5.3192 (2004), 5.3327 (2003), 5.3266 (2002), 5.3722 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Ukraine Telephones - main lines in use: 12.142 million (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 17.214 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate international: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems Radio broadcast stations: AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998) Radios: 45.05 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997) Televisions: 18.05 million (1997) Internet country code: .ua Internet hosts: 229,110 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 260 (2001) Internet users: 5,278,100 (2005) Transportation Ukraine Airports: 499 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 193 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 55 1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 93 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 306 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 274 (2006) Heliports: 10 (2006) Pipelines: gas 19,951 km; oil 4,514 km; refined products 4,211 km (2006) Railways: total: 22,473 km broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 169,447 km paved: 164,772 km (including 15 km of expressways) unpaved: 4,675 km (2004) Waterways: 2,253 km (most on Dnieper River) (2006) Merchant marine: total: 202 ships (1000 GRT or over) 782,456 GRT/911,201 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 151, container 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Russia 1) registered in other countries: 160 (Belize 7, Cambodia 17, Comoros 14, Cyprus 4, Dominica 2, Georgia 22, Liberia 16, Malta 24, Moldova 3, Mongolia 1, Panama 8, Russia 11, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12, Sierra Leone 4, Slovakia 8, unknown 4) (2006) Ports and terminals: Feodosiya, Kerch, Kherson, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni, Yuzhnyy Military Ukraine Military branches: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (Viyskovo-Povitryani Syly), Air Defense Forces (2002) Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air Force, 24 months for Navy (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 11,020,222 females age 18-49: 11,370,687 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 7,376,050 females age 18-49: 9,313,385 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 382,751 females age 18-49: 365,599 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $617.9 million (FY02) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY02) Transnational Issues Ukraine Disputes - international: 1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is complete and parties have renewed discussions on demarcation; the dispute over the maritime boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and ongoing expert-level discussions; Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria Region, which remains under OSCE supervision; in 2004 Ukraine and Romania took their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @United Arab Emirates Introduction United Arab Emirates Background: The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. Geography United Arab Emirates Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 54 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 82,880 sq km land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maine Land boundaries: total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km Coastline: 1,318 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas Land use: arable land: 0.77% permanent crops: 2.27% other: 96.96% (2005) Irrigated land: 760 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms Environment - current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Geography - note: strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil People United Arab Emirates Population: 2,602,713 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.9% (male 331,012/female 317,643) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 1,125,286/female 726,689) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 74,700/female 27,383) note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.) Median age: total: 28.1 years male: 34.8 years female: 23.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.52% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.96 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.55 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.73 male(s)/female total population: 1.43 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 14.09 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.57 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.44 years male: 72.92 years female: 78.08 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.88 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.18% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati Ethnic groups: Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982) Religions: Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4% Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 77.9% male: 76.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) Government United Arab Emirates Country name: conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States abbreviation: UAE Government type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates Capital: name: Abu Dhabi geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn) Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 2 December (1971) Constitution: 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996 Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah, which are not fully integrated into the federal judicial system; all emirates have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes Suffrage: none Executive branch: chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006) head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously reaffirmed vice president Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms) elections: President KHALIFA in December 2005 announced that indirect elections would be held in early 2006 for half of the seats in the FNC; the other half would be filled by appointment note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) Political parties and leaders: none Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Saqr Ghobash Said GHOBASH chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400 FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432 consulate(s): New York, Houston Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200 FAX: [971] (2) 414-2603 consulate(s) general: Dubai Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side Economy United Arab Emirates Economy - overview: The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 30% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, and cheap credit in 2005 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Any sharp correction to the UAE's equity markets could damage investor and consumer sentiment and affect bank asset quality. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. GDP (purchasing power parity): $115.8 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $98.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $45,200 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 58.5% services: 37.5% (2002 est.) Labor force: 2.8 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 7% industry: 15% services: 78% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 2.4% (2001) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.5% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 20.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $34.93 billion expenditures: $29.41 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 17.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish Industries: petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2000) Electricity - production: 45.12 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 38.32 billion kWh (2002) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004) Oil - production: 2.396 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 310,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - exports: 2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: 0 bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 97.8 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 44.79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 37.88 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 7.19 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 6.006 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $18.54 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $103.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates Exports - partners: Japan 24.6%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 5.6%, India 4.3% (2005) Imports: $60.15 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food Imports - partners: UK 10%, China 9.7%, US 9.4%, India 9.2%, Germany 5.9%, Japan 5.4%, France 4.7%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $23.53 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $34.47 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004) Currency (code): Emirati dirham (AED) Currency code: AED Exchange rates: Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001) note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002 Fiscal year: calendar year Communications United Arab Emirates Telephones - main lines in use: 1.237 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 4.535 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004) Radios: 820,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 15 (2004) Televisions: 310,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ae Internet hosts: 337,092 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 1,397,200 (2005) Transportation United Arab Emirates Airports: 37 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 23 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Heliports: 4 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 520 km; gas 2,580 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2006) Roadways: total: 1,088 km paved: 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways) (1999) Merchant marine: total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 656,003 GRT/891,837 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 10 (Greece 2, Kuwait 8) registered in other countries: 259 (Bahamas 16, Barbados 1, Belize 5, Cambodia 1, Comoros 6, Cyprus 11, Dominica 2, Georgia 1, Hong Kong 2, India 6, Iran 1, Jordan 11, Kiribati 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 18, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Mongolia 5, Norway 1, Panama 105, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 3, Singapore 7, Somalia 1, Sri Lanka 2, Syria 1, unknown 5) (2006) Ports and terminals: Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Sharjan Military United Arab Emirates Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 653,181 females age 18-49: 497,394 (includes non-nationals; 2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 526,671 females age 18-49: 419,975 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 30,706 females age 18-49: 29,617 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.6 billion (FY00) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.1% (FY00) Transnational Issues United Arab Emirates Disputes - international: the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as stipulated in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds that the agreement was not formally ratified; boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies Trafficking in persons: current situation: the United Arab Emirates is a destination country for men, women, and children trafficked from South and East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for involuntary servitude and for sexual exploitation; an estimated 10,000 women from sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, South and East Asia, Iraq, Iran, and Morocco may be victims of sex trafficking in the UAE; women also migrate from Africa, and South and Southeast Asia to work as domestic servants, but may have their passports confiscated, be denied permission to leave the place of employment in the home, or face sexual or physical abuse by their employers; men from South Asia come to the UAE to work in the construction industry, but may be subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as they are coerced to pay off recruitment and travel costs, sometimes having their wages denied for months at a time; victims of child camel jockey trafficking may still remain in the UAE, despite a July 2005 law banning the practice; while all identified victims were repatriated at the government's expense to their home countries, questions persist as to the effectiveness of the ban and the true number of victims tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - UAE is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show increased efforts to combat trafficking in 2005, particularly in its efforts to address the large-scale trafficking of foreign girls and women for commercial sexual exploitation Illicit drugs: the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving, but informal banking remains unregulated This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @United Kingdom Introduction United Kingdom Background: As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to wrangling over the peace process. Geography United Kingdom Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W Map references: Europe Area: total: 244,820 sq km land: 241,590 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: Ireland 360 km Coastline: 12,429 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: The Fens -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land Land use: arable land: 23.23% permanent crops: 0.2% other: 76.57% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,700 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: winter windstorms; floods Environment - current issues: continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move toward a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3% Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters People United Kingdom Population: 60,609,153 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 5,417,663/female 5,161,714) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 20,476,571/female 19,988,959) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 4,087,020/female 5,477,226) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 39.3 years male: 38.2 years female: 40.4 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.28% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 10.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.54 years male: 76.09 years female: 81.13 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 51,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British Ethnic groups: white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census) Religions: Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census) Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government United Kingdom Country name: conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: name: London geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 10 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Administrative divisions: England: 47 boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs, 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities, 3 royal boroughs boroughs: Barnsley, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Bury, Calderdale, Darlington, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Halton, Hartlepool, Kirklees, Knowsley, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North Tyneside, Oldham, Poole, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Rochdale, Rotherham, Sandwell, Sefton, Slough, Solihull, Southend-on-Sea, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Swindon, Tameside, Thurrock, Torbay, Trafford, Walsall, Warrington, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton counties (or unitary authorities): Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Worcestershire London boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth cities and boroughs: Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Salford, Sheffield, Sunderland, Wakefield, Westminster districts: Bath and North East Somerset, East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, Rutland, South Gloucestershire, Telford and Wrekin, West Berkshire, Wokingham cities: City of Bristol, Derby, City of Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, City of London, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, York royal boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Windsor and Maidenhead Northern Ireland: 24 districts, 2 cities, 6 counties districts: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane cities: Belfast, Londonderry (Derry) counties: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone Scotland: 32 council areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian; Wales: 11 county boroughs, 9 counties, 2 cities and counties county boroughs: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Conwy, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen, Wrexham counties: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, The Vale of Glamorgan cities and counties: Cardiff, Swansea Dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena and Ascension, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands Independence: England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927 National holiday: the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (646 seats since 2005 elections; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier) elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by May 2010) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 35.2%, Conservative 32.3%, Liberal Democrats 22%, other 10.5%; seats by party - Labor 356, Conservative 197, Liberal Democrat 62, other 31; note - as of 10 February 2006 party by seat in the House of Commons: Labor 353, Conservative 196, Liberal Democrat 63, Scottish National Party/Plaid Cymru 9, Democratic Unionist 9, Sinn Fein 5 (but cannot vote), other 11 note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and has been suspended four times the latest occurring in October 2002); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly Judicial branch: House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party [David CAMERON]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) BLAIR]; Liberal Democrats [Sir Menzies CAMPBELL]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Dafydd IWAN]; Scottish National Party or SNP [Alex SALMOND]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Sir Reg EMPEY] Political pressure groups and leaders: Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress International organization participation: AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David G. MANNING chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, Orlando Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Holmes TUTTLE embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000 FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124 consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh Flag description: blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British overseas territories Economy United Kingdom Economy - overview: The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quintet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades, the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth slipped in 2001-03 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Output recovered in 2004, to 3.2% growth, but fell in 2005, to 1.7%. Despite slower growth, the economy is one of the strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low. The relatively good economic performance has complicated the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and public opinion polls show a majority of Britons are opposed to the euro. Meantime, the government has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health services, at a cost in higher taxes and a widening public deficit. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.818 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.228 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.9% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $30,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.5% industry: 23.7% services: 75.8% (2005 est.) Labor force: 30.07 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1.5% industry: 19.1% services: 79.5% (2004) Unemployment rate: 4.7% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 17% (2002 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 28.5% (1999) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.8 (1999) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 16.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $881.4 billion expenditures: $951 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 43.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish Industries: machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods Industrial production growth rate: -1.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 369.9 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 73.8% hydro: 0.9% nuclear: 23.7% other: 1.6% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 346.1 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 3 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 5.1 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 2.393 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1.722 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 1.498 million bbl/day (2001) Oil - imports: 1.084 million bbl/day (2003) Oil - proved reserves: 4.5 billion bbl (31 December 2004) Natural gas - production: 102.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 95.15 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 2.7 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 628.6 billion cu m (31 December 2004) Current account balance: $-57.61 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $372.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco Exports - partners: US 15.1%, Germany 10.5%, France 8.9%, Ireland 7.3%, Netherlands 5.5%, Belgium 5%, Spain 4.4% (2005) Imports: $483.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs Imports - partners: Germany 12.8%, US 8.7%, France 7.1%, Netherlands 6.6%, China 5%, Norway 4.7%, Belgium 4.6%, Italy 4% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $48.66 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $7.107 trillion (30 June 2005) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $7.9 billion (2004) Currency (code): British pound (GBP) Currency code: GBP Exchange rates: British pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) Fiscal year: 6 April - 5 April Communications United Kingdom Telephones - main lines in use: 32.943 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 61.091 million (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: country code - 44; 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers Radio broadcast stations: AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998) Radios: 84.5 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995) Televisions: 30.5 million (1997) Internet country code: .uk Internet hosts: 6,064,860 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): more than 400 (2000) Internet users: 37.6 million (2005) Transportation United Kingdom Airports: 471 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 334 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 149 914 to 1,523 m: 86 under 914 m: 58 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 137 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 112 (2006) Heliports: 11 (2006) Pipelines: condensate 565 km; condensate/gas 6 km; gas 21,575 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 5,094 km; oil/gas/water 161 km; refined products 4,444 km (2006) Railways: total: 17,156 km standard gauge: 16,814 km 1.435-m gauge (5,384 km electrified) broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2005) Roadways: total: 387,674 km paved: 387,674 km (including 3,523 km of expressways) (2004) Waterways: 3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2003) Merchant marine: total: 449 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,049,317 GRT/11,731,680 DWT by type: bulk carrier 24, cargo 54, chemical tanker 50, container 146, liquefied gas 17, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 65, petroleum tanker 33, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 26, vehicle carrier 8 foreign-owned: 215 (Australia 3, Denmark 46, Finland 1, France 4, Germany 76, Greece 7, Ireland 1, Italy 4, Netherlands 3, Norway 36, NZ 1, South Africa 5, Spain 1, Sweden 15, Switzerland 3, Taiwan 1, Turkey 2, US 6) registered in other countries: 368 (Algeria 13, Antigua and Barbuda 7, Argentina 4, Australia 2, Bahamas 69, Barbados 5, Belgium 2, Bermuda 9, Brazil 1, Brunei 8, Cape Verde 1, Cayman Islands 10, Cyprus 6, Denmark 1, Finland 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Georgia 4, Gibraltar 4, Greece 9, Hong Kong 43, India 1, Indonesia 2, Italy 3, South Korea 2, Liberia 41, Malta 8, Marshall Islands 12, Morocco 1, Netherlands 19, Netherlands Antilles 3, Norway 6, Panama 37, Papua New Guinea 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Singapore 9, Slovakia 1, Spain 1, Thailand 2, Tonga 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Hound Point, Immingham, Milford Haven, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport Military United Kingdom Military branches: Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 14,607,724 females age 16-49: 14,028,738 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 12,046,268 females age 16-49: 11,555,893 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $42,836.5 million (2003) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.4% (2003) Transnational Issues United Kingdom Disputes - international: in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965; most Chagossians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm Illicit drugs: producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs; money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @United States Introduction United States Background: Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology. Geography United States Location: North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico Geographic coordinates: 38 00 N, 97 00 W Map references: North America Area: total: 9,631,420 sq km land: 9,161,923 sq km water: 469,497 sq km note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia Area - comparative: about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; almost two and a half times the size of the European Union Land boundaries: total: 12,034 km border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km Coastline: 19,924 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified Climate: mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains Terrain: vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii Elevation extremes: lowest point: Death Valley -86 m highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber Land use: arable land: 18.01% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 81.78% (2005) Irrigated land: 223,850 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development Environment - current issues: air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes Geography - note: world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent People United States Population: 298,444,215 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.4% (male 31,095,847/female 29,715,872) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 100,022,845/female 100,413,484) 65 years and over: 12.5% (male 15,542,288/female 21,653,879) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 36.5 years male: 35.1 years female: 37.8 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.91% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 14.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.26 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 3.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.85 years male: 75.02 years female: 80.82 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 950,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 14,000 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: American(s) adjective: American Ethnic groups: white 81.7%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% (2003 est.) note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.) Religions: Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.) Languages: English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government United States Country name: conventional long form: United States of America conventional short form: United States abbreviation: US or USA Government type: Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition Capital: name: Washington, DC (capital) geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these new dates become effective in 2007 note: the United States is divided into six time zones Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming Dependent areas: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994) Independence: 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain) National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776) Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789 Legal system: federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana's) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held 4 November 2008) election results: George W. BUSH reelected president; percent of popular vote - George W. BUSH (Republican Party) 50.9%, John KERRY (Democratic Party) 48.1%, other 1.0% Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed every two years; 2 members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held on November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held on November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 49, Republican Party 49, independent 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 232, Republican Party 203 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [Howard DEAN]; Green Party; Libertarian Party [Steve DAMERELL]; Republican Party [Ken MEHLMAN] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AfDB, ANZUS, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Flag description: 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico Economy United States Economy - overview: The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $42,000. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment; their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 showed the remarkable resilience of the economy. The war in March-April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, required major shifts in national resources to the military. The rise in GDP in 2004 and 2005 was undergirded by substantial gains in labor productivity. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year. Soaring oil prices in 2005 and 2006 threatened inflation and unemployment, yet the economy continued to grow through mid-2006. Imported oil accounts for about two-thirds of US consumption. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. GDP (purchasing power parity): $12.31 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $12.49 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $41,600 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 20.4% services: 78.7% (2005 est.) Labor force: 149.3 million (includes unemployed) (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: farming, forestry, and fishing 0.7%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.9%, managerial, professional, and technical 34.7%, sales and office 25.4%, other services 16.3% note: figures exclude the unemployed (2005) Unemployment rate: 5.1% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 12% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 30.5% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 45 (2004) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.2% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 16.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.119 trillion expenditures: $2.466 trillion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 64.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products Industries: leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 3.892 trillion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 71.4% hydro: 5.6% nuclear: 20.7% other: 2.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 3.656 trillion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 23.97 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 30.39 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 7.61 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 20.03 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 1.048 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - imports: 13.15 million bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 22.45 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production: 539 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 633.6 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 24.19 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 114.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 5.353 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Current account balance: $-829.1 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $927.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2003) Exports - partners: Canada 23.4%, Mexico 13.3%, Japan 6.1%, China 4.6%, UK 4.3% (2005) Imports: $1.727 trillion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) (2003) Imports - partners: Canada 16.9%, China 15%, Mexico 10%, Japan 8.2%, Germany 5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $86.94 billion (2004 est.) Debt - external: $8.837 trillion (30 June 2005 est.) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $6.9 billion (1997) Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: British pounds per US dollar - 0.5500 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001); Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.2118 (2005), 1.3010 (2004), 1.4011 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001); Japanese yen per US dollar - 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001); euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.8866 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001); Chinese yuan per US dollar - 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.2770 (2003), 8.2770 (2002), 8.2271 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications United States Telephones - main lines in use: 268 million (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 219.4 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country international: country code - 1; 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000) Radio broadcast stations: AM 4,789, FM 8,961, shortwave 19 (2006) Radios: 575 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2,218 (2006) Televisions: 219 million (1997) Internet country code: .us Internet hosts: 195,138,696 (2005) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7,000 (2002 est.) Internet users: 205,326,680 (2005) Transportation United States Airports: 14,858 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 5,119 over 3,047 m: 189 2,438 to 3,047 m: 221 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,426 914 to 1,523 m: 2,337 under 914 m: 946 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 9,739 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 157 914 to 1,523 m: 1,728 under 914 m: 7,847 (2006) Heliports: 149 (2006) Pipelines: petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km (2003) Railways: total: 226,605 km standard gauge: 226,605 km 1.435-m gauge (2004) Roadways: total: 6,407,637 km paved: 4,164,964 km (including 74,950 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,242,673 km (2004) Waterways: 41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce) note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2004) Merchant marine: total: 465 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,590,325 GRT/13,273,133 DWT by type: barge carrier 7, bulk carrier 67, cargo 91, chemical tanker 20, container 76, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 58, petroleum tanker 76, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 27, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 20 foreign-owned: 51 (Australia 2, Canada 4, Denmark 24, Germany 2, Greece 1, Malaysia 4, Netherlands 4, Norway 2, Singapore 2, Sweden 5, Taiwan 1) registered in other countries: 700 (Antigua and Barbuda 7, Australia 3, Bahamas 121, Belize 5, Bermuda 27, Cambodia 8, Canada 2, Cayman Islands 41, Comoros 2, Cyprus 7, Greece 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 21, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 3, Italy 15, North Korea 3, South Korea 7, Liberia 93, Luxembourg 3, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 143, Netherlands 13, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 13, Panama 94, Peru 1, Philippines 8, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3, Qatar 1, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 21, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 7, Spain 7, Sweden 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, UK 6, Vanuatu 1, Wallis and Futuna 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Corpus Christi, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Texas City note: 13 ports north of New Orleans (South Louisiana Ports) on the Mississippi River handle 290,000,000 tons of cargo annually Military United States Military branches: Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age; 17 years of age with written parental consent (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 67,742,879 females age 18-49: 67,070,144 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 54,609,050 females age 18-49: 54,696,706 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 2,143,873 females age 18-49: 2,036,201 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $518.1 billion (FY04 est.) (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.06% (FY03 est.) (2005 est.) Transnational Issues United States Disputes - international: prolonged drought, population growth, and outmoded practices and infrastructure in the border region strain water-sharing arrangements with Mexico; the US has stepped up efforts to stem nationals from Mexico, Central America, and other parts of the world from crossing illegally into the US from Mexico; illegal immigrants from the Caribbean, notably Haiti and the Dominican Republic, attempt to enter the US through Florida by sea; 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputes with Canada at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; US and Canada seek greater cooperation in monitoring people and commodities crossing the border; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other state; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 52,868 refugees during FY03/04 including: 13,331 (Somalia), 6,000 (Laos), 3,482 (Ukraine), 2,959 (Cuba), 1,787 (Iran); note - 32,229 refugees had been admitted as of 30 June 2005 Illicit drugs: world's largest consumer of cocaine, shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean; consumer of heroin, marijuana, and increasingly methamphetamine from Mexico; consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Introduction United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Background: The following US Pacific island territories constitute the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex and as such are managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of Interior. These remote refuges are the most widespread collection of marine- and terrestrial-life protected areas on the planet under a single country's jurisdiction. They protect many endemic species including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation not found elsewhere. Baker Island: The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Howland Island: Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the island was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British companies mined for guano until about 1890. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island, similar to the effort on nearby Baker Island, but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The famed American aviatrix Amelia EARHART disappeared while seeking out Howland Island as a refueling stop during her 1937 round-the-world flight; Earhart Light, a day beacon near the middle of the west coast, was named in her memory. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Jarvis Island: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889, but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935 until it was abandoned in 1942 during World War II. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Johnston Atoll: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are currently discussing future management options; in the interim, Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air Force. Kingman Reef: The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge. Midway Islands: The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a National Wildlife Refuge and are the site of the world's largest Laysan albatross colony. Palmyra Atoll: The Kingdom of Hawaii claimed the atoll in 1862, and the US included it among the Hawaiian Islands when it annexed the archipelago in 1898. The Hawaii Statehood Act of 1959 did not include Palmyra Atoll, which is now partly privately owned by the Nature Conservancy with the rest owned by the Federal government and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. These organizations are managing the atoll as a wildlife refuge. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12 nm US territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and designated as a National Wildlife Refuge in January 2001. Geography United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Location: Oceania Baker Island: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,830 nm (3,389 km) southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia Howland Island: island in the North Pacific Ocean 1,815 nm (3,361 km) southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia Jarvis Island: island in the South Pacific Ocean 1,305 nm (2,417 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and the Cook Islands Johnston Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 nm (1,328 km) southwest of Honolulu, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands Kingman Reef: reef in the North Pacific Ocean 930 nm (1,722 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa Midway Islands: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,260 nm (2,334 km) northwest of Honolulu near the end of the Hawaiian Archipelago, about one-third of the way from Honolulu to Tokyo Palmyra Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 960 nm (1,778 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa Geographic coordinates: Baker Island: 0 13 N, 176 28 W Howland Island: 0 48 N, 176 38 W Jarvis Island: 0 23 S, 160 01 W Johnston Atoll: 16 45 N, 169 31 W Kingman Reef: 6 23 N, 162 25 W Midway Islands: 28 12 N, 177 22 W Palmyra Atoll: 5 53 N, 162 05 W Map references: Oceania Area: total - 6,959.41 sq km; emergent land - 22.41 sq km; submerged - 6,937 sq km Baker Island: total - 129 sq km; emergent land - 2.1 sq km; submerged - 127 sq km Howland Island: total - 139 sq km; emergent land - 2.6 sq km; submerged - 136 sq km Jarvis Island: total - 152 sq km; emergent land - 5 sq km; submerged - 147 sq km Johnston Atoll: total - 276.6 sq km; emergent land - 2.6 sq km; submerged - 274 sq km Kingman Reef: total - 1,958.01 sq km; emergent land - 0.01 sq km; submerged - 1,958 sq km Midway Islands: total - 2,355.2 sq km; emergent land - 6.2 sq km; submerged - 2,349 sq km Palmyra Atoll: total - 1,949.9 sq km; emergent land - 3.9 sq km; submerged - 1,946 sq km Area - comparative: Baker Island: about two and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Howland Island: about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Jarvis Island: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Johnston Atoll: about four and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Kingman Reef: a little more than one and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Midway Islands: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Palmyra Atoll: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: Baker Island: 4.8 km Howland Island: 6.4 km Jarvis Island: 8 km Johnston Atoll: 34 km Kingman Reef: 3 km Midway Islands: 15 km Palmyra Atoll: 14.5 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun Johnston Atoll and Kingman Reef: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation Midway Islands: subtropical with cool, moist winters (December to February) and warm, dry summers (May to October); moderated by prevailing easterly winds; most of the 1,067 mm (42 in) of annual rainfall occurs during the winter Palmyra Atoll: equatorial, hot; located within the low pressure area of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where the northeast and southeast trade winds meet, it is extremely wet with between 4,000-5,000 mm (160-200 in) of rainfall each year Terrain: low and nearly level sandy coral islands with narrow fringing reefs that have developed at the top of submerged volcanic mountains, which in most cases rise steeply from the ocean floor Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Baker Island, unnamed location - 8 m; Howland Island, unnamed location - 3 m; Jarvis Island, unnamed location - 7 m; Johnston Atoll, Sand Island - 10 m; Kingman Reef, unnamed location - less than 1 m; Midway Islands, unnamed location - 13 m; Palmyra Atoll, unnamed location - 2 m Natural resources: terrestrial and aquatic wildlife Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Natural hazards: Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard Kingman Reef: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of less than 1 m makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard Midway Islands, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls: NA Environment - current issues: Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Johnston Atoll: no natural fresh water resources Kingman Reef: none Midway Islands and Palmyra Atoll: NA Geography - note: Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference Kingman Reef: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public Midway Islands: a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge and open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form of wildlife observation and photography Palmyra Atoll: the high rainfall and resulting lush vegetation make the environment of this atoll unique among the US Pacific Island territories; it supports one of the largest remaining undisturbed stands of Pisonia beach forest in the Pacific People United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service Johnston Atoll: in previous years, an average of 1,100 US military and civilian contractor personnel were present; as of May 2005 all US government personnel had left the island Midway Islands: approximately 40 people make up the staff of US Fish and Wildlife Service and their services contractor living at the atoll Palmyra Atoll: four to 20 Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife staff Government United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Baker Island; Howland Island; Jarvis Island; Johnston Atoll; Kingman Reef; Midway Islands; Palmyra Atoll Dependency status: unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system note on Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Flag description: the flag of the US is used Economy United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Economy - overview: no economic activity Transportation United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Airports: Baker Island: one abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m covered with vegetation and unusable Howland Island: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop on the round-the-world flight of Amelia EARHART and Fred NOONAN; the aviators left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island but were never seen again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable Johnston Atoll: 1 - closed and not maintained Kingman Reef: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938 Midway Islands: 3 - one operational (2,409 m paved); no fuel for sale except emergencies Palmyra Atoll: 1 - 1,846 m unpaved runway; privately owned (2006) Ports and terminals: Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Kingman Reef: none; offshore anchorage only Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island Midway Islands: Sand Island Palmyra Atoll: West Lagoon Military United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Uruguay Introduction Uruguay Background: Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Annexed by Brazil as a separate province in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center EP-FA Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent. Geography Uruguay Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil Geographic coordinates: 33 00 S, 56 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 176,220 sq km land: 173,620 sq km water: 2,600 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the state of Washington Land boundaries: total: 1,564 km border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km Coastline: 660 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m Natural resources: arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries Land use: arable land: 7.77% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 91.99% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,100 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts Environment - current issues: water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising People Uruguay Population: 3,431,932 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.9% (male 399,409/female 386,136) 15-64 years: 63.9% (male 1,087,180/female 1,104,465) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 185,251/female 269,491) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 32.7 years male: 31.3 years female: 34.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.46% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 13.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 11.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.33 years male: 73.12 years female: 79.65 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan Ethnic groups: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent) Religions: Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31% Languages: Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 97.6% female: 98.4% (2003 est.) Government Uruguay Country name: conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay conventional short form: Uruguay local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay local short form: Uruguay former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province Government type: constitutional republic Capital: name: Montevideo geographic coordinates: 34 53 S, 56 11 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres Independence: 25 August 1825 (from Brazil) National holiday: Independence Day, 25 August (1825) Constitution: 27 November 1966, effective February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997 Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%; other 4.1% Legislative branch: bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; vice president has one vote in the Senate) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly) Political parties and leaders: Colorado Party [Julio Maria SANGUINETTI]; Independent Party (Partido Independiente) [Pablo MIERES]; Movement of Popular Participation or MPP [Jose MUJICA]; National Party or Blanco [Jorge LARRANAGA]; New Sector/Space Coalition (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition (Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio) or EP-FA [Tabare VAZQUEZ]; Socialist Party of Uruguay or Socialists [Reinaldo GARGANO]; Uruguayan Assembly or Asamblea Uruguay [Danilo ASTORI] Political pressure groups and leaders: Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization); Catholic Church; Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association); Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization); PIT-CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan unions); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association); students; Uruguayan Construction League International organization participation: CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Alberto GIANELLI Derois chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York consulate(s): San Juan (Puerto Rico) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires James D. NEALON embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 mailing address: APO AA 34035 telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611 Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May with 16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy Economy Uruguay Economy - overview: Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during 1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn, stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in 2001-02 Argentina made massive withdrawals of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks, which led to a plunge in the Uruguayan peso and a massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the banking crisis. The unemployment rate rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF helped stem the damage. A debt swap with private-sector creditors in 2003 extended the maturity dates on nearly half of Uruguay's then $11.3 billion of public debt and helped restore public confidence. The economy grew about 10% in 2004 as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, a competitive peso, growth in the region, and low international interest rates, but slowed to 6.1% in 2005. GDP (purchasing power parity): $33.98 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $13.24 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $9,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.3% industry: 31.1% services: 59.6% (2005 est.) Labor force: 1.52 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 14% industry: 16% services: 70% Unemployment rate: 12.2% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 22% of households (2004) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 25.8% (1997) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44.6 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 12.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $4.468 billion expenditures: $4.845 billion; including capital expenditures of $193 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 81.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish Industries: food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages Industrial production growth rate: 8.5% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 8.611 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.7% hydro: 99.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.3% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 7.762 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 900 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 654 million kWh (2003) Oil - production: 435 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 38,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 60 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 65 million cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-87.9 million (2005 est.) Exports: $3.55 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products Exports - partners: US 18.6%, Brazil 15.6%, Mexico 6.9%, Argentina 6.1%, Spain 4.1%, Germany 4% (2005) Imports: $3.54 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum Imports - partners: Argentina 18.9%, Brazil 18.5%, Paraguay 14%, US 8.6%, China 6.2% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.079 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $13.24 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Uruguayan peso (UYU) Currency code: UYU Exchange rates: Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 24.479 (2005), 28.704 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 21.257 (2002), 13.319 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Uruguay Telephones - main lines in use: 1 million (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 600,000 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: fully digitalized domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002) Radio broadcast stations: AM 93, FM 191, shortwave 7 (2005) Radios: 1.97 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 62 (2005) Televisions: 782,000 (1997) Internet country code: .uy Internet hosts: 145,774 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (2001) Internet users: 680,000 (2005) Transportation Uruguay Airports: 64 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 56 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 31 (2006) Pipelines: gas 257 km; oil 160 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,073 km standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2005) Roadways: total: 77,732 km paved: 7,743 km unpaved: 69,989 km (2004) Waterways: 1,600 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,259 GRT/19,725 DWT by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Argentina 3, Greece 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Argentina 1, Bahamas 2, Liberia 3, Spain 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Fray Bentos, Colonia, Juan Lacaze Military Uruguay Military branches: Army, Navy (includes naval air arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Uruguaya, FAU) (2006) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 764,408 females age 18-49: 760,341 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 637,445 females age 18-49: 631,046 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $371.2 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Uruguay Disputes - international: uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Uzbekistan Introduction Uzbekistan Background: Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization. Geography Uzbekistan Location: Central Asia, north of Afghanistan Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 64 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 447,400 sq km land: 425,400 sq km water: 22,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than California Land boundaries: total: 6,221 km border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km Coastline: 0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline Maritime claims: none (doubly landlocked) Climate: mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east Terrain: mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum Land use: arable land: 10.51% permanent crops: 0.76% other: 88.73% (2005) Irrigated land: 42,810 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: shrinkage of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification; water pollution from industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause of many human health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil contamination from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals, including DDT Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world People Uzbekistan Population: 27,307,134 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.9% (male 4,572,721/female 4,403,405) 15-64 years: 62.3% (male 8,420,174/female 8,594,478) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 539,336/female 777,020) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 22.7 years male: 22 years female: 23.3 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.7% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 26.36 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 69.99 deaths/1,000 live births male: 74.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 65.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.58 years male: 61.19 years female: 68.14 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 11,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Uzbekistani adjective: Uzbekistani Ethnic groups: Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.) Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3% Languages: Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1% Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.3% male: 99.6% female: 99% (2003 est.) Government Uzbekistan Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan conventional short form: Uzbekistan local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi local short form: Ozbekiston former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic Government type: republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch Capital: name: Tashkent (Toshkent) geographic coordinates: 41 20 N, 69 18 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (respublika), and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati, Buxoro Viloyati, Farg'ona Viloyati, Jizzax Viloyati, Namangan Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi), Qoraqalpog'iston Respublikasi* (Nukus), Samarqand Viloyati, Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston), Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri**, Toshkent Viloyati, Xorazm Viloyati (Urganch) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Independence: 1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 September (1991) Constitution: new constitution adopted 8 December 1992 Legal system: evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet) head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYAYEV (since 11 December 2003) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term; previously was a five-year term, extended by constitutional amendment in 2002); election last held 9 January 2000 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister, ministers, and deputy ministers appointed by the president election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 91.9%, Abdulkhafiz JALALOV 4.2% Legislative branch: bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of an Upper House or Senate (100 seats; 84 members are elected by regional governing councils to serve five-year terms and 16 are appointed by the president) and a Lower House or Legislative Chamber (120 seats; elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 26 December 2004 and 9 January 2005 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LDPU 41, NDP 32, Fidokorlar 17, MTP 11, Adolat 9, unaffiliated 10 note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly) Political parties and leaders: Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Dilorom TOSHMUHAMMADOVA, chairman]; Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Xurshid DOSTMUHAMMADOV, chief]; Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan or LDPU [Adham SHODMONOV, chairman]; People's Democratic Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Asliddin RUSTAMOV, first secretary]; Self-Sacrificers Party or Fidokorlar National Democratic Party [Ahtam TURSUNOV, chief]; note - Fatherland Progress Party merged with Self-Sacrificers Party Political pressure groups and leaders: Agrarian and Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik (Unity) Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party [Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992; Ezgulik Human Rights Society [Vasilia INOYATOVA]; Free Farmers' Party or Ozod Dehqonlar [Nigara KHIDOYATOVA]; Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Tolib YAKUBOV, chairman]; Independent Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Mazlum; Sunshine Coalition [Sanjar UMAROV, chairman] International organization participation: AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulaziz KAMILOV chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 887-5300 FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jon PURNELL embassy: 3 Moyqo'rq'on, 5th Block, Yunusobod District, Tashkent 100093 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [998] (71) 120-5450 FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and 12 white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant Economy Uzbekistan Economy - overview: Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which 11% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of its population lives in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is now the world's second-largest cotton exporter and fifth largest producer; it relies heavily on cotton production as the major source of export earnings. Other major export earners include gold, natural gas, and oil. Following independence in September 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. While aware of the need to improve the investment climate, the government still sponsors measures that often increase, not decrease, its control over business decisions. A sharp increase in the inequality of income distribution has hurt the lower ranks of society since independence. In 2003, the government accepted the obligations of Article VIII under the International Monetary Fund (IMF), providing for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls and tightening of borders have lessened the effects of convertibility and have also led to some shortages that have further stifled economic activity. The Central Bank often delays or restricts convertibility, especially for consumer goods. Potential investment by Russia and China in Uzbekistan's gas and oil industry would increase economic growth prospects. In November 2005, Russian President Vladimir PUTIN and Uzbekistan President KARIMOV signed an "alliance" treaty, which included provisions for economic and business cooperation. Russian businesses have shown increased interest in Uzbekistan, especially in mining, telecom, and oil and gas. In December 2005, the Russians opened a "Trade House" to support and develop Russian-Uzbek business and economic ties. GDP (purchasing power parity): $50.31 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $9.86 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 34.2% industry: 22.9% services: 43% (2003 est.) Labor force: 14.26 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 44% industry: 20% services: 36% (1995) Unemployment rate: 0.7% officially, plus another 20% underemployed (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 28% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 22% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 26.8 (2000) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.9% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $2.815 billion expenditures: $2.917 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 36.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock Industries: textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, gold petroleum, natural gas, chemicals Industrial production growth rate: 7.7% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 46.52 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 88.2% hydro: 11.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 48.45 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 5.36 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 10.55 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 152,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - consumption: 120,000 bbl/day (2004) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 600 million bbl (1 January 2005) Natural gas - production: 55.8 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - consumption: 49.3 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - exports: 6.5 billion cu m (2004) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.875 trillion cu m (1 January 2005) Current account balance: $1.082 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cotton 41.5%, gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, automobiles (1998) Exports - partners: Russia 24.6%, China 12.3%, Turkey 7.1%, Ukraine 5.6%, Bangladesh 4.9%, Poland 4.3%, Tajikistan 4.2% (2005) Imports: $3.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals (1998) Imports - partners: Russia 26.7%, South Korea 15.3%, Germany 8.9%, China 7.2%, Kazakhstan 6.4%, Turkey 4.7%, Ukraine 4.7% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.681 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5.032 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $91.6 million from the US (2005) Currency (code): Uzbekistani soum (UZS) Currency code: UZS Exchange rates: Uzbekistani soum per US dollar - 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (2004), 771.029 (2002), 423.832 (2002), 236.61 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Uzbekistan Telephones - main lines in use: 1,717,100 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular: 720,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System) international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earth stations - NA (1998) Radio broadcast stations: AM 20, FM 7, shortwave 10 (1998) Radios: 10.8 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus two repeaters that relay Russian programs), 1 cable rebroadcaster in Tashkent; approximately 20 stations in regional capitals (2003) Televisions: 6.4 million (1997) Internet country code: .uz Internet hosts: 9,058 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 42 (2000) Internet users: 880,000 (2005) Transportation Uzbekistan Airports: 61 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 34 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 27 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 25 (2006) Pipelines: gas 9,594 km; oil 868 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,950 km broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 81,600 km paved: 71,237 km unpaved: 10,363 km (1999) Waterways: 1,100 km (2006) Ports and terminals: Termiz (Amu Darya) Military Uzbekistan Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 6,340,220 females age 18-49: 6,432,072 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,609,621 females age 18-49: 5,383,233 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 324,722 females age 18-49: 317,062 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $200 million (FY97) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY97) Transnational Issues Uzbekistan Disputes - international: prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; delimitation with Kazakhstan complete with demarcation underway; border delimitation of 130 km of border with Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 39,202 (Tajikistan) 5,238 (Afghanistan) IDPs: 3,000 (forced population transfers by government from villages near Tajikistan border) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Uzbekistan is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit country for women trafficked to Asia and the Middle East for the purpose of sexual exploitation; women from other Central Asian countries and China are trafficked through Uzbekistan; men are trafficked for purposes of forced labor in the construction and agricultural industries to Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan; men and women are also trafficked within the country tier rating: Tier 3 - Uzbekistan is placed on Tier 3 because it failed to fulfill commitments by the country to take additional steps during 2005, including the adoption of comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation, criminal code amendments to raise trafficking penalties, support to the country's first trafficking shelter, and approval of a national action plan Illicit drugs: transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for domestic consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by government crop eradication program; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Vanuatu Introduction Vanuatu Background: Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceeding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted. Geography Vanuatu Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia Geographic coordinates: 16 00 S, 167 00 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 12,200 sq km land: 12,200 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited Area - comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 2,528 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April Terrain: mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish Land use: arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 6.97% other: 91.39% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanic eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism also causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis Environment - current issues: a majority of the population does not have access to a reliable supply of potable water; deforestation Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes People Vanuatu Population: 208,869 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 34,804/female 33,331) 15-64 years: 63.7% (male 67,919/female 65,138) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 4,027/female 3,650) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 23 years male: 23 years female: 23 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.49% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 22.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 53.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 51.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.85 years male: 61.34 years female: 64.44 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural) adjective: Ni-Vanuatu Ethnic groups: Ni-Vanuatu 98.5%, other 1.5% (1999 Census) Religions: Presbyterian 31.4%, Anglican 13.4%, Roman Catholic 13.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, other Christian 13.8%, indigenous beliefs 5.6% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 9.6%, none 1%, unspecified 1.3% (1999 Census) Languages: local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74% male: NA female: NA Government Vanuatu Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu conventional short form: Vanuatu local long form: Ripablik blong Vanuatu local short form: Vanuatu former: New Hebrides Government type: parliamentary republic Capital: name: Port-Vila (on Efate) geographic coordinates: 17 44 S, 168 19 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba Independence: 30 July 1980 (from France and UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 30 July (1980) Constitution: 30 July 1980 Legal system: unified system being created from former dual French and British systems Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16 August 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 11 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Sato KILMAN (since 11 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held 16 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 29 July 2004 (next to be held following general elections in 2008) election results: Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected president, with 49 votes out of 56, after several ballots on 16 August 2004 Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 July 2004 (next to be held 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NUP 10, UMP 8, VP 8, VRP 4, MPP 3, VGP 3, other and independent 16; note - political party associations are fluid note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission) Political parties and leaders: Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Hem LINI]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Greens Party or VGP [Moana CARCASSES]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow Economy Vanuatu Economy - overview: This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with about 50,000 visitors in 2004, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002 the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Agriculture, especially livestock farming, is a second target for growth. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid. GDP (purchasing power parity): $276.3 million (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $341 million GDP - real growth rate: 6.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,900 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 26% industry: 12% services: 62% (2000 est.) Labor force: 76,410 Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 65% industry: 5% services: 30% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 1.7% NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): -1.6% (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $78.7 million expenditures: $72.23 million (2003) Agriculture - products: copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables; beef; fish Industries: food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1997 est.) Electricity - production: 41 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 38.13 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 620 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-28.35 million Exports: $34.11 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee Exports - partners: Thailand 46.5%, India 14.1%, Poland 7.9%, Turkey 7.7%, Japan 6.9% (2005) Imports: $117.1 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels Imports - partners: Australia 18.4%, Japan 16.6%, Singapore 14.7%, Poland 8.5%, NZ 7.2%, Fiji 6.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $40.54 million Debt - external: $81.2 million (2004) Economic aid - recipient: $37.8 million (2004) Currency (code): vatu (VUV) Currency code: VUV Exchange rates: vatu per US dollar - NA (2005), 111.79 (2004), 122.19 (2003), 139.2 (2002), 145.31 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Vanuatu Telephones - main lines in use: 6,800 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 12,700 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004) Radios: 67,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 1 (2004) Televisions: 2,300 (1999) Internet country code: .vu Internet hosts: 413 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 7,500 (2004) Transportation Vanuatu Airports: 31 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 28 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,070 km paved: 256 km unpaved: 814 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 51 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,340,132 GRT/1,908,687 DWT by type: bulk carrier 29, cargo 8, container 1, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 51 (Australia 2, Canada 5, Denmark 6, Estonia 1, Japan 28, Poland 5, Russia 1, Switzerland 2, US 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo) Military Vanuatu Military branches: no regular military forces; security forces comprise the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) and paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF), which includes Vanuatu's naval force, known as the Police Maritime Wing (PMW); border security in Vanuatu is the joint responsibility of the Customs and Inland Revenue Service, VPF, VMF, and PMW (2003) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 50,221 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 33,837 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues Vanuatu Disputes - international: Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Venezuela Introduction Venezuela Background: Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Hugo CHAVEZ, president since 1999, has promoted a controversial policy of "democratic socialism," which purports to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking globalization and undermining regional stability. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples. Geography Venezuela Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 66 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of California Land boundaries: total: 4,993 km border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km Coastline: 2,800 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 15 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands Terrain: Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds Land use: arable land: 2.85% permanent crops: 0.88% other: 96.27% (2005) Irrigated land: 5,750 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall People Venezuela Population: 25,730,435 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.1% (male 3,860,116/female 3,620,440) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 8,494,944/female 8,410,874) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 609,101/female 734,960) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 26 years male: 25.4 years female: 26.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.38% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 18.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 4.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 21.54 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.54 years male: 71.49 years female: 77.81 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.23 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% - note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 110,000 (1999 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,100 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Venezuelan(s) adjective: Venezuelan Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% Languages: Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.4% male: 93.8% female: 93.1% (2003 est.) Government Venezuela Country name: conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela conventional short form: Venezuela local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela local short form: Venezuela Government type: federal republic Capital: name: Caracas geographic coordinates: 10 30 N, 66 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital district* (distrito capital), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**, Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas, Yaracuy, Zulia note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain) National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811) Constitution: 30 December 1999 Legal system: open, adversarial court system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL Vale (since 28 April 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL Vale (since 28 April 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held December 2012) note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of this new constitution election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 63%, Manuel ROSALES 37% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela) elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25), opposition 0 Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia (magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single 12-year term) Political parties and leaders: Christian Democrats or COPEI [Eduardo FERNANDEZ]; Democratic Action or AD [Jesus MENDEZ Quijada]; Fatherland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael GARCIA] Political pressure groups and leaders: FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action) International organization participation: CAN, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bernardo ALVAREZ Herrera chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214 FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William R. BROWNFIELD embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1080 mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037 telephone: [58] (212) 975-9234, 975-6411 FAX: [58] (212) 975-8991 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band Economy Venezuela Economy - overview: Venezuela continues to be highly dependent on the petroleum sector, accounting for roughly one-third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings, and over half of government operating revenues. Government revenue also has been bolstered by increased tax collection, which has surpassed its 2005 collection goal by almost 50%. Tax revenue is the primary source of non-oil revenue, which accounts for 53% of the 2006 budget. A disastrous two-month national oil strike, from December 2002 to February 2003, temporarily halted economic activity. The economy remained in depression in 2003, declining by 9.2% after an 8.9% fall in 2002. Output recovered strongly in 2004-2005, aided by high oil prices and strong consumption growth. Venezuela continues to be an important source of crude oil for the US market. Both inflation and unemployment remain fundamental problems. GDP (purchasing power parity): $162.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $106.1 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 9.3% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,400 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 41.9% services: 54.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 12.31 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 13% industry: 23% services: 64% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 12.2% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 47% (1998 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 36.5% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 49.1 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $39.63 billion expenditures: $41.27 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.6 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 34.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish Industries: petroleum, construction materials, food processing, textiles; iron ore mining, steel, aluminum; motor vehicle assembly Industrial production growth rate: 7.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 87.44 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 31.7% hydro: 68.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 81.32 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 3.081 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 530,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 2.1 million bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 75.59 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 29.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 29.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 4.191 trillion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $25.36 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $52.73 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures Exports - partners: US 51.2%, Netherlands Antilles 7.3%, Canada 2.4% (2005) Imports: $24.63 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials Imports - partners: US 31.6%, Colombia 11%, Brazil 9.1%, Mexico 6.9% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $29.64 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $41.51 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $74 million (2000) Currency (code): bolivar (VEB) Currency code: VEB Exchange rates: bolivares per US dollar - 2,089.8 (2005), 1,891.3 (2004), 1,607 (2003), 1,161 (2002), 723.7 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Venezuela Telephones - main lines in use: 3,605,500 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 12.496 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: modern and expanding domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas; substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines; installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of digital multimedia services international: country code - 58; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network Radio broadcast stations: AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998) Radios: 10.75 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 4.1 million (1997) Internet country code: .ve Internet hosts: 51,968 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000) Internet users: 3.04 million (2005) Transportation Venezuela Airports: 375 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 129 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 60 under 914 m: 19 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 246 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 90 under 914 m: 147 (2006) Heliports: 1 (2006) Pipelines: extra heavy crude 992 km; gas 5,369 km; oil 7,607 km; refined products 1,681 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2006) Railways: total: 682 km standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Roadways: total: 96,155 km paved: 32,308 km unpaved: 63,847 km (1999) Waterways: 7,100 km note: Orinoco River and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels, Orinoco for 400 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 56 ships (1000 GRT or over) 824,941 GRT/1,327,924 DWT by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 10, chemical tanker 2, container 1, liquefied gas 6, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 18 foreign-owned: 13 (Denmark 3, Greece 3, India 1, Mexico 3, Panama 1, Russia 1, Spain 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Bahamas 1, Panama 14) (2006) Ports and terminals: Amuay, La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon Military Venezuela Military branches: National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales or FAN): Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada; includes Marines, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 6,236,012 females age 18-49: 6,137,622 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,907,947 females age 18-49: 5,151,843 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 252,396 females age 18-49: 237,300 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.61 billion (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Venezuela Disputes - international: claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; dispute with Colombia over Los Monjes islands and maritime boundary near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region resulting in several thousand residents migrating away from the border; US, France, and the Netherlands recognize Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation and other states' recognition of it Trafficking in persons: current situation: Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and children from Colombia, China, Peru, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic are trafficked to and through Venezuela and subjected to commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor; Venezuelans are trafficked internally and to Western Europe, particularly Spain and the Netherlands, and to countries in the Caribbean region for commercial sexual exploitation; Venezuela is a transit country for illegal migrants from other countries in the region and for Asian nationals, some are believed to be trafficking victims tier rating: Tier 3 - Venezuela does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the processing of opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia bound for US and Europe; significant narcotics-related money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia and on Margarita Island; active eradication program primarily targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on border This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Vietnam Introduction Vietnam Background: The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the Communist North and anti-Communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under Communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to experience protests from various groups - such as the Protestant Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands and the Hoa Hao Buddhists in southern Vietnam over religious persecution. Montagnard grievances also include the loss of land to Vietnamese settlers. Geography Vietnam Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 329,560 sq km land: 325,360 sq km water: 4,200 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 4,639 km border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands) Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March) Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower Land use: arable land: 20.14% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 72.93% (2005) Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta Environment - current issues: logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point People Vietnam Population: 84,402,966 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 27% (male 11,826,457/female 10,983,069) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 28,055,941/female 28,614,553) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,924,562/female 2,998,384) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 25.9 years male: 24.8 years female: 27.1 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.02% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 16.86 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.85 years male: 68.05 years female: 73.85 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 220,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 9,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: leptospirosis note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US personnel who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005) Nationality: noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural) adjective: Vietnamese Ethnic groups: Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census) Religions: Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census) Languages: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.3% male: 93.9% female: 86.9% (2002) Government Vietnam Country name: conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam conventional short form: Vietnam local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam local short form: Viet Nam abbreviation: SRV Government type: Communist state Capital: name: Hanoi geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural) provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945) Constitution: 15 April 1992 Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006); Vice President Truong My HOA (since 25 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh HUNG (since 28 June 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia KHIEM (since 28 June 2006), and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh TRONG (since 28 June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president based on proposal of prime minister and confirmed by National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its members for five-year term; election last held 27 June 2006; prime minister appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister; appointment of prime minister and deputy prime ministers confirmed by National Assembly election results: Nguyen Minh TRIET elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 94%; Nguyen Tan DUNG elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 92% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (498 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 May 2002 (next to be held 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - CPV 90%, other 10% (the 10% are not CPV members but are approved by the CPV to stand for election); seats by party - CPV 447, CPV-approved 51 Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president) Political parties and leaders: only party - Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH] Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: ACCT (observer), APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Tam CHIEN chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737 FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917 consulate(s) general: San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MARINE embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [84] (4) 772-1500 FAX: [84] (4) 772-1510 consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center Economy Vietnam Economy - overview: Vietnam is a densely-populated, developing country that in the last 30 years has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally-planned economy. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1997 in moving forward from an extremely low level of development and significantly reducing poverty. Growth averaged around 9% per year from 1993 to 1997. The 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted the problems in the Vietnamese economy and temporarily allowed opponents of reform to slow progress toward a market-oriented economy. GDP growth averaged 6.8% per year from 1997 to 2004 even against the background of the Asian financial crisis and a global recession, and growth hit 8% in 2005. Since 2001, however, Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and international integration. They have moved to implement the structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and entry into force of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement in December 2001 have led to even more rapid changes in Vietnam's trade and economic regime. Vietnam's exports to the US doubled in 2002 and again in 2003. Vietnam hopes to become a member of the WTO in 2006. Among other benefits, accession would allow Vietnam to take advantage of the phase out of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, which eliminated quotas on textiles and clothing for WTO partners on 1 January 2005. Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink, from about 25% in 2000 to 21% in 2005. Deep poverty, defined as a percent of the population living under $1 per day, has declined significantly and is now smaller than that of China, India, and the Philippines. Vietnam is working to promote job creation to keep up with the country's high population growth rate. However, high levels of inflation have prompted Vietnamese authorities to tighten monetary and fiscal policies. GDP (purchasing power parity): $235.2 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $43.75 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 8.5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,800 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20.9% industry: 41% services: 38.1% (2005 est.) Labor force: 44.39 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 56.8% industry: 37% services: 6.2% (July 2005) Unemployment rate: 2.4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 19.5% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 29.9% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.1 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 33.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $11.64 billion expenditures: $12.95 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (2005 est.) Public debt: 48.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, seafood Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper Industrial production growth rate: 17.2% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 46.2 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 43.7% hydro: 56.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 52 billion kWh (2004) Electricity - exports: NA kWh Electricity - imports: NA kWh Oil - production: 400,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 216,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 600 million bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 6.342 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 6.342 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - imports: NA cu m Natural gas - proved reserves: 192.6 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $-309 million (2005 est.) Exports: $32.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes Exports - partners: US 21.2%, Japan 13.3%, Australia 8.4%, China 7.5%, Singapore 5.3%, Germany 5% (2005) Imports: $36.88 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles Imports - partners: China 16.3%, Singapore 12.8%, Taiwan 11.7%, Japan 10.4%, South Korea 9.9%, Thailand 6.8% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $8.863 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $20.16 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2.8 billion in credits and grants pledged by international donors for 2000 (2004) Currency (code): dong (VND) Currency code: VND Exchange rates: dong per US dollar - 15,746 (2005), (2004), 15,510 (2003), 15,280 (2002), 14,725 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Vietnam Telephones - main lines in use: 15.845 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 9.593 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighbors domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantially increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly international: country code - 84; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 65, FM 7, shortwave 29 (1999) Radios: 8.2 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 6 (plus 61 provincial TV stations) (2006) Televisions: 3.57 million (1997) Internet country code: .vn Internet hosts: 12,114 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000) Internet users: 13.1 million (2006) Transportation Vietnam Airports: 32 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 26 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Pipelines: condensate/gas 432 km; gas 163 km; oil 50 km; refined products 206 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,600 km standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge dual gauge: 253 km three-rail track combining 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (2005) Roadways: total: 222,179 km paved: 42,167 km unpaved: 180,012 km (2004) Waterways: 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2005) Merchant marine: total: 267 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,423,936 GRT/2,191,858 DWT by type: bulk carrier 23, cargo 202, chemical tanker 4, container 5, liquefied gas 5, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Honduras 1, Mongolia 8, Panama 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, unknown 2) (2006) Ports and terminals: Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City Military Vietnam Military branches: People's Armed Forces: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includes People's Navy Command (with naval infantry, coast guard), Air and Air Defense Force (Kon Quan Nhan Dan), Border Defense Command), People's Public Security Forces, Militia Force, Self-Defense Forces (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (3-4 years in the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 21,341,813 females age 18-49: 21,430,808 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 16,032,358 females age 18-49: 17,921,241 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 915,572 females age 18-49: 864,161 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $650 million (FY98) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (FY98) Transnational Issues Vietnam Disputes - international: southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese squatters and armed encroachments along border; after years of Cambodia claiming Vietnam had moved or destroyed boundary markers, in 2005, after much domestic debate, Cambodia ratified an agreement with Vietnam that settled all but a small portion of the land boundary; establishment of a maritime boundary with Cambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over offshore islands; in 2004, Laotian-Vietnamese boundary commission agrees to erect missing markers in two adjoining provinces; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; China occupies Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities in the Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands Illicit drugs: minor producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin; government continues to face domestic opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems despite longstanding crackdowns This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Virgin Islands Introduction Virgin Islands Background: During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. Geography Virgin Islands Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Geographic coordinates: 18 20 N, 64 50 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 1,910 sq km land: 346 sq km water: 1,564 sq km Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 188 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 475 m Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf Land use: arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 2.86% other: 91.43% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes Environment - current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources Geography - note: important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean People Virgin Islands Population: 108,605 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.4% (male 12,261/female 12,056) 15-64 years: 66.4% (male 34,174/female 37,949) 65 years and over: 11.2% (male 5,385/female 6,780) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 37.1 years male: 36.2 years female: 38 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.12% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 13.96 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -8.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 7.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.05 years male: 75.24 years female: 83.09 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.17 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Virgin Islander(s) (US citizens) adjective: Virgin Islander Ethnic groups: black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%, mixed 3.5% (2000 census) Religions: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% Languages: English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90-95% est. male: NA% female: NA% (2005 est.) Government Virgin Islands Country name: conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies abbreviation: USVI Dependency status: organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior Government type: NA Capital: name: Charlotte Amalie geographic coordinates: 18 21 N, 64 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas National holiday: Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) Constitution: Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 Legal system: based on US laws Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Virgin Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 and 21 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: John DeJONGH elected governor and takes office in January 2007; percent of vote - John DeJONGH 57.3%, Kenneth MAPP 42.7% Legislative branch: unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 8, ICM 4, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); results - Donna M. CHRISTENSEN (Democrat) reelected Judicial branch: US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: IOC, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US) Flag description: white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel Economy Virgin Islands Economy - overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are small but growing components of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.577 billion (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2002 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $14,500 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) Labor force: 43,980 (2004 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) Unemployment rate: 6.2% (2004) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2003) Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Agriculture - products: fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle Industries: tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 1.04 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 967.3 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 14,650 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 105,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $4.234 billion $NA Exports - commodities: refined petroleum products Exports - partners: US, Puerto Rico (2004) Imports: $4.609 billion $NA Imports - commodities: crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials Imports - partners: US, Puerto Rico (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): US dollar (USD) Currency code: USD Exchange rates: the US dollar is used Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Virgin Islands Telephones - main lines in use: 70,900 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 64,200 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-340; 2 submarine cable connections (Taino Carib, Americas-1); satellite earth stations - NA Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006) Radios: 107,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 5 (2006) Televisions: 68,000 (1997) Internet country code: .vi Internet hosts: 3,855 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2000) Internet users: 30,000 (2002) Transportation Virgin Islands Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 1,257 km (2004) Ports and terminals: Charlotte Amalie, Limetree Bay Military Virgin Islands Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Virgin Islands Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Wake Island Introduction Wake Island Background: The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station. An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and held until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's airstrip has been used by the US military, as well as for emergency landings. All operations on the island were suspended and all personnel evacuated in August 2006 with the approach of super typhoon Loke (category 5), which struck the island with sustained winds of 250 kph and a 6 m storm surge inflicting major damage. A US Air Force assessment and repair team returned to the island in September and restored limited function to the airfield and facilities. The future status of activities on the island will be determined upon completion of the survey and assessment. Geography Wake Island Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands Geographic coordinates: 19 17 N, 166 39 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 19.3 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical Terrain: atoll of three low coral islands, Peale, Wake, and Wilkes, built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 6 m Natural resources: none Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Natural hazards: occasional typhoons Environment - current issues: NA Geography - note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights People Wake Island Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: US military personnel have left the island, but contractor personnel remain; as of October 2001, 200 contractor personnel were present (July 2006 est.) Government Wake Island Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Wake Island Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior; activities on the island are conducted by the US Air Force Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Flag description: the flag of the US is used Economy Wake Island Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. Electricity - production: NA kWh Communications Wake Island Telephone system: general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) domestic: NA international: NA Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite (2005) Television broadcast stations: 0 note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite (2005) Transportation Wake Island Airports: 1 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Ports and terminals: none; two offshore anchorages for large ships Transportation - note: there are no commercial or civilian flights to and from Wake Island, except in direct support of island missions; emergency landing is available Military Wake Island Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US; launch support facility is part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS) administered by US Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) Transnational Issues Wake Island Disputes - international: claimed by Marshall Islands This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Wallis and Futuna Introduction Wallis and Futuna Background: The Futuna island group was discovered by the Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory. Geography Wallis and Futuna Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Geographic coordinates: 13 18 S, 176 12 W Map references: Oceania Area: total: 274 sq km land: 274 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 129 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C Terrain: volcanic origin; low hills Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m Natural resources: NEGL Land use: arable land: 7.14% permanent crops: 35.71% other: 57.15% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources Geography - note: both island groups have fringing reefs People Wallis and Futuna Population: 16,025 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Population growth rate: NA Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander Ethnic groups: Polynesian Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1% Languages: Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language), Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50% male: 50% female: 50% (1969 est.) Government Wallis and Futuna Country name: conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna local short form: Wallis et Futuna Dependency status: overseas territory of France Government type: NA Capital: name: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea) geographic coordinates: 13 57 S, 171 56 W time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms at the second order named Alo, Sigave, Wallis Independence: none (overseas territory of France) National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: French legal system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Administrator Richard DIDIER (since 19 July 2006) head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Patalione KANIMOA (since January 2001) cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 11 March 2002 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR and affiliates 13, Socialists and affiliates 7 note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (now UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held by in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (UMP) 1 Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu Political parties and leaders: Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG; Rally for the Republic or RPR (UMP) [Clovis LOGOLOGOFOLAU]; Socialist Party or PS; Taumu'a Lelei [Soane Muni UHILA]; Union Populaire Locale or UPL [Falakiko GATA]; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: SPC, UPU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of France) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of France) Flag description: unofficial, local flag has a red field with four white isosceles triangles in the middle, representing the three native kings of the islands and the French administrator; the apexes of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each other; the flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is the only official flag Economy Wallis and Futuna Economy - overview: The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% labor force earnings from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia. GDP (purchasing power parity): $60 million (2004 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,800 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Labor force: NA 3,104 Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry: 4% services: 16% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 15.2% NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% NA% Budget: revenues: $29,730 expenditures: $31,330 (1998 est.) Public debt: 5.6% of GDP Agriculture - products: breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: NA kWh Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002) Exports: $47,450 f.o.b. (2004) Exports - commodities: copra, chemicals, construction materials Exports - partners: Italy 40%, Croatia 15%, US 14%, Denmark 13% (2004) Imports: $61.17 million f.o.b. (2004) Imports - commodities: chemicals, machinery, passenger ships, consumer goods Imports - partners: France 97%, Australia 2%, NZ 1% (2004) Debt - external: $3.67 million $NA Economic aid - recipient: assistance from France Currency (code): Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) Currency code: XPF Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Wallis and Futuna Telephones - main lines in use: 1,900 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1994) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 681 Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (2000) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 2 (2000) Televisions: NA Internet country code: .wf Internet hosts: 1 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 900 (2002) Transportation Wallis and Futuna Airports: 2 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 110,428 GRT/56,830 DWT by type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 7 foreign-owned: 8 (France 5, French Polynesia 2, US 1) (2006) Ports and terminals: Leava, Mata-Utu Military Wallis and Futuna Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Wallis and Futuna Disputes - international: none This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @West Bank Introduction West Bank Background: The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provided that Israel would retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifada that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003 the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA President in January 2005, bringing hope of a turning point in the conflict. Israel and the PA agreed in February 2005 to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments, focused on security issues, in an effort to move the peace process forward. Progress has been slow because of different interpretations of the verbal agreement by the two sides. Geography West Bank Location: Middle East, west of Jordan Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967 Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware Land boundaries: total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m Natural resources: arable land Land use: arable land: 16.9% permanent crops: 18.97% other: 64.13% (2001) Irrigated land: 150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) Natural hazards: droughts Environment - current issues: adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment Geography - note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.) People West Bank Population: 2,460,492 note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.9% (male 541,110/female 515,202) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 676,427/female 644,347) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 35,440/female 47,966) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 18.3 years male: 18.2 years female: 18.5 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.06% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 31.67 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 19.15 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.27 years male: 71.5 years female: 75.15 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.9% male: 96.3% female: 87.4% (2003 est.) Government West Bank Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank Economy West Bank Economy - overview: The West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- has experienced a general decline in economic growth and a degradation in economic conditions made worse since the second intifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely the result of the Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities, due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally, stymied growth. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.8 billion (2003 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $3.45 billion GDP - real growth rate: 6.2% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,100 (2003 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9% industry: 28% services: 63% note: includes Gaza Strip (2002 est.) Labor force: 614,000 (April-June 2005) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 18.4% industry: 24% services: 57.6% (April-June 2005) Unemployment rate: 19.9% (includes Gaza Strip) (January-September 2005) Population below poverty line: 46% including Gaza Strip (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (includes Gaza Strip) (2003 est.) Budget: revenues: $964 million expenditures: $1.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA; note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2004) Agriculture - products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: NA kWh Electricity - imports: NA kWh Exports: $270 million f.o.b.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) Exports - commodities: olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone Exports - partners: Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) Imports: $1.952 billion c.i.f.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) Imports - commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials Imports - partners: Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) Debt - external: $0; note - includes Gaza Strip (2002) Economic aid - recipient: $1.14 billion; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004 est.) Currency (code): new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD) Currency code: ILS; JOD Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications West Bank Telephones - main lines in use: 357,300 (includes Gaza Strip) (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 0 (2005) Radios: NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999) Television broadcast stations: 8 (2005) Televisions: NA; note - many Palestinian households have televisions (1999) Internet country code: .ps Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (1999) Internet users: 243,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) Transportation West Bank Airports: 3 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Roadways: total: 4,158 km paved: 4,158 km note: includes Gaza Strip (2003) Military West Bank Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA Transnational Issues West Bank Disputes - international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 699,817 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Western Sahara Introduction Western Sahara Background: Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. Geography Western Sahara Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Geographic coordinates: 24 30 N, 13 00 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: about the size of Colorado Land boundaries: total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km Coastline: 1,110 km Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore Land use: arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) Irrigated land: NA Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility Environment - current issues: sparse water and lack of arable land Environment - international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas People Western Sahara Population: 273,008 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Population growth rate: NA Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population Sex ratio: NA Infant mortality rate: total: NA male: NA female: NA Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2005) Nationality: noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian Ethnic groups: Arab, Berber Religions: Muslim Languages: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Literacy: NA Government Western Sahara Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara Government type: legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991 Capital: none time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco) Suffrage: none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed Executive branch: none Political pressure groups and leaders: none International organization participation: none Diplomatic representation in the US: none Diplomatic representation from the US: none Economy Western Sahara Economy - overview: Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. GDP (purchasing power parity): $NA GDP (official exchange rate): NA GDP - real growth rate: NA% GDP - per capita (PPP): $NA GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40% Labor force: 12,000 Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50% Unemployment rate: NA% Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Agriculture - products: fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity - production: 85 million kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 83.7 million kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 1,750 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Exports: $NA Exports - commodities: phosphates 62% Exports - partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) Imports: $NA Imports - commodities: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) Debt - external: $NA Economic aid - recipient: $NA Currency (code): Moroccan dirham (MAD) Currency code: MAD Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Western Sahara Telephones - main lines in use: about 2,000 (1999 est.) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1999) Telephone system: general assessment: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 56,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: NA Televisions: 6,000 (1997) Internet country code: .eh Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: NA Transportation Western Sahara Airports: 11 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Ports and terminals: Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Military Western Sahara Military expenditures - dollar figure: $992.2 million Transnational Issues Western Sahara Disputes - international: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @World Introduction World Background: Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war). Geography World Map references: Physical Map of the World, Political Map of the World, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total: 510.072 million sq km land: 148.94 million sq km water: 361.132 million sq km note: 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land Area - comparative: land area about 16 times the size of the US Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total 250,708 km (not counting shared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia, each border 14 other countries note: 44 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doubly landlocked Coastline: 356,000 km note: 98 nations and other entities are islands that border no other countries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Baker Island, Barbados, Bassas da India, Bermuda, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, Europa Island, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Howland Island, Iceland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island, Jersey, Johnston Atoll, Juan de Nova Island, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Federated States of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, Navassa Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka, Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tromelin Island, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna, Taiwan Maritime claims: a variety of situations exist, but in general, most countries make the following claims measured from the mean low-tide baseline as described in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: territorial sea - 12 nm, contiguous zone - 24 nm, and exclusive economic zone - 200 nm; additional zones provide for exploitation of continental shelf resources and an exclusive fishing zone; boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200nm Climate: a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates - bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones - that separate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates Terrain: the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean Elevation extremes: lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m Natural resources: the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address Land use: arable land: 13.31% permanent crops: 4.71% other: 81.98% (2005) Irrigated land: 2,770,980 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions) Environment - current issues: large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion Geography - note: the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, just about one-third of the 13-billion-year age estimated for the universe People World Population: 6,525,170,264 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.4% (male 919,219,446/female 870,242,271) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 2,152,066,888/female 2,100,334,722) 65 years and over: 7.4% (male 213,160,216/female 270,146,721) note: some countries do not maintain age structure information, thus a slight discrepancy exists between the total world population and the total for world age structure (2006 est.) Median age: total: 27.6 years male: 27 years female: 28.2 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 1.14% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 20.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 48.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 50.98 deaths/1,000 live births female: 46.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.77 years male: 63.16 years female: 66.47 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.59 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Religions: Christians 33.03% (of which Roman Catholics 17.33%, Protestants 5.8%, Orthodox 3.42%, Anglicans 1.23%), Muslims 20.12%, Hindus 13.34%, Buddhists 5.89%, Sikhs 0.39%, Jews 0.23%, other religions 12.61%, non-religious 12.03%, atheists 2.36% (2004 est.) Languages: Mandarin Chinese 13.69%, Spanish 5.05%, English 4.84%, Hindi 2.82%, Portuguese 2.77%, Bengali 2.68%, Russian 2.27%, Japanese 1.99%, Standard German 1.49%, Wu Chinese 1.21% (2004 est.) note: percents are for "first language" speakers only Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82% male: 87% female: 77% note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, South and West Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.) Government World Administrative divisions: 272 nations, dependent areas, and other entities Legal system: all members of the UN are parties to the statute that established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court Economy World Economy - overview: Global output rose by 4.4% in 2005, led by China (9.3%), India (7.6%), and Russia (5.9%). The other 14 successor nations of the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations again experienced widely divergent growth rates; the three Baltic nations continued as strong performers, in the 7% range of growth. Growth results posted by the major industrial countries varied from no gain for Italy to a strong gain by the United States (3.5%). The developing nations also varied in their growth results, with many countries facing population increases that erode gains in output. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government often finds its control over resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in many of the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada. Externally, the central government is losing decisionmaking powers to international bodies, notably the EU. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of 80 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems and priorities, the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from an economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999, while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse, poses economic risks because of varying levels of income and cultural and political differences among the participating nations. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 accentuated a further growing risk to global prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the reallocation of resources away from investment to anti-terrorist programs. The opening of war in March 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq added new uncertainties to global economic prospects. After the coalition victory, the complex political difficulties and the high economic cost of establishing domestic order in Iraq became major global problems that continued into 2006. GDP (purchasing power parity): GWP (gross world product): $60.63 trillion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $43.07 trillion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $9,500 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 32% services: 64% (2004 est.) Labor force: 3.001 billion (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 42% industry: 21% services: 37% (2002 est.) Unemployment rate: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 29.4% (2000 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): developed countries 1% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to 20% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from declining prices in Japan to hyperinflation in one Third World countries (Zimbabwe); inflation rates have declined for most countries for the last several years, held in check by increasing international competition from several low wage countries (2005 est.) Industries: dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 16.54 trillion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA Electricity - consumption: 15.45 trillion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - exports: 537 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 545.2 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 79.65 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 80.1 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 1.349 trillion bbl (1 January 2002 est.) Natural gas - production: 2.674 trillion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 2.675 trillion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 667.6 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports: 696 billion cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 174.6 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Exports: $10.33 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services Exports - partners: US 15.6%, Germany 7.4%, China 5.7%, France 4.9%, UK 4.7%, Japan 4.5% (2005) Imports: $10.3 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Imports - commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services Imports - partners: China 9.3%, US 9%, Germany 9%, Japan 6.1%, France 4.2% (2005) Debt - external: $36.89 trillion note: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt, both public and private (2004 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $154 billion official development assistance (ODA) (2004) Communications World Telephones - main lines in use: 1,263,367,600 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,168,433,600 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: NA Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: NA Televisions: NA Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10,350 (2000 est.) Internet users: 1,018,057,389 (2005) Transportation World Airports: 49,024 (2006) Heliports: 2,021 (2006) Railways: total: 1,115,205 km broad gauge: 257,481 km standard gauge: 671,413 km narrow gauge: 186,311 km (2003) Roadways: total: 32,345,165 km paved: 19,403,061 km unpaved: 12,942,104 km (2002) Waterways: 671,886 km (2004) Merchant marine: total: 33,222 ships (1000 GRT or over) (2006) Military World Military expenditures - dollar figure: aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide has increased in the beginning of the 21st century, with the largest increase in the US; a rough estimate for 2005 is $1.2 trillion (at puchasing power parity) (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: roughly 2% of gross world product (2005 est.) Transnational Issues World Disputes - international: stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 329 international land boundaries separate the 193 independent states and 73 dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities; ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states into separate political entities as much as history, physical terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes arbitrary and imposed boundaries; maritime states have claimed limits and have so far established over 130 maritime boundaries and joint development zones to allocate ocean resources and to provide for national security at sea; boundary, borderland/resource, and territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized; most disputes over the alignment of political boundaries are confined to short segments and are today less common and less hostile than borderland, resource, and territorial disputes; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries, however, encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorial disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or they may be brought on by resource competition; ethnic and cultural clashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorial fragmentation around the world; disputes over islands at sea or in rivers frequently form the source of territorial and boundary conflict; other sources of contention include access to water and mineral (especially petroleum) resources, fisheries, and arable land; nonetheless, most nations cooperate to clarify their international boundaries and to resolve territorial and resource disputes peacefully; regional discord today prevails not so much between the armed forces of independent states as between stateless armed entities that detract from the sustenance and welfare of local populations, leaving the community of nations to cope with resultant refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmental degradation Refugees and internally displaced persons: the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that in December 2004 there was a global population of 9.2 million refugees, the lowest number in 25 years, and as many as 25 million IDPs in over 49 countries (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: about 600,000 to 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually across national borders, not including millions trafficked within their own countries; at least 80% of the victims are female; 75% of all victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation; roughly two-thirds of the global victims are trafficked intra-regionally within East Asia and the Pacific (260,000 to 280,000 people) and Europe and Eurasia (170,000 to 210,000 people) Illicit drugs: cocaine: worldwide coca cultivation in 2004 amounted to 166,200 hectares; Colombia produced slightly more than two-thirds of the worldwide crop, followed by Peru and Bolivia; potential pure cocaine production of 645 metric tons in 2004 marked the lowest level of Andean cocaine production in the past 10 years; Colombia conducts aggressive coca eradication campaign, but both Peruvian and Bolivian Governments are hesitant to eradicate coca in key growing areas; 376 metric tons of export-quality cocaine are documented to have been seized in 2003, and 26 metric tons disrupted (jettisoned or destroyed); consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated to have been 800 metric tons opiates: worldwide illicit opium poppy cultivation reached 258,630 hectares in 2004; potential opium production of 5,444 metric tons was highest total recorded since estimates began in mid-1980s; Afghanistan is world's primary opium producer, accounting for 91% of the global supply; Southeast Asia - responsible for 7% of global opium - continued to diminish in importance in the world opium market; Latin America produced 2% of global opium, but most refined into heroin destined for United States; if all opium processed into pure heroin, the potential global production would be 632 metric tons of heroin in 2004 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Yemen Introduction Yemen Background: North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border. Geography Yemen Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 48 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 527,970 sq km land: 527,970 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen) Area - comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming Land boundaries: total: 1,746 km border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km Coastline: 1,906 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Climate: mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east Terrain: narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula Elevation extremes: lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m Natural resources: petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west Land use: arable land: 2.91% permanent crops: 0.25% other: 96.84% (2005) Irrigated land: 5,500 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes People Yemen Population: 21,456,188 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.4% (male 5,067,762/female 4,881,333) 15-64 years: 51% (male 5,568,078/female 5,375,263) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 275,878/female 287,874) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.6 years male: 16.6 years female: 16.6 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 3.46% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 42.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 59.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 64.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.12 years male: 60.23 years female: 64.11 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.58 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA Nationality: noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni Ethnic groups: predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans Religions: Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu Languages: Arabic Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50.2% male: 70.5% female: 30% (2003 est.) Government Yemen Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman former: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen] Government type: republic Capital: name: Sanaa geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate Independence: 22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen had become independent in November of 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK) National holiday: Unification Day, 22 May (1990) Constitution: 16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001 Legal system: based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL; Deputy Prime Ministers Rashid Muhammad al-ALIMI, Alawi Salah al-SALAMI, Ahmad Muhammad Abdallah al-SUFAN cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 20 September 2006 (next to be held September 2013); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 77.2%, Faisal bin SHAMLAN 21.8% Legislative branch: a new constitutional amendment ratified on 20 February 2001 created a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held in April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14 Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: there are more than 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of the more prominent are: General People's Congress or GPC [President Ali Abdallah SALIH]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdal Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qasim SALAM]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahab Abdallah al-HAJRI chancery: 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI embassy: Sa'awan Street, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa telephone: [967] (1) 755-2000 ext. 2153 or 2266 FAX: [967] (1) 303-182 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars, and of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription), in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band Economy Yemen Economy - overview: Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, has reported meager growth since 2000. Its economic fortunes depend mostly on oil. Oil revenues increased in 2005 due to higher prices. Yemen was on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. However, government dedication to the program waned in 2001 for political reasons. Yemen is struggling to control excessive spending and rampant corruption. The people have grown increasingly upset over the economic situation. In July 2005, a reduction in fuel subsidies sparked riots; over 20 Yemenis were killed and hundreds were injured. GDP (purchasing power parity): $19.36 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $14.34 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13.5% industry: 47.2% services: 39.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 5.83 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: note: most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force Unemployment rate: 35% (2003 est.) Population below poverty line: 45.2% (2003) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25.9% (2003) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.4 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 14.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $5.616 billion expenditures: $5.719 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 34.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement; commercial ship repair Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2003 est.) Electricity - production: 3.848 billion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 2.827 billion kWh (2003 est.) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 387,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 80,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 370,300 bbl/day (2003) Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves: 4.37 billion bbl (2005 est.) Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 478.6 billion cu m (2005) Current account balance: $1.224 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $6.387 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish Exports - partners: China 36.5%, Chile 19.2%, Thailand 12.5%, Japan 5.4%, South Korea 4.4%, US 4.1% (2005) Imports: $4.19 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals Imports - partners: UAE 14.6%, Saudi Arabia 11.6%, China 9.1%, Kuwait 5%, India 4.5% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $6.143 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5.347 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements) Currency (code): Yemeni rial (YER) Currency code: YER Exchange rates: Yemeni rials per US dollar - 192.67 (2005), 184.78 (2004), 183.45 (2003), 175.63 (2002), 168.67 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Yemen Telephones - main lines in use: 798,100 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2 million (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems international: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998) Radios: 1.05 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions: 470,000 (1997) Internet country code: .ye Internet hosts: 171 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000) Internet users: 220,000 (2005) Transportation Yemen Airports: 46 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 30 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Pipelines: gas 71 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,284 km (2006) Roadways: total: 71,300 km paved: 6,200 km unpaved: 65,100 km (2005) Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,400 GRT/18,072 DWT by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 9 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 3, North Korea 2, Panama 3) (2006) Ports and terminals: Aden, Nishtun Military Yemen Military branches: Army (includes Special Forces), Navy (includes Marines), Unified Yemen Air Force (includes Air Defense Force) (2006) Military service age and obligation: in May 2001, Yemen's National Defense Council abolished compulsory military service and authorized a voluntary program for military service (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 4,058,223 females age 18-49: 3,868,112 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 2,790,705 females age 18-49: 2,792,406 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 236,517 females age 18-49: 230,641 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $992.2 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 6.4% (2005 est.) Military - note: a Coast Guard was established in 2002 Transnational Issues Yemen Disputes - international: Yemen protests Eritrea fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Yemen by the ICJ in 1999; Saudi Arabia still maintains the concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier along sections of the border with Yemen in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections of the boundary Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 63,511 (Somalia) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Zambia Introduction Zambia Background: The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. The new president launched an anti-corruption campaign in 2002, which resulted in the prosecution of former President Frederick CHILUBA and some officials of his administration. Geography Zambia Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 752,614 sq km land: 740,724 sq km water: 11,890 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Texas Land boundaries: total: 5,664 km border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April) Terrain: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m highest point: unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m Natural resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower Land use: arable land: 6.99% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 92.97% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,560 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April) Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Geography - note: landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe People Zambia Population: 11,502,010 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.3% (male 2,673,891/female 2,656,268) 15-64 years: 51.3% (male 2,925,910/female 2,969,324) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 117,877/female 158,740) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 16.5 years male: 16.3 years female: 16.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 2.11% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 19.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 86.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 94.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 40.03 years male: 39.76 years female: 40.31 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 16.5% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 920,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 89,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Zambian(s) adjective: Zambian Ethnic groups: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2% Religions: Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1% Languages: English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write English total population: 80.6% male: 86.8% female: 74.8% (2003 est.) Government Zambia Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Zambia conventional short form: Zambia former: Northern Rhodesia Government type: republic Capital: name: Lusaka geographic coordinates: 15 25 S, 28 17 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western Independence: 24 October 1964 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 24 October (1964) Constitution: 24 August 1991; amended in 1996 to establish presidential term limits Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Rupiah BANDA (since 9 October 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Rupiah BANDA (since 9 October 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 September 2006 (next to be held 2011); vice president appointed by the president election results: Levy MWANAWASA reelected president; percent of vote - Levy MWANAWASA 43.0%, Michael SATA 29.4%, Hakainde HICHILEMA 25.3%, Godfrey MIYANDA 1.6%, Winright NGONDO 0.8% Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (158 seats; 150 members are elected by popular vote, eight members are appointed by the president, to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - MMD 45.9%, UPND 32.4%, UNIP 8.8%, FDD 8.1%, HP 2.7%, PF 0.7%, ZRP 0.7%, independents 0.7%; seats by party - MMD 68, UPND 48, UNIP 13, FDD 12, HP 4, PF 1, ZRP 1, independents 1; seats not determined 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases) Political parties and leaders: Agenda for Zambia or AZ [Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA]; Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Christon TEMBO]; Heritage Party or HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front or LPF [Roger CHONGWE, president]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Levy MWANAWASA, acting president]; National Leadership for Development or NLD [Yobert SHAMAPANDE]; National Party or NP [Dr. Sam CHIPUNGU]; Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Gwendoline KONIE]; United National Independence Party or UNIP [Francis NKHOMA, president]; United Party for National Development or UPND [Anderson MAZOKA]; Zambian Republican Party or ZRP [Benjamin MWILA] Political pressure groups and leaders: NA International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carmen M. MARTINEZ embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues, Lusaka mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka telephone: [260] (1) 250-955 FAX: [260] (1) 252-225 Flag description: green with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag Economy Zambia Economy - overview: Despite progress in privatization and budgetary reform, Zambia's economic growth remains somewhat below the 6%-7% needed to reduce poverty significantly. Privatization of government-owned copper mines relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. Copper output has increased steadily since 2004, due to higher copper prices and the opening of new mines. The maize harvest was again good in 2005, helping boost GDP and agricultural exports. Cooperation continues with international bodies on programs to reduce poverty, including a new lending arrangement with the IMF in the second quarter of 2004. A tighter monetary policy will help cut inflation, but Zambia still has a serious problem with high public debt. GDP (purchasing power parity): $10.63 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $5.351 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22% industry: 29% services: 48.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 4.8 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 85% industry: 6% services: 9% Unemployment rate: 50% (2000 est.) Population below poverty line: 86% (1993) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 41% (1998) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 52.6 (1998) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18.3% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 27.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.688 billion expenditures: $1.866 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 71.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), coffee; cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture Industrial production growth rate: 7.9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 8.347 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.5% hydro: 99.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 5.345 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 2 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 130.2 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 12,250 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: NA bbl/day Oil - imports: NA bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-420 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.947 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: copper/cobalt 64%, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, cotton Exports - partners: Switzerland 28.7%, South Africa 18.6%, UK 14.4%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 5.4%, Tanzania 5.1%, Zimbabwe 4.1% (2005) Imports: $1.934 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing Imports - partners: South Africa 47.6%, UK 12.6%, Zimbabwe 4.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $559.8 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $4.641 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $640.6 million (2002) Currency (code): Zambian kwacha (ZMK) Currency code: ZMK Exchange rates: Zambian kwacha per US dollar - 4,463.5 (2005), 4,778.9 (2004), 4,733.3 (2003), 4,398.6 (2002), 3,610.9 (2001) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Zambia Telephones - main lines in use: 94,700 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 946,600 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation; Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001) Radios: 1.2 million (2001) Television broadcast stations: 9 (2002) Televisions: 277,000 (1997) Internet country code: .zm Internet hosts: 3,227 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001) Internet users: 231,000 (2005) Transportation Zambia Airports: 111 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 101 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 64 under 914 m: 32 (2006) Pipelines: oil 771 km (2006) Railways: total: 2,173 km narrow gauge: 2,173 km 1.067-m gauge note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) (2005) Roadways: total: 91,440 km paved: 20,117 km unpaved: 71,323 km (2001) Waterways: 2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers) (2005) Ports and terminals: Mpulungu Military Zambia Military branches: Zambian National Defense Force (ZNDF): Army, Air Force, Police, National Service Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,219,739 females age 18-49: 2,159,688 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,043,702 females age 18-49: 953,328 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $121.7 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Zambia Disputes - international: in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 88,842 (Angola) 66,248 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 5,791 (Rwanda) (2005) Illicit drugs: transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for Southern Africa and possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it an unattractive venue for money launderers This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @Zimbabwe Introduction Zimbabwe Background: The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. Opposition and labor strikes in 2003 were unsuccessful in pressuring MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their brutal repression of regime opponents. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition, according to UN estimates. Geography Zimbabwe Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 390,580 sq km land: 386,670 sq km water: 3,910 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Montana Land boundaries: total: 3,066 km border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals Land use: arable land: 8.24% permanent crops: 0.33% other: 91.43% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,740 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water People Zimbabwe Population: 12,236,805 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.4% (male 2,307,170/female 2,265,298) 15-64 years: 59.1% (male 3,616,528/female 3,621,190) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 199,468/female 227,151) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 19.9 years male: 19.7 years female: 20 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: 0.62% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 28.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 21.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 51.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 39.29 years male: 40.39 years female: 38.16 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.13 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 24.6% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.8 million (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 170,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Nationality: noun: Zimbabwean(s) adjective: Zimbabwean Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1% Religions: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1% Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write English total population: 90.7% male: 94.2% female: 87.2% (2003 est.) Government Zimbabwe Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe conventional short form: Zimbabwe former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia Government type: parliamentary democracy Capital: name: Harare geographic coordinates: 17 50 S, 31 03 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Administrative divisions: 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands Independence: 18 April 1980 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 18 April (1980) Constitution: 21 December 1979 Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote for a six-year term (no term limits); election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held March 2008); co-vice presidents appointed by the president election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and eight occupied by provincial governors appointed by the president) and a Senate (66 seats - 50 elected by popular vote for a five-year term, six nominated by the president, 10 nominated by the Council of Chiefs) elections: House of Assembly last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held in 2010), Senate last held 26 November 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 59.6%, MDC 39.5%, other 0.9%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 78, MDC 41, independents 1; Senate - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 73.7%, MDC 20.3%, other 4.4%, independents 1.6%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 43, MDC 7 Judicial branch: Supreme Court; High Court Political parties and leaders: African National Party or ANP; Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party [Daniel SHUMBA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA]; Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA Political pressure groups and leaders: Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Wellington CHIBEBE]; National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Lovemore MATOMBO] International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. MAPURANGA chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100 FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326 Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher W. DELL embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594 FAX: [263] (4) 796-488 Flag description: seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace; green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red - blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people Economy Zimbabwe Economy - overview: The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued exchange rate, soaring inflation, and bare shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans, which it began repaying in 2005. The official annual inflation rate rose from 32% in 1998, to 133% at the end of 2004, and 585% at the end of 2005, although private sector estimates put the figure much higher. Meanwhile, the official exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar in 1998 to 96,000 in mid-January 2006. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs, turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products. GDP (purchasing power parity): $25.69 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $3.207 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: -7.7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,100 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17.9% industry: 24.3% services: 57.9% (2005 est.) Labor force: 3.94 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 66% industry: 10% services: 24% (1996) Unemployment rate: 80% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 80% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 40.4% (1995) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 56.8 (2003) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 266.8% official data; private sector estimates are much higher (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 7.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.409 billion expenditures: $1.905 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Public debt: 109.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs Industries: mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages Industrial production growth rate: 3.6% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 8.877 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 47% hydro: 53% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) Electricity - consumption: 11.22 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 3.3 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - consumption: 22,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day Oil - imports: 23,000 bbl/day Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2003 est.) Current account balance: $-519 million (2005 est.) Exports: $1.644 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing Exports - partners: South Africa 32.8%, China 7.4%, Japan 6.3%, Zambia 5.2%, Netherlands 5%, US 4.6%, Italy 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2005) Imports: $2.059 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels Imports - partners: South Africa 42.9%, China 4.6%, Botswana 3.3% (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $160 million (2005 est.) Debt - external: $5.216 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $178 million; note - the EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds (2000 est.) Currency (code): Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD) Currency code: ZWD Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 4,303.28 (2005), 5,068.66 (2004), 697.424 (2003), 55.036 (2002), 55.052 (2001) note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Zimbabwe Telephones - main lines in use: 328,000 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 699,000 (2005) Telephone system: general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru) Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 1.14 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 16 (1997) Televisions: 370,000 (1997) Internet country code: .zw Internet hosts: 7,954 (2006) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000) Internet users: 1 million (2005) Transportation Zimbabwe Airports: 403 (2006) Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 8 (2006) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 386 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 187 under 914 m: 194 (2006) Pipelines: refined products 261 km (2006) Railways: total: 3,077 km narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2005) Roadways: total: 97,440 km paved: 18,514 km unpaved: 78,926 km (2002) Waterways: on Lake Kariba, length small (2005) Ports and terminals: Binga, Kariba Military Zimbabwe Military branches: Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2005) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 2,778,404 females age 18-49: 2,681,531 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,304,424 females age 18-49: 1,115,096 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $124.7 million (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Zimbabwe Disputes - international: Botswana has built electric fences and South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river Refugees and internally displaced persons: IDPs: 400,000-450,000 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2005) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; children may be trafficked internally for forced agricultural labor, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation; women and girls are lured out of the country to South Africa, China, Egypt, and Zambia with false job or scholarship promises that result in domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation; there are reports of South African employers demanding sex from undocumented Zimbabwean workers under threat of deportation; women and children from Malawi, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo transit Zimbabwe en route to South Africa; small numbers of South African girls are trafficked to Zimbabwe for domestic labor tier rating: Tier 3 - Zimbabwe does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Illicit drugs: transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2001 GDP (purchasing power parity) Afghanistan $21.5 billion (2004 est.) Albania $18.87 billion note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50% of official GDP (2005 est.) Algeria $235.5 billion (2005 est.) American Samoa $510.1 million (2003 est.) Andorra $1.84 billion (2004) Angola $45.32 billion (2005 est.) Anguilla $108.9 million (2004 est.) Antigua and Barbuda $750 million (2002 est.) Argentina $543.4 billion (2005 est.) Armenia $14.45 billion (2005 est.) Aruba $2.258 billion (2005 est.) Australia $635.5 billion (2005 est.) Austria $265.8 billion (2005 est.) Azerbaijan $42.99 billion (2005 est.) Bahamas, The $6.105 billion (2005 est.) Bahrain $15.9 billion (2005 est.) Bangladesh $305.9 billion (2005 est.) Barbados $4.815 billion (2005 est.) Belarus $73.09 billion (2005 est.) Belgium $322.3 billion (2005 est.) Belize $1.778 billion (2004 est.) Benin $8.419 billion (2005 est.) Bermuda $4.5 billion (2004 est.) Bhutan $2.9 billion (2003 est.) Bolivia $25.82 billion (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $23.09 billion note: Bosnia has a large informal sector that could also be as much as 50% of official GDP (2005 est.) Botswana $17.53 billion (2005 est.) Brazil $1.536 trillion (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands $853.4 million (2004 est.) Brunei $6.842 billion (2003 est.) Bulgaria $71.67 billion (2005 est.) Burkina Faso $16.66 billion (2005 est.) Burma $80.11 billion (2005 est.) Burundi $5.404 billion (2005 est.) Cambodia $34.08 billion (2005 est.) Cameroon $39.75 billion (2005 est.) Canada $1.111 trillion (2005 est.) Cape Verde $2.99 billion (2005 est.) Cayman Islands $1.939 billion (2004 est.) Central African Republic $4.677 billion (2005 est.) Chad $13.98 billion (2005 est.) Chile $189.9 billion (2005 est.) China $8.883 trillion (2005 est.) Christmas Island $NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands $NA Colombia $341.1 billion (2005 est.) Comoros $441 million (2002 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the $40.67 billion (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the $4.585 billion (2005 est.) Cook Islands $183.2 million (2005 est.) Costa Rica $45.67 billion (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $27.58 billion (2005 est.) Croatia $55.79 billion (2005 est.) Cuba $40.06 billion (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: $16.81 billion; north Cyprus: $4.54 billion (2005 est.) Czech Republic $204.4 billion (2005 est.) Denmark $189.3 billion (2005 est.) Djibouti $619 million (2002 est.) Dominica $384 million (2003 est.) Dominican Republic $67.44 billion (2005 est.) East Timor $370 million (2004 est.) Ecuador $57.23 billion (2005 est.) Egypt $304.3 billion (2005 est.) El Salvador $31.3 billion (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $25.69 billion (2005 est.) Eritrea $4.471 billion (2005 est.) Estonia $23.34 billion (2005 est.) Ethiopia $64.73 billion (2005 est.) European Union $12.18 trillion (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $75 million (2002 est.) Faroe Islands $1 billion (2001 est.) Fiji $5.255 billion (2005 est.) Finland $161.9 billion (2005 est.) France $1.794 trillion (2005 est.) French Guiana $1.551 billion (2003 est.) French Polynesia $4.58 billion (2003 est.) Gabon $9.739 billion (2005 est.) Gambia, The $3.034 billion (2005 est.) Gaza Strip $768 million (2003 est.) Georgia $16.03 billion (2005 est.) Germany $2.48 trillion (2005 est.) Ghana $54.86 billion (2005 est.) Gibraltar $769 million (2000 est.) Greece $238.2 billion (2005 est.) Greenland $1.1 billion (2001 est.) Grenada $440 million (2002 est.) Guadeloupe $3.513 billion (2003 est.) Guam $2.5 billion (2005 est.) Guatemala $56.86 billion (2005 est.) Guernsey $2.59 billion (2003 est.) Guinea $18.65 billion (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau $1.171 billion (2005 est.) Guyana $3.439 billion (2005 est.) Haiti $13.97 billion (2005 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) $NA Honduras $20.61 billion (2005 est.) Hong Kong $234.3 billion (2005 est.) Hungary $163.1 billion (2005 est.) Iceland $10.59 billion (2005 est.) India $3.666 trillion (2005 est.) Indonesia $869.7 billion (2005 est.) Iran $569.9 billion (2005 est.) Iraq $94.1 billion (2005 est.) Ireland $165.1 billion (2005 est.) Isle of Man $2.113 billion (2003 est.) Israel $156.9 billion (2005 est.) Italy $1.667 trillion (2005 est.) Jamaica $12.18 billion (2005 est.) Japan $4.025 trillion (2005 est.) Jersey $3.6 billion (2003 est.) Jordan $26.85 billion (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $125.3 billion (2005 est.) Kenya $37.89 billion (2005 est.) Kiribati $142.9 million note: supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources (2004 est.) Korea, North $40 billion note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income Accounts data; the datum shown here is derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus Maddison in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was extrapolated to 2005 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the result was rounded to the nearest $10 billion (2005 est.) Korea, South $1.101 trillion (2005 est.) Kuwait $47.36 billion (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $10.08 billion (2005 est.) Laos $12.29 billion (2005 est.) Latvia $31.46 billion (2005 est.) Lebanon $22.78 billion (2005 est.) Lesotho $5.008 billion (2005 est.) Liberia $2.643 billion (2005 est.) Libya $68 billion (2005 est.) Liechtenstein $1.786 billion (2001 est.) Lithuania $49.41 billion (2005 est.) Luxembourg $30.9 billion (2005 est.) Macau $10 billion (2004) Macedonia $15.94 billion note: Macedonia has a large informal sector (2005 est.) Madagascar $16.05 billion (2005 est.) Malawi $7.364 billion (2005 est.) Malaysia $287 billion (2005 est.) Maldives $1.25 billion (2002 est.) Mali $13.61 billion (2005 est.) Malta $7.861 billion (2005 est.) Marshall Islands $115 million (2001 est.) Martinique $6.117 billion (2003 est.) Mauritania $6.901 billion (2005 est.) Mauritius $15.73 billion (2005 est.) Mayotte $466.8 million (2003 est.) Mexico $1.064 trillion (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of $277 million; note - supplemented by grant aid, averaging perhaps $100 million annually (2002 est.) Moldova $8.41 billion (2005 est.) Monaco $870 million note: Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates are extremely rough (2000 est.) Mongolia $5.272 billion (2005 est.) Montenegro $2.412 billion (2005 est.) Montserrat $29 million (2002 est.) Morocco $135.1 billion (2005 est.) Mozambique $26.18 billion (2005 est.) Namibia $14.16 billion (2005 est.) Nauru $60 million (2005 est.) Nepal $39.14 billion (2005 est.) Netherlands $497.9 billion (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles $2.8 billion (2004 est.) New Caledonia $3.158 billion (2003 est.) New Zealand $102 billion (2005 est.) Nicaragua $16.1 billion (2005 est.) Niger $11.59 billion (2005 est.) Nigeria $175.5 billion (2005 est.) Niue $7.6 million (2000 est.) Norfolk Island $NA Northern Mariana Islands $900 million note: GDP estimate includes US subsidy (2000 est.) Norway $196.4 billion (2005 est.) Oman $40.39 billion (2005 est.) Pakistan $395.2 billion (2005 est.) Palau $124.5 million; note - includes US subsidy (2004 est.) Panama $23.33 billion (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $14.37 billion (2005 est.) Paraguay $29.11 billion (2005 est.) Peru $167.3 billion (2005 est.) Philippines $412.5 billion (2005 est.) Pitcairn Islands $NA Poland $505.2 billion (2005 est.) Portugal $200.6 billion (2005 est.) Puerto Rico $73.27 billion (2005 est.) Qatar $24.46 billion (2005 est.) Reunion $4.79 billion (2005 est.) Romania $181.8 billion (2005 est.) Russia $1.584 trillion (2005 est.) Rwanda $12.54 billion (2005 est.) Saint Helena $18 million (1998 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis $339 million (2002 est.) Saint Lucia $866 million (2002 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon $48.3 million note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million (2003 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $342 million (2002 est.) Samoa $1 billion (2002 est.) San Marino $940 million (2001 est.) Sao Tome and Principe $214 million (2003 est.) Saudi Arabia $346.3 billion (2005 est.) Senegal $20.57 billion (2005 est.) Serbia $41.15 billion for Serbia (including Kosovo) (2005 est.) Seychelles $626 million (2002 est.) Sierra Leone $4.939 billion (2005 est.) Singapore $126.5 billion (2005 est.) Slovakia $88.78 billion (2005 est.) Slovenia $43.27 billion (2005 est.) Solomon Islands $800 million (2002 est.) Somalia $4.809 billion (2005 est.) South Africa $540.8 billion (2005 est.) Spain $1.033 trillion (2005 est.) Sri Lanka $86.07 billion (2005 est.) Sudan $85.89 billion (2005 est.) Suriname $2.893 billion (2005 est.) Svalbard $NA Swaziland $5.68 billion (2005 est.) Sweden $268.3 billion (2005 est.) Switzerland $240.9 billion (2005 est.) Syria $71.42 billion (2005 est.) Taiwan $630 billion (2005 est.) Tajikistan $8.617 billion (2005 est.) Tanzania $27.11 billion (2005 est.) Thailand $550.2 billion (2005 est.) Togo $8.802 billion (2005 est.) Tokelau $1.5 million (1993 est.) Tonga $178.5 million (2004 est.) Trinidad and Tobago $18.11 billion (2005 est.) Tunisia $82.85 billion (2005 est.) Turkey $584.5 billion (2005 est.) Turkmenistan $39.14 billion (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands $216 million (2002 est.) Tuvalu $14.94 million (2002 est.) Uganda $47.76 billion (2005 est.) Ukraine $329.1 billion (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates $115.8 billion (2005 est.) United Kingdom $1.818 trillion (2005 est.) United States $12.31 trillion (2005 est.) Uruguay $33.98 billion (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $50.31 billion (2005 est.) Vanuatu $276.3 million (2003 est.) Venezuela $162.1 billion (2005 est.) Vietnam $235.2 billion (2005 est.) Virgin Islands $1.577 billion (2004 est.) Wallis and Futuna $60 million (2004 est.) West Bank $1.8 billion (2003 est.) Western Sahara $NA World GWP (gross world product): $60.63 trillion (2005 est.) Yemen $19.36 billion (2005 est.) Zambia $10.63 billion (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $25.69 billion (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2002 Population growth rate (%) Afghanistan 2.67% (2006 est.) Albania 0.52% (2006 est.) Algeria 1.22% (2006 est.) American Samoa -0.19% (2006 est.) Andorra 0.89% (2006 est.) Angola 2.45% (2006 est.) Anguilla 1.57% (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 0.55% (2006 est.) Argentina 0.96% (2006 est.) Armenia -0.19% (2006 est.) Aruba 0.44% (2006 est.) Australia 0.85% (2006 est.) Austria 0.09% (2006 est.) Azerbaijan 0.66% (2006 est.) Bahamas, The 0.64% (2006 est.) Bahrain 1.45% (2006 est.) Bangladesh 2.09% (2006 est.) Barbados 0.37% (2006 est.) Belarus -0.06% (2006 est.) Belgium 0.13% (2006 est.) Belize 2.31% (2006 est.) Benin 2.73% (2006 est.) Bermuda 0.61% (2006 est.) Bhutan 2.1% (2006 est.) Bolivia 1.45% (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.35% (2006 est.) Botswana -0.04% (2006 est.) Brazil 1.04% (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands 1.97% (2006 est.) Brunei 1.87% (2006 est.) Bulgaria -0.86% (2006 est.) Burkina Faso 3% (2006 est.) Burma 0.81% (2006 est.) Burundi 3.7% (2006 est.) Cambodia 1.78% (2006 est.) Cameroon 2.04% (2006 est.) Canada 0.88% (2006 est.) Cape Verde 0.64% (2006 est.) Cayman Islands 2.56% (2006 est.) Central African Republic 1.53% (2006 est.) Chad 2.93% (2006 est.) Chile 0.94% (2006 est.) China 0.59% (2006 est.) Christmas Island 0% (2006 est.) Cocos (Keeling) Islands 0% (2006 est.) Colombia 1.46% (2006 est.) Comoros 2.87% (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3.07% (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the 2.6% (2006 est.) Cook Islands -1.2% between 1996-2001 (2001 census) Costa Rica 1.45% (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 2.03% (2006 est.) Croatia -0.03% (2006 est.) Cuba 0.31% (2006 est.) Cyprus 0.53% (2006 est.) Czech Republic -0.06% (2006 est.) Denmark 0.33% (2006 est.) Djibouti 2.02% (2006 est.) Dominica -0.08% (2006 est.) Dominican Republic 1.47% (2006 est.) East Timor 2.08% (2006 est.) Ecuador 1.5% (2006 est.) Egypt 1.75% (2006 est.) El Salvador 1.72% (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea 2.05% (2006 est.) Eritrea 2.47% (2006 est.) Estonia -0.64% (2006 est.) Ethiopia 2.31% (2006 est.) European Union 0.15% (2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 2.44% (2006 est.) Faroe Islands 0.58% (2006 est.) Fiji 1.4% (2006 est.) Finland 0.14% (2006 est.) France 0.35% (2006 est.) French Guiana 1.96% (2006 est.) French Polynesia 1.48% (2006 est.) Gabon 2.13% (2006 est.) Gambia, The 2.84% (2006 est.) Gaza Strip 3.71% (2006 est.) Georgia -0.34% (2006 est.) Germany -0.02% (2006 est.) Ghana 2.07% (2006 est.) Gibraltar 0.14% (2006 est.) Greece 0.18% (2006 est.) Greenland -0.03% (2006 est.) Grenada 0.26% (2006 est.) Guadeloupe 0.88% (2006 est.) Guam 1.43% (2006 est.) Guatemala 2.27% (2006 est.) Guernsey 0.26% (2006 est.) Guinea 2.63% (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau 2.07% (2006 est.) Guyana 0.25% (2006 est.) Haiti 2.3% (2006 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) 0.01% (2006 est.) Honduras 2.16% (2006 est.) Hong Kong 0.59% (2006 est.) Hungary -0.25% (2006 est.) Iceland 0.87% (2006 est.) India 1.38% (2006 est.) Indonesia 1.41% (2006 est.) Iran 1.1% (2006 est.) Iraq 2.66% (2006 est.) Ireland 1.15% (2006 est.) Isle of Man 0.52% (2006 est.) Israel 1.18% (2006 est.) Italy 0.04% (2006 est.) Jamaica 0.8% (2006 est.) Japan 0.02% (2006 est.) Jersey 0.28% (2006 est.) Jordan 2.49% (2006 est.) Kazakhstan 0.33% (2006 est.) Kenya 2.57% (2006 est.) Kiribati 2.24% (2006 est.) Korea, North 0.84% (2006 est.) Korea, South 0.42% (2006 est.) Kuwait 3.52% note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan 1.32% (2006 est.) Laos 2.39% (2006 est.) Latvia -0.67% (2006 est.) Lebanon 1.23% (2006 est.) Lesotho -0.46% (2006 est.) Liberia 4.91% (2006 est.) Libya 2.3% (2006 est.) Liechtenstein 0.78% (2006 est.) Lithuania -0.3% (2006 est.) Luxembourg 1.23% (2006 est.) Macau 0.86% (2006 est.) Macedonia 0.26% (2006 est.) Madagascar 3.03% (2006 est.) Malawi 2.38% (2006 est.) Malaysia 1.78% (2006 est.) Maldives 2.78% (2006 est.) Mali 2.63% (2006 est.) Malta 0.42% (2006 est.) Marshall Islands 2.25% (2006 est.) Martinique 0.72% (2006 est.) Mauritania 2.88% (2006 est.) Mauritius 0.82% (2006 est.) Mayotte 3.77% (2006 est.) Mexico 1.16% (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of -0.11% (2006 est.) Moldova 0.28% (2006 est.) Monaco 0.4% (2006 est.) Mongolia 1.46% (2006 est.) Montenegro 3.5% (2004) Montserrat 1.05% (2006 est.) Morocco 1.55% (2006 est.) Mozambique 1.38% (2006 est.) Namibia 0.59% (2006 est.) Nauru 1.81% (2006 est.) Nepal 2.17% (2006 est.) Netherlands 0.49% (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles 0.79% (2006 est.) New Caledonia 1.24% (2006 est.) New Zealand 0.99% (2006 est.) Nicaragua 1.89% (2006 est.) Niger 2.92% (2006 est.) Nigeria 2.38% (2006 est.) Niue 0.01% (2006 est.) Norfolk Island -0.01% (2006 est.) Northern Mariana Islands 2.54% (2006 est.) Norway 0.38% (2006 est.) Oman 3.28% (2006 est.) Pakistan 2.09% (2006 est.) Palau 1.31% (2006 est.) Panama 1.6% (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea 2.21% (2006 est.) Paraguay 2.45% (2006 est.) Peru 1.32% (2006 est.) Philippines 1.8% (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands -0.01% (2006 est.) Poland -0.05% (2006 est.) Portugal 0.36% (2006 est.) Puerto Rico 0.4% (2006 est.) Qatar 2.5% (2006 est.) Reunion 1.34% (2006 est.) Romania -0.12% (2006 est.) Russia -0.37% (2006 est.) Rwanda 2.43% (2006 est.) Saint Helena 0.56% (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.5% (2006 est.) Saint Lucia 1.29% (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.17% (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.26% (2006 est.) Samoa -0.2% (2006 est.) San Marino 1.26% (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 3.15% (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia 2.18% (2006 est.) Senegal 2.34% (2006 est.) Seychelles 0.43% (2006 est.) Sierra Leone 2.3% (2006 est.) Singapore 1.42% (2006 est.) Slovakia 0.15% (2006 est.) Slovenia -0.05% (2006 est.) Solomon Islands 2.61% (2006 est.) Somalia 2.85% (2006 est.) South Africa -0.4% (2006 est.) Spain 0.13% (2006 est.) Sri Lanka 0.78% (2006 est.) Sudan 2.55% (2006 est.) Suriname 0.2% (2006 est.) Svalbard -0.02% (2006 est.) Swaziland -0.23% (2006 est.) Sweden 0.16% (2006 est.) Switzerland 0.43% (2006 est.) Syria 2.3% (2006 est.) Taiwan 0.61% (2006 est.) Tajikistan 2.19% (2006 est.) Tanzania 1.83% (2006 est.) Thailand 0.68% (2006 est.) Togo 2.72% (2006 est.) Tokelau -0.01% (2006 est.) Tonga 2.01% (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago -0.87% (2006 est.) Tunisia 0.99% (2006 est.) Turkey 1.06% (2006 est.) Turkmenistan 1.83% (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 2.82% (2006 est.) Tuvalu 1.51% (2006 est.) Uganda 3.37% (2006 est.) Ukraine -0.6% (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates 1.52% (2006 est.) United Kingdom 0.28% (2006 est.) United States 0.91% (2006 est.) Uruguay 0.46% (2006 est.) Uzbekistan 1.7% (2006 est.) Vanuatu 1.49% (2006 est.) Venezuela 1.38% (2006 est.) Vietnam 1.02% (2006 est.) Virgin Islands -0.12% (2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna NA West Bank 3.06% (2006 est.) Western Sahara NA World 1.14% (2006 est.) Yemen 3.46% (2006 est.) Zambia 2.11% (2006 est.) Zimbabwe 0.62% (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2003 GDP - real growth rate (%) Afghanistan 14% (2005 est.) Albania 5.5% (2005 est.) Algeria 5.5% (2005 est.) American Samoa 3% NA% Andorra 4% (2004 est.) Angola 19.9% (2005 est.) Anguilla 10.2% (2004 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 3.8% (2005 est.) Argentina 9.2% (2005 est.) Armenia 13.9% (2005 est.) Aruba 2.4% (2005 est.) Australia 2.7% (2005 est.) Austria 1.8% (2005 est.) Azerbaijan 26.4% (2005 est.) Bahamas, The 3.7% (2005 est.) Bahrain 5.9% (2005 est.) Bangladesh 6.4% (2005 est.) Barbados 4.1% (2005 est.) Belarus 9.2% (2005 est.) Belgium 1.5% (2005 est.) Belize 3.8% (2005 est.) Benin 3.5% (2005 est.) Bermuda 4.6% (2004 est.) Bhutan 5.9% (2005 est.) Bolivia 4.1% (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 5% (2005 est.) Botswana 5.5% (2005 est.) Brazil 2.3% (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands 1% (2002 est.) Brunei 1.7% (2004 est.) Bulgaria 5.5% (2005 est.) Burkina Faso 3.5% (2005 est.) Burma 5.2% (2005 est.) Burundi 1.1% (2005 est.) Cambodia 13.4% (2005 est.) Cameroon 2.4% (2005 est.) Canada 2.9% (2005 est.) Cape Verde 5.5% (2005 est.) Cayman Islands 0.9% (2004 est.) Central African Republic 2.2% (2005 est.) Chad 6% (2005 est.) Chile 6.3% (2005 est.) China 10.2% (official data) (2005 est.) Colombia 5.2% (2005 est.) Comoros 3% (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 7.1% (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the 8.2% (2005 est.) Cook Islands 0.1% (2005 est.) Costa Rica 5.9% (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 1% (2005 est.) Croatia 4.3% (2005 est.) Cuba 8% (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 3.8%; north Cyprus: 10.6% (2005 est.) Czech Republic 6.1% (2005 est.) Denmark 3.2% (2005 est.) Djibouti 3.2% (2005 est.) Dominica 3.1% (2005 est.) Dominican Republic 9.3% (2005 est.) East Timor 1.8% (2005 est.) Ecuador 4.7% (2005 est.) Egypt 4.9% (2005 est.) El Salvador 2.8% (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea 18.6% (2005 est.) Eritrea 2% (2005 est.) Estonia 10.5% (2005 est.) Ethiopia 8.9% (2005 est.) European Union 1.7% (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA% Faroe Islands 10% (2001 est.) Fiji 1.7% (2005 est.) Finland 3% (2005 est.) France 1.2% (2005 est.) French Guiana NA% French Polynesia NA% (2001 est.) Gabon 2.9% (2005 est.) Gambia, The 5.5% (2005 est.) Gaza Strip 4.5% (2003 est.) Georgia 9.3% (2005 est.) Germany 0.9% (2005 est.) Ghana 5.9% (2005 est.) Gibraltar NA% Greece 3.7% (2005 est.) Greenland 1.8% (2001 est.) Grenada 0.9% (2005 est.) Guadeloupe NA% Guam NA% Guatemala 3.2% (2005 est.) Guernsey 3% (2003 est.) Guinea 2% (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau 2.3% (2005 est.) Guyana -3% (2005 est.) Haiti 1.8% (2005 est.) Honduras 4.2% (2005 est.) Hong Kong 7.3% (2005 est.) Hungary 4.1% (2005 est.) Iceland 5.6% (2005 est.) India 8.4% (2005 est.) Indonesia 5.6% (2005 est.) Iran 6.9% (2005 est.) Iraq -3% (2005 est.) Ireland 5.5% (2005 est.) Isle of Man 6.3% NA% Israel 5.2% (2005 est.) Italy 0.1% (2005 est.) Jamaica 1.8% (2005 est.) Japan 2.6% (2005 est.) Jersey NA% Jordan 5.8% (2005 est.) Kazakhstan 9.5% (2005 est.) Kenya 5.8% (2005 est.) Kiribati 0.3% (2005) Korea, North 1% (2005 est.) Korea, South 4% (2005 est.) Kuwait 8.3% (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan -0.6% (2005 est.) Laos 7.3% (2005 est.) Latvia 10.2% (2005 est.) Lebanon 0.1% (2005 est.) Lesotho 1.2% (2005 est.) Liberia 9.8% (2005 est.) Libya 8.4% (2005 est.) Liechtenstein 11% (1999 est.) Lithuania 7.5% (2005 est.) Luxembourg 4% (2005 est.) Macau 2.8% (3rd Quarter 2005) Macedonia 4% (2005 est.) Madagascar 5.1% (2005 est.) Malawi 1.9% (2005 est.) Malaysia 5.2% (2005 est.) Maldives -3.6% (2005 est.) Mali 6.1% (2005 est.) Malta 1% (2005 est.) Marshall Islands 3.5% (2005 est.) Martinique NA% Mauritania 5.5% (2005 est.) Mauritius 2.5% (2005 est.) Mayotte NA% Mexico 3% (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 0.3% (2005 est.) Moldova 7.1% (2005 est.) Monaco 0.9% (2000 est.) Mongolia 6.2% according to official estimate (2005 est.) Montenegro NA Montserrat -1% (2002 est.) Morocco 1.7% (2005 est.) Mozambique 7.5% (2005 est.) Namibia 3.2% (2005 est.) Nauru NA% Nepal 2.7% (2005 est.) Netherlands 1.5% (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles 1% (2004 est.) New Caledonia NA% New Zealand 2.3% (2005 est.) Nicaragua 4% (2005 est.) Niger 7% (2005 est.) Nigeria 6.9% (2005 est.) Niue 6.2% Northern Mariana Islands NA% Norway 4% (2005 est.) Oman 5.6% (2005 est.) Pakistan 6.6% (2005 est.) Palau 5.5% (2005 est.) Panama 6.4% (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea 3% (2005 est.) Paraguay 2.7% (2005 est.) Peru 6.4% (2005 est.) Philippines 4.8% (2005 est.) Poland 3.4% (2005 est.) Portugal 0.4% (2005 est.) Puerto Rico 2.5% (2005 est.) Qatar 8.8% (2005 est.) Reunion 2.5% (2005 est.) Romania 4.1% (2005 est.) Russia 6.4% (2005 est.) Rwanda 5.2% (2005 est.) Saint Helena NA% Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.9% (2005 est.) Saint Lucia 5.1% (2005 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA% Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.9% (2005 est.) Samoa 5.5% (2005 est.) San Marino 2.3% (2002 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 6% (2004 est.) Saudi Arabia 6.5% (2005 est.) Senegal 6.1% (2005 est.) Serbia 5.9% for Serbia alone (excluding Kosovo) (2005 est.) Seychelles -3% (2005 est.) Sierra Leone 7.5% (2005 est.) Singapore 6.4% (2005 est.) Slovakia 6% (2005 est.) Slovenia 4% (2005 est.) Solomon Islands 4.4% (2005 est.) Somalia 2.4% (2005 est.) South Africa 4.9% (2005 est.) Spain 3.5% (2005 est.) Sri Lanka 6% (2005 est.) Sudan 8% (2005 est.) Suriname 5% (2005 est.) Svalbard NA% Swaziland 1.8% (2005 est.) Sweden 2.7% (2005 est.) Switzerland 1.9% (2005 est.) Syria 2.8% (2005 est.) Taiwan 4% (2005 est.) Tajikistan 6.7% (2005 est.) Tanzania 6.8% (2005 est.) Thailand 4.5% (2005 est.) Togo 1% (2005 est.) Tokelau NA% Tonga 2.4% (2005 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 7% (2005 est.) Tunisia 4.2% (2005 est.) Turkey 7.4% (2005 est.) Turkmenistan IMF estimate: 6% note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are widely regarded as unreliable (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 4.9% (2000 est.) Tuvalu 1.2% (2002 est.) Uganda 4% (2005 est.) Ukraine 2.6% (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates 8.8% (2005 est.) United Kingdom 1.9% (2005 est.) United States 3.2% (2005 est.) Uruguay 6.8% (2005 est.) Uzbekistan 7% (2005 est.) Vanuatu 6.8% (2005 est.) Venezuela 9.3% (2005 est.) Vietnam 8.5% (2005 est.) Virgin Islands 2% (2002 est.) Wallis and Futuna NA% West Bank 6.2% (2004 est.) Western Sahara NA% World 4.7% (2005 est.) Yemen 2.8% (2005 est.) Zambia 5% (2005 est.) Zimbabwe -7.7% (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2004 GDP - per capita (PPP) Afghanistan $800 (2004 est.) Albania $5,300 (2005 est.) Algeria $7,200 (2005 est.) American Samoa $5,800 (2005 est.) Andorra $24,000 (2004) Angola $3,800 (2005 est.) Anguilla $8,800 (2004 est.) Antigua and Barbuda $10,900 (2005 est.) Argentina $13,700 (2005 est.) Armenia $4,800 (2005 est.) Aruba $21,800 (2004 est.) Australia $31,600 (2005 est.) Austria $32,500 (2005 est.) Azerbaijan $5,400 (2005 est.) Bahamas, The $20,200 (2005 est.) Bahrain $23,100 (2005 est.) Bangladesh $2,100 (2005 est.) Barbados $17,300 (2005 est.) Belarus $7,100 (2005 est.) Belgium $31,100 (2005 est.) Belize $6,800 (2005 est.) Benin $1,100 (2005 est.) Bermuda $69,900 (2004 est.) Bhutan $1,400 (2003 est.) Bolivia $2,900 (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $5,200 (2005 est.) Botswana $10,700 (2005 est.) Brazil $8,300 (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands $38,500 (2004 est.) Brunei $23,600 (2003 est.) Bulgaria $9,600 (2005 est.) Burkina Faso $1,200 (2005 est.) Burma $1,700 (2005 est.) Burundi $700 (2005 est.) Cambodia $2,500 (2005 est.) Cameroon $2,300 (2005 est.) Canada $33,900 (2005 est.) Cape Verde $6,200 (2005 est.) Cayman Islands $43,800 (2004 est.) Central African Republic $1,100 (2005 est.) Chad $1,400 (2005 est.) Chile $11,900 (2005 est.) China $6,800 (2005 est.) Colombia $7,900 (2005 est.) Comoros $600 (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the $700 (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the $1,300 (2005 est.) Cook Islands $9,100 (2005 est.) Costa Rica $11,400 (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $1,600 (2005 est.) Croatia $12,400 (2005 est.) Cuba $3,500 (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: $21,600 (2005 est.); north Cyprus: $7,135 (2004 est.) Czech Republic $20,000 (2005 est.) Denmark $34,800 (2005 est.) Djibouti $1,000 (2005 est.) Dominica $3,800 (2005 est.) Dominican Republic $7,500 (2005 est.) East Timor $800 (2005 est.) Ecuador $4,300 (2005 est.) Egypt $3,900 (2005 est.) El Salvador $4,700 (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $50,200 (2005 est.) Eritrea $1,000 (2005 est.) Estonia $17,500 (2005 est.) Ethiopia $900 (2005 est.) European Union $28,100 (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $25,000 (2002 est.) Faroe Islands $22,000 (2001 est.) Fiji $5,900 (2005 est.) Finland $31,000 (2005 est.) France $29,600 (2005 est.) French Guiana $8,300 (2003 est.) French Polynesia $17,500 (2003 est.) Gabon $7,000 (2005 est.) Gambia, The $1,900 (2005 est.) Gaza Strip $600 (2003 est.) Georgia $3,400 (2005 est.) Germany $30,100 (2005 est.) Ghana $2,500 (2005 est.) Gibraltar $27,900 (2000 est.) Greece $22,300 (2005 est.) Greenland $20,000 (2001 est.) Grenada $3,900 (2005 est.) Guadeloupe $7,900 (2003 est.) Guam $15,000 (2005 est.) Guatemala $4,700 (2005 est.) Guernsey $40,000 (2003 est.) Guinea $2,000 (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau $800 (2005 est.) Guyana $4,500 (2005 est.) Haiti $1,700 (2005 est.) Honduras $2,900 (2005 est.) Hong Kong $34,000 (2005 est.) Hungary $16,300 (2005 est.) Iceland $35,700 (2005 est.) India $3,400 (2005 est.) Indonesia $3,600 (2005 est.) Iran $8,400 (2005 est.) Iraq $1,800 (2005 est.) Ireland $41,100 (2005 est.) Isle of Man $27,800 (2003 est.) Israel $25,000 (2005 est.) Italy $28,700 (2005 est.) Jamaica $4,500 (2005 est.) Japan $31,600 (2005 est.) Jersey $40,000 (2003 est.) Jordan $4,700 (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $8,300 (2005 est.) Kenya $1,100 (2005 est.) Kiribati $1,900 (2004 est.) Korea, North $1,700 (2005 est.) Korea, South $22,600 (2005 est.) Kuwait $20,300 (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $2,000 (2005 est.) Laos $2,000 (2005 est.) Latvia $13,700 (2005 est.) Lebanon $6,000 (2005 est.) Lesotho $2,500 (2005 est.) Liberia $900 (2005 est.) Libya $11,800 (2005 est.) Liechtenstein $25,000 (1999 est.) Lithuania $14,100 (2005 est.) Luxembourg $65,900 (2005 est.) Macau $22,000 (2004) Macedonia $7,800 (2005 est.) Madagascar $900 (2005 est.) Malawi $600 (2005 est.) Malaysia $12,000 (2005 est.) Maldives $3,900 (2002 est.) Mali $1,200 (2005 est.) Malta $19,700 (2005 est.) Marshall Islands $2,900 (2005 est.) Martinique $14,400 (2003 est.) Mauritania $2,200 (2005 est.) Mauritius $12,800 (2005 est.) Mayotte $2,600 (2003 est.) Mexico $10,000 (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of $2,300 (2005 est.) Moldova $1,900 (2005 est.) Monaco $27,000 (2000 est.) Mongolia $1,900 (2005 est.) Montenegro $3,800 (2005 est.) Montserrat $3,400 (2002 est.) Morocco $4,100 (2005 est.) Mozambique $1,300 (2005 est.) Namibia $7,000 (2005 est.) Nauru $5,000 (2005 est.) Nepal $1,400 (2005 est.) Netherlands $30,300 (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles $16,000 (2004 est.) New Caledonia $15,000 (2003 est.) New Zealand $25,300 (2005 est.) Nicaragua $2,900 (2005 est.) Niger $1,000 (2005 est.) Nigeria $1,400 (2005 est.) Niue $5,800 (2003 est.) Northern Mariana Islands $12,500 (2000 est.) Norway $42,800 (2005 est.) Oman $13,500 (2005 est.) Pakistan $2,400 (2005 est.) Palau $7,600 (2005 est.) Panama $7,400 (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $2,600 (2005 est.) Paraguay $4,600 (2005 est.) Peru $6,000 (2005 est.) Philippines $4,700 (2005 est.) Poland $13,100 (2005 est.) Portugal $19,000 (2005 est.) Puerto Rico $18,700 (2005 est.) Qatar $28,300 (2005 est.) Reunion $6,200 (2005 est.) Romania $8,100 (2005 est.) Russia $11,000 (2005 est.) Rwanda $1,500 (2005 est.) Saint Helena $2,500 (1998 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis $8,200 (2005 est.) Saint Lucia $4,800 (2005 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon $7,000 (2001 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $3,600 (2005 est.) Samoa $2,100 (2005 est.) San Marino $34,600 (2001 est.) Sao Tome and Principe $1,200 (2003 est.) Saudi Arabia $13,100 (2005 est.) Senegal $1,800 (2005 est.) Serbia $4,400 for Serbia (including Kosovo) (2005 est.) Seychelles $7,800 (2002 est.) Sierra Leone $800 (2005 est.) Singapore $28,600 (2005 est.) Slovakia $16,300 (2005 est.) Slovenia $21,500 (2005 est.) Solomon Islands $600 (2005 est.) Somalia $600 (2005 est.) South Africa $12,200 (2005 est.) Spain $25,600 (2005 est.) Sri Lanka $4,300 (2005 est.) Sudan $2,100 (2005 est.) Suriname $6,600 (2005 est.) Swaziland $5,000 (2005 est.) Sweden $29,800 (2005 est.) Switzerland $32,200 (2005 est.) Syria $3,900 (2005 est.) Taiwan $27,500 (2005 est.) Tajikistan $1,200 (2005 est.) Tanzania $700 (2005 est.) Thailand $8,600 (2005 est.) Togo $1,600 (2005 est.) Tokelau $1,000 (1993 est.) Tonga $2,200 (2005 est.) Trinidad and Tobago $16,800 (2005 est.) Tunisia $8,200 (2005 est.) Turkey $8,400 (2005 est.) Turkmenistan $7,900 (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands $11,500 (2002 est.) Tuvalu $1,600 (2002 est.) Uganda $1,800 (2005 est.) Ukraine $7,000 (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates $45,200 (2005 est.) United Kingdom $30,100 (2005 est.) United States $41,600 (2005 est.) Uruguay $9,900 (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $1,900 (2005 est.) Vanuatu $2,900 (2003 est.) Venezuela $6,400 (2005 est.) Vietnam $2,800 (2005 est.) Virgin Islands $14,500 (2004 est.) Wallis and Futuna $3,800 (2004 est.) West Bank $1,100 (2003 est.) Western Sahara $NA World $9,500 (2005 est.) Yemen $900 (2005 est.) Zambia $900 (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $2,100 (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2006 Dependency status Akrotiri overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus American Samoa unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior Anguilla overseas territory of the UK Aruba member country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs Ashmore and Cartier Islands territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services Baker Island unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system Bassas da India possession of France; administered by the Administrateur Superieur of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands Bermuda overseas territory of the UK Bouvet Island territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo British Indian Ocean Territory overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London British Virgin Islands overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing Cayman Islands overseas territory of the UK Christmas Island non-self governing territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services Clipperton Island possession of France; administered by France from French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic Cocos (Keeling) Islands non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services Cook Islands self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands Coral Sea Islands territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories Dhekelia overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus Europa Island possession of France; administered by the Administrateur Superieur of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina Faroe Islands part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948 French Guiana overseas department of France French Polynesia overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France from 1946-2004 French Southern and Antarctic Lands overseas territory of France since 1955; administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur Michel CHAMPON (since 20 December 2004), assisted by Secretary General Jean-Yves HERMOSO (since NA) Gibraltar overseas territory of the UK Glorioso Islands possession of France; administered by the Administrateur Superieur of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands Greenland part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979 Guadeloupe overseas department of France Guam organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior Guernsey British crown dependency Heard Island and McDonald Islands territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage Hong Kong special administrative region of China Howland Island unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system Iles Eparses possessions of France; administered by the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF), resident in Reunion Isle of Man British crown dependency Jan Mayen territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service Jarvis Island unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system Jersey British crown dependency Johnston Atoll unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Honolulu, HI, by Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system Juan de Nova Island possession of France; administered by the Administrateur Superieur of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands Kingman Reef unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior note: on 1 September 2000, the Department of the Interior accepted restoration of its administrative jurisdiction over Kingman Reef from the Department of the Navy; Executive Order 3223 signed 18 January 2001 established Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge to be administered by the Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service; this refuge is managed to protect the terrestrial and aquatic wildlife of Kingman Reef out to the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea limit Macau special administrative region of China Martinique overseas department of France Mayotte departmental collectivity of France Midway Islands unincorporated territory of the US; formerly administered from Washington, DC, by the US Navy; on 31 October 1996, through a presidential executive order, the jurisdiction and control of the atoll was transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system Montserrat overseas territory of the UK Navassa Island unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island Netherlands Antilles an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs New Caledonia territorial collectivity of France since 1998 Niue self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue Norfolk Island territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories Northern Mariana Islands commonwealth in political union with the US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs Palmyra Atoll incorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon Pitcairn Islands overseas territory of the UK Puerto Rico unincorporated, organized territory of the US with commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President Reunion overseas department of France Saint Helena overseas territory of the UK Saint Pierre and Miquelon self-governing territorial collectivity of France South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken - formerly a whaling station on South Georgia - is a scientific base Svalbard territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was awarded to Norway Tokelau self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on self-governance, in February 2006, did not produce the two thirds majority vote necessary for changing the current political status Tromelin Island possession of France; administered by the Administrateur Superieur of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands Turks and Caicos Islands overseas territory of the UK United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system note on Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon Virgin Islands organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior Wake Island unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior; activities on the island are conducted by the US Air Force Wallis and Futuna overseas territory of France This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2007 Diplomatic representation from the US Afghanistan chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald E. NEUMANN embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul mailing address: 6180 Kabul Place, Dulles, VA 20189-6180 telephone: [00 93] (20) 230-0436 FAX: [00 93] (20) 230-1364 Akrotiri none (overseas territory of the UK) Albania chief of mission: Ambassador Marcie B. RIES embassy: Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana mailing address: US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20189-9510 telephone: [355] (4) 247285 FAX: [355] (4) 232222 Algeria chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. FORD embassy: 04 Chemin Cheikh Bachir Ibrahimi El-Biar 16030, Algiers mailing address: B. P. 408, Alger-Gare, 16030 Algiers telephone: [213] (021) 69-12-55 FAX: [213] (021) 69-39-79 American Samoa none (territory of the US) Andorra the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: [34] (3) 280-2227; FAX: [34] (3) 205-5206 Angola chief of mission: Ambassador Cynthia EFIRD embassy: number 32 Rua Houari Boumedienne (in the Miramar area of Luanda), Luanda mailing address: international mail: Caixa Postal 6468, Luanda; pouch: US Embassy Luanda,US Department of State, 2550 Luanda Place, Washington, DC 20521-2550 telephone: [244] (222) 64-1000 FAX: [244] (222) 64-1232 Anguilla none (overseas territory of the UK) Antigua and Barbuda the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda Argentina chief of mission: Ambassador Earl Anthony WAYNE embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires mailing address: international mail: use street address; APO address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034 telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533 FAX: [54] (11) 5777-4240 Armenia chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Anthony F. GODFREY embassy: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 375082 mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State, 7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020 telephone: [374](10) 464-700 FAX: [374](10) 464-742 Aruba the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba Ashmore and Cartier Islands none (territory of Australia) Australia chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr. embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 mailing address: APO AP 96549 telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600 FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970 consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney Austria chief of mission: Ambassador Susan R. McCAW embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0 FAX: [43] (1) 3100682 Azerbaijan chief of mission: Ambassador Anne E. DERSE embassy: 83 Azadliyg Prospecti, Baku AZ1007 mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050 telephone: [994] (12) 4980-335 through 337 FAX: [994] (12) 4656-671 Bahamas, The chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222 Bahrain chief of mission: Ambassador William T. MONROE embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: [973] 1724-2700 FAX: [973] 1727-0547 Bangladesh chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500 FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744 Barbados chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950 FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379 Belarus chief of mission: Ambassador Karen B. STEWART embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya St., Minsk 220002 mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723 telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348 FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853 Belgium chief of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710 telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111 FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725 Belize chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163 FAX: [501] 223-0802 Benin chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone: [229] 30-06-50 FAX: [229] 30-06-70 Bermuda chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342 FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233 Bhutan the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India) Bolivia chief of mission: Ambassador Philip S. GOLDBERG embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032 telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000 FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111 Bosnia and Herzegovina chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas L. McELHANEY embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo mailing address: use street address telephone: [387] (33) 445-700 FAX: [387] (33) 659-722 branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar Botswana chief of mission: Ambassador Katherine H. CANAVAN embassy: address NA, Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 353982 FAX: [267] 312782 Brazil chief of mission: Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030 telephone: [55] (61) 3312-7000 FAX: [55] (61) 3225-9136 consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo consulate(s): Recife British Indian Ocean Territory none (overseas territory of the UK) British Virgin Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Brunei chief of mission: Ambassador Emil SKODON embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan, BS8811 mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam telephone: [673] 222-0384 FAX: [673] 222-5293 Bulgaria chief of mission: Ambassador John Ross BEYRLE embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320 Burkina Faso chief of mission: Ambassador Jeanine E. JACKSON embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4 mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - US Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440 telephone: [226] 50-30-67-23 FAX: [226] 50-30-38-90, 50-31-23-68 Burma chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Shari VILLAROSA embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521) mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 379-880, 379-881 FAX: [95] (1) 256-018 Burundi chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia Newton MOLLER embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura telephone: [257] 223454 FAX: [257] 222926 Cambodia chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph A. MUSSOMELI embassy: #1, Street 96, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546 telephone: [855] (23) 728-000 FAX: [855] (23) 728-600 Cameroon chief of mission: Ambassador Niels MARQUARDT embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 220 15 00; Consular: [237] 220 16 03 FAX: [237] 220 16 20; Consular FAX: [237] 220 17 52 branch office(s): Douala Canada chief of mission: Ambassador David H. WILKINS embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburgh, NY 13669-0430 telephone: [1] (613) 238-5335, 4470 FAX: [1] (613) 688-3082 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg Cape Verde chief of mission: Ambassador Roger D. PIERCE embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo n6, Praia mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia telephone: [238] 2-60-89-00 FAX: [238] 2-61-13-55 Cayman Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Central African Republic chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires James PANOS embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: [236] 61 02 00 FAX: [236] 61 44 94 note: the embassy is currently operating with a minimal staff Chad chief of mission: Ambassador Marc M. WALL embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena telephone: [235] 516-211 FAX: [235] 515-654 Chile chief of mission: Ambassador Craig A. KELLY embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago mailing address: APO AA 34033 telephone: [56] (2) 232-2600 FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710 China chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr. embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831 FAX: [86] (10) 6532-3178 consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau, Shanghai, Shenyang Christmas Island none (territory of Australia) Cocos (Keeling) Islands none (territory of Australia) Colombia chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo 3831 mailing address: Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO AA 34038 telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811 FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197 Comoros the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the chief of mission: Ambassador Roger MEECE embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (88) 43608 FAX: [243] (88) 43467 Congo, Republic of the chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark BIEDLINGMAIER embassy: NA mailing address: NA telephone: [243] (88) 43608 note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa) Cook Islands none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) Coral Sea Islands none (territory of Australia) Costa Rica chief of mission: Ambassador Mark LANGDALE embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 519-2000 FAX: [506] 519-2305 Cote d'Ivoire chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS embassy: Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan mailing address: B. P. 1866, Abidjan 01 telephone: [225] 20 21 09 79 FAX: [225] 20 22 32 59 Croatia chief of mission: Ambassador Robert A. BRADTKE embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb mailing address: use street address telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200 FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373 Cuba none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Michael E. PARMLY; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-3700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland Cyprus chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald L. SCHLICHER embassy: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, 2407 Engomi, Nicosia mailing address: P. O. Box 24536, 1385 Nicosia telephone: [357] (22) 393939 FAX: [357] (22) 780944 Czech Republic chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] 257 022 000 FAX: [420] 257 022 809 Denmark chief of mission: Ambassador James P. CAIN embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716 telephone: [45] 33 41 71 00 FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23 Dhekelia none (overseas territory of the UK) Djibouti chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95 FAX: [253] 35 39 40 Dominica the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica Dominican Republic chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500 telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171 FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437 East Timor chief of mission: Ambassador Grover Joseph REES embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili mailing address: US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place, Washington, DC 20521-8250 telephone: (670) 332-4684 FAX: (670) 331-3206 Ecuador chief of mission: Ambassador Linda L. JEWELL embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito mailing address: APO AA 34039 telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890 FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052 consulate(s) general: Guayaquil Egypt chief of mission: Ambassador Francis J. RICCIARDONE, Jr. embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900 telephone: [20] (2) 797-3300 FAX: [20] (2) 797-3200 El Salvador chief of mission: Ambassador H. Douglas BARCLAY embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023 telephone: [503] 2278-4444 FAX: [503] 2278-5522 Equatorial Guinea chief of mission: the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to Equatorial Guinea embassy: adjacent to the golf course at the base of Mont Febe; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 220 15 00 FAX: [237] 220 16 20 Eritrea chief of mission: Ambassador Scott H. DELISI embassy: 179 Alaa Street, Asmara mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX: [291] (1) 127584 Estonia chief of mission: Ambassador Aldona Zofia WOS embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] 668-8100 FAX: [372] 668-8134 Ethiopia chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Vicki HUDDLESTON embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] (1) 517-4000 FAX: [251] (1) 517-4888 European Union chief of mission: Ambassador C. Boyden GRAY embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: same as above telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222 FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) Faroe Islands none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Fiji chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Miles DINGER embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva telephone: [679] 331-4466 FAX: [679] 330-0081 Finland chief of mission: Ambassador Marilyn WARE embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki mailing address: APO AE 09723 telephone: [358] (9) 616250 FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800 France chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777 telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22 FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83 consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg French Guiana none (overseas department of France) French Polynesia none (overseas lands of France) French Southern and Antarctic Lands none (overseas territory of France) Gabon chief of mission: Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, after hours - 74 34 92 FAX: [241] 74 55 07 Gambia, The chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph D. STAFFORD, III embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul telephone: [220] 439-2856, 437-6169, 437-6170 FAX: [220] 439-2475 Georgia chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT embassy: 11 George Balanchine St., T'bilisi 0131 mailing address: 7060 T'bilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060 telephone: [995] (32) 27-70-00 FAX: [995] (32) 53-23-10 Germany chief of mission: Ambassador William R. TIMKEN, Jr. embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin; note - a new embassy will be built near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; ground was broken in October 2004 and completion is scheduled for 2008 mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265 telephone: [49] (030) 2385 174 FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215 consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich Ghana chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Carlin YATES embassy: 6th and 10th Lanes, 798/1 Osu, Accra mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra telephone: [233] (21) 775-347, 775-348 FAX: [233] (21) 701-813 Gibraltar none (overseas territory of the UK) Greece chief of mission: Ambassador Charles P. RIES embassy: 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108 telephone: [30] (210) 721-2951 FAX: [30] (210) 645-6282 consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki Greenland none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Grenada chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176 FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820 Guadeloupe none (overseas department of France) Guam none (territory of the US) Guatemala chief of mission: Ambassador James M. DERHAM embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 2326-4000 FAX: [502] 2326-4654 Guernsey none (British crown dependency) Guinea chief of mission: Ambassador Jackson C. MCDONALD embassy: Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle mailing address: B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry telephone: [224] 30-42-08-61 FAX: [224] 30-42-08-73 Guinea-Bissau the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau Guyana chief of mission: Ambassador David M. ROBINSON embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170 telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497 Haiti chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON embassy: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Bicentenaire-Port-au-Prince mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince telephone: [509] 222-0200 FAX: [509] 223-9038 Heard Island and McDonald Islands none (territory of Australia) Holy See (Vatican City) chief of mission: Ambassador Francis ROONEY embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346 Honduras chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. FORD embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa telephone: [504] 236-9320, 238-5114 FAX: [504] 236-9037 Hong Kong chief of mission: Consul General James B. CUNNINGHAM consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006 telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852] 2845-1598 Hungary chief of mission: Ambassador April H. FOLEY embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764 Iceland chief of mission: Ambassador Carol VAN VOORST embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik mailing address: US Department of State, 5640 Reykjavik Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-5640 telephone: [354] 562-9100 FAX: [354] 562-9118 India chief of mission: Ambassador David C. MULFORD embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [91] (11) 2419-8000 FAX: [91] (11) 2419-0017 consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay) Indonesia chief of mission: Ambassador B. Lynn PASCOE embassy: Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 4-5, Jakarta 10110 mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520 telephone: [62] (21) 3435-9000 FAX: [62] (21) 3435-9922 consulate(s) general: Surabaya consulate(s): Medan; Denpasar (consular agency) Iran none; note - protecting power in Iran is Switzerland Iraq chief of mission: Ambassador Zalmay KHALILZAD embassy: Baghdad mailing address: APO AE 09316 telephone: 00-1-240-553-0584 ext. 5340 or 5635; note - Consular Section FAX: NA Ireland chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. FOLEY embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [353] (1) 668-8777 FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946 Isle of Man none (British crown dependency) Israel chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903 mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575 FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government Italy chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 46741 FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples Jamaica chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON embassy: Mutual Life Building, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859 FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001 Japan chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000 FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya Jersey none (British crown dependency) Jordan chief of mission: Ambassador David M. HALE embassy: Abdoun, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box 5, APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000 FAX: [962] (6) 592-0121 Kazakhstan chief of mission: Ambassador John M. ORDWAY embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (3172) 70-21-00 FAX: [7] (3172) 34-08-90 Kenya chief of mission: Ambassador William M. BELLAMY embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiri; P. O. Box 606 Village Market Nairobi mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831 telephone: [254] (20) 537-800 FAX: [254] (20) 537-810 Kiribati the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati Korea, North none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power Korea, South chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VERSHBOW embassy: 32 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710 mailing address: US Embassy Seoul, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-5550 telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114 FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845 Kuwait chief of mission: Ambassador Richard LEBARON embassy: Bayan 36302, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 259-1001 FAX: [965] 538-0282 Kyrgyzstan chief of mission: Ambassador Marie L. YOVANOVITCH embassy: 171 Prospect Mira, Bishkek 720016 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [996] (312) 551-241, (517) 777-217 FAX: [996] (312) 551-264 Laos chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam Road, Vientiane mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, Box V, APO AP 96546 telephone: [856] 21-26 7000 FAX: [856] 21-26 7074 Latvia chief of mission: Ambassador Catherine TODD BAILEY embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510 mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE 09723 telephone: [371] 703-6200 FAX: [371] 782-0047 Lebanon chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Akwar facing the Municipality) mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070 telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600 FAX: [961] (4) 544136 Lesotho chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section) mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 22 312666 FAX: [266] 22 310116 Liberia chief of mission: Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380 FAX: [231] 226-148 Libya chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad Interim Gregory L. BERRY embassy: Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel, Souq At-Tlat Al-Qadim, Tripoli mailing address: US Embassy, 8850 Tripoli Place, Washington, DC 20521-8850 telephone: [218] 21-335-1848 Liechtenstein the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein, but the US Ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein Lithuania chief of mission: Ambassador John A. CLOUD embassy: Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106 mailing address: American Embassy, Almeny gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106 telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500 FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510 Luxembourg chief of mission: Ambassador Ann WAGNER embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail) telephone: [352] 46 01 23 FAX: [352] 46 14 01 Macau the US has no offices in Macau; US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong Macedonia chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC embassy: Bul. Ilindenska bb, 1000 Skopje mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, US Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) telephone: [389] 2 311-6180 FAX: [389] 2 311-7103 Madagascar chief of mission: Ambassador James D. MCGEE embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101 mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56 FAX: [261] (20) 22-345-39 Malawi chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David GILMOUR embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta Road mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi telephone: [265] (1) 773 166 FAX: [265] (1) 770 471 Malaysia chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher J. LAFLEUR embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur 50440 mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000 FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207 Maldives the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there Mali chief of mission: Ambassador Terrence P. MCCULLEY embassy: Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V, Bamako mailing address: B. P. 34, Bamako telephone: [223] 222-5470 FAX: [223] 222-3712 Malta chief of mission: Ambassador Molly BORDONARO embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, VLT 01 mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, CMR01 telephone: [356] 2561 4000 FAX: [356] 21 243229 Marshall Islands chief of mission: Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012 Martinique none (overseas department of France) Mauritania chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Steven KOUTSIS embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663 FAX: [222] 525-1592 Mauritius chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [230] 208-9534 Mayotte none (territorial collectivity of France) Mexico chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr. embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000 telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000 FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980 consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo Micronesia, Federated States of chief of mission: Ambassador Suzanne K. HALE embassy: 101 Upper Pics Road, Kolonia mailing address: P. O. Box 1286, Kolonia, Pohnpei, 96941 telephone: [691] 320-2187 FAX: [691] 320-2186 Moldova chief of mission: Ambasador Michael D. KIRBY embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [373] (22) 40-8300 FAX: [373] (22) 23-3044 Monaco the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) under the authority of the US ambassador to France is accredited to Monaco Mongolia chief of mission: Ambassador Mark C. MINTON embassy: Big Ring Road, 11th Micro Region, Ulaanbaatar mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002; P.O. Box 1021, Ulaanbaatar-13 telephone: [976] (11) 329095 FAX: [976] (11) 320776 Montserrat none (overseas territory of the UK) Morocco chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas T. RILEY embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat mailing address: PSC 74, Box 021, APO AE 09718 telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65 FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61 consulate(s) general: Casablanca Mozambique chief of mission: Ambassador Helen LA LIME embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo telephone: [258] (1) 492797 FAX: [258] (1) 490448 Namibia chief of mission: Ambassador Joyce BARR embassy: Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek telephone: [264] (61) 221601 FAX: [264] (61) 229792 Nauru the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru Nepal chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY embassy: Panipokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411-1179 FAX: [977] (1) 441-9963 Netherlands chief of mission: Ambassador Roland E. ARNALL embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715 telephone: [31] (70) 310-2209 FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688 consulate(s) general: Amsterdam Netherlands Antilles chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 4613066 FAX: [599] (9) 4616489 New Caledonia none (overseas territory of France) New Zealand chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland Nicaragua chief of mission: Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: P.O. Box 327 telephone: [505] 266-6010 FAX: [505] 266-3861 Niger chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey telephone: [227] 73 31 69 FAX: [227] 73 55 60 Nigeria chief of mission: Ambassador John CAMPBELL embassy: 7 Mambilla Drive, Abuja mailing address: P. O. Box 554, Lagos telephone: [234] (9) 523-0916/0906/5857/2235/2205 FAX: [234] (9) 523-0353 Niue none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) Norfolk Island none (territory of Australia) Norway chief of mission: Ambassador Benson K. WHITNEY embassy: Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will move to Huseby in the near future mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707 telephone: [47] (22) 44 85 50 FAX: [47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51 Oman chief of mission: Ambassador Gary A. GRAPPO embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Muscat telephone: [968] 24-698989 FAX: [968] 24-699771 Pakistan chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan CROCKER embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200 telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000 FAX: [92] (51) 2276427 consulate(s) general: Karachi consulate(s): Lahore, Peshawar Palau chief of mission: US ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau embassy: Koror (no street address) mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940 telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990 FAX: [680] 488-2911 Panama chief of mission: Ambassador William A. EATON embassy: Avenida Balboa and Calle 37, Apartado Postal 0816-02561, Zona 5, Panama City 5 mailing address: American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002 telephone: [507] 207-7000 FAX: [507] 227-1964 Papua New Guinea chief of mission: Ambassador Robert W. FITTS embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby mailing address: 4240 Port Moresby PI, US Department of State, Washington DC 20521-4240 telephone: [675] 321-1455 FAX: [675] 321-3423 Paraguay Ambassador James C. CASON embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001 telephone: [595] (21) 213-715 FAX: [595] (21) 213-728 Peru chief of mission: Ambassador J. Curtis STRUBLE embassy: Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33 mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima), APO AA 34031-5000 telephone: [51] (1) 434-3000 FAX: [51] (1) 618-2397 Philippines chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita 1000, Manila mailing address: PSC 500, FPO AP 96515-1000 telephone: [63] (2) 528-6300 FAX: [63] (2) 522-4361 Pitcairn Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Poland chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch) telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000 FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688 consulate(s) general: Krakow Portugal chief of mission: Ambassador Alfred J. HOFFMAN Jr. embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300 FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109 consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores) Puerto Rico none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) Qatar chief of mission: Ambassador Chase UNTERMEYER embassy: Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha telephone: [974] 488 4101 FAX: [974] 488 4176 Reunion none (overseas department of France) Romania chief of mission: Ambassador Nicholas F. TAUBMAN embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, US Department of State, 5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch) telephone: [40] (21) 200-3300 FAX: [40] (21) 200-3442 information office: Cluj-Napoca Russia chief of mission: Ambassador William J. BURNS embassy: Bolshoy Deviatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721 telephone: [7] (495) 728-5000 FAX: [7] (495) 728-5090 consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg Rwanda chief of mission: Ambassador Michael ARIETTI embassy: 337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 50 56 01 through 03 FAX: [250] 57 2128 Saint Helena none (overseas territory of the UK) Saint Kitts and Nevis the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon none (territorial collectivity of France) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa chief of mission: US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Beach Road, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia, 0815 telephone: [685] 21436/21452/21631/22696 FAX: [685] 22030 San Marino the US does not have an embassy in San Marino; the US Consul General in Florence (Italy) is accredited to San Marino Sao Tome and Principe the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands Saudi Arabia chief of mission: Ambassador James C. OBERWETTER embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693 telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800 FAX: [966] (1) 488-3989 consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah) Senegal chief of mission: Ambassador Janice L. JACOBS embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 823-4296 FAX: [221] 822-2991 Serbia chief of mission: Ambassador Michael C. POLT embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070 telephone: [381] (11) 361-9344 FAX: [381] (11) 361-8230 note: there is a branch office in Pristina at 30 Nazim Hikmet 38000 Prstina, Kososvo; telephone: [381] (38) 549-516; FAX:[381] (38) 549-890 Seychelles the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles Sierra Leone chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas N. HULL embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: [232] (22) 225471 Singapore chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia L. HERBOLD embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001 telephone: [65] 6476-9100 FAX: [65] 6476-9340 Slovakia chief of mission: Ambassador Rodolphe "Skip" M. VALLEE embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338 FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096 Slovenia chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas B. ROBERTSON embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana mailing address: American Embassy Ljubljana, US Department of State, 7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140 telephone: [386] (1) 200-5500 FAX: [386] (1) 200-5555 Solomon Islands the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands Somalia the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya at United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; mailing address: Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831; telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000; FAX [254] (20) 363-6157 South Africa chief of mission: Ambassador Jendayi E. FRAZER embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048 FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244 consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) Spain chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr. embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642 telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200 FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303 consulate(s) general: Barcelona Sri Lanka chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr. embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500 FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345 Sudan chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Cameron HUME embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (183) 774701 FAX: [249] (183) 774137 note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum; consular services are being established in Juba (southern Sudan) Suriname chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa Bobbie SCHREIBER HUGHES embassy: Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129, Paramaribo mailing address: US Department of State, 3390 Paramaribo Place, Washington, DC, 20521-3390 telephone: [597] 472-900 FAX: [597] 425-690 Swaziland chief of mission: Ambassador Lewis LUCKE embassy: Central Bank Building, Mahlokahla Street, Mbabane mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445 FAX: [268] 404-5959 Sweden chief of mission: Ambassador Michael M. WOOD embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds VAG 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, US Department of State, 5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750 (pouch) telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64 Switzerland chief of mission: Ambassador Peter R. CONEWAY embassy: Jubilaumsstrasse 93, CH-3005 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44 Syria chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael CORBIN embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342 FAX: [963] (11) 224-7938 Taiwan none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162 Tajikistan chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Ave., Dushanbe 734003 mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189 telephone: [992] (37) 229-20-00 FAX: [992] (37) 229-20-50 Tanzania chief of mission: Ambassador Michael L. RETZER embassy: 140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam telephone: [255] (22) 2666-010 through 2666-015 FAX: [255] (22) 2666-701, 2668-501 Thailand chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph L. BOYCE embassy: 120-122 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330 mailing address: APO AP 96546 telephone: [66] (2) 205-4000 FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131 consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai Togo chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory ENGLE embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou and Rue 15 Beniglato, Lome mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome telephone: [228] 221 29 91 through 221 29 94 FAX: [228] 221 79 52 Tokelau none (territory of New Zealand) Tonga the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga Trinidad and Tobago chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462 Tunisia chief of mission: Ambassador designate Robert F. GODEC embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [216] 71 107-000 FAX: [216] 71 107-090 Turkey chief of mission: Ambassador Ross WILSON embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555 FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir Turkmenistan chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jennifer L. BRUSH embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070 telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45 FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14 Turks and Caicos Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Tuvalu the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu Uganda chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires William FITZGERALD embassy: 1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala telephone: [256] (41) 234-142 FAX: [256] (41) 258-451 Ukraine chief of mission: Ambassador William B. TAYLOR embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynsky Street, 04053 Kyiv mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850 telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000 FAX: [380] (44) 490-4085 United Arab Emirates chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200 FAX: [971] (2) 414-2603 consulate(s) general: Dubai United Kingdom chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Holmes TUTTLE embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000 FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124 consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh Uruguay chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires James D. NEALON embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 mailing address: APO AA 34035 telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611 Uzbekistan chief of mission: Ambassador Jon PURNELL embassy: 3 Moyqo'rq'on, 5th Block, Yunusobod District, Tashkent 100093 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [998] (71) 120-5450 FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335 Vanuatu the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu Venezuela chief of mission: Ambassador William R. BROWNFIELD embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1080 mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037 telephone: [58] (212) 975-9234, 975-6411 FAX: [58] (212) 975-8991 Vietnam chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MARINE embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [84] (4) 772-1500 FAX: [84] (4) 772-1510 consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City Virgin Islands none (territory of the US) Wallis and Futuna none (overseas territory of France) Western Sahara none Yemen chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI embassy: Sa'awan Street, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa telephone: [967] (1) 755-2000 ext. 2153 or 2266 FAX: [967] (1) 303-182 Zambia chief of mission: Ambassador Carmen M. MARTINEZ embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues, Lusaka mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka telephone: [260] (1) 250-955 FAX: [260] (1) 252-225 Zimbabwe chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher W. DELL embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594 FAX: [263] (4) 796-488 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2008 Transportation - note Arctic Ocean sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways Atlantic Ocean Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US Baker Island there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast Georgia transportation network is in poor condition resulting from ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair Howland Island Earhart Light is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast that was partially destroyed during World War II, but has since been rebuilt; named in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia EARHART Iles Eparses aids to navigation - lighthouses: Europa Island 18m; Juan de Nova Island (W side) 37m; Tromelin Island (NW point) 11m Jarvis Island there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast Midway Islands airfield serves as an emergency landing site for commercial aircraft crossing the Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state) Saint Helena there is no air connection to Saint Helena or Tristan da Cunha; an international airport for Saint Helena is in development for 2010 Southern Ocean Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal Wake Island there are no commercial or civilian flights to and from Wake Island, except in direct support of island missions; emergency landing is available This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2010 Age structure (%) Afghanistan 0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,095,117/female 6,763,759) 15-64 years: 53% (male 8,436,716/female 8,008,463) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 366,642/female 386,300) (2006 est.) Albania 0-14 years: 24.8% (male 464,954/female 423,003) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,214,942/female 1,158,562) 65 years and over: 8.9% (male 148,028/female 172,166) (2006 est.) Algeria 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 4,722,076/female 4,539,713) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 11,133,802/female 10,964,502) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 735,444/female 834,554) (2006 est.) American Samoa 0-14 years: 34.7% (male 10,388/female 9,654) 15-64 years: 62.4% (male 18,698/female 17,350) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 633/female 1,071) (2006 est.) Andorra 0-14 years: 14.7% (male 5,456/female 4,994) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 26,632/female 24,172) 65 years and over: 14% (male 4,918/female 5,029) (2006 est.) Angola 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 2,678,185/female 2,625,933) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 3,291,954/female 3,195,688) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 148,944/female 186,367) (2006 est.) Anguilla 0-14 years: 22.8% (male 1,557/female 1,510) 15-64 years: 70.4% (male 4,878/female 4,608) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 412/female 512) (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 0-14 years: 27.6% (male 9,716/female 9,375) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 23,801/female 23,524) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 1,020/female 1,672) (2006 est.) Argentina 0-14 years: 25.2% (male 5,153,164/female 4,921,625) 15-64 years: 64.1% (male 12,804,376/female 12,798,731) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 1,740,118/female 2,503,819) (2006 est.) Armenia 0-14 years: 20.5% (male 322,189/female 286,944) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 949,975/female 1,085,484) 65 years and over: 11.1% (male 133,411/female 198,369) (2006 est.) Aruba 0-14 years: 19.5% (male 7,175/female 6,849) 15-64 years: 68.2% (male 23,894/female 25,140) 65 years and over: 12.3% (male 3,616/female 5,217) (2006 est.) Australia 0-14 years: 19.6% (male 2,031,313/female 1,936,802) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 6,881,863/female 6,764,709) 65 years and over: 13.1% (male 1,170,589/female 1,478,806) (2006 est.) Austria 0-14 years: 15.4% (male 645,337/female 614,602) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,782,712/female 2,749,620) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 567,752/female 832,857) (2006 est.) Azerbaijan 0-14 years: 25.8% (male 1,046,501/female 1,011,492) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,573,134/female 2,706,275) 65 years and over: 7.8% (male 246,556/female 377,661) (2006 est.) Bahamas, The 0-14 years: 27.5% (male 41,799/female 41,733) 15-64 years: 66.1% (male 98,847/female 102,074) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 7,891/female 11,426) (2006 est.) Bahrain 0-14 years: 27.4% (male 96,567/female 94,650) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 280,272/female 202,451) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 12,753/female 11,892) (2006 est.) Bangladesh 0-14 years: 32.9% (male 24,957,997/female 23,533,894) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 47,862,774/female 45,917,674) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,731,578/female 2,361,435) (2006 est.) Barbados 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 28,160/female 28,039) 15-64 years: 71.1% (male 97,755/female 101,223) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,508/female 15,227) (2006 est.) Belarus 0-14 years: 15.7% (male 825,823/female 791,741) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 3,490,442/female 3,682,950) 65 years and over: 14.6% (male 498,976/female 1,003,079) (2006 est.) Belgium 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 883,254/female 846,099) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 3,450,879/female 3,389,565) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 746,569/female 1,062,701) (2006 est.) Belize 0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678) 15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235) (2006 est.) Benin 0-14 years: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 2,067,248/female 2,138,957) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198) (2006 est.) Bermuda 0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,146/female 6,098) 15-64 years: 69.2% (male 22,562/female 22,954) 65 years and over: 12.2% (male 3,479/female 4,534) (2006 est.) Bhutan 0-14 years: 38.9% (male 458,801/female 426,947) 15-64 years: 57.1% (male 671,057/female 631,078) 65 years and over: 4% (male 46,217/female 45,623) (2006 est.) Bolivia 0-14 years: 35% (male 1,603,982/female 1,542,319) 15-64 years: 60.4% (male 2,660,806/female 2,771,807) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 182,412/female 227,720) (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-14 years: 15.5% (male 359,739/female 336,978) 15-64 years: 70.1% (male 1,590,923/female 1,564,665) 65 years and over: 14.4% (male 265,637/female 381,034) (2006 est.) Botswana 0-14 years: 38.3% (male 319,531/female 309,074) 15-64 years: 57.9% (male 460,692/female 488,577) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 23,374/female 38,585) (2006 est.) Brazil 0-14 years: 25.8% (male 24,687,656/female 23,742,998) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 63,548,331/female 64,617,539) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 4,712,675/female 6,769,028) (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands 0-14 years: 20.5% (male 2,403/female 2,331) 15-64 years: 74.3% (male 8,811/female 8,340) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 636/female 577) (2006 est.) Brunei 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 54,411/female 52,134) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 138,129/female 123,017) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,584/female 6,169) (2006 est.) Bulgaria 0-14 years: 13.9% (male 527,881/female 502,334) 15-64 years: 68.7% (male 2,496,054/female 2,579,680) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 527,027/female 752,391) (2006 est.) Burkina Faso 0-14 years: 46.8% (male 3,267,202/female 3,235,190) 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 3,513,559/female 3,538,623) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 140,083/female 208,315) (2006 est.) Burma 0-14 years: 26.4% (male 6,335,236/female 6,181,216) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 16,011,723/female 16,449,626) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 1,035,853/female 1,368,979) (2006 est.) Burundi 0-14 years: 46.3% (male 1,884,825/female 1,863,200) 15-64 years: 51.1% (male 2,051,451/female 2,082,017) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 83,432/female 125,143) (2006 est.) Cambodia 0-14 years: 35.6% (male 2,497,595/female 2,447,754) 15-64 years: 61% (male 4,094,946/female 4,370,159) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 180,432/female 290,541) (2006 est.) Cameroon 0-14 years: 41.2% (male 3,614,430/female 3,531,047) 15-64 years: 55.5% (male 4,835,453/female 4,796,276) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 260,342/female 303,154) (2006 est.) Canada 0-14 years: 17.6% (male 2,992,811/female 2,848,388) 15-64 years: 69% (male 11,482,452/female 11,368,286) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,883,008/female 2,523,987) (2006 est.) Cape Verde 0-14 years: 37.9% (male 80,594/female 79,126) 15-64 years: 55.3% (male 113,450/female 119,423) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 10,542/female 17,844) (2006 est.) Cayman Islands 0-14 years: 20.7% (male 4,708/female 4,700) 15-64 years: 70.9% (male 15,707/female 16,504) 65 years and over: 8.4% (male 1,793/female 2,024) (2006 est.) Central African Republic 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 907,629/female 897,153) 15-64 years: 53.9% (male 1,146,346/female 1,173,268) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 71,312/female 107,648) (2006 est.) Chad 0-14 years: 47.9% (male 2,396,393/female 2,369,261) 15-64 years: 49.3% (male 2,355,940/female 2,550,535) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 107,665/female 164,407) (2006 est.) Chile 0-14 years: 24.7% (male 2,035,278/female 1,944,754) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 5,403,525/female 5,420,497) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 555,075/female 775,090) (2006 est.) China 0-14 years: 20.8% (male 145,461,833/female 128,445,739) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 482,439,115/female 455,960,489) 65 years and over: 7.7% (male 48,562,635/female 53,103,902) (2006 est.) Christmas Island 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Cocos (Keeling) Islands 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Colombia 0-14 years: 30.3% (male 6,683,079/female 6,528,563) 15-64 years: 64.5% (male 13,689,384/female 14,416,439) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 996,022/female 1,279,548) (2006 est.) Comoros 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 148,009/female 147,038) 15-64 years: 54.3% (male 185,107/female 190,139) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,672/female 10,983) (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0-14 years: 47.4% (male 14,906,488/female 14,798,210) 15-64 years: 50.1% (male 15,597,353/female 15,793,350) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 632,143/female 933,007) (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the 0-14 years: 46.4% (male 864,407/female 853,728) 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 930,390/female 945,545) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,430/female 63,814) (2006 est.) Cook Islands 0-14 years: 34.1% (male 2,718/female 2,388) 15-64 years: 59.5% (male 4,531/female 4,395) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 489/female 469) (2001 census) Costa Rica 0-14 years: 28.3% (male 590,261/female 563,196) 15-64 years: 66% (male 1,359,750/female 1,329,346) 65 years and over: 5.7% (male 108,041/female 124,667) (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 0-14 years: 40.8% (male 3,546,674/female 3,653,990) 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 5,024,575/female 4,939,677) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 238,793/female 251,134) (2006 est.) Croatia 0-14 years: 16.2% (male 373,638/female 354,261) 15-64 years: 67% (male 1,497,958/female 1,515,314) 65 years and over: 16.8% (male 288,480/female 465,098) (2006 est.) Cuba 0-14 years: 19.1% (male 1,117,677/female 1,058,512) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 4,001,161/female 3,999,303) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 554,148/female 652,019) (2006 est.) Cyprus 0-14 years: 20.4% (male 81,776/female 78,272) 15-64 years: 68% (male 270,254/female 263,354) 65 years and over: 11.6% (male 39,536/female 51,109) (2006 est.) Czech Republic 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 755,098/female 714,703) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,656,021/female 3,629,036) 65 years and over: 14.5% (male 576,264/female 904,333) (2006 est.) Denmark 0-14 years: 18.7% (male 523,257/female 496,697) 15-64 years: 66.1% (male 1,815,240/female 1,787,406) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 355,656/female 472,405) (2006 est.) Djibouti 0-14 years: 43.3% (male 105,760/female 105,068) 15-64 years: 53.3% (male 135,119/female 124,367) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 8,183/female 8,033) (2006 est.) Dominica 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 9,084/female 8,885) 15-64 years: 66% (male 23,419/female 22,079) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,186/female 3,257) (2006 est.) Dominican Republic 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 1,531,145/female 1,464,076) 15-64 years: 61.9% (male 2,902,098/female 2,782,608) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 235,016/female 269,041) (2006 est.) East Timor 0-14 years: 36.3% (male 196,293/female 189,956) 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 328,111/female 315,401) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 16,072/female 16,944) (2006 est.) Ecuador 0-14 years: 33% (male 2,281,499/female 2,195,551) 15-64 years: 61.9% (male 4,178,653/female 4,210,766) 65 years and over: 5% (male 319,719/female 361,322) (2006 est.) Egypt 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 13,172,641/female 12,548,346) 15-64 years: 62.9% (male 25,102,754/female 24,519,698) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 1,510,280/female 2,033,288) (2006 est.) El Salvador 0-14 years: 36.3% (male 1,265,080/female 1,212,216) 15-64 years: 58.5% (male 1,900,372/female 2,092,251) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 156,292/female 196,167) (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea 0-14 years: 41.7% (male 113,083/female 111,989) 15-64 years: 54.5% (male 141,914/female 152,645) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,886/female 11,592) (2006 est.) Eritrea 0-14 years: 44% (male 1,059,458/female 1,046,955) 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 1,244,153/female 1,268,189) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 82,112/female 86,127) (2006 est.) Estonia 0-14 years: 15.2% (male 103,367/female 97,587) 15-64 years: 67.6% (male 427,043/female 468,671) 65 years and over: 17.2% (male 75,347/female 152,318) (2006 est.) Ethiopia 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 16,373,718/female 16,280,766) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 19,999,482/female 20,077,014) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 929,349/female 1,117,652) (2006 est.) European Union 0-14 years: 16.03% (male 37,608,010/female 35,632,351) 15-64 years: 67.17% (male 154,439,536/female 152,479,619) 65 years and over: 16.81% (male 31,515,921/female 45,277,821) (2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Faroe Islands 0-14 years: 20.9% (male 4,940/female 4,952) 15-64 years: 65.1% (male 16,247/female 14,522) 65 years and over: 13.9% (male 2,976/female 3,609) (2006 est.) Fiji 0-14 years: 31.1% (male 143,847/female 138,061) 15-64 years: 64.6% (male 293,072/female 292,312) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 17,583/female 21,074) (2006 est.) Finland 0-14 years: 17.1% (male 455,420/female 438,719) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,766,674/female 1,724,858) 65 years and over: 16.2% (male 337,257/female 508,444) (2006 est.) France 0-14 years: 18.3% (male 5,704,152/female 5,427,213) 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 19,886,228/female 19,860,506) 65 years and over: 16.4% (male 4,103,883/female 5,894,154) (2006 est.) French Guiana 0-14 years: 28.9% (male 29,540/female 28,210) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 69,302/female 59,980) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 6,350/female 6,127) (2006 est.) French Polynesia 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 36,541/female 34,999) 15-64 years: 67.9% (male 96,769/female 89,593) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 8,428/female 8,248) (2006 est.) Gabon 0-14 years: 42.1% (male 300,914/female 299,141) 15-64 years: 53.9% (male 383,137/female 384,876) 65 years and over: 4% (male 23,576/female 33,262) (2006 est.) Gambia, The 0-14 years: 44.3% (male 365,157/female 361,821) 15-64 years: 53% (male 431,627/female 438,159) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 22,889/female 21,911) (2006 est.) Gaza Strip 0-14 years: 48.1% (male 351,642/female 335,060) 15-64 years: 49.4% (male 360,147/female 345,318) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 15,231/female 21,359) (2006 est.) Georgia 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 428,056/female 380,193) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 1,482,908/female 1,602,064) 65 years and over: 16.5% (male 308,905/female 459,347) (2006 est.) Germany 0-14 years: 14.1% (male 5,973,437/female 5,665,971) 15-64 years: 66.4% (male 27,889,936/female 26,874,858) 65 years and over: 19.4% (male 6,602,478/female 9,415,619) (2006 est.) Ghana 0-14 years: 38.8% (male 4,395,744/female 4,288,720) 15-64 years: 57.7% (male 6,450,828/female 6,483,781) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 371,428/female 419,071) (2006 est.) Gibraltar 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 2,499/female 2,388) 15-64 years: 66% (male 9,443/female 8,999) 65 years and over: 16.5% (male 2,059/female 2,540) (2006 est.) Greece 0-14 years: 14.3% (male 790,291/female 742,902) 15-64 years: 66.7% (male 3,562,251/female 3,566,097) 65 years and over: 19% (male 891,620/female 1,134,897) (2006 est.) Greenland 0-14 years: 24.5% (male 7,072/female 6,740) 15-64 years: 68.9% (male 20,904/female 17,919) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 1,768/female 1,958) (2006 est.) Grenada 0-14 years: 33.4% (male 15,097/female 14,820) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 30,106/female 26,764) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,394/female 1,522) (2006 est.) Guadeloupe 0-14 years: 23.6% (male 54,725/female 52,348) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 150,934/female 153,094) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 17,353/female 24,322) (2006 est.) Guam 0-14 years: 29% (male 25,703/female 23,903) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 56,020/female 53,894) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 5,391/female 6,108) (2006 est.) Guatemala 0-14 years: 41.1% (male 2,573,359/female 2,479,098) 15-64 years: 55.5% (male 3,353,630/female 3,468,184) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 194,784/female 224,490) (2006 est.) Guernsey 0-14 years: 15% (male 4,998/female 4,842) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 21,752/female 22,170) 65 years and over: 17.8% (male 4,926/female 6,721) (2006 est.) Guinea 0-14 years: 44.4% (male 2,171,733/female 2,128,027) 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 2,541,140/female 2,542,847) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 134,239/female 172,236) (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau 0-14 years: 41.4% (male 297,623/female 298,942) 15-64 years: 55.6% (male 384,559/female 417,811) 65 years and over: 3% (male 18,048/female 25,046) (2006 est.) Guyana 0-14 years: 26.2% (male 102,551/female 98,772) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 265,193/female 260,892) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 17,043/female 22,794) (2006 est.) Haiti 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 1,770,523/female 1,749,853) 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 2,201,957/female 2,301,886) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 125,298/female 158,987) (2006 est.) Honduras 0-14 years: 39.9% (male 1,491,170/female 1,429,816) 15-64 years: 56.7% (male 2,076,727/female 2,077,975) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 113,747/female 137,061) (2006 est.) Hong Kong 0-14 years: 13.5% (male 488,607/female 445,593) 15-64 years: 73.7% (male 2,495,679/female 2,620,336) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 413,031/female 477,186) (2006 est.) Hungary 0-14 years: 15.6% (male 799,163/female 755,389) 15-64 years: 69.2% (male 3,403,375/female 3,505,640) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 550,297/female 967,470) (2006 est.) Iceland 0-14 years: 21.7% (male 33,021/female 32,021) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 100,944/female 98,239) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 15,876/female 19,287) (2006 est.) India 0-14 years: 30.8% (male 173,478,760/female 163,852,827) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 363,876,219/female 340,181,764) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 27,258,020/female 26,704,405) (2006 est.) Indonesia 0-14 years: 28.8% (male 35,995,919/female 34,749,582) 15-64 years: 65.8% (male 80,796,794/female 80,754,238) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 5,737,473/female 7,418,733) (2006 est.) Iran 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 9,204,785/female 8,731,429) 15-64 years: 69% (male 24,133,919/female 23,245,255) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 1,653,827/female 1,719,218) (2006 est.) Iraq 0-14 years: 39.7% (male 5,398,645/female 5,231,760) 15-64 years: 57.3% (male 7,776,257/female 7,576,726) 65 years and over: 3% (male 376,700/female 423,295) (2006 est.) Ireland 0-14 years: 20.9% (male 437,903/female 409,774) 15-64 years: 67.6% (male 1,373,771/female 1,370,452) 65 years and over: 11.6% (male 207,859/female 262,476) (2006 est.) Isle of Man 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 6,669/female 6,350) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 24,884/female 24,678) 65 years and over: 17% (male 5,197/female 7,663) (2006 est.) Israel 0-14 years: 26.3% (male 855,054/female 815,619) 15-64 years: 63.9% (male 2,044,135/female 2,016,647) 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 266,671/female 353,991) (2006 est.) Italy 0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,147,149/female 3,899,980) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 19,530,512/female 19,105,841) 65 years and over: 19.7% (male 4,771,858/female 6,678,169) (2006 est.) Jamaica 0-14 years: 33.1% (male 464,297/female 449,181) 15-64 years: 59.6% (male 808,718/female 835,394) 65 years and over: 7.3% (male 90,100/female 110,434) (2006 est.) Japan 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 9,309,524/female 8,849,476) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 42,158,122/female 41,611,754) 65 years and over: 20% (male 10,762,585/female 14,772,150) (2006 est.) Jersey 0-14 years: 17.2% (male 8,139/female 7,552) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 30,407/female 30,691) 65 years and over: 15.7% (male 6,299/female 7,996) (2006 est.) Jordan 0-14 years: 33.8% (male 1,018,070/female 976,442) 15-64 years: 62.4% (male 1,966,794/female 1,716,255) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 111,636/female 117,563) (2006 est.) Kazakhstan 0-14 years: 23% (male 1,792,685/female 1,717,294) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 5,122,027/female 5,357,819) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 438,541/female 804,878) (2006 est.) Kenya 0-14 years: 42.6% (male 7,454,765/female 7,322,130) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 9,631,488/female 9,508,068) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 359,354/female 432,012) (2006 est.) Kiribati 0-14 years: 38.6% (male 20,608/female 20,060) 15-64 years: 58.1% (male 30,216/female 31,004) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,517/female 2,027) (2006 est.) Korea, North 0-14 years: 23.8% (male 2,788,944/female 2,708,331) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,762,442/female 7,955,522) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 667,792/female 1,229,988) (2006 est.) Korea, South 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 4,844,083/female 4,368,139) 15-64 years: 71.9% (male 17,886,148/female 17,250,862) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 1,818,677/female 2,678,914) (2006 est.) Kuwait 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 331,768/female 319,895) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 1,085,721/female 613,746) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 42,460/female 24,803) (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan 0-14 years: 30.9% (male 821,976/female 789,687) 15-64 years: 62.9% (male 1,607,396/female 1,669,612) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 126,847/female 198,380) (2006 est.) Laos 0-14 years: 41.4% (male 1,324,207/female 1,313,454) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 1,744,206/female 1,786,139) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 89,451/female 111,024) (2006 est.) Latvia 0-14 years: 14% (male 162,562/female 155,091) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 769,004/female 815,042) 65 years and over: 16.4% (male 121,646/female 251,390) (2006 est.) Lebanon 0-14 years: 26.5% (male 523,220/female 502,372) 15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,235,915/female 1,342,540) 65 years and over: 7% (male 122,155/female 147,848) (2006 est.) Lesotho 0-14 years: 36.8% (male 374,102/female 369,527) 15-64 years: 58.3% (male 572,957/female 606,846) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 39,461/female 59,438) (2006 est.) Liberia 0-14 years: 43.1% (male 656,016/female 653,734) 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 816,443/female 832,152) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 40,591/female 43,068) (2006 est.) Libya 0-14 years: 33.6% (male 1,012,748/female 969,978) 15-64 years: 62.2% (male 1,891,643/female 1,778,621) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 121,566/female 126,198) (2006 est.) Liechtenstein 0-14 years: 17.4% (male 2,922/female 2,988) 15-64 years: 70.2% (male 11,842/female 12,022) 65 years and over: 12.4% (male 1,773/female 2,440) (2006 est.) Lithuania 0-14 years: 15.5% (male 284,888/female 270,458) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 1,210,557/female 1,265,542) 65 years and over: 15.5% (male 190,496/female 363,965) (2006 est.) Luxembourg 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 46,118/female 43,356) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 159,498/female 156,075) 65 years and over: 14.6% (male 28,027/female 41,339) (2006 est.) Macau 0-14 years: 16.2% (male 37,934/female 35,412) 15-64 years: 75.9% (male 163,975/female 179,830) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 15,099/female 20,875) (2006 est.) Macedonia 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 213,486/female 199,127) 15-64 years: 68.9% (male 711,853/female 701,042) 65 years and over: 11% (male 98,618/female 126,428) (2006 est.) Madagascar 0-14 years: 44.8% (male 4,171,821/female 4,158,288) 15-64 years: 52.2% (male 4,809,173/female 4,900,675) 65 years and over: 3% (male 249,414/female 306,098) (2006 est.) Malawi 0-14 years: 46.5% (male 3,056,522/female 3,000,493) 15-64 years: 50.8% (male 3,277,573/female 3,332,907) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 139,953/female 206,478) (2006 est.) Malaysia 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 4,093,859/female 3,862,730) 15-64 years: 62.6% (male 7,660,680/female 7,613,537) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 509,260/female 645,792) (2006 est.) Maldives 0-14 years: 43.4% (male 80,113/female 75,763) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 98,040/female 94,029) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,477/female 5,586) (2006 est.) Mali 0-14 years: 48.2% (male 2,857,670/female 2,787,506) 15-64 years: 48.8% (male 2,804,344/female 2,910,097) 65 years and over: 3% (male 146,458/female 210,754) (2006 est.) Malta 0-14 years: 17.1% (male 35,264/female 33,368) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 139,890/female 136,767) 65 years and over: 13.7% (male 23,554/female 31,371) (2006 est.) Marshall Islands 0-14 years: 38.1% (male 11,720/female 11,295) 15-64 years: 59.2% (male 18,305/female 17,445) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 801/female 856) (2006 est.) Martinique 0-14 years: 22.1% (male 48,988/female 47,525) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 147,082/female 146,470) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 20,791/female 25,275) (2006 est.) Mauritania 0-14 years: 45.6% (male 726,376/female 723,013) 15-64 years: 52.2% (male 818,408/female 839,832) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 28,042/female 41,717) (2006 est.) Mauritius 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 149,486/female 147,621) 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 430,288/female 431,753) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 31,939/female 49,740) (2006 est.) Mayotte 0-14 years: 46% (male 46,512/female 46,067) 15-64 years: 52.3% (male 56,899/female 48,274) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,756/female 1,726) (2006 est.) Mexico 0-14 years: 30.6% (male 16,770,957/female 16,086,172) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 33,071,809/female 35,316,281) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 2,814,707/female 3,389,599) (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 0-14 years: 36.6% (male 20,116/female 19,391) 15-64 years: 60.4% (male 32,620/female 32,659) 65 years and over: 3% (male 1,413/female 1,805) (2006 est.) Moldova 0-14 years: 20% (male 455,673/female 438,934) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 1,498,078/female 1,613,489) 65 years and over: 10.3% (male 170,456/female 290,076) (2006 est.) Monaco 0-14 years: 15.2% (male 2,539/female 2,417) 15-64 years: 62.1% (male 9,959/female 10,266) 65 years and over: 22.6% (male 3,015/female 4,347) (2006 est.) Mongolia 0-14 years: 27.9% (male 402,448/female 387,059) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 967,546/female 969,389) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 45,859/female 59,923) (2006 est.) Montserrat 0-14 years: 23.3% (male 1,125/female 1,079) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,957/female 3,245) 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 532/female 501) (2006 est.) Morocco 0-14 years: 31.6% (male 5,343,976/female 5,145,019) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 10,505,018/female 10,580,599) 65 years and over: 5% (male 725,116/female 941,531) (2006 est.) Mozambique 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 4,229,802/female 4,177,235) 15-64 years: 54.5% (male 5,207,149/female 5,519,291) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 230,616/female 322,412) (2006 est.) Namibia 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 393,878/female 387,147) 15-64 years: 58.1% (male 596,557/female 591,350) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 34,245/female 40,970) (2006 est.) Nauru 0-14 years: 36.9% (male 2,507/female 2,391) 15-64 years: 61.2% (male 4,004/female 4,123) 65 years and over: 2% (male 139/female 123) (2006 est.) Nepal 0-14 years: 38.7% (male 5,648,959/female 5,291,447) 15-64 years: 57.6% (male 8,365,526/female 7,925,941) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 513,777/female 541,497) (2006 est.) Netherlands 0-14 years: 18% (male 1,515,123/female 1,445,390) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,656,448/female 5,525,481) 65 years and over: 14.2% (male 994,723/female 1,354,296) (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 27,197/female 25,886) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 71,622/female 77,710) 65 years and over: 8.7% (male 7,925/female 11,396) (2006 est.) New Caledonia 0-14 years: 28.4% (male 31,818/female 30,503) 15-64 years: 64.9% (male 71,565/female 70,815) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 6,773/female 7,772) (2006 est.) New Zealand 0-14 years: 21.1% (male 439,752/female 419,174) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,374,850/female 1,361,570) 65 years and over: 11.8% (male 210,365/female 270,429) (2006 est.) Nicaragua 0-14 years: 36.4% (male 1,031,897/female 994,633) 15-64 years: 60.5% (male 1,677,633/female 1,691,353) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 76,758/female 97,855) (2006 est.) Niger 0-14 years: 46.9% (male 2,994,022/female 2,882,273) 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 3,262,114/female 3,083,522) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 150,982/female 152,181) (2006 est.) Nigeria 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 28,089,017/female 27,665,212) 15-64 years: 54.6% (male 36,644,885/female 35,405,915) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 1,930,007/female 2,124,695) (2006 est.) Niue 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Norfolk Island 0-14 years: 20.2% 15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2006 est.) Northern Mariana Islands 0-14 years: 19.4% (male 8,350/female 7,623) 15-64 years: 79% (male 26,715/female 38,442) 65 years and over: 1.6% (male 679/female 650) (2006 est.) Norway 0-14 years: 19.3% (male 455,122/female 434,009) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,542,439/female 1,496,745) 65 years and over: 14.8% (male 288,509/female 393,996) (2006 est.) Oman 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 675,423/female 648,963) 15-64 years: 54.7% (male 1,001,917/female 695,578) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 44,300/female 36,048) (2006 est.) Pakistan 0-14 years: 39% (male 33,293,428/female 31,434,314) 15-64 years: 56.9% (male 48,214,298/female 46,062,933) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 3,256,065/female 3,542,522) (2006 est.) Palau 0-14 years: 26.3% (male 2,789/female 2,622) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 7,664/female 6,549) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 453/female 502) (2006 est.) Panama 0-14 years: 30.3% (male 492,403/female 472,996) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,025,898/female 998,926) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 94,122/female 106,974) (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea 0-14 years: 37.8% (male 1,090,879/female 1,054,743) 15-64 years: 58.3% (male 1,703,204/female 1,601,224) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 103,054/female 117,440) (2006 est.) Paraguay 0-14 years: 37.7% (male 1,245,149/female 1,204,970) 15-64 years: 57.5% (male 1,878,761/female 1,862,266) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 145,899/female 169,419) (2006 est.) Peru 0-14 years: 30.9% (male 4,456,195/female 4,300,233) 15-64 years: 63.7% (male 9,078,123/female 8,961,981) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 709,763/female 796,308) (2006 est.) Philippines 0-14 years: 35% (male 15,961,365/female 15,340,065) 15-64 years: 61% (male 27,173,919/female 27,362,736) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,576,089/female 2,054,503) (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Poland 0-14 years: 15.9% (male 3,142,811/female 2,976,363) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 13,585,306/female 13,704,763) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,961,326/female 3,166,300) (2006 est.) Portugal 0-14 years: 16.5% (male 915,604/female 839,004) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,484,545/female 3,544,674) 65 years and over: 17.2% (male 751,899/female 1,070,144) (2006 est.) Puerto Rico 0-14 years: 21.3% (male 428,610/female 409,484) 15-64 years: 65.8% (male 1,239,255/female 1,345,519) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 218,045/female 286,275) (2006 est.) Qatar 0-14 years: 23.4% (male 105,546/female 101,371) 15-64 years: 73% (male 446,779/female 199,133) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 24,059/female 8,471) (2006 est.) Reunion 0-14 years: 29.8% (male 120,147/female 114,589) 15-64 years: 64% (male 248,895/female 255,156) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 19,847/female 28,950) (2006 est.) Romania 0-14 years: 15.7% (male 1,799,072/female 1,708,030) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 7,724,368/female 7,797,065) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 1,347,392/female 1,927,625) (2006 est.) Russia 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 10,441,151/female 9,921,102) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 49,271,698/female 52,679,463) 65 years and over: 14.4% (male 6,500,814/female 14,079,312) (2006 est.) Rwanda 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,817,998/female 1,802,134) 15-64 years: 55.6% (male 2,392,778/female 2,417,467) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 87,325/female 130,546) (2006 est.) Saint Helena 0-14 years: 18.8% (male 717/female 692) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 2,751/female 2,593) 65 years and over: 10% (male 342/female 407) (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0-14 years: 27.5% (male 5,515/female 5,263) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 12,605/female 12,572) 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 1,313/female 1,861) (2006 est.) Saint Lucia 0-14 years: 29.8% (male 25,941/female 24,319) 15-64 years: 65% (male 53,916/female 55,582) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 3,186/female 5,514) (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0-14 years: 23.5% (male 843/female 807) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,342/female 2,272) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 348/female 414) (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0-14 years: 26.7% (male 16,007/female 15,426) 15-64 years: 66.9% (male 40,676/female 38,155) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,315/female 4,269) (2006 est.) Samoa 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 23,492/female 22,653) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 74,202/female 44,894) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 5,299/female 6,368) (2006 est.) San Marino 0-14 years: 16.8% (male 2,534/female 2,372) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 9,316/female 10,055) 65 years and over: 17% (male 2,149/female 2,825) (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 0-14 years: 47.5% (male 46,478/female 45,302) 15-64 years: 48.8% (male 45,631/female 48,661) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 3,368/female 3,973) (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,261,530/female 5,059,041) 15-64 years: 59.4% (male 9,159,519/female 6,895,616) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 342,020/female 302,005) (2006 est.) Senegal 0-14 years: 40.8% (male 2,467,021/female 2,422,385) 15-64 years: 56.1% (male 3,346,756/female 3,378,518) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 174,399/female 198,042) (2006 est.) Seychelles 0-14 years: 25.9% (male 10,667/female 10,440) 15-64 years: 68% (male 27,060/female 28,366) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 1,607/female 3,401) (2006 est.) Sierra Leone 0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,321,563/female 1,370,721) 15-64 years: 52% (male 1,494,502/female 1,625,733) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 90,958/female 101,773) (2006 est.) Singapore 0-14 years: 15.6% (male 362,329/female 337,964) 15-64 years: 76.1% (male 1,666,709/female 1,750,736) 65 years and over: 8.3% (male 165,823/female 208,589) (2006 est.) Slovakia 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 465,304/female 443,967) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 1,929,448/female 1,947,735) 65 years and over: 12% (male 244,609/female 408,385) (2006 est.) Slovenia 0-14 years: 13.8% (male 143,079/female 135,050) 15-64 years: 70.5% (male 714,393/female 702,950) 65 years and over: 15.7% (male 121,280/female 193,595) (2006 est.) Solomon Islands 0-14 years: 41.3% (male 116,370/female 111,834) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 154,793/female 151,308) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 8,696/female 9,437) (2006 est.) Somalia 0-14 years: 44.4% (male 1,973,294/female 1,961,083) 15-64 years: 53% (male 2,355,861/female 2,342,988) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 97,307/female 132,805) (2006 est.) South Africa 0-14 years: 29.7% (male 6,603,220/female 6,525,810) 15-64 years: 65% (male 13,955,950/female 14,766,843) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 905,870/female 1,429,944) (2006 est.) Spain 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 3,000,686/female 2,821,325) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 13,751,963/female 13,653,426) 65 years and over: 17.7% (male 2,993,496/female 4,176,946) (2006 est.) Sri Lanka 0-14 years: 24.1% (male 2,488,689/female 2,379,233) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 6,727,399/female 7,140,751) 65 years and over: 7.3% (male 687,842/female 798,326) (2006 est.) Sudan 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 8,993,483/female 8,614,022) 15-64 years: 54.9% (male 11,327,679/female 11,297,798) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 536,754/female 466,642) (2006 est.) Suriname 0-14 years: 29% (male 65,412/female 62,069) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 145,913/female 138,076) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 12,223/female 15,424) (2006 est.) Svalbard 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) Swaziland 0-14 years: 40.7% (male 233,169/female 229,103) 15-64 years: 55.8% (male 303,260/female 330,460) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 16,071/female 24,271) (2006 est.) Sweden 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 775,433/female 732,773) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 3,001,928/female 2,918,242) 65 years and over: 17.6% (male 689,756/female 898,464) (2006 est.) Switzerland 0-14 years: 16.3% (male 637,585/female 591,297) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 2,585,062/female 2,539,345) 65 years and over: 15.6% (male 480,198/female 690,447) (2006 est.) Syria 0-14 years: 37% (male 3,592,915/female 3,384,722) 15-64 years: 59.7% (male 5,779,257/female 5,500,887) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 296,070/female 327,510) (2006 est.) Taiwan 0-14 years: 19.4% (male 2,330,951/female 2,140,965) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,269,421/female 8,040,169) 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 1,123,429/female 1,131,152) (2006 est.) Tajikistan 0-14 years: 37.9% (male 1,396,349/female 1,375,168) 15-64 years: 57.4% (male 2,091,476/female 2,108,889) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 154,162/female 194,771) (2006 est.) Tanzania 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,204,593/female 8,176,489) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 9,906,446/female 10,178,066) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 422,674/female 557,124) (2006 est.) Thailand 0-14 years: 22% (male 7,284,068/female 6,958,632) 15-64 years: 70% (male 22,331,312/female 22,880,588) 65 years and over: 8% (male 2,355,190/female 2,821,805) (2006 est.) Togo 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 1,177,141/female 1,169,321) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 1,485,621/female 1,570,117) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 59,870/female 86,632) (2006 est.) Tokelau 0-14 years: 42% 15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% (2006 est.) Tonga 0-14 years: 35.3% (male 20,679/female 19,843) 15-64 years: 60.5% (male 34,399/female 34,964) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,059/female 2,745) (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 109,936/female 104,076) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 398,657/female 361,093) 65 years and over: 8.6% (male 41,162/female 50,918) (2006 est.) Tunisia 0-14 years: 24.6% (male 1,293,235/female 1,212,994) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 3,504,283/female 3,478,268) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 327,521/female 358,713) (2006 est.) Turkey 0-14 years: 25.5% (male 9,133,226/female 8,800,070) 15-64 years: 67.7% (male 24,218,277/female 23,456,761) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 2,198,073/female 2,607,551) (2006 est.) Turkmenistan 0-14 years: 35.2% (male 913,988/female 863,503) 15-64 years: 60.7% (male 1,501,486/female 1,557,155) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 79,227/female 127,561) (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 0-14 years: 31.9% (male 3,432/female 3,312) 15-64 years: 64.4% (male 7,155/female 6,457) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 362/female 434) (2006 est.) Tuvalu 0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,819/female 1,752) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 3,715/female 3,923) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 228/female 373) (2006 est.) Uganda 0-14 years: 50% (male 7,091,763/female 6,996,385) 15-64 years: 47.8% (male 6,762,071/female 6,727,230) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 266,931/female 351,374) (2006 est.) Ukraine 0-14 years: 14.1% (male 3,377,868/female 3,203,738) 15-64 years: 69.3% (male 15,559,998/female 16,831,486) 65 years and over: 16.6% (male 2,635,651/female 5,102,075) (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates 0-14 years: 24.9% (male 331,012/female 317,643) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 1,125,286/female 726,689) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 74,700/female 27,383) note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.) United Kingdom 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 5,417,663/female 5,161,714) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 20,476,571/female 19,988,959) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 4,087,020/female 5,477,226) (2006 est.) United States 0-14 years: 20.4% (male 31,095,847/female 29,715,872) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 100,022,845/female 100,413,484) 65 years and over: 12.5% (male 15,542,288/female 21,653,879) (2006 est.) Uruguay 0-14 years: 22.9% (male 399,409/female 386,136) 15-64 years: 63.9% (male 1,087,180/female 1,104,465) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 185,251/female 269,491) (2006 est.) Uzbekistan 0-14 years: 32.9% (male 4,572,721/female 4,403,405) 15-64 years: 62.3% (male 8,420,174/female 8,594,478) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 539,336/female 777,020) (2006 est.) Vanuatu 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 34,804/female 33,331) 15-64 years: 63.7% (male 67,919/female 65,138) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 4,027/female 3,650) (2006 est.) Venezuela 0-14 years: 29.1% (male 3,860,116/female 3,620,440) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 8,494,944/female 8,410,874) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 609,101/female 734,960) (2006 est.) Vietnam 0-14 years: 27% (male 11,826,457/female 10,983,069) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 28,055,941/female 28,614,553) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,924,562/female 2,998,384) (2006 est.) Virgin Islands 0-14 years: 22.4% (male 12,261/female 12,056) 15-64 years: 66.4% (male 34,174/female 37,949) 65 years and over: 11.2% (male 5,385/female 6,780) (2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) West Bank 0-14 years: 42.9% (male 541,110/female 515,202) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 676,427/female 644,347) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 35,440/female 47,966) (2006 est.) Western Sahara 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) World 0-14 years: 27.4% (male 919,219,446/female 870,242,271) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 2,152,066,888/female 2,100,334,722) 65 years and over: 7.4% (male 213,160,216/female 270,146,721) note: some countries do not maintain age structure information, thus a slight discrepancy exists between the total world population and the total for world age structure (2006 est.) Yemen 0-14 years: 46.4% (male 5,067,762/female 4,881,333) 15-64 years: 51% (male 5,568,078/female 5,375,263) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 275,878/female 287,874) (2006 est.) Zambia 0-14 years: 46.3% (male 2,673,891/female 2,656,268) 15-64 years: 51.3% (male 2,925,910/female 2,969,324) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 117,877/female 158,740) (2006 est.) Zimbabwe 0-14 years: 37.4% (male 2,307,170/female 2,265,298) 15-64 years: 59.1% (male 3,616,528/female 3,621,190) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 199,468/female 227,151) (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2011 Geographic coordinates Afghanistan 33 00 N, 65 00 E Akrotiri 34 37 N, 32 58 E Albania 41 00 N, 20 00 E Algeria 28 00 N, 3 00 E American Samoa 14 20 S, 170 00 W Andorra 42 30 N, 1 30 E Angola 12 30 S, 18 30 E Anguilla 18 15 N, 63 10 W Antarctica 90 00 S, 0 00 E Antigua and Barbuda 17 03 N, 61 48 W Arctic Ocean 90 00 N, 0 00 E Argentina 34 00 S, 64 00 W Armenia 40 00 N, 45 00 E Aruba 12 30 N, 69 58 W Ashmore and Cartier Islands 12 14 S, 123 05 E Atlantic Ocean 0 00 N, 25 00 W Australia 27 00 S, 133 00 E Austria 47 20 N, 13 20 E Azerbaijan 40 30 N, 47 30 E Bahamas, The 24 15 N, 76 00 W Bahrain 26 00 N, 50 33 E Baker Island 0 13 N, 176 28 W Bangladesh 24 00 N, 90 00 E Barbados 13 10 N, 59 32 W Bassas da India 21 30 S, 39 50 E Belarus 53 00 N, 28 00 E Belgium 50 50 N, 4 00 E Belize 17 15 N, 88 45 W Benin 9 30 N, 2 15 E Bermuda 32 20 N, 64 45 W Bhutan 27 30 N, 90 30 E Bolivia 17 00 S, 65 00 W Bosnia and Herzegovina 44 00 N, 18 00 E Botswana 22 00 S, 24 00 E Bouvet Island 54 26 S, 3 24 E Brazil 10 00 S, 55 00 W British Indian Ocean Territory 6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E British Virgin Islands 18 30 N, 64 30 W Brunei 4 30 N, 114 40 E Bulgaria 43 00 N, 25 00 E Burkina Faso 13 00 N, 2 00 W Burma 22 00 N, 98 00 E Burundi 3 30 S, 30 00 E Cambodia 13 00 N, 105 00 E Cameroon 6 00 N, 12 00 E Canada 60 00 N, 95 00 W Cape Verde 16 00 N, 24 00 W Cayman Islands 19 30 N, 80 30 W Central African Republic 7 00 N, 21 00 E Chad 15 00 N, 19 00 E Chile 30 00 S, 71 00 W China 35 00 N, 105 00 E Christmas Island 10 30 S, 105 40 E Clipperton Island 10 17 N, 109 13 W Cocos (Keeling) Islands 12 30 S, 96 50 E Colombia 4 00 N, 72 00 W Comoros 12 10 S, 44 15 E Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 00 N, 25 00 E Congo, Republic of the 1 00 S, 15 00 E Cook Islands 21 14 S, 159 46 W Coral Sea Islands 18 00 S, 152 00 E Costa Rica 10 00 N, 84 00 W Cote d'Ivoire 8 00 N, 5 00 W Croatia 45 10 N, 15 30 E Cuba 21 30 N, 80 00 W Cyprus 35 00 N, 33 00 E Czech Republic 49 45 N, 15 30 E Denmark 56 00 N, 10 00 E Dhekelia 34 59 N, 33 45 E Djibouti 11 30 N, 43 00 E Dominica 15 25 N, 61 20 W Dominican Republic 19 00 N, 70 40 W East Timor 8 50 S, 125 55 E Ecuador 2 00 S, 77 30 W Egypt 27 00 N, 30 00 E El Salvador 13 50 N, 88 55 W Equatorial Guinea 2 00 N, 10 00 E Eritrea 15 00 N, 39 00 E Estonia 59 00 N, 26 00 E Ethiopia 8 00 N, 38 00 E Europa Island 22 20 S, 40 22 E Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 51 45 S, 59 00 W Faroe Islands 62 00 N, 7 00 W Fiji 18 00 S, 175 00 E Finland 64 00 N, 26 00 E France 46 00 N, 2 00 E French Guiana 4 00 N, 53 00 W French Polynesia 15 00 S, 140 00 W French Southern and Antarctic Lands 43 00 S, 67 00 E Gabon 1 00 S, 11 45 E Gambia, The 13 28 N, 16 34 W Gaza Strip 31 25 N, 34 20 E Georgia 42 00 N, 43 30 E Germany 51 00 N, 9 00 E Ghana 8 00 N, 2 00 W Gibraltar 36 8 N, 5 21 W Glorioso Islands 11 30 S, 47 20 E Greece 39 00 N, 22 00 E Greenland 72 00 N, 40 00 W Grenada 12 07 N, 61 40 W Guadeloupe 16 15 N, 61 35 W Guam 13 28 N, 144 47 E Guatemala 15 30 N, 90 15 W Guernsey 49 28 N, 2 35 W Guinea 11 00 N, 10 00 W Guinea-Bissau 12 00 N, 15 00 W Guyana 5 00 N, 59 00 W Haiti 19 00 N, 72 25 W Heard Island and McDonald Islands 53 06 S, 72 31 E Holy See (Vatican City) 41 54 N, 12 27 E Honduras 15 00 N, 86 30 W Hong Kong 22 15 N, 114 10 E Howland Island 0 48 N, 176 38 W Hungary 47 00 N, 20 00 E Iceland 65 00 N, 18 00 W Iles Eparses Bassas da India: 21 30 S, 39 50 E Europa Island: 22 20 S, 40 22 E Glorioso Islands: 11 30 S, 47 20 E Juan de Nova Island: 17 03 S, 42 45 E Tromelin Island: 15 52 S, 54 25 E India 20 00 N, 77 00 E Indian Ocean 20 00 S, 80 00 E Indonesia 5 00 S, 120 00 E Iran 32 00 N, 53 00 E Iraq 33 00 N, 44 00 E Ireland 53 00 N, 8 00 W Isle of Man 54 15 N, 4 30 W Israel 31 30 N, 34 45 E Italy 42 50 N, 12 50 E Jamaica 18 15 N, 77 30 W Jan Mayen 71 00 N, 8 00 W Japan 36 00 N, 138 00 E Jarvis Island 0 22 S, 160 01 W Jersey 49 15 N, 2 10 W Johnston Atoll 16 45 N, 169 31 W Jordan 31 00 N, 36 00 E Juan de Nova Island 17 03 S, 42 45 E Kazakhstan 48 00 N, 68 00 E Kenya 1 00 N, 38 00 E Kingman Reef 6 24 N, 162 22 W Kiribati 1 25 N, 173 00 E Korea, North 40 00 N, 127 00 E Korea, South 37 00 N, 127 30 E Kuwait 29 30 N, 45 45 E Kyrgyzstan 41 00 N, 75 00 E Laos 18 00 N, 105 00 E Latvia 57 00 N, 25 00 E Lebanon 33 50 N, 35 50 E Lesotho 29 30 S, 28 30 E Liberia 6 30 N, 9 30 W Libya 25 00 N, 17 00 E Liechtenstein 47 16 N, 9 32 E Lithuania 56 00 N, 24 00 E Luxembourg 49 45 N, 6 10 E Macau 22 10 N, 113 33 E Macedonia 41 50 N, 22 00 E Madagascar 20 00 S, 47 00 E Malawi 13 30 S, 34 00 E Malaysia 2 30 N, 112 30 E Maldives 3 15 N, 73 00 E Mali 17 00 N, 4 00 W Malta 35 50 N, 14 35 E Marshall Islands 9 00 N, 168 00 E Martinique 14 40 N, 61 00 W Mauritania 20 00 N, 12 00 W Mauritius 20 17 S, 57 33 E Mayotte 12 50 S, 45 10 E Mexico 23 00 N, 102 00 W Micronesia, Federated States of 6 55 N, 158 15 E Midway Islands 28 12 N, 177 22 W Moldova 47 00 N, 29 00 E Monaco 43 44 N, 7 24 E Mongolia 46 00 N, 105 00 E Montenegro 42 30 N, 19 18 E Montserrat 16 45 N, 62 12 W Morocco 32 00 N, 5 00 W Mozambique 18 15 S, 35 00 E Namibia 22 00 S, 17 00 E Nauru 0 32 S, 166 55 E Navassa Island 18 25 N, 75 02 W Nepal 28 00 N, 84 00 E Netherlands 52 30 N, 5 45 E Netherlands Antilles 12 15 N, 68 45 W New Caledonia 21 30 S, 165 30 E New Zealand 41 00 S, 174 00 E Nicaragua 13 00 N, 85 00 W Niger 16 00 N, 8 00 E Nigeria 10 00 N, 8 00 E Niue 19 02 S, 169 52 W Norfolk Island 29 02 S, 167 57 E Northern Mariana Islands 15 12 N, 145 45 E Norway 62 00 N, 10 00 E Oman 21 00 N, 57 00 E Pacific Ocean 0 00 N, 160 00 W Pakistan 30 00 N, 70 00 E Palau 7 30 N, 134 30 E Palmyra Atoll 5 52 N, 162 04 W Panama 9 00 N, 80 00 W Papua New Guinea 6 00 S, 147 00 E Paracel Islands 16 30 N, 112 00 E Paraguay 23 00 S, 58 00 W Peru 10 00 S, 76 00 W Philippines 13 00 N, 122 00 E Pitcairn Islands 25 04 S, 130 06 W Poland 52 00 N, 20 00 E Portugal 39 30 N, 8 00 W Puerto Rico 18 15 N, 66 30 W Qatar 25 30 N, 51 15 E Reunion 21 06 S, 55 36 E Romania 46 00 N, 25 00 E Russia 60 00 N, 100 00 E Rwanda 2 00 S, 30 00 E Saint Helena Saint Helena: 15 57 S 5 42 W Ascension Island: 7 57 S 14 22 W Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S 12 30 W Saint Kitts and Nevis 17 20 N, 62 45 W Saint Lucia 13 53 N, 60 58 W Saint Pierre and Miquelon 46 50 N, 56 20 W Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13 15 N, 61 12 W Samoa 13 35 S, 172 20 W San Marino 43 46 N, 12 25 E Sao Tome and Principe 1 00 N, 7 00 E Saudi Arabia 25 00 N, 45 00 E Senegal 14 00 N, 14 00 W Serbia 44 00 N, 21 00 E Seychelles 4 35 S, 55 40 E Sierra Leone 8 30 N, 11 30 W Singapore 1 22 N, 103 48 E Slovakia 48 40 N, 19 30 E Slovenia 46 07 N, 14 49 E Solomon Islands 8 00 S, 159 00 E Somalia 10 00 N, 49 00 E South Africa 29 00 S, 24 00 E South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 54 30 S, 37 00 W Southern Ocean 60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude Spain 40 00 N, 4 00 W Spratly Islands 8 38 N, 111 55 E Sri Lanka 7 00 N, 81 00 E Sudan 15 00 N, 30 00 E Suriname 4 00 N, 56 00 W Svalbard 78 00 N, 20 00 E Swaziland 26 30 S, 31 30 E Sweden 62 00 N, 15 00 E Switzerland 47 00 N, 8 00 E Syria 35 00 N, 38 00 E Taiwan 23 30 N, 121 00 E Tajikistan 39 00 N, 71 00 E Tanzania 6 00 S, 35 00 E Thailand 15 00 N, 100 00 E Togo 8 00 N, 1 10 E Tokelau 9 00 S, 172 00 W Tonga 20 00 S, 175 00 W Trinidad and Tobago 11 00 N, 61 00 W Tromelin Island 15 52 S, 54 25 E Tunisia 34 00 N, 9 00 E Turkey 39 00 N, 35 00 E Turkmenistan 40 00 N, 60 00 E Turks and Caicos Islands 21 45 N, 71 35 W Tuvalu 8 00 S, 178 00 E Uganda 1 00 N, 32 00 E Ukraine 49 00 N, 32 00 E United Arab Emirates 24 00 N, 54 00 E United Kingdom 54 00 N, 2 00 W United States 38 00 N, 97 00 W United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker Island: 0 13 N, 176 28 W Howland Island: 0 48 N, 176 38 W Jarvis Island: 0 23 S, 160 01 W Johnston Atoll: 16 45 N, 169 31 W Kingman Reef: 6 23 N, 162 25 W Midway Islands: 28 12 N, 177 22 W Palmyra Atoll: 5 53 N, 162 05 W Uruguay 33 00 S, 56 00 W Uzbekistan 41 00 N, 64 00 E Vanuatu 16 00 S, 167 00 E Venezuela 8 00 N, 66 00 W Vietnam 16 00 N, 106 00 E Virgin Islands 18 20 N, 64 50 W Wake Island 19 17 N, 166 39 E Wallis and Futuna 13 18 S, 176 12 W West Bank 32 00 N, 35 15 E Western Sahara 24 30 N, 13 00 W Yemen 15 00 N, 48 00 E Zambia 15 00 S, 30 00 E Zimbabwe 20 00 S, 30 00 E This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2012 GDP - composition by sector (%) Afghanistan agriculture: 38% industry: 24% services: 38% note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.) Albania agriculture: 23.2% industry: 18.8% services: 57.9% (2005 est.) Algeria agriculture: 10.1% industry: 60% services: 29.8% (2005 est.) American Samoa agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Andorra agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Angola agriculture: 9.6% industry: 65.8% services: 24.6% (2005 est.) Anguilla agriculture: 4% industry: 18% services: 78% (2002 est.) Antigua and Barbuda agriculture: 3.8% industry: 22% services: 74.3% (2002) Argentina agriculture: 9.5% industry: 35.8% services: 54.7% (2004 est.) Armenia agriculture: 23.9% industry: 34.3% services: 41.8% (2005 est.) Aruba agriculture: 0.4% NA% industry: 33.3% NA% services: 66.3% NA% Australia agriculture: 3.8% industry: 26.2% services: 70% (2004 est.) Austria agriculture: 1.8% industry: 30.4% services: 67.8% (2004 est.) Azerbaijan agriculture: 14.1% industry: 45.7% services: 40.2% (2002 est.) Bahamas, The agriculture: 3% industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.) Bahrain agriculture: 0.5% industry: 38.7% services: 60.8% (2005 est.) Bangladesh agriculture: 19.9% industry: 19.8% services: 60.3% (2004 est.) Barbados agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.) Belarus agriculture: 9.3% industry: 31.6% services: 59.1% (2005 est.) Belgium agriculture: 1% industry: 24% services: 74.9% (2004 est.) Belize agriculture: 14.2% industry: 15.2% services: 61.2% (2004 est.) Benin agriculture: 31.6% industry: 13.8% services: 54.6% (2004 est.) Bermuda agriculture: 1% industry: 10% services: 89% (2002 est.) Bhutan agriculture: 25.8% industry: 37.9% services: 36.3% (2002 est.) Bolivia agriculture: 12.8% industry: 35.2% services: 52% (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina agriculture: 14.2% industry: 30.8% services: 55% (2002) Botswana agriculture: 2.4% industry: 46.9% (including 36% mining) services: 50.7% (2003 est.) Brazil agriculture: 8.4% industry: 40% services: 51.6% (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) Brunei agriculture: 3.6% industry: 56.1% services: 40.3% (2004 est.) Bulgaria agriculture: 9.3% industry: 30.4% services: 60.3% (2005 est.) Burkina Faso agriculture: 32.2% industry: 19.6% services: 48.2% (2004 est.) Burma agriculture: 56.4% industry: 8.2% services: 35.3% (2005 est.) Burundi agriculture: 46.3% industry: 20.3% services: 33.4% (2005 est.) Cambodia agriculture: 35% industry: 30% services: 35% (2004) Cameroon agriculture: 44.8% industry: 17% services: 38.2% (2005 est.) Canada agriculture: 2.2% industry: 29.4% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) Cape Verde agriculture: 12.1% industry: 21.9% services: 66% (2004 est.) Cayman Islands agriculture: 1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.) Central African Republic agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.) Chad agriculture: 33.5% industry: 25.9% services: 40.6% (2005 est.) Chile agriculture: 6% industry: 49.3% services: 44.7% (2005 est.) China agriculture: 12.5% industry: 47.3% services: 40.3% note: industry includes construction (2005 est.) Colombia agriculture: 12.5% industry: 34.2% services: 53.3% (2005 est.) Comoros agriculture: 40% industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the agriculture: 55% industry: 11% services: 34% (2000 est.) Congo, Republic of the agriculture: 6.2% industry: 57% services: 36.9% (2005 est.) Cook Islands agriculture: 15.1% industry: 9.6% services: 75.3% (2000 est.) Costa Rica agriculture: 8.8% industry: 29.9% services: 61.4% (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire agriculture: 27.9% industry: 17.1% services: 55% (2005 est.) Croatia agriculture: 7% industry: 30.8% services: 62.2% (2005 est.) Cuba agriculture: 5.5% industry: 26.1% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: agriculture 3.7%; industry 19.8%; services 76.5% (2005 est.) north Cyprus: agriculture 10.6%; industry 20.5%; services 68.9% (2003 est.) Czech Republic agriculture: 3.4% industry: 39.3% services: 57.3% (2004 est.) Denmark agriculture: 1.8% industry: 24.6% services: 73.5% (2005 est.) Djibouti agriculture: 17.9% industry: 22.5% services: 59.6% (2001 est.) Dominica agriculture: 17.7% industry: 32.8% services: 49.5% (2002 est.) Dominican Republic agriculture: 11.2% industry: 30.6% services: 58.2% (2003) East Timor agriculture: 8.5% industry: 23.1% services: 68.4% (2001) Ecuador agriculture: 7% industry: 31.2% services: 61.8% (2005 est.) Egypt agriculture: 14.9% industry: 35.7% services: 49.3% (2005 est.) El Salvador agriculture: 9.9% industry: 30.2% services: 59.9% (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea agriculture: 3% industry: 90.6% services: 6.2% (2005 est.) Eritrea agriculture: 10.2% industry: 25.4% services: 64.3% (2005 est.) Estonia agriculture: 4% industry: 29.4% services: 66.6% (2005 est.) Ethiopia agriculture: 47.5% industry: 9.9% services: 42.6% (2005 est.) European Union agriculture: 2.2% industry: 27.3% services: 70.5% (2004 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) agriculture: 95% industry: NA% services: NA% Faroe Islands agriculture: 27% industry: 11% services: 62% (1999) Fiji agriculture: 8.9% industry: 13.5% services: 77.6% (2001 est.) Finland agriculture: 2.8% industry: 29.5% services: 67.6% (2005 est.) France agriculture: 2.2% industry: 21.4% services: 76.4% (2005 est.) French Guiana agriculture: NA% 6.6% industry: NA% 15.6% services: NA% 77.8% French Polynesia agriculture: 3.1% industry: 19% services: 76.9% (2002) Gabon agriculture: 6.1% industry: 59.2% services: 34.8% (2005 est.) Gambia, The agriculture: 30.8% industry: 14.2% services: 54.9% (2005 est.) Gaza Strip agriculture: 3% industry: 28.3% services: 68.7% (includes West Bank) (2002 est.) Georgia agriculture: 17.2% industry: 27.5% services: 55.3% (2005 est.) Germany agriculture: 0.9% industry: 29.6% services: 69.5% (2005 est.) Ghana agriculture: 36.6% industry: 24.6% services: 38.7% (2005 est.) Gibraltar agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Greece agriculture: 5.4% industry: 21.3% services: 73.3% (2005 est.) Greenland agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Grenada agriculture: 5.4% industry: 18% services: 76.6% (2000) Guadeloupe agriculture: 15% industry: 17% services: 68% (2002 est.) Guam agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA Guatemala agriculture: 22.7% industry: 18.8% services: 58.5% (2005 est.) Guernsey agriculture: 3% industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) Guinea agriculture: 23.7% industry: 36.2% services: 40.1% (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau agriculture: 62% industry: 12% services: 26% (1999 est.) Guyana agriculture: 37% industry: 20.3% services: 42.7% (2005 est.) Haiti agriculture: 28% industry: 20% services: 52% (2004 est.) Honduras agriculture: 13.9% industry: 31.2% services: 54.9% (2005 est.) Hong Kong agriculture: 0.1% industry: 9.2% services: 90.6% (2005 est.) Hungary agriculture: 3.7% industry: 31.2% services: 65.1% (2005 est.) Iceland agriculture: 8.6% industry: 15% services: 76.5% (2005 est.) India agriculture: 18.6% industry: 27.6% services: 53.8% (2005 est.) Indonesia agriculture: 13.4% industry: 45.8% services: 40.8% (2005 est.) Iran agriculture: 11.6% industry: 42.4% services: 46% (2005 est.) Iraq agriculture: 7.3% industry: 66.6% services: 26.1% (2004 est.) Ireland agriculture: 5% industry: 46% services: 49% (2002 est.) Isle of Man agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.) Israel agriculture: 2.6% industry: 31.7% services: 65.7% (2003 est.) Italy agriculture: 2.1% industry: 29.1% services: 68.8% (2005 est.) Jamaica agriculture: 4.9% industry: 33.7% services: 61.5% (2005 est.) Japan agriculture: 1.7% industry: 25.8% services: 72.5% (2005 est.) Jersey agriculture: 5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) Jordan agriculture: 3.3% industry: 28.7% services: 68% (2005 est.) Kazakhstan agriculture: 6.7% industry: 38.6% services: 54.7% (2005 est.) Kenya agriculture: 16.3% industry: 18.8% services: 65.1% (2004 est.) Kiribati agriculture: 8.9% industry: 24.2% services: 66.8% (1998 est.) Korea, North agriculture: 30% industry: 34% services: 36% (2002 est.) Korea, South agriculture: 3.3% industry: 40.3% services: 56.3% (2005 est.) Kuwait agriculture: 0.4% industry: 47.9% services: 51.6% (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan agriculture: 35.3% industry: 20.8% services: 43.9% (2005 est.) Laos agriculture: 45.5% industry: 28.7% services: 25.8% (2005 est.) Latvia agriculture: 4% industry: 26.1% services: 69.9% (2005 est.) Lebanon agriculture: 12% industry: 21% services: 67% (2000) Lesotho agriculture: 16.3% industry: 44.3% services: 39.4% (2005 est.) Liberia agriculture: 76.9% industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.) Libya agriculture: 7.6% industry: 49.9% services: 42.5% (2005 est.) Liechtenstein agriculture: 6% NA% industry: 39% services: 55% NA% (1999) Lithuania agriculture: 5.5% industry: 32.5% services: 62% (2005 est.) Luxembourg agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2005 est.) Macau agriculture: 0.1% industry: 7.2% services: 92.7% (2002 est.) Macedonia agriculture: 11.8% industry: 31.9% services: 56.3% (2005 est.) Madagascar agriculture: 27.6% industry: 16.5% services: 55.9% (2005 est.) Malawi agriculture: 34.2% industry: 15.8% services: 49.9% (2005 est.) Malaysia agriculture: 8.4% industry: 48% services: 43.6% (2005 est.) Maldives agriculture: 20% industry: 18% services: 62% (2000 est.) Mali agriculture: 45% industry: 17% services: 38% (2001 est.) Malta agriculture: 3% industry: 23% services: 74% (2003 est.) Marshall Islands agriculture: 31.7% industry: 14.9% services: 53.4% (2000 est.) Martinique agriculture: 6% industry: 11% services: 83% (1997 est.) Mauritania agriculture: 25% industry: 29% services: 46% (2001 est.) Mauritius agriculture: 5.9% industry: 29.8% services: 64.3% (2005 est.) Mayotte agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Mexico agriculture: 3.8% industry: 25.9% services: 70.2% (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of agriculture: 28.9% industry: 15.2% services: 55.9% (2000 est.) Moldova agriculture: 21.3% industry: 23.3% services: 55.5% (2005 est.) Monaco agriculture: 17% industry: NA% services: NA% Mongolia agriculture: 20.6% industry: 21.4% services: 58% (2003 est.) Montenegro agriculture: % NA industry: % NA services: % NA Montserrat agriculture: 5.4% industry: 13.6% services: 81% (1996 est.) Morocco agriculture: 21.7% industry: 35.7% services: 42.6% (2004 est.) Mozambique agriculture: 26.2% industry: 34.8% services: 39% (2005 est.) Namibia agriculture: 9.7% industry: 31.5% services: 58.8% (2005 est.) Nauru agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Nepal agriculture: 38% industry: 21% services: 41% (2005 est.) Netherlands agriculture: 2.1% industry: 24.4% services: 73.6% (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000 est.) New Caledonia agriculture: 15% industry: 8.8% services: 76.2% (1997 est.) New Zealand agriculture: 4.3% industry: 27.3% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) Nicaragua agriculture: 16.5% industry: 27.5% services: 56% (2005 est.) Niger agriculture: 39% industry: 17% services: 44% (2001) Nigeria agriculture: 26.9% industry: 48.7% services: 24.4% (2005 est.) Niue agriculture: 23.5% industry: 26.9% services: 49.5% (2003) Northern Mariana Islands agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Norway agriculture: 2.1% industry: 41.5% services: 56.4% (2005 est.) Oman agriculture: 2.7% industry: 39% services: 58.3% (2005 est.) Pakistan agriculture: 21.6% industry: 25.1% services: 53.3% (2005 est.) Palau agriculture: NA% 6.2% industry: NA% 12% services: NA% 81.8% Panama agriculture: 6.8% industry: 15.6% services: 77.6% (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea agriculture: 35.3% industry: 38.1% services: 26.6% (2005 est.) Paraguay agriculture: 22.4% industry: 20.7% services: 56.9% (2005 est.) Peru agriculture: 8% industry: 27% services: 65% (2003 est.) Philippines agriculture: 14.4% industry: 32.6% services: 53% (2005 est.) Poland agriculture: 5% industry: 31.1% services: 64% (2005 est.) Portugal agriculture: 5.3% industry: 27.4% services: 67.3% (2005 est.) Puerto Rico agriculture: 1% industry: 45% services: 54% (2002 est.) Qatar agriculture: 0.2% industry: 80.1% services: 19.7% (2005 est.) Reunion agriculture: 8% industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.) Romania agriculture: 10.1% industry: 35% services: 54.9% (2004 est.) Russia agriculture: 5.4% industry: 37.1% services: 57.5% (2005 est.) Rwanda agriculture: 40.1% industry: 22.9% services: 37% (2005 est.) Saint Helena agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Saint Kitts and Nevis agriculture: 3.5% industry: 25.8% services: 70.7% (2001) Saint Lucia agriculture: 7% industry: 20% services: 73% (2002 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Saint Vincent and the Grenadines agriculture: 10% industry: 26% services: 64% (2001 est.) Samoa agriculture: 11.4% industry: 58.4% services: 30.2% (2001 est.) San Marino agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Sao Tome and Principe agriculture: 16.7% industry: 14.8% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia agriculture: 3.3% industry: 61.3% services: 35.4% (2005 est.) Senegal agriculture: 17.2% industry: 20.9% services: 61.9% (2005 est.) Serbia agriculture: 16.6% industry: 25.5% services: 57.9% (2005 est.) Seychelles agriculture: 3.2% industry: 30.4% services: 66.5% (2005 est.) Sierra Leone agriculture: 49% industry: 31% services: 21% (2001 est.) Singapore agriculture: 0% industry: 33.9% services: 66.1% (2005 est.) Slovakia agriculture: 3.5% industry: 29.4% services: 67.2% (2005 est.) Slovenia agriculture: 2.8% industry: 36.9% services: 60.3% (2005 est.) Solomon Islands agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.) Somalia agriculture: 65% industry: 10% services: 25% (2000 est.) South Africa agriculture: 2.5% industry: 30.3% services: 67.1% (2005 est.) Spain agriculture: 4% industry: 29.5% services: 66.5% (2005 est.) Sri Lanka agriculture: 17.8% industry: 27.6% services: 54.5% (2005 est.) Sudan agriculture: 38.7% industry: 20.3% services: 41% (2003 est.) Suriname agriculture: 13% industry: 22% services: 65% (2001) Swaziland agriculture: 11.9% industry: 51.5% services: 36.6% (2005 est.) Sweden agriculture: 1.1% industry: 28.2% services: 70.7% (2005 est.) Switzerland agriculture: 1.5% industry: 34% services: 64.5% (2003 est.) Syria agriculture: 24.9% industry: 23% services: 51.9% (2004 est.) Taiwan agriculture: 1.8% industry: 25.9% services: 72.3% (2005 est.) Tajikistan agriculture: 23.4% industry: 28.6% services: 48% (2005 est.) Tanzania agriculture: 43.2% industry: 17.2% services: 39.6% (2004 est.) Thailand agriculture: 9.9% industry: 44.1% services: 46% (2005 est.) Togo agriculture: 39.5% industry: 20.4% services: 40.1% (2003 est.) Tokelau agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Tonga agriculture: 23% industry: 27% services: 50% (FY03/04 est.) Trinidad and Tobago agriculture: 0.7% industry: 57% services: 42.3% (2005 est.) Tunisia agriculture: 13.2% industry: 31.8% services: 55% (2005 est.) Turkey agriculture: 11.7% industry: 29.8% services: 58.5% (2005 est.) Turkmenistan agriculture: 20.9% industry: 38% services: 41.1% (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Tuvalu agriculture: 16.6% NA% industry: 27.2% NA% services: 56.2% NA% Uganda agriculture: 31.1% industry: 22.2% services: 46.9% (2004 est.) Ukraine agriculture: 18.7% industry: 45.2% services: 36.1% (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates agriculture: 4% industry: 58.5% services: 37.5% (2002 est.) United Kingdom agriculture: 0.5% industry: 23.7% services: 75.8% (2005 est.) United States agriculture: 1% industry: 20.4% services: 78.7% (2005 est.) Uruguay agriculture: 9.3% industry: 31.1% services: 59.6% (2005 est.) Uzbekistan agriculture: 34.2% industry: 22.9% services: 43% (2003 est.) Vanuatu agriculture: 26% industry: 12% services: 62% (2000 est.) Venezuela agriculture: 4% industry: 41.9% services: 54.1% (2005 est.) Vietnam agriculture: 20.9% industry: 41% services: 38.1% (2005 est.) Virgin Islands agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) Wallis and Futuna agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% West Bank agriculture: 9% industry: 28% services: 63% note: includes Gaza Strip (2002 est.) Western Sahara agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40% World agriculture: 4% industry: 32% services: 64% (2004 est.) Yemen agriculture: 13.5% industry: 47.2% services: 39.3% (2005 est.) Zambia agriculture: 22% industry: 29% services: 48.9% (2005 est.) Zimbabwe agriculture: 17.9% industry: 24.3% services: 57.9% (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2013 Radio broadcast stations Afghanistan AM 21, FM 23, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and English) (2003) Akrotiri FM 1 note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) Albania AM 13, FM 46 (3 national, 62 local), shortwave 1 (2005) Algeria AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999) American Samoa AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2006) Andorra AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998) Angola AM 21, FM 6, shortwave 7 (2000) Anguilla AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) Antarctica AM NA, FM 2, shortwave 1, note - information for US bases only (2002) Antigua and Barbuda AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) Argentina AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998) Armenia AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998) Aruba AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004) Australia AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) Austria AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001) Azerbaijan AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998) Bahamas, The AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006) Bahrain AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) Bangladesh AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) Barbados AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004) Belarus AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998) Belgium FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998) Belize AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) Benin AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) Bermuda AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) Bhutan AM 0, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2006) Bolivia AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999) Bosnia and Herzegovina AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998) Botswana AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001) Brazil AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999) British Indian Ocean Territory AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) British Virgin Islands AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) Brunei AM 1, FM 2 (transmitting on 18 different frequencies), shortwave 0 note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) station transmits two FM signals with English and Nepali service (2006) Bulgaria AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001) Burkina Faso AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002) Burma AM 1, FM 1 (2004) Burundi AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) Cambodia AM 2, FM 17 (2003) Cameroon AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2002) Canada AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004) Cape Verde AM 0, FM 22 (and 12 low power repeaters), shortwave 0 (2002) Cayman Islands AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) Central African Republic AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002) Chad AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2002) Chile AM 180 (eight inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (one inactive) (1998) China AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998) Christmas Island AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006) Cocos (Keeling) Islands AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) Colombia AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999) Comoros AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) Congo, Democratic Republic of the AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001) Congo, Republic of the AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001) Cook Islands AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) Costa Rica AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002) Cote d'Ivoire AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998) Croatia AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999) Cuba AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: AM 5, FM 76, shortwave 0 north Cyprus: AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2004) Czech Republic AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000) Denmark AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998) Dhekelia FM 1 (located in Akrotiri) note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) Djibouti AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001) Dominica AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) Dominican Republic AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998) East Timor AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA Ecuador AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001) Egypt AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999) El Salvador AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998) Equatorial Guinea AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002) Eritrea AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000) Estonia AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001) Ethiopia AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001) European Union AM 866, FM 13,396, shortwave 73 (1998); note - sum of individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Euroradio) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 (FM) and Radio 2 (AM) service (2006) Faroe Islands AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) Fiji AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998) Finland AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998) France AM 41, FM about 3,500 (this figure is an approximation and includes many repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998) French Guiana AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) French Polynesia AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998) Gabon AM 6, FM 7 (and 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001) Gambia, The AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001) Gaza Strip AM 0, FM 8, shortwave 0 (2005) Georgia AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998) Germany AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998) Ghana AM 0, FM 49, shortwave 3 (2001) Gibraltar AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) Greece AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998) Greenland AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) Grenada AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) Guadeloupe AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) Guam AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2006) Guatemala AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000) Guernsey AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) Guinea AM 4 (one station is inactive), FM 1 (plus 7 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2001) Guinea-Bissau AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002) Guyana AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998) Haiti AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999) Holy See (Vatican City) AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004) Honduras AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998) Hong Kong AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004) Hungary AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998) Iceland AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) India AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998) Indonesia AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998) Iran AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998) Iraq after 17 months of unregulated media growth, there are approximately 80 radio stations on the air inside Iraq (2004) Ireland AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998) Isle of Man AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) Israel AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998) Italy AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998) Jamaica AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) Jan Mayen AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998) Japan AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21 (2001) Jersey AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) Jordan AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999) Kazakhstan AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998) Kenya AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001) Kiribati AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002) Korea, North AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting Station), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2003) Korea, South AM 61, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2005) Kuwait AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998) Kyrgyzstan AM 12 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998) Laos AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) Latvia AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998) Lebanon AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998) Lesotho AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) Liberia AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001) Libya AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002) Liechtenstein AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) Lithuania AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001) Luxembourg AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) Macau AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) Macedonia AM 29, FM 20, shortwave 0 (1998) Madagascar AM 2 (plus a number of repeater stations), FM 9, shortwave 6 (2001) Malawi AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus a third station held in standby status) (2001) Malaysia AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15 (2001) Maldives AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) Mali AM 1, FM 28, shortwave 1 note: the shortwave station in Bamako has seven frequencies and five transmitters and relays broadcasts for China Radio International (2001) Malta AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999) Marshall Islands AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2005) Martinique AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998) Mauritania AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001) Mauritius AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002) Mayotte AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001) Mexico AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003) Micronesia, Federated States of AM 5, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) Moldova AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 3 (1998) Monaco AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) Mongolia AM 7, FM 62, shortwave 3 (2004) Montenegro 31 (2004) Montserrat AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) Morocco AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998) Mozambique AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001) Namibia AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001) Nauru AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) Nepal AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000) Netherlands AM 4, FM 246, shortwave 3 (2004) Netherlands Antilles AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2004) New Caledonia AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) New Zealand AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998) Nicaragua AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) Niger AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001) Nigeria AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001) Niue AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) Norfolk Island AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) Northern Mariana Islands AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 1 (2006) Norway AM 5, FM at least 650, shortwave 1 (1998) Oman AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) Pakistan AM 27, FM 1, shortwave 21 (1998) Palau AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2002) Panama AM 101, FM 134, shortwave 0 (1998) Papua New Guinea AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998) Paraguay AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) Peru AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999) Philippines AM 369, FM 583, shortwave 5 note: each shortwave station operates on multiple frequencies in the language of the target audience (2004) Pitcairn Islands AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0, note - 15 Ham radio operators (VP6) (2004) Poland AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998) Portugal AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998) Puerto Rico AM 74, FM 53, shortwave 0 (2006) Qatar AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998) Reunion AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) Romania AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998) Russia AM 323, FM 1,500 est., shortwave 62 (2004) Rwanda AM 0, FM 8 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters, three international FM programs include the BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle), shortwave 1 (2005) Saint Helena Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005) Saint Kitts and Nevis AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2004) Saint Lucia AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) Saint Pierre and Miquelon AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004) Samoa AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) San Marino AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) Sao Tome and Principe AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002) Saudi Arabia AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998) Senegal AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001) Serbia 153 (2001) Seychelles AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998) Sierra Leone AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) Singapore AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2 (2003) Slovakia AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998) Slovenia AM 17, FM 160, shortwave 0 (1998) Solomon Islands AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004) Somalia AM 0, FM 11, shortwave 1 in Mogadishu; 1 FM in Puntland, 1 FM in Somaliland (2001) South Africa AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 0 (2003) Spain AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998) Sri Lanka AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998) Sudan AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) Suriname AM 4, FM 13, shortwave 1 (1998) Svalbard AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998) Swaziland AM 3, FM 2 plus 4 repeaters, shortwave 3 (2004) Sweden AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998) Switzerland AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998) Syria AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) Taiwan AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999) Tajikistan AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002) Tanzania AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998) Thailand AM 204, FM 334, shortwave 6 (1999) Togo AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998) Tokelau AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: 1 radio station provides service to all islands (2002) Tonga AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004) Trinidad and Tobago AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004) Tunisia AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998) Turkey AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001) Turkmenistan AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998) Turks and Caicos Islands AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) Tuvalu AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) Uganda AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001) Ukraine AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998) United Arab Emirates AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004) United Kingdom AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998) United States AM 4,789, FM 8,961, shortwave 19 (2006) Uruguay AM 93, FM 191, shortwave 7 (2005) Uzbekistan AM 20, FM 7, shortwave 10 (1998) Vanuatu AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004) Venezuela AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998) Vietnam AM 65, FM 7, shortwave 29 (1999) Virgin Islands AM 6, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006) Wake Island AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite (2005) Wallis and Futuna AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (2000) West Bank AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 0 (2005) Western Sahara AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) World AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA Yemen AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998) Zambia AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001) Zimbabwe AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2015 Television broadcast stations Afghanistan at least 10 (one government-run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 34 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e-Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998) Akrotiri British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) Albania 65 (3 national, 62 local); note - 2 cable networks (2005) Algeria 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995) American Samoa 1 (Low Power TV); note - one cable TV station (2006) Andorra 0 (1997) Angola 6 (2000) Anguilla 1 (1997) Antarctica 1 (cable system with six channels; American Forces Antarctic Network-McMurdo) note: information for US bases only (2002) Antigua and Barbuda 2 (1997) Argentina 42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997) Armenia 3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters) (1998) Aruba 1 (1997) Australia 104 (1997) Austria 10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001) Azerbaijan 2 (1997) Bahamas, The 2 (2006) Bahrain 4 (1997) Bangladesh 15 (1999) Barbados 1 (plus two cable channels) (2004) Belarus 47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995) Belgium 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997) Belize 2 (1997) Benin 1 (2001) Bermuda 3 (2005) Bhutan 1 (2006) Bolivia 48 (1997) Bosnia and Herzegovina 33 (plus 277 repeaters) (September 1995) Botswana 1 (2001) Brazil 138 (1997) British Indian Ocean Territory 1 (1997) British Virgin Islands 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) Brunei 4; note - including two UHF stations broadcasting a subscription service (2006) Bulgaria 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001) Burkina Faso 1 (2002) Burma 2 (2004) Burundi 1 (2001) Cambodia 11 (including two TV relay stations with French and Vietnamese broadcasts); 12 regional low power TV stations (2006) Cameroon 1 (2002) Canada 80 (plus many repeaters) (1997) Cape Verde 1 (and 7 repeaters) (2002) Cayman Islands 4 with cable system (2004) Central African Republic 1 (2001) Chad 1 (2002) Chile 63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997) China 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations, and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997) Christmas Island 0; note - TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia (2006) Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997) Comoros NA Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4 (2001) Congo, Republic of the 1 (2002) Cook Islands 1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004) Costa Rica 20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002) Cote d'Ivoire 14 (1999) Croatia 36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September 1995) Cuba 58 (1997) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 8 north Cyprus: 2 (plus 4 relay) (2004) Czech Republic 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000) Denmark 26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998) Dhekelia British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) Djibouti 1 (2002) Dominica 1 (2004) Dominican Republic 25 (2003) East Timor NA Ecuador 7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001) Egypt 98 (September 1995) El Salvador 5 (1997) Equatorial Guinea 1 (2002) Eritrea 1 (2000) Estonia 3 (2001) Ethiopia 1 plus 24 repeaters (2002) European Union 2,791 (1995); note - does not include repeaters; sum of individual country television broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Eurovision) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders) note: cable television is available in Stanley (2006) Faroe Islands 3 (plus 43 low-power repeaters) (September 1995) Fiji NA Finland 120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999) France 584 (plus 9,676 repeaters) (1995) French Guiana 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) French Polynesia 7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997) Gabon 4 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001) Gambia, The 1 (government-owned) (1997) Gaza Strip 1 (2005) Georgia 12 (plus repeaters) (1998) Germany 373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995) Ghana 10 (2001) Gibraltar 1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997) Greece 36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995) Greenland 1 publicly-owned station, some local low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations (1997) Grenada 2 (1997) Guadeloupe 5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) Guam 3; 6 (Low Power TV) (2006) Guatemala 26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997) Guernsey 1 (1997) Guinea 6 low-power stations (2001) Guinea-Bissau NA (2005) Guyana 3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997) Haiti 2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997) Holy See (Vatican City) 1 (2005) Honduras 11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997) Hong Kong 55 low power stations note: two TV networks, each one broadcasting on two channels (2006) Hungary 35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995) Iceland 14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters) (1997) India 562 (of which 82 stations have 1 kW or greater power and 480 stations have less than 1 kW of power) (1997) Indonesia 54 local TV stations note: 11 national TV networks; each with their own group of local, often low power, transmitters (2006) Iran 28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997) Iraq 21 (2004) Ireland 4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001) Isle of Man 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999) Israel 17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995) Italy 358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995) Jamaica 7 (1997) Japan 211 plus 7,341 repeaters note: in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999) Jersey 2 (1997) Jordan 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995) Kazakhstan 12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998) Kenya 8 (2002) Kiribati 1 (not reported to be active) (2002) Korea, North 4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting South Korea) (2003) Korea, South terrestrial stations 43; cable operators 59; relay cable operators 190 (2005) Kuwait 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997) Kyrgyzstan NA (repeater stations throughout the country relay programs from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey) (1997) Laos 7; note - including one station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi (2006) Latvia 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995) Lebanon 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995) Lesotho 1 (2000) Liberia 1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001) Libya 12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999) Liechtenstein NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997) Lithuania 27 note: Lithuania has approximately 27 broadcasting stations, but may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations (2001) Luxembourg 5 (1999) Macau 1 (2006) Macedonia 31 (plus 166 repeaters) (1995) Madagascar 1 (plus 36 repeaters) (2001) Malawi 1 (2001) Malaysia mainland Malaysia 51; Sabah 16; Sarawak 21; note - many are low power stations (2006) Maldives 1 (2006) Mali 1 (plus repeaters) (2001) Malta 6 (2000) Marshall Islands 2 (both are US military stations) note: Marshalls Broadcasting Service (cable company) operates on Majuro (2005) Martinique 11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997) Mauritania 1 (2002) Mauritius 2 (plus several repeaters) (1997) Mayotte 3 (2001) Mexico 236 (plus repeaters) (1997) Micronesia, Federated States of 3; note - cable TV also available (2004) Moldova 1 (plus 30 repeaters) (1995) Monaco 5 (1998) Mongolia 52 (plus 21 provincial repeaters and many low power repeaters) (2004) Montenegro 13 (2004) Montserrat 1 (1997) Morocco 35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995) Mozambique 1 (2001) Namibia 8 (plus about 20 low-power repeaters) (1997) Nauru 1 (1997) Nepal 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998) Netherlands 21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995) Netherlands Antilles 3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and four Venezuelan channels) (2004) New Caledonia 6 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1997) New Zealand 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997) Nicaragua 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) Niger 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (2002) Nigeria 3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2002) Niue 1 (1997) Norfolk Island 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) Northern Mariana Islands 1 (Low Power TV on Saipan; in addition, two cable services on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (2006) Norway 360 (plus 2,729 repeaters) (1995) Oman 13 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1999) Pakistan 22 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) Palau 1 (cable) (2005) Panama 38 (including repeaters) (1998) Papua New Guinea 3 (all in the Port Moresby area) note: additional stations at Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Lae, and Rabaul are planned (2004) Paraguay 5 (2003) Peru 13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997) Philippines 225; note - 1373 CATV networks (2004) Poland 40 (2006) Portugal 62 (plus 166 repeaters) note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands (1995) Puerto Rico 32 (2006) Qatar 1 (plus three repeaters) (2001) Reunion 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) Romania 48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995) Russia 7,306 (1998) Rwanda 2 (2004) Saint Helena 0 note: three television channels are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by UHF (2005) Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 (plus three repeaters) (2004) Saint Lucia 2 (of which one is a commercial broadcast station and one is a community antenna television or CATV channel) (2004) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 (plus three repeaters) (2004) Samoa 2 (2002) San Marino 1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from Italy) (1997) Sao Tome and Principe 2 (2002) Saudi Arabia 117 (1997) Senegal 1 (1997) Seychelles 2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997) Sierra Leone 2 (1999) Singapore 1 (broadcasting on six channels); additional reception of numerous UHF and VHF signals originating in Malaysia and Indonesia; note - digital TV for reception in public spaces and transportation is transmitted from 10 sites (2006) Slovakia 6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004) Slovenia 48 (2001) Somalia 4; note - two in Mogadishu; two in Hargeisa (2001) South Africa 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 0 (2003) Spain 224 (plus 2,105 repeaters) note: these figures include 11 television broadcast stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands (1995) Sri Lanka 21 (1997) Sudan 3 (1997) Suriname 3 (plus seven repeaters) (2000) Svalbard NA Swaziland 12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004) Sweden 169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995) Switzerland 115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995) Syria 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) Taiwan 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997) Tajikistan 13 (2001) Tanzania 3 (1999) Thailand 111 (2006) Togo 3 (plus two repeaters) (1997) Tonga 3 (2004) Trinidad and Tobago 6 (2005) Tunisia 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995) Turkey 635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995) Turkmenistan 4 (government owned and programmed) (2004) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks) (2004) Tuvalu 0 (2004) Uganda 8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001) Ukraine at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997) United Arab Emirates 15 (2004) United Kingdom 228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995) United States 2,218 (2006) Uruguay 62 (2005) Uzbekistan 4 (plus two repeaters that relay Russian programs), 1 cable rebroadcaster in Tashkent; approximately 20 stations in regional capitals (2003) Vanuatu 1 (2004) Venezuela 66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997) Vietnam 6 (plus 61 provincial TV stations) (2006) Virgin Islands 5 (2006) Wake Island 0 note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite (2005) Wallis and Futuna 2 (2000) West Bank 8 (2005) Western Sahara NA World NA Yemen 7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) Zambia 9 (2002) Zimbabwe 16 (1997) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2018 Sex ratio (male(s)/female) Afghanistan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Albania at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Algeria at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) American Samoa at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Andorra at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Angola at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Anguilla at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Argentina at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Armenia at birth: 1.17 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Aruba at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Australia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Austria at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Azerbaijan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Bahamas, The at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Bahrain at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.38 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female total population: 1.26 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Bangladesh at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Barbados at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Belarus at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Belgium at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Belize at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Benin at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Bermuda at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Bhutan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Bolivia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Botswana at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Brazil at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Brunei at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Bulgaria at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Burkina Faso at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Burma at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Burundi at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Cambodia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Cameroon at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Canada at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Cape Verde at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Cayman Islands at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Central African Republic at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Chad at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Chile at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) China at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Christmas Island NA Colombia at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Comoros at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Cook Islands 107 male(s)/female (2001 census) Costa Rica at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Croatia at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Cuba at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Cyprus at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Czech Republic at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Denmark at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Djibouti at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Dominica at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Dominican Republic at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) East Timor at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Ecuador at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Egypt at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) El Salvador at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Eritrea at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Estonia at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Ethiopia at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) European Union at birth: NA under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and older: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female Faroe Islands at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Fiji at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Finland at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) France at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) French Guiana at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2006 est.) French Polynesia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Gabon at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Gambia, The at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Gaza Strip at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Georgia at birth: 1.15 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Germany at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Ghana at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Gibraltar at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Greece at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Greenland at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Grenada at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Guadeloupe at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Guam at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Guatemala at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Guernsey at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Guinea at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Guyana at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Haiti at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Honduras at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Hong Kong at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Hungary at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Iceland at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) India at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Indonesia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Iran at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Iraq at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Ireland at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Isle of Man at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Israel at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Italy at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Jamaica at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Japan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Jersey at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Jordan at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Kazakhstan at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.55 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Kenya at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Kiribati at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Korea, North at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Korea, South at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Kuwait at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.71 male(s)/female total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Laos at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Latvia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Lebanon at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Lesotho at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Liberia at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Libya at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Liechtenstein at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Lithuania at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Luxembourg at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Macau at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Macedonia at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Madagascar at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Malawi at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Malaysia at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Maldives at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Mali at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Malta at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Marshall Islands at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Martinique at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Mauritania at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Mauritius at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Mayotte at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Mexico at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of NA Moldova at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Monaco at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Mongolia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Montserrat at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Morocco at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Mozambique at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Namibia at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Nauru at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Nepal at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Netherlands at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) New Caledonia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) New Zealand at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Nicaragua at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Niger at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Nigeria at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Niue NA Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.7 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female total population: 0.77 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Norway at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Oman at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.44 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.23 male(s)/female total population: 1.25 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Pakistan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Palau at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Panama at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Paraguay at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Peru at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Philippines at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Portugal at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Puerto Rico at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Qatar at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.24 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.87 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Reunion at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Romania at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Russia at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Rwanda at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Saint Helena at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Saint Lucia at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Samoa at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.65 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2006 est.) San Marino at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.33 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.2 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Senegal at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Seychelles at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Sierra Leone at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Singapore at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Slovakia at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Slovenia at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Solomon Islands at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Somalia at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) South Africa at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Spain at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Sri Lanka at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Sudan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Suriname at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Svalbard NA Swaziland at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Sweden at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Switzerland at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Syria at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Taiwan at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Tajikistan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Tanzania at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Thailand at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Togo at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Tunisia at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Turkey at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Turkmenistan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Tuvalu at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Uganda at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Ukraine at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.55 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.73 male(s)/female total population: 1.43 male(s)/female (2006 est.) United Kingdom at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) United States at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Uruguay at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Uzbekistan at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Vanuatu at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Venezuela at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Vietnam at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Virgin Islands at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 est.) West Bank at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Western Sahara NA World at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Yemen at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Zambia at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Zimbabwe at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2019 Heliports Afghanistan 9 (2006) Albania 1 (2006) Algeria 1 (2006) Antarctica 37 note: all 37 year-round and 15 seasonal stations operated by National Antarctic Programs stations have restricted helicopter landing facilities (helipads) (2006) Australia 1 (2006) Austria 1 (2006) Azerbaijan 1 (2006) Bahamas, The 1 (2006) Bahrain 1 (2006) Belarus 1 (2006) Belgium 1 (2006) Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 (2006) Brazil 417 (2006) Brunei 3 (2006) Bulgaria 4 (2006) Burma 1 (2006) Cambodia 2 (2006) Canada 319 (2006) China 32 (2006) Colombia 2 (2006) Croatia 2 (2006) Cyprus 10 (2006) Czech Republic 2 (2006) East Timor 9 (2006) Ecuador 1 (2006) Egypt 3 (2006) El Salvador 1 (2006) Estonia 1 (2006) European Union 93 (2006) France 3 (2006) French Polynesia 1 (2006) Gaza Strip 1 (2006) Georgia 3 (2006) Germany 32 (2006) Greece 8 (2006) Hong Kong 3 (2006) Hungary 5 (2006) India 28 (2006) Indonesia 23 (2006) Iran 15 (2006) Iraq 8 (2006) Israel 3 (2006) Italy 5 (2006) Japan 15 (2006) Jordan 1 (2006) Kazakhstan 4 (2006) Korea, North 22 (2006) Korea, South 540 (2006) Kuwait 5 (2006) Libya 2 (2006) Luxembourg 1 (2006) Malaysia 2 (2006) Mexico 1 (2006) Monaco 1 (2006) Mongolia 2 (2006) Morocco 1 (2006) Netherlands 1 (2006) New Caledonia 6 (2006) Nigeria 1 (2006) Northern Mariana Islands 1 (2006) Norway 1 (2006) Oman 1 (2006) Pakistan 18 (2006) Papua New Guinea 2 (2006) Peru 1 (2006) Philippines 2 (2006) Poland 3 (2006) Qatar 1 (2006) Romania 1 (2006) Russia 52 (2006) Saudi Arabia 6 (2006) Serbia 4 (2006) Sierra Leone 2 (2006) Slovakia 1 (2006) Spain 8 (2006) Sudan 1 (2006) Sweden 2 (2006) Switzerland 2 (2006) Syria 7 (2006) Taiwan 3 (2006) Thailand 3 (2006) Turkey 18 (2006) Turkmenistan 1 (2006) Ukraine 10 (2006) United Arab Emirates 4 (2006) United Kingdom 11 (2006) United States 149 (2006) Venezuela 1 (2006) World 2,021 (2006) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2020 Elevation extremes (m) Afghanistan lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m Albania lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m Algeria lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m highest point: Tahat 3,003 m American Samoa lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Lata Mountain 964 m Andorra lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m Angola lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m Anguilla lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m Antarctica lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,555 m highest point: Vinson Massif 4,897 m note: the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater Antigua and Barbuda lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m Arctic Ocean lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m Argentina lowest point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz) highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza) Armenia lowest point: Debed River 400 m highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m Aruba lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m Ashmore and Cartier Islands lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m Atlantic Ocean lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m highest point: sea level 0 m Australia lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m Austria lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m Azerbaijan lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m Bahamas, The lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m Bahrain lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m Baker Island lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 8 m Bangladesh lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m Barbados lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m Bassas da India lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 2.4 m Belarus lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m Belgium lowest point: North Sea 0 m highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m Belize lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m Benin lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m Bermuda lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Town Hill 76 m Bhutan lowest point: Drangme Chhu 97 m highest point: Kula Kangri 7,553 m Bolivia lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m Bosnia and Herzegovina lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maglic 2,386 m Botswana lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m Bouvet Island lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Olav Peak 935 m Brazil lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m British Indian Ocean Territory lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m British Virgin Islands lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m Brunei lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m Bulgaria lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Musala 2,925 m Burkina Faso lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m Burma lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m Burundi lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m highest point: Heha 2,670 m Cambodia lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m Cameroon lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon) Canada lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m Cape Verde lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island) Cayman Islands lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m Central African Republic lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m Chad lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m Chile lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m China lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m Christmas Island lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m Clipperton Island lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m Cocos (Keeling) Islands lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m Colombia lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation Comoros lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m Congo, Democratic Republic of the lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m Congo, Republic of the lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m Cook Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 m Coral Sea Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m Costa Rica lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m Cote d'Ivoire lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m Croatia lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Dinara 1,830 m Cuba lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m Cyprus lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m Czech Republic lowest point: Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m Denmark lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m Djibouti lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m Dominica lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m Dominican Republic lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m East Timor lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m Ecuador lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m Egypt lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m El Salvador lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m Equatorial Guinea lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m Eritrea lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m highest point: Soira 3,018 m Estonia lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m Ethiopia lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m Europa Island lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 24 m European Union lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border between France and Italy Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m Faroe Islands lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m Fiji lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m Finland lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m France lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m French Guiana lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m French Polynesia lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m French Southern and Antarctic Lands lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Ross on Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m Gabon lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m Gambia, The lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 53 m Gaza Strip lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m Georgia lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m Germany lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m Ghana lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m Gibraltar lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m Glorioso Islands lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 12 m Greece lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m Greenland lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m Grenada lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m Guadeloupe lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m Guam lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m Guatemala lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m Guernsey lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m Guinea lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m Guinea-Bissau lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m Guyana lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m Haiti lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m Heard Island and McDonald Islands lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m Holy See (Vatican City) lowest point: unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m Honduras lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m Hong Kong lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m Howland Island lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m Hungary lowest point: Tisza River 78 m highest point: Kekes 1,014 m Iceland lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull glacier) Iles Eparses lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Bassas da India 2.4 m; Europa Island 24 m; Glorioso Islands 12 m; Juan de Nova Island 10 m; Tromelin Island 7 m (all unnamed locations) India lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m Indian Ocean lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m highest point: sea level 0 m Indonesia lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m Iran lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m Iraq lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is not Gundah Zhur 3,607 m or Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m Ireland lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m Isle of Man lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 m Israel lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m Italy lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc) Jamaica lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m Jan Mayen lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m Japan lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m Jarvis Island lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 7 m Jersey lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m Johnston Atoll lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Summit Peak 5 m Jordan lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m Juan de Nova Island lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 10 m Kazakhstan lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m Kenya lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m Kingman Reef lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 1 m Kiribati lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m Korea, North lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m Korea, South lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m Kuwait lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed location 306 m Kyrgyzstan lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m Laos lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m Latvia lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m Lebanon lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m Lesotho lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m Liberia lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m Libya lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m Liechtenstein lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m highest point: Vorder-Grauspitz 2,599 m Lithuania lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Juozapines Kalnas 293.6 m Luxembourg lowest point: Moselle River 133 m highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m Macau lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m Macedonia lowest point: Vardar River 50 m highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m Madagascar lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m Malawi lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m Malaysia lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m Maldives lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m Mali lowest point: Senegal River 23 m highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m Malta lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli) Marshall Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m Martinique lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m Mauritania lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m Mauritius lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Piton 828 m Mayotte lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Benara 660 m Mexico lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m Micronesia, Federated States of lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 m Midway Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 13 m Moldova lowest point: Dniester River 2 m highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m Monaco lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Agel 140 m Mongolia lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m Montenegro lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m Montserrat lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006) Morocco lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m Mozambique lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m Namibia lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m Nauru lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m Navassa Island lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m Nepal lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m Netherlands lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m Netherlands Antilles lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m New Caledonia lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m New Zealand lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m Nicaragua lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m Niger lowest point: Niger River 200 m highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m Nigeria lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m Niue lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m Norfolk Island lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Bates 319 m Northern Mariana Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m Norway lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m Oman lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m Pacific Ocean lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m Pakistan lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m Palau lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m Palmyra Atoll lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 2 m Panama lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m Papua New Guinea lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m Paracel Islands lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m Paraguay lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m Peru lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m Philippines lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m Pitcairn Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m Poland lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m highest point: Rysy 2,499 m Portugal lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m Puerto Rico lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,339 m Qatar lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m Reunion lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m Romania lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m Russia lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m Rwanda lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m Saint Helena lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 m Saint Kitts and Nevis lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m Saint Lucia lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m Saint Pierre and Miquelon lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m Samoa lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m San Marino lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m highest point: Monte Titano 755 m Sao Tome and Principe lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m Saudi Arabia lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m Senegal lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m Serbia lowest point: NA highest point: Daravica 2,656 m Seychelles lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m Sierra Leone lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m Singapore lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m Slovakia lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m Slovenia lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Triglav 2,864 m Solomon Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m Somalia lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m South Africa lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m Southern Ocean lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench highest point: sea level 0 m Spain lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m Spratly Islands lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m Sri Lanka lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m Sudan lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m Suriname lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m Svalbard lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m Swaziland lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m Sweden lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m Switzerland lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m Syria lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m Taiwan lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m Tajikistan lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m Tanzania lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m Thailand lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m Togo lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Agou 986 m Tokelau lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m Tonga lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m Trinidad and Tobago lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m Tromelin Island lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 7 m Tunisia lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m Turkey lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m Turkmenistan lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) note: Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m Turks and Caicos Islands lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 m Tuvalu lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m Uganda lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m Ukraine lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m United Arab Emirates lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m United Kingdom lowest point: The Fens -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m United States lowest point: Death Valley -86 m highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Baker Island, unnamed location - 8 m; Howland Island, unnamed location - 3 m; Jarvis Island, unnamed location - 7 m; Johnston Atoll, Sand Island - 10 m; Kingman Reef, unnamed location - less than 1 m; Midway Islands, unnamed location - 13 m; Palmyra Atoll, unnamed location - 2 m Uruguay lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m Uzbekistan lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m Vanuatu lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m Venezuela lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m Vietnam lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m Virgin Islands lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 475 m Wake Island lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 6 m Wallis and Futuna lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m West Bank lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m Western Sahara lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m World lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m Yemen lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m Zambia lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m highest point: unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m Zimbabwe lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2021 Natural hazards Afghanistan damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts Albania destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought Algeria mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season American Samoa typhoons common from December to March Andorra avalanches Angola locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau Anguilla frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October) Antarctica katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf Antigua and Barbuda hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts Arctic Ocean ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May Argentina San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding Armenia occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts Aruba lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt Ashmore and Cartier Islands surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards Atlantic Ocean icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December) Australia cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires Austria landslides; avalanches; earthquakes Azerbaijan droughts Bahamas, The hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage Bahrain periodic droughts; dust storms Baker Island the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard Bangladesh droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season Barbados infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides Bassas da India maritime hazard since it is usually under water during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones Belarus NA Belgium flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes Belize frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) Benin hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March Bermuda hurricanes (June to November) Bhutan violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season Bolivia flooding in the northeast (March-April) Bosnia and Herzegovina destructive earthquakes Botswana periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility Bouvet Island NA Brazil recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south British Indian Ocean Territory NA British Virgin Islands hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) Brunei typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare Bulgaria earthquakes, landslides Burkina Faso recurring droughts Burma destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts Burundi flooding, landslides, drought Cambodia monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts Cameroon volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes Canada continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains Cape Verde prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active Cayman Islands hurricanes (July to November) Central African Republic hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common Chad hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues Chile severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis China frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence Christmas Island the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard Clipperton Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands cyclone season is October to April Colombia highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts Comoros cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano Congo, Democratic Republic of the periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes Congo, Republic of the seasonal flooding Cook Islands typhoons (November to March) Coral Sea Islands occasional tropical cyclones Costa Rica occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes Cote d'Ivoire coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible Croatia destructive earthquakes Cuba the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common Cyprus moderate earthquake activity; droughts Czech Republic flooding Denmark flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes Djibouti earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods Dominica flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months Dominican Republic lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts East Timor floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones Ecuador frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts Egypt periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms El Salvador known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes Equatorial Guinea violent windstorms, flash floods Eritrea frequent droughts; locust swarms Estonia sometimes flooding occurs in the spring Ethiopia geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts Europa Island NA European Union flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) strong winds persist throughout the year Faroe Islands NA Fiji cyclonic storms can occur from November to January Finland NA France flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean French Guiana high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding French Polynesia occasional cyclonic storms in January French Southern and Antarctic Lands Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes Gabon NA Gambia, The drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years) Gaza Strip droughts Georgia earthquakes Germany flooding Ghana dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts Gibraltar NA Glorioso Islands periodic cyclones Greece severe earthquakes Greenland continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island Grenada lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November Guadeloupe hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano Guam frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December) Guatemala numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms Guernsey NA Guinea hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season Guinea-Bissau hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires Guyana flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons Haiti lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts Heard Island and McDonald Islands Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island Holy See (Vatican City) NA Honduras frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast Hong Kong occasional typhoons Howland Island the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard Iceland earthquakes and volcanic activity Iles Eparses all islands subject to periodic cyclones Bassas da India: maritime hazard since it is under water for a period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and surrounded by reefs India droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes Indian Ocean occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches Indonesia occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires Iran periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes Iraq dust storms, sandstorms, floods Ireland NA Isle of Man NA Israel sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes Italy regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice Jamaica hurricanes (especially July to November) Jan Mayen dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970 Japan many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons Jarvis Island the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island poses a maritime hazard Jersey NA Johnston Atoll NA Jordan droughts; periodic earthquakes Juan de Nova Island periodic cyclones Kazakhstan earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty Kenya recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons Kingman Reef wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard Kiribati typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level Korea, North late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall Korea, South occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest Kuwait sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August Kyrgyzstan NA Laos floods, droughts Latvia NA Lebanon dust storms, sandstorms Lesotho periodic droughts Liberia dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) Libya hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms Liechtenstein NA Lithuania NA Luxembourg NA Macau typhoons Macedonia high seismic risks Madagascar periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation Malawi NA Malaysia flooding, landslides, forest fires Maldives low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise Mali hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding Malta NA Marshall Islands infrequent typhoons Martinique hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years) Mauritania hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts Mauritius cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards Mayotte cyclones during rainy season Mexico tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts Micronesia, Federated States of typhoons (June to December) Midway Islands NA Moldova landslides (57 cases in 1998) Monaco NA Mongolia dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions Montenegro destructive earthquakes Montserrat severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995) Morocco northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts Mozambique severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces Namibia prolonged periods of drought Nauru periodic droughts Navassa Island hurricanes Nepal severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons Netherlands flooding Netherlands Antilles Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October New Caledonia cyclones, most frequent from November to March New Zealand earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity Nicaragua destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes Niger recurring droughts Nigeria periodic droughts; flooding Niue typhoons Norfolk Island typhoons (especially May to July) Northern Mariana Islands active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November) Norway rockslides, avalanches Oman summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts Pacific Ocean surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December Pakistan frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August) Palau typhoons (June to December) Palmyra Atoll NA Panama occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area Papua New Guinea active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis Paracel Islands typhoons Paraguay local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June) Peru earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity Philippines astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis Pitcairn Islands typhoons (especially November to March) Poland flooding Portugal Azores subject to severe earthquakes Puerto Rico periodic droughts; hurricanes Qatar haze, dust storms, sandstorms common Reunion periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano Romania earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides Russia permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia Rwanda periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo Saint Helena active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961 Saint Kitts and Nevis hurricanes (July to October) Saint Lucia hurricanes and volcanic activity Saint Pierre and Miquelon persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat Samoa occasional typhoons; active volcanism San Marino NA Sao Tome and Principe NA Saudi Arabia frequent sand and dust storms Senegal lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts Serbia destructive earthquakes Seychelles lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible Sierra Leone dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms Singapore NA Slovakia NA Slovenia flooding and earthquakes Solomon Islands typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity Somalia recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season South Africa prolonged droughts South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism Southern Ocean huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue Spain periodic droughts Spratly Islands typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious maritime hazard Sri Lanka occasional cyclones and tornadoes Sudan dust storms and periodic persistent droughts Suriname NA Svalbard ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic Swaziland drought Sweden ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic Switzerland avalanches, landslides, flash floods Syria dust storms, sandstorms Taiwan earthquakes and typhoons Tajikistan earthquakes and floods Tanzania flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought Thailand land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts Togo hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts Tokelau lies in Pacific typhoon belt Tonga cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou Trinidad and Tobago outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms Tromelin Island NA Tunisia NA Turkey severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van Turkmenistan NA Turks and Caicos Islands frequent hurricanes Tuvalu severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level Uganda NA Ukraine NA United Arab Emirates frequent sand and dust storms United Kingdom winter windstorms; floods United States tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard Kingman Reef: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of less than 1 m makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard Midway Islands, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls: NA Uruguay seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts Uzbekistan NA Vanuatu tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanic eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism also causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis Venezuela subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts Vietnam occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta Virgin Islands several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes Wake Island occasional typhoons Wallis and Futuna NA West Bank droughts Western Sahara hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility World large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions) Yemen sandstorms and dust storms in summer Zambia periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April) Zimbabwe recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2022 People - note Afghanistan of the estimated 4 million refugees in October 2001, 2.3 million have returned Ashmore and Cartier Islands the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem Cook Islands 2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017 Cuba illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border Greece women, men, and children are trafficked to and within Greece for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor Rwanda Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa Turks and Caicos Islands destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and US This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2023 Area - comparative Afghanistan slightly smaller than Texas Akrotiri about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC Albania slightly smaller than Maryland Algeria slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas American Samoa slightly larger than Washington, DC Andorra 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Angola slightly less than twice the size of Texas Anguilla about half the size of Washington, DC Antarctica slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US Antigua and Barbuda 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Arctic Ocean slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US Argentina slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US Armenia slightly smaller than Maryland Aruba slightly larger than Washington, DC Ashmore and Cartier Islands about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Atlantic Ocean slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US Australia slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states Austria slightly smaller than Maine Azerbaijan slightly smaller than Maine Bahamas, The slightly smaller than Connecticut Bahrain 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC Baker Island about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Bangladesh slightly smaller than Iowa Barbados 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Bassas da India about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Belarus slightly smaller than Kansas Belgium about the size of Maryland Belize slightly smaller than Massachusetts Benin slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Bermuda about one-third the size of Washington, DC Bhutan about half the size of Indiana Bolivia slightly less than three times the size of Montana Bosnia and Herzegovina slightly smaller than West Virginia Botswana slightly smaller than Texas Bouvet Island about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC Brazil slightly smaller than the US British Indian Ocean Territory land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC British Virgin Islands about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC Brunei slightly smaller than Delaware Bulgaria slightly larger than Tennessee Burkina Faso slightly larger than Colorado Burma slightly smaller than Texas Burundi slightly smaller than Maryland Cambodia slightly smaller than Oklahoma Cameroon slightly larger than California Canada somewhat larger than the US Cape Verde slightly larger than Rhode Island Cayman Islands 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Central African Republic slightly smaller than Texas Chad slightly more than three times the size of California Chile slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana China slightly smaller than the US Christmas Island about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC Clipperton Island about 12 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Cocos (Keeling) Islands about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Colombia slightly less than twice the size of Texas Comoros slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC Congo, Democratic Republic of the slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US Congo, Republic of the slightly smaller than Montana Cook Islands 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC Coral Sea Islands NA Costa Rica slightly smaller than West Virginia Cote d'Ivoire slightly larger than New Mexico Croatia slightly smaller than West Virginia Cuba slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Cyprus about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut Czech Republic slightly smaller than South Carolina Denmark slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts Dhekelia about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC Djibouti slightly smaller than Massachusetts Dominica slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC Dominican Republic slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire East Timor slightly larger than Connecticut Ecuador slightly smaller than Nevada Egypt slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico El Salvador slightly smaller than Massachusetts Equatorial Guinea slightly smaller than Maryland Eritrea slightly larger than Pennsylvania Estonia slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined Ethiopia slightly less than twice the size of Texas Europa Island about 0.16 times the size of Washington, DC European Union less than one-half the size of the US Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) slightly smaller than Connecticut Faroe Islands eight times the size of Washington, DC Fiji slightly smaller than New Jersey Finland slightly smaller than Montana France slightly less than twice the size of Colorado French Guiana slightly smaller than Indiana French Polynesia slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut French Southern and Antarctic Lands slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware Gabon slightly smaller than Colorado Gambia, The slightly less than twice the size of Delaware Gaza Strip slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Georgia slightly smaller than South Carolina Germany slightly smaller than Montana Ghana slightly smaller than Oregon Gibraltar about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Glorioso Islands about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Greece slightly smaller than Alabama Greenland slightly more than three times the size of Texas Grenada twice the size of Washington, DC Guadeloupe 10 times the size of Washington, DC Guam three times the size of Washington, DC Guatemala slightly smaller than Tennessee Guernsey about one-half the size of Washington, DC Guinea slightly smaller than Oregon Guinea-Bissau slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut Guyana slightly smaller than Idaho Haiti slightly smaller than Maryland Heard Island and McDonald Islands slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC Holy See (Vatican City) about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Honduras slightly larger than Tennessee Hong Kong six times the size of Washington, DC Howland Island about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Hungary slightly smaller than Indiana Iceland slightly smaller than Kentucky Iles Eparses Bassas da India: land area about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Europa Island: about one-sixth the size of Washington, DC Glorioso Islands: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Juan de Nova Island: about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Tromelin Island: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC India slightly more than one-third the size of the US Indian Ocean about 5.5 times the size of the US Indonesia slightly less than three times the size of Texas Iran slightly larger than Alaska Iraq slightly more than twice the size of Idaho Ireland slightly larger than West Virginia Isle of Man slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC Israel slightly smaller than New Jersey Italy slightly larger than Arizona Jamaica slightly smaller than Connecticut Jan Mayen slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Japan slightly smaller than California Jarvis Island about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Jersey about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC Johnston Atoll about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Jordan slightly smaller than Indiana Juan de Nova Island about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Kazakhstan slightly less than four times the size of Texas Kenya slightly more than twice the size of Nevada Kingman Reef about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Kiribati four times the size of Washington, DC Korea, North slightly smaller than Mississippi Korea, South slightly larger than Indiana Kuwait slightly smaller than New Jersey Kyrgyzstan slightly smaller than South Dakota Laos slightly larger than Utah Latvia slightly larger than West Virginia Lebanon about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut Lesotho slightly smaller than Maryland Liberia slightly larger than Tennessee Libya slightly larger than Alaska Liechtenstein about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC Lithuania slightly larger than West Virginia Luxembourg slightly smaller than Rhode Island Macau less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC Macedonia slightly larger than Vermont Madagascar slightly less than twice the size of Arizona Malawi slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Malaysia slightly larger than New Mexico Maldives about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC Mali slightly less than twice the size of Texas Malta slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC Marshall Islands about the size of Washington, DC Martinique slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC Mauritania slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico Mauritius almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC Mayotte slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Mexico slightly less than three times the size of Texas Micronesia, Federated States of four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only) Midway Islands about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Moldova slightly larger than Maryland Monaco about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Mongolia slightly smaller than Alaska Montenegro slightly smaller than Connecticut Montserrat about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC Morocco slightly larger than California Mozambique slightly less than twice the size of California Namibia slightly more than half the size of Alaska Nauru about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC Navassa Island about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Nepal slightly larger than Arkansas Netherlands slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey Netherlands Antilles more than five times the size of Washington, DC New Caledonia slightly smaller than New Jersey New Zealand about the size of Colorado Nicaragua slightly smaller than the state of New York Niger slightly less than twice the size of Texas Nigeria slightly more than twice the size of California Niue 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Norfolk Island about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC Northern Mariana Islands 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Norway slightly larger than New Mexico Oman slightly smaller than Kansas Pacific Ocean about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world Pakistan slightly less than twice the size of California Palau slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Palmyra Atoll about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Panama slightly smaller than South Carolina Papua New Guinea slightly larger than California Paracel Islands NA Paraguay slightly smaller than California Peru slightly smaller than Alaska Philippines slightly larger than Arizona Pitcairn Islands about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC Poland slightly smaller than New Mexico Portugal slightly smaller than Indiana Puerto Rico slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island Qatar slightly smaller than Connecticut Reunion slightly smaller than Rhode Island Romania slightly smaller than Oregon Russia approximately 1.8 times the size of the US Rwanda slightly smaller than Maryland Saint Helena slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Saint Lucia 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines twice the size of Washington, DC Samoa slightly smaller than Rhode Island San Marino about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC Sao Tome and Principe more than five times the size of Washington, DC Saudi Arabia slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US Senegal slightly smaller than South Dakota Serbia slightly larger than South Carolina Seychelles 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Sierra Leone slightly smaller than South Carolina Singapore slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC Slovakia about twice the size of New Hampshire Slovenia slightly smaller than New Jersey Solomon Islands slightly smaller than Maryland Somalia slightly smaller than Texas South Africa slightly less than twice the size of Texas South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands slightly larger than Rhode Island Southern Ocean slightly more than twice the size of the US Spain slightly more than twice the size of Oregon Spratly Islands NA Sri Lanka slightly larger than West Virginia Sudan slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US Suriname slightly larger than Georgia Svalbard slightly smaller than West Virginia Swaziland slightly smaller than New Jersey Sweden slightly larger than California Switzerland slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey Syria slightly larger than North Dakota Taiwan slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined Tajikistan slightly smaller than Wisconsin Tanzania slightly larger than twice the size of California Thailand slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming Togo slightly smaller than West Virginia Tokelau about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Tonga four times the size of Washington, DC Trinidad and Tobago slightly smaller than Delaware Tromelin Island about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Tunisia slightly larger than Georgia Turkey slightly larger than Texas Turkmenistan slightly larger than California Turks and Caicos Islands 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Tuvalu 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC Uganda slightly smaller than Oregon Ukraine slightly smaller than Texas United Arab Emirates slightly smaller than Maine United Kingdom slightly smaller than Oregon United States about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; almost two and a half times the size of the European Union United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker Island: about two and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Howland Island: about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Jarvis Island: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Johnston Atoll: about four and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Kingman Reef: a little more than one and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Midway Islands: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Palmyra Atoll: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Uruguay slightly smaller than the state of Washington Uzbekistan slightly larger than California Vanuatu slightly larger than Connecticut Venezuela slightly more than twice the size of California Vietnam slightly larger than New Mexico Virgin Islands twice the size of Washington, DC Wake Island about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Wallis and Futuna 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC West Bank slightly smaller than Delaware Western Sahara about the size of Colorado World land area about 16 times the size of the US Yemen slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming Zambia slightly larger than Texas Zimbabwe slightly larger than Montana This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2024 Military service age and obligation (years of age) Afghanistan 22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term (2005) Albania 19 years of age (2004) Algeria 19-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (6 months basic training, 12 months civil projects) (2006) Angola 17 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years plus time for training (2001) Antigua and Barbuda 18 years of age (est.); no conscript military service (2001) Argentina 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Armenia 18 to 27 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004) Australia 16 years of age for voluntary service; women allowed to serve in Army combat units in non-combat support roles (2001) Austria 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; from 2007, at the earliest, compulsory military service obligation will be reduced from eight months to six (2005) Azerbaijan men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006) Bahamas, The 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Bahrain 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Bangladesh 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2005) Barbados 18 years of age for voluntary military service; volunteers at earlier age with parental consent; no conscription (2001) Belarus 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005) Belgium 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise approx. 7% of the Belgian armed forces (2001) Belize 18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2001) Benin 21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2004) Bhutan 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Bolivia 18 years of age for voluntary military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; one estimate holds that 40% of the armed forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under the age of 16; conscript tour of duty - 12 months (2002) Bosnia and Herzegovina 18 years of age for compulsory military service in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; 16 years of age in times of war; 18 years of age for Republika Srpska; 17 years of age for voluntary military service in the Federation and in the Republika Srpska; by law, military obligations cover all healthy men between the ages of 18 and 60, and all women between the ages of 18 and 55; service obligation is four months (July 2004) Botswana 18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001) Brazil 21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - nine to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2001) Brunei 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Bulgaria 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months; as of May 2006, 67% of the Bulgarian Army comprised of professional soldiers; conscription into the Army to end as of 1 January 2008; Air and Air Defense Forces and Naval Forces will become fully professional by end of 2006 (2006) Burkina Faso 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 20 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Burma 18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes (2004) Burundi 16 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001) Cambodia conscription law made effective in October 2006 requires all males between 18-30 to register for military service; service obligation is 18 months (2006) Cameroon 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (1999) Canada 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise approximately 11% of Canada's armed forces (2001) Central African Republic 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is two years (2005) Chad 20 years of age for conscripts, with three-year service obligation; 18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to one year of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004) Chile all male citizens 18-45 are obligated to perform military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy and Air Force (2004) China 18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 18-22 years of age for women who meet requirements for specific military jobs (2006) Colombia 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18-45 years of age for military service Congo, Republic of the 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Costa Rica 18 years of age (2004) Cote d'Ivoire 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004) Croatia 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with six-month service obligation; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service (December 2004) Cuba 17 years of age; both sexes are eligible for military service (2004) Cyprus 18 years of age (2004) Czech Republic 18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; on-going transformation of military service into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription began in January 2004 and is scheduled to be completed by 2007 (2005) Denmark 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from four to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript service; women eligible to volunteer for military service (2004) Djibouti 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Dominican Republic 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) East Timor 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Ecuador 20 years of age for conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2004) Egypt 18 years of age for conscript military service; three-year service obligation (2001) El Salvador 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 12-month service obligation; 16 years of age for volunteers (2002) Equatorial Guinea 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Eritrea 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 16 months (2004) Estonia compulsory military service for men between 19 and 28; conscription lasts 11 months for junior NCOs and reserve platoon leaders; reserve officers and designated specialists have a different conscript service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men up to 2010 and, unlike Latvia and Lithuania, has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces; 17 years of age for volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60 (2006) Ethiopia 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001) Fiji 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Finland 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (October 2004) France 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in the 1990s; women serve in non-combat military posts (2001) Gabon 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001) Gambia, The 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Georgia 18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005) Germany 18 years of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004) Ghana 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service (2001) Greece 18 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 12 months for the Army, Air Force; 15 months for Navy; women are eligible for military service (2005) Guatemala all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable for military service; conscript service obligation varies from 12 to 24 months (2005) Guinea 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004) Guinea-Bissau 18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001) Haiti 18 years of age for voluntary recruitment into the police force (2001) Honduras 18 years of age for voluntary two-three year military service (2004) Hong Kong 18 years of age (2004) Hungary 18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004 (2004) India 16 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Indonesia 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2002) Iran 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq War; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004) Iraq all volunteer force; the Iraqi Government is creating a new professional Iraqi military force of men aged 18 to 40 to defend Iraq from external threats and the current insurgency (2006) Ireland 17 years of age for voluntary military service; enlistees under the age of 17 can be recruited for specialist positions (2001) Israel 17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for men, 21 months for women (2004) Italy voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005 (2006) Jamaica 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001) Japan 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Jordan 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions (2004) Kazakhstan 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004) Kenya 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Korea, North 17 years of age (2004) Korea, South 20-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 24-28 months, depending on the military branch involved; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; some 4,000 women serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all officers; women, in service since 1950, are admitted to seven service branches, including infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps (2005) Kuwait 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 1 month annual training to age 40; women have served in police forces since 1999 (2001) Kyrgyzstan 18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001) Laos 15 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18 months (2004) Latvia 19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers; plans are to phase out conscription, tentatively moving to an all-professional force by 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life (2004) Lebanon 18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004) Lesotho 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Liberia 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Libya 17 years of age (2004) Lithuania 19-45 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers (2004) Luxembourg a 1967 law made the Army an all-volunteer force; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions (2004) Macedonia conscription to be phased out by 2007; current tour of conscript duty is six months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005) Madagascar 18-50 years of age; conscript service obligation - 18 months (either military or equivalent civil service) (2004) Malawi 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Malaysia 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005) Maldives 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Mali 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Malta 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Mauritania 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - two years; majority of servicemen believed to be volunteers; service in Air Force and Navy is voluntary (April 2005) Mexico 18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment (2004) Moldova 18 years of age for compulsory military service; national service obligation - 12 months (2004) Mongolia 18-25 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5 percent) is comprised of contract soldiers (2004) Montenegro compulsory national military service abolished August 2006 Morocco 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004) Namibia 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Nepal 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Netherlands 20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004) Netherlands Antilles 16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no conscription (2004) New Zealand 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18 (2001) Nicaragua 17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Niger 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Nigeria 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2006) Norway 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women; 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004) Oman 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Pakistan 16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18; the Pakistani Air Force has inducted its first female combat pilot (2006) Papua New Guinea 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Paraguay 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy (2004) Peru 18 years of age for compulsory military service (1999) Philippines 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001) Poland 17 years of age for compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; in 2005, Poland plans to shorten the length of conscript service obligation from 12 to 9 months; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004, women are only allowed to serve as officers and noncommissioned officers (2004) Portugal 18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service was ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties (2005) Qatar 18 years of age for voluntary military service; land forces enlisted personnel are largely unprofessional foreign nationals (2005) Reunion 18 years of age (2004) Romania all military inductees (including women) are volunteers who contract for an initial five-year term of service; subsequent voluntary service contracts are for successive three-year terms until the age of 36; minimum age for voluntary military service is 18 (2006) Russia Russia has adopted a mixed conscript-contract force; 18-27 years of age; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; length of compulsory military service is two years; plans call for reduction in mandatory service to 18 months in 2007 and to one year by 2008; 30% of Russian army personnel were contract servicemen at the end of 2005; planning calls for volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010, with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts; as of November 2006, the Armed Forces had more than 60 units manned with contract personnel totalling over 78,000 contract privates and sergeants; 88 Ministry of Defense units have been designated as permanent readiness units and are expected to become all-volunteer by end 2007; these include most air force, naval, and nuclear arms units, as well as all airborne and naval infantry units, most motorized rifle brigades, and all special forces detachments (2006) Rwanda 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Saint Kitts and Nevis 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Sao Tome and Principe 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Saudi Arabia 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004) Senegal 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Serbia peacetime service obligation begins at age 17 and lasts until age 60 for men and 50 for women; under a state of war or impending war, the obligation can begin at age 16 and be extended beyond 60 (2006) Seychelles 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Sierra Leone 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) Singapore 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation reduced to 24 months beginning December 2004 (2004) Slovakia complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force went into effect at the beginning of 2006 after 140 years of mandatory army service; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years (2005) Slovenia 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2004) Somalia 18 years of age (est.) (2001) South Africa 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women have a long history of military service in noncombat roles, dating back to World War I (2004) Spain 20 years of age (2004) Sri Lanka 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) Sudan 18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - three years (August 2004) Suriname 18 years of age (est.); no conscription Swaziland 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; both sexes are eligible for military service (2005) Sweden 19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 7-17 months depending on conscript role; after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age of 47 (2004) Switzerland the Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged to do military service"; every Swiss male has to serve for at least 260 days in the armed forces; 19 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscripts receive 15 weeks of compulsory training, followed by 10 intermittent recalls for training over the next 22 years; women are accepted on a voluntary basis but are not drafted (2005) Syria 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004) Taiwan 19-35 years of age for military service; service obligation 16 months (to be shortened to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles (2005) Tajikistan 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Tanzania 15 years of age for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for compulsory military service upon graduation from secondary school; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Thailand 21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obligation - two years; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004) Togo 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001) Tonga 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Trinidad and Tobago 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Tunisia 20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004) Turkey 20 years of age (2004) Turkmenistan 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004) Uganda 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; the government has stated that recruitment below that age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces" Ukraine 18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air Force, 24 months for Navy (2004) United Arab Emirates 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001) United Kingdom 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings (2004) United States 18 years of age; 17 years of age with written parental consent (2006) Uruguay 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001) Uzbekistan 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004) Venezuela 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004) Vietnam 18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (3-4 years in the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces (2006) Yemen in May 2001, Yemen's National Defense Council abolished compulsory military service and authorized a voluntary program for military service (2004) Zambia 18 years of age (est.) (2004) Zimbabwe 18 years of age (est.) (2004) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2025 Manpower fit for military service Afghanistan males age 22-49: 2,662,946 females age 22-49: 2,508,574 (2005 est.) Albania males age 19-49: 668,526 females age 19-49: 648,334 (2005 est.) Algeria males age 19-49: 6,590,079 females age 19-49: 6,711,285 (2005 est.) Andorra males age 18-49: 14,721 (2005 est.) Angola males age 17-49: 1,282,195 females age 17-49: 1,256,390 (2005 est.) Anguilla males age 18-49: 2,986 (2005 est.) Antigua and Barbuda males age 18-49: 14,859 females age 18-49: 14,947 (2005 est.) Argentina males age 18-49: 7,316,038 females age 18-49: 7,442,589 (2005 est.) Armenia males age 18-49: 551,938 females age 18-49: 656,493 (2005 est.) Aruba males age 18-49: 13,219 (2005 est.) Australia males age 16-49: 4,092,717 females age 16-49: 3,983,447 (2005 est.) Austria males age 18-49: 1,550,441 females age 18-49: 1,515,365 (2005 est.) Azerbaijan males age 18-49: 1,314,955 females age 18-49: 1,676,408 (2005 est.) Bahamas, The males age 18-49: 44,309 (2005 est.) Bahrain males age 18-49: 161,372 females age 18-49: 125,488 (2005 est.) Bangladesh males age 18-49: 26,841,255 (2005 est.) Barbados males age 18-49: 54,510 females age 18-49: 54,889 (2005 est.) Belarus males age 18-49: 1,657,984 females age 18-49: 2,102,793 (2005 est.) Belgium males age 16-49: 1,998,003 females age 16-49: 1,940,918 (2005 est.) Belize males age 18-49: 44,238 females age 18-49: 43,633 (2005 est.) Benin males age 21-49: 749,774 females age 21-49: 751,329 (2005 est.) Bermuda males age 18-49: 12,165 (2005 est.) Bhutan males age 18-49: 314,975 females age 18-49: 296,833 (2005 est.) Bolivia males age 18-49: 1,311,414 females age 18-49: 1,502,177 (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina males age 18-49: 910,539 females age 18-49: 881,446 (2005 est.) Botswana males age 18-49: 136,322 females age 18-49: 136,315 (2005 est.) Brazil males age 19-49: 33,119,098 females age 19-49: 38,079,722 (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands males age 18-49: 5,295 (2005 est.) Brunei males age 18-49: 85,045 females age 18-49: 77,436 (2005 est.) Bulgaria males age 18-49: 1,302,037 females age 18-49: 1,365,126 (2005 est.) Burkina Faso males age 18-49: 1,530,324 (2005 est.) Burma males age 18-49: 7,946,701 females age 18-49: 8,543,705 (2005 est.) Burundi males age 16-49: 955,616 females age 16-49: 932,767 (2005 est.) Cambodia males age 18-49: 1,955,141 females age 18-49: 2,048,611 (2005 est.) Cameroon males age 18-49: 1,946,767 females age 18-49: 1,834,600 (2005 est.) Canada males age 16-49: 6,740,490 females age 16-49: 6,580,868 (2005 est.) Cape Verde males age 18-49: 65,614 females age 18-49: 73,662 (2005 est.) Cayman Islands males age 18-49: 8,600 (2005 est.) Central African Republic males age 18-49: 416,091 females age 18-49: 383,056 (2005 est.) Chad males age 20-49: 794,988 females age 20-49: 849,500 (2005 est.) Chile males age 18-49: 3,123,281 females age 18-49: 3,128,277 (2005 est.) China males age 18-49: 281,240,272 females age 18-49: 269,025,517 (2005 est.) Colombia males age 18-49: 6,986,228 females age 18-49: 8,794,465 (2005 est.) Comoros males age 18-49: 98,792 females age 18-49: 106,415 (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the males age 18-49: 6,464,223 (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the males age 18-49: 406,016 females age 18-49: 394,745 (2005 est.) Costa Rica males age 18-49: 829,874 females age 18-49: 809,343 (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire males age 18-49: 1,973,265 females age 18-49: 1,911,777 (2005 est.) Croatia males age 18-49: 725,914 females age 18-49: 823,611 (2005 est.) Cuba males age 17-49: 2,441,927 females age 17-49: 2,396,741 (2005 est.) Cyprus Greek Cyriot National Guard (GCNG): males age 18-49: 150,750 females age 18-49: 144,344 (2005 est.) Czech Republic males age 18-49: 1,996,631 females age 18-49: 1,923,508 (2005 est.) Denmark males age 18-49: 955,168 females age 18-49: 935,643 (2005 est.) Djibouti males age 18-49: 46,020 females age 18-49: 42,181 (2005 est.) Dominica males age 18-49: 15,136 (2005 est.) Dominican Republic males age 18-49: 1,671,493 females age 18-49: 1,536,257 (2005 est.) East Timor males age 18-49: 179,422 females age 18-49: 184,533 (2005 est.) Ecuador males age 20-49: 2,338,428 females age 20-49: 2,380,327 (2005 est.) Egypt males age 18-49: 15,540,234 females age 18-49: 14,939,378 (2005 est.) El Salvador males age 18-49: 960,315 females age 18-49: 1,310,466 (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea males age 18-49: 56,462 females age 18-49: 59,260 (2005 est.) Eritrea males age 18-49: 555,553 females age 18-49: 562,426 (2005) Estonia males age 18-49: 200,382 (in 2004, 51% of the young men called up for service were determined to be unfit; main obstacles to conscription were psychiatric and behavioral) females age 18-49: 250,351 (2005 est.) Ethiopia males age 18-49: 8,072,755 females age 18-49: 7,902,660 (2005 est.) Faroe Islands males age 18-49: 8,852 (2005 est.) Fiji males age 18-49: 163,960 females age 18-49: 178,714 (2005 est.) Finland males age 18-49: 913,617 females age 18-49: 875,689 (2005 est.) France males age 17-49: 11,262,661 females age 17-49: 11,079,472 (2005 est.) French Guiana males age 18-49: 38,676 (2005 est.) French Polynesia males age 18-49: 55,305 (2005 est.) Gabon males age 18-49: 159,198 females age 18-49: 156,122 (2005 est.) Gambia, The males age 18-49: 183,057 females age 18-49: 194,551 (2005 est.) Gaza Strip males age 18-49: 221,530 (2005 est.) Georgia males age 18-49: 827,281 females age 18-49: 903,791 (2005 est.) Germany males age 18-49: 15,258,931 females age 18-49: 14,443,412 (2005 est.) Ghana males age 18-49: 3,011,081 females age 18-49: 2,991,551 (2005 est.) Gibraltar males age 18-49: 4,893 (2005 est.) Greece males age 18-49: 2,018,557 females age 18-49: 2,000,650 (2005 est.) Greenland males age 18-49: 10,199 (2005 est.) Grenada males age 18-49: 17,483 (2005 est.) Guadeloupe males age 18-49: 92,834 (2005 est.) Guatemala males age 18-49: 1,911,412 females age 18-49: 2,070,806 (2005 est.) Guinea males age 18-49: 1,034,006 females age 18-49: 1,032,885 (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau males age 18-49: 152,681 females age 18-49: 161,033 (2005 est.) Guyana males age 18-49: 137,964 (2005 est.) Haiti males age 18-49: 948,320 females age 18-49: 931,972 (2005 est.) Honduras males age 18-49: 1,100,991 females age 18-49: 1,121,649 (2005 est.) Hong Kong males age 18-49: 1,403,088 females age 18-49: 1,527,278 (2005 est.) Hungary males age 18-49: 1,780,513 females age 18-49: 1,864,580 (2005 est.) Iceland males age 18-49: 56,777 (2005 est.) India males age 16-49: 219,471,999 females age 16-49: 209,917,553 (2005 est.) Indonesia males age 18-49: 48,687,234 females age 18-49: 50,252,911 (2005 est.) Iran males age 18-49: 15,665,725 females age 18-49: 15,005,597 (2005 est.) Iraq males age 18-49: 4,930,074 females age 18-49: 4,771,105 (2005 est.) Ireland males age 17-49: 814,768 females age 17-49: 813,981 (2005 est.) Israel males age 17-49: 1,255,902 females age 17-49: 1,212,394 (2005 est.) Italy males age 18-49: 10,963,513 females age 18-49: 10,452,189 (2005 est.) Jamaica males age 18-49: 478,761 females age 18-49: 504,541 (2005 est.) Japan males age 18-49: 22,234,663 females age 18-49: 21,494,947 (2005 est.) Jordan males age 17-49: 1,348,076 females age 17-49: 1,158,011 (2005 est.) Kazakhstan males age 18-49: 2,473,529 females age 18-49: 3,168,048 (2005 est.) Kenya males age 18-49: 3,963,532 females age 18-49: 3,471,926 (2005 est.) Kiribati males age 18-49: 14,231 (2005 est.) Korea, North males age 17-49: 4,810,831 females age 17-49: 4,853,270 (2005 est.) Korea, South males age 20-49: 10,115,817 females age 20-49: 9,721,914 (2005 est.) Kuwait males age 18-49: 737,292 females age 18-49: 405,207 (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan males age 18-49: 871,493 females age 18-49: 1,024,568 (2005 est.) Laos males age 15-49: 954,816 females age 15-49: 1,006,082 (2005 est.) Latvia males age 19-49: 361,098 females age 19-49: 422,913 (2005 est.) Lebanon males age 18-49: 821,762 females age 18-49: 865,770 (2005 est.) Lesotho males age 18-49: 180,797 females age 18-49: 160,681 (2005 est.) Liberia males age 18-49: 267,430 females age 18-49: 286,231 (2005 est.) Libya males age 17-49: 1,291,624 females age 17-49: 1,230,824 (2005 est.) Liechtenstein males age 18-49: 6,250 (2005 est.) Lithuania males age 19-49: 590,606 females age 19-49: 676,102 (2005 est.) Luxembourg males age 17-49: 90,279 females age 17-49: 88,638 (2005 est.) Macau males age 18-49: 91,299 (2005 est.) Macedonia males age 18-49: 411,156 females age 18-49: 397,839 (2005 est.) Madagascar males age 18-49: 2,218,662 females age 18-49: 2,408,810 (2005 est.) Malawi males age 18-49: 1,226,802 (2005 est.) Malaysia males age 18-49: 4,574,854 females age 18-49: 4,613,321 (2005 est.) Maldives males age 18-49: 56,687 females age 18-49: 54,454 (2005 est.) Mali males age 18-49: 1,244,176 females age 18-49: 1,226,226 (2005 est.) Malta males age 18-49: 74,525 females age 18-49: 71,333 (2005 est.) Marshall Islands males age 18-49: 10,792 (2005 est.) Martinique males age 18-49: 90,868 (2005 est.) Mauritania males age 18-49: 370,513 females age 18-49: 384,269 (2005 est.) Mexico males age 18-49: 19,058,337 females age 18-49: 21,966,796 (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of males age 18-49: 18,914 (2005 est.) Moldova males age 18-49: 693,913 females age 18-49: 911,568 (2005 est.) Monaco males age 18-49: 4,971 (2005 est.) Mongolia males age 18-49: 570,435 females age 18-49: 607,918 (2005 est.) Montserrat males age 18-49: 1,899 (2005 est.) Morocco males age 18-49: 6,484,787 females age 18-49: 6,675,729 (2005 est.) Mozambique males age 18-49: 1,751,223 (2005 est.) Namibia males age 18-49: 217,118 (2005 est.) Nepal males age 18-49: 4.193 million females age 18-49: 3,853,102 (2005 est.) Netherlands males age 20-49: 2,856,691 females age 20-49: 2,786,495 (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles males age 16-49: 45,273 females age 16-49: 47,166 (2005 est.) New Caledonia males age 18-49: 40,822 (2005 est.) New Zealand males age 17-49: 809,519 females age 17-49: 802,069 (2005 est.) Nicaragua males age 17-49: 1,051,425 females age 17-49: 1,129,649 (2005 est.) Niger males age 18-49: 1,349,863 females age 18-49: 1,256,569 (2005 est.) Nigeria males age 18-49: 15,052,914 females age 18-49: 13,860,806 (2005 est.) Norway males age 18-49: 827,016 females age 18-49: 801,358 (2005 est.) Oman males age 18-49: 581,444 females age 18-49: 435,107 (2005 est.) Pakistan males age 16-49: 29,428,747 females age 16-49: 28,391,887 (2005 est.) Palau males age 18-49: 4,087 (2005 est.) Panama males age 18-49: 591,604 (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea males age 18-49: 902,432 females age 18-49: 894,759 (2005 est.) Paraguay males age 18-49: 1,109,166 females age 18-49: 1,135,046 (2005 est.) Peru males age 18-49: 4,938,417 females age 18-49: 5,278,511 (2005 est.) Philippines males age 18-49: 15,170,096 females age 18-49: 16,931,191 (2005 est.) Poland males age 17-49: 7,739,472 females age 17-49: 7,859,165 (2005 est.) Portugal males age 18-49: 1,952,819 females age 18-49: 1,977,264 (2005 est.) Qatar males age 18-49: 238,566 females age 18-49: 116,595 (2005 est.) Reunion males age 18-49: 142,578 females age 18-49: 154,273 (2005 est.) Romania males age 20-49: 3,932,579 females age 20-49: 4,076,288 (2005 est.) Russia males age 18-49: 21,049,651 females age 18-49: 29,056,021 (2005 est.) Rwanda males age 16-49: 1,103,823 females age 16-49: 1,096,644 (2005 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis males age 18-49: 7,119 females age 18-49: 7,645 (2005 est.) Saint Lucia males age 18-49: 33,539 (2005 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines males age 18-49: 25,787 (2005 est.) Samoa males age 18-49: 45,294 (2005 est.) San Marino males age 18-49: 5,107 (2005 est.) Sao Tome and Principe males age 18-49: 25,950 females age 18-49: 28,660 (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia males age 18-49: 6,592,709 females age 18-49: 4,659,347 (2005 est.) Senegal males age 18-49: 1,558,175 females age 18-49: 1,642,533 (2005 est.) Seychelles males age 18-49: 16,122 females age 18-49: 18,777 (2005 est.) Sierra Leone males age 18-49: 539,697 (2005 est.) Singapore males age 18-49: 982,368 (2005 est.) Slovakia males age 18-49: 1,089,645 females age 18-49: 1,093,077 (2005 est.) Slovenia males age 17-49: 405,593 females age 17-49: 397,167 (2005 est.) Solomon Islands males age 18-49: 92,796 (2005 est.) Somalia males age 18-49: 1,022,360 females age 18-49: 1,038,697 (2005 est.) South Africa males age 18-49: 4,927,757 females age 18-49: 4,609,071 (2005 est.) Spain males age 20-49: 7,623,356 females age 20-49: 7,434,465 (2005 est.) Sri Lanka males age 18-49: 3,789,627 females age 18-49: 4,281,043 (2005 est.) Sudan males age 18-49: 5,427,474 females age 18-49: 5,649,566 (2005 est.) Suriname males age 18-49: 77,793 females age 18-49: 72,943 (2005 est.) Swaziland males age 18-49: 89,609 (2005 est.) Sweden males age 19-49: 1,493,668 females age 19-49: 1,441,257 (2005 est.) Switzerland males age 19-49: 1,375,889 females age 19-49: 1,342,945 (2005 est.) Syria males age 18-49: 3,453,888 females age 18-49: 3,421,558 (2005 est.) Taiwan males age 19-49: 4,749,537 females age 19-49: 4,644,607 (2005 est.) Tajikistan males age 18-49: 1,244,941 females age 18-49: 1,297,891 (2005 est.) Tanzania males age 18-49: 3,879,630 (2005 est.) Thailand males age 21-49: 10,396,032 females age 21-49: 11,487,690 (2005 est.) Togo males age 18-49: 696,933 females age 18-49: 707,821 (2005 est.) Tonga males age 18-49: 19,840 females age 18-49: 21,342 (2005 est.) Trinidad and Tobago males age 18-49: 202,958 females age 18-49: 173,797 (2005 est.) Tunisia males age 20-49: 2,035,431 females age 20-49: 2,000,757 (2005 est.) Turkey males age 20-49: 13,905,901 females age 20-49: 13,335,812 (2005 est.) Turkmenistan males age 18-49: 759,978 females age 18-49: 940,179 (2005 est.) Uganda males age 18-49: 2,889,808 females age 18-49: 2,780,135 (2005 est.) Ukraine males age 18-49: 7,376,050 females age 18-49: 9,313,385 (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates males age 18-49: 526,671 females age 18-49: 419,975 (2005 est.) United Kingdom males age 16-49: 12,046,268 females age 16-49: 11,555,893 (2005 est.) United States males age 18-49: 54,609,050 females age 18-49: 54,696,706 (2005 est.) Uruguay males age 18-49: 637,445 females age 18-49: 631,046 (2005 est.) Uzbekistan males age 18-49: 4,609,621 females age 18-49: 5,383,233 (2005 est.) Vanuatu males age 18-49: 33,837 (2005 est.) Venezuela males age 18-49: 4,907,947 females age 18-49: 5,151,843 (2005 est.) Vietnam males age 18-49: 16,032,358 females age 18-49: 17,921,241 (2005 est.) Yemen males age 18-49: 2,790,705 females age 18-49: 2,792,406 (2005 est.) Zambia males age 18-49: 1,043,702 females age 18-49: 953,328 (2005 est.) Zimbabwe males age 18-49: 1,304,424 females age 18-49: 1,115,096 (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2026 Manpower reaching military service age annually Afghanistan males age 18-49: 275,362 females age 22-49: 259,935 (2005 est.) Albania males age 18-49: 37,407 females age 19-49: 34,587 (2005 est.) Algeria males age 18-49: 374,639 females age 19-49: 369,021 (2005 est.) Andorra males age 18-49: 369 (2005 est.) Angola males age 18-49: 126,694 females age 17-49: 123,586 (2005 est.) Anguilla males age 18-49: 120 (2005 est.) Antigua and Barbuda males age 18-49: 507 females age 18-49: 494 (2005 est.) Argentina males age 18-49: 344,575 females age 18-49: 334,649 (2005 est.) Armenia males age 18-49: 31,774 females age 18-49: 31,182 (2005 est.) Aruba males age 18-49: 520 (2005 est.) Australia males age 18-49: 142,158 females age 16-49: 135,675 (2005 est.) Austria males age 18-49: 48,967 females age 18-49: 46,633 (2005 est.) Azerbaijan males age 18-49: 82,358 females age 18-49: 78,067 (2005 est.) Bahamas, The males age 18-49: 2,804 (2005 est.) Bahrain males age 18-49: 6,013 females age 18-49: 5,852 (2005 est.) Belarus males age 18-49: 85,202 females age 18-49: 82,037 (2005 est.) Belgium males age 18-49: 64,263 females age 16-49: 61,402 (2005 est.) Belize males age 18-49: 3,213 females age 18-49: 3,100 (2005 est.) Benin males age 18-49: 76,661 females: 75,068 (2005 est.) Bermuda males age 18-49: 408 (2005 est.) Bhutan males age 18-49: 23,939 females age 18-49: 21,979 (2005 est.) Bolivia males age 18-49: 101,101 females age 18-49: 98,671 (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina males age 18-49: 32,942 females age 18-49: 31,466 (2005 est.) Botswana males age 18-49: 21,103 females age 18-49: 21,379 (2005 est.) Brazil males age 18-49: 1,785,930 females age 19-49: 1,731,648 (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands males age 18-49: 201 (2005 est.) Brunei males age 18-49: 3,478 females age 18-49: 3,342 (2005 est.) Bulgaria males age 18-49: 51,023 females age 18-49: 48,651 (2005 est.) Burma males age 18-49: 469,841 females: 455,689 (2005 est.) Burundi males age 18-49: 91,331 females age 16-49: 90,685 (2005 est.) Cambodia males age 18-49: 175,497 females age 18-49: 172,788 (2005 est.) Cameroon males age 18-49: 191,619 females age 18-49: 187,082 (2005 est.) Canada males age 18-49: 223,821 females age 16-49: 212,900 (2005 est.) Cayman Islands males age 18-49: 257 (2005 est.) Chad males age 18-49: 94,536 females age 20-49: 93,521 (2005 est.) Chile males age 18-49: 140,084 females age 18-49: 134,518 (2005 est.) China males age 18-49: 13,186,433 females age 18-49: 12,298,149 (2005 est.) Colombia males age 18-49: 389,735 females age 18-49: 383,146 (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the males age 18-49: 38,464 females age 18-49: 38,082 (2005 est.) Costa Rica males age 18-49: 41,097 females age 18-49: 39,243 Cote d'Ivoire males age 18-49: 189,354 females age 18-49: 192,600 (2005 est.) Croatia males age 18-49: 29,020 females age 18-49: 27,897 (2005 est.) Cuba males age 18-49: 91,901 females: 87,500 (2005 est.) Cyprus Greek Cyriot National Guard (GCNG): males age 18-49: 6,578 females age 18-49: 6,200 (2005 est.) Czech Republic males age 18-49: 66,583 females age 18-49: 63,363 (2005 est.) Denmark males age 18-49: 31,317 females age 18-49: 29,558 (2005 est.) Dominica males age 18-49: 602 (2005 est.) Dominican Republic males age 18-49: 91,699 females age 18-49: 87,550 (2005 est.) East Timor males age 18-49: 12,740 females age 18-49: 12,438 (2005 est.) Ecuador males age 18-49: 133,922 females age 20-49: 129,758 (2005 est.) Egypt males age 18-49: 802,920 females age 18-49: 764,176 (2005 est.) El Salvador males age 18-49: 70,286 females age 18-49: 69,526 (2005 est.) Eritrea males age 18-49: 50,156 females age 18-49: 49,746 (2005 est.) Estonia males: 11,146 females age 18-49: 10,605 (2005 est.) Ethiopia males age 18-49: 803,777 females age 18-49: 801,789 (2005 est.) Faroe Islands males age 18-49: 366 (2005 est.) Fiji males age 18-49: 9,266 females age 18-49: 8,916 (2005 est.) Finland males age 18-49: 32,040 females age 18-49: 30,519 (2005 est.) France males age 18-49: 389,204 females age 17-49: 372,719 (2005 est.) French Polynesia males age 18-49: 2,747 (2005 est.) Gabon males age 18-49: 15,325 females age 18-49: 15,367 (2005 est.) Gaza Strip males age 18-49: 15,196 (2005 est.) Georgia males age 18-49: 38,857 females age 18-49: 38,238 (2005 est.) Germany males age 18-49: 497,048 females age 18-49: 470,537 (2005 est.) Ghana males age 18-49: 251,056 females age 18-49: 247,777 (2005 est.) Gibraltar males age 18-49: 187 (2005 est.) Greece males age 18-49: 58,399 females age 18-49: 55,571 (2005 est.) Greenland males age 18-49: 440 (2005 est.) Grenada males age 18-49: 1,274 (2005 est.) Guadeloupe males age 18-49: 3,364 (2005 est.) Guatemala males age 18-49: 134,032 females age 18-49: 130,641 (2005 est.) Haiti males age 18-49: 98,554 females age 18-49: 97,690 (2005 est.) Honduras males age 18-49: 82,105 females age 18-49: 78,971 (2005 est.) Hong Kong males age 18-49: 40,343 females age 18-49: 38,234 (2005 est.) Hungary males age 18-49: 63,847 females age 18-49: 61,037 (2005 est.) India males age 18-49: 11,446,452 females age 16-49: 10,665,877 (2005 est.) Indonesia males age 18-49: 2,201,047 females age 18-49: 2,139,573 (2005 est.) Iran males age 18-49: 862,056 females age 18-49: 808,044 (2005 est.) Iraq males age 18-49: 198,518 females age 18-49: 289,879 (2005 est.) Ireland males age 18-49: 29,327 females age 17-49: 28,139 (2005 est.) Israel males age 18-49: 53,760 females: 51,293 (2005 est.) Italy males age 18-49: 286,344 females age 18-49: 270,099 (2005 est.) Jamaica males age 18-49: 27,923 females age 18-49: 27,889 (2005 est.) Japan males age 18-49: 683,147 females age 18-49: 650,157 (2005 est.) Jordan males age 18-49: 60,625 females age 17-49: 58,218 (2005 est.) Kazakhstan males age 18-49: 173,129 females age 18-49: 168,697 (2005 est.) Kiribati males age 18-49: 1,128 (2005 est.) Korea, North males age 18-49: 194,605 females age 17-49: 187,846 (2005 est.) Korea, South males age 18-49: 344,943 females age 20-49: 312,720 (2005 est.) Kuwait males age 18-49: 18,743 females age 18-49: 20,065 (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan males age 18-49: 61,091 females age 18-49: 59,784 (2005 est.) Laos males age 18-49: 73,167 females age 15-49: 71,432 (2005 est.) Latvia males age 18-49: 19,137 females age 19-49: 18,505 (2005 est.) Libya males age 18-49: 62,034 females age 17-49: 59,533 (2005 est.) Liechtenstein males age 18-49: 208 (2005 est.) Lithuania males age 18-49: 29,689 females age 19-49: 28,543 (2005 est.) Luxembourg males age 18-49: 2,775 females age 17-49: 2,703 (2005 est.) Macedonia males age 18-49: 16,686 females age 18-49: 15,664 (2005 est.) Madagascar males age 18-49: 187,000 females age 18-49: 184,833 (2005 est.) Malaysia males age 18-49: 244,418 females age 18-49: 231,896 (2005 est.) Marshall Islands males age 18-49: 726 (2005 est.) Martinique males age 18-49: 3,105 (2005 est.) Mexico males age 18-49: 1,063,233 females age 18-49: 1,043,816 (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of males age 18-49: 1,305 (2005 est.) Moldova males age 18-49: 43,729 females age 18-49: 42,354 (2005 est.) Monaco males age 18-49: 148 (2005 est.) Mongolia males age 18-49: 34,674 females age 18-49: 34,251 (2005 est.) Montserrat males age 18-49: 84 (2005 est.) Morocco males age 18-49: 353,377 females age 18-49: 341,677 (2005 est.) Mozambique males age 18-49: 185,314 (2005 est.) Nepal males age 18-49: 308,031 females age 18-49: 286,604 (2005 est.) Netherlands males age 18-49: 99,934 females age 20-49: 95,818 (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles males age 18-49: 1,720 females age 16-49: 1,657 (2005 est.) New Caledonia males age 18-49: 1,907 (2005 est.) New Zealand males age 18-49: 29,738 females age 17-49: 28,523 (2005 est.) Nicaragua males age 18-49: 65,170 females age 17-49: 63,133 (2005 est.) Niger males age 18-49: 129,045 females age 18-49: 121,230 (2005 est.) Nigeria males age 18-49: 1,353,180 females age 18-49: 1,329,267 (2005 est.) Norway males age 18-49: 29,179 females age 18-49: 28,023 (2005 est.) Oman males age 18-49: 26,391 females age 18-49: 25,466 (2005 est.) Pakistan males age 18-49: 1,969,055 females age 16-49: 1,849,254 (2005 est.) Palau males age 18-49: 142 (2005 est.) Panama males age 18-49: 29,724 Paraguay males age 18-49: 63,058 females age 18-49: 62,217 (2005 est.) Peru males age 18-49: 277,105 females age 18-49: 269,799 (2005 est.) Philippines males age 18-49: 907,542 females age 18-49: 878,712 (2005 est.) Poland males age 18-49: 275,446 females age 17-49: 265,164 (2005 est.) Portugal males age 18-49: 67,189 females age 18-49: 60,626 (2005 est.) Qatar males age 18-49: 7,851 females age 18-49: 7,040 (2005 est.) Reunion males age 18-49: 7,339 females age 18-49: 7,007 (2005 est.) Romania males age 18-49: 172,093 females age 20-49: 165,547 (2005 est.) Russia males age 18-49: 1,286,069 females age 18-49: 1,244,264 (2005 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis males age 18-49: 357 females age 18-49: 347 (2005 est.) Saint Lucia males age 18-49: 1,651 (2005 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines males age 18-49: 1,204 (2005 est.) Samoa males age 18-49: 2,306 (2005 est.) San Marino males age 18-49: 135 (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia males age 18-49: 247,334 females age 18-49: 234,500 (2005 est.) Senegal males age 18-49: 129,331 females age 18-49: 129,398 (2005 est.) Slovakia males age 18-49: 41,544 females age 18-49: 40,183 (2005 est.) Slovenia males age 18-49: 12,816 females age 17-49: 12,178 (2005 est.) Solomon Islands males age 18-49: 6,033 (2005 est.) South Africa males age 18-49: 512,407 females age 18-49: 506,078 (2005 est.) Spain males age 18-49: 233,384 females age 20-49: 221,805 (2005 est.) Sri Lanka males age 18-49: 174,049 females age 18-49: 167,201 (2005 est.) Sudan males age 18-49: 442,915 females age 18-49: 426,320 (2005 est.) Sweden males age 18-49: 58,724 females age 19-49: 55,954 (2005 est.) Switzerland males age 18-49: 46,319 females age 19-49: 43,829 (2005 est.) Syria males age 18-49: 225,113 females age 18-49: 211,829 (2005 est.) Taiwan males age 18-49: 174,173 females age 19-49: 163,683 (2005 est.) Tajikistan males age 18-49: 87,846 females age 18-49: 85,869 (2005 est.) Thailand males age 18-49: 526,276 females age 21-49: 514,396 (2005 est.) Tonga males ag3 18-49: 1,586 females age 18-49: 1,538 (2005 est.) Tunisia males age 18-49: 108,817 females age 20-49: 103,087 (2005 est.) Turkey males age 18-49: 679,734 females age 20-49: 659,090 (2005 est.) Turkmenistan males age 18-49: 56,532 females age 18-49: 55,413 (2005 est.) Ukraine males age 18-49: 382,751 females age 18-49: 365,599 (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates males: 30,706 females age 18-49: 29,617 (2005 est.) United States males age 18-49: 2,143,873 females age 18-49: 2,036,201 (2005 est.) Uzbekistan males age 18-49: 324,722 females age 18-49: 317,062 (2005 est.) Venezuela males age 18-49: 252,396 females age 18-49: 237,300 (2005 est.) Vietnam males age 18-49: 915,572 females age 18-49: 864,161 (2005 est.) Yemen males age 18-49: 236,517 females age 18-49: 230,641 (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2028 Background Afghanistan Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, but withdrew 10 years later under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A civil war between mujahedin factions erupted following the 1992 fall of the Communist regime. The Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy, seized Kabul in 1996 and most of the country outside of opposition Northern Alliance strongholds by 1998. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. In late 2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution and a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. On 7 December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The National Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2005. Akrotiri By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. Albania Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU. Albania, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a strong supporter of the global war on terrorism. Algeria After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a crack down on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. The government later allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-98 and which resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. However, small numbers of armed militants persist in confronting government forces and conducting ambushes and occasional attacks on villages. The army placed Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA in the presidency in 1999 in a fraudulent election but claimed neutrality in his 2004 landslide reelection victory. Longstanding problems continue to face BOUTEFLIKA in his second term, including the ethnic minority Berbers' ongoing autonomy campaign, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing - although significantly degraded - activities of extremist militants. Algeria must also diversify its petroleum-based economy, which has yielded a large cash reserve but which has not been used to redress Algeria's many social and infrastructure problems. American Samoa Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered" by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year. Andorra For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from 1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of Urgel). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy. Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes. Angola Angola is slowly rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on power. DOS SANTOS has pledged to hold legislative elections in 2006. Anguilla Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency. Antarctica Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south of the Antarctic Circle. Not until 1840 was it established that Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands. Several exploration "firsts" were achieved in the early 20th century. Following World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific research on the continent. A number of countries have set up year-round research stations on Antarctica. Seven have made territorial claims, but not all countries recognize these claims. In order to form a legal framework for the activities of nations on the continent, an Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies nor gives recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in 1959, it entered into force in 1961. Antigua and Barbuda The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean. Argentina In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. Eventually, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their own way, but the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were subsequently heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, but most particularly Italy and Spain, which provided the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. After World War II, an era of Peronist authoritarian rule and interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the resignation of several interim presidents. Successful negotiations with the IMF allowed Argentina to sidestep some fiscal discipline measures normally imposed in such circumstances. Since 2003, the government's efforts to stem the crisis have led to rapid economic recovery. Armenia Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. Aruba Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. Ashmore and Cartier Islands These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve. Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude. Australia Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. Austria Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Azerbaijan Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 528,000 internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the promise of widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains largely unfulfilled. Bahamas, The Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. Bahrain In 1782, the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. Sheikh HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa, who came to power in 1999, has pushed economic and political reforms and has worked to improve relations with the Shia community. In February 2001, Bahraini voters approved a referendum on the National Action Charter - the centerpiece of Sheikh HAMAD's political liberalization program. In February 2002, Sheikh HAMAD pronounced Bahrain a constitutional monarchy and changed his status from amir to king. In October 2002, Bahrainis elected members of the lower house of Bahrain's reconstituted bicameral legislature, the National Assembly. Baker Island The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast. Bangladesh Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development. Barbados The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. Bassas da India This atoll is a volcanic rock surrounded by reefs and is awash at high tide. A French possession since 1897, it was placed under the administration of an Administrateur Superieur of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Belarus After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Alexander LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue. Belgium Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. Belize Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increasing urban crime. Benin Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. Bermuda Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the issue. Bhutan In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding some border land to British India. Under British influence, a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned the areas of Bhutan annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. A refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of the refugees are housed in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. In March 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the government's draft constitution - which would introduce major democratic reforms - and pledged to hold a national referendum for its approval. A referendum date has yet to be named. Bolivia Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands. Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government comprised of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments were charged with overseeing most government functions. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) was established to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. In 1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission was to deter renewed hostilities. European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR in December 2004; their mission is to maintain peace and stability throughout the country. Botswana Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease. Bouvet Island This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named. No claim was made until 1825, when the British flag was raised. In 1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied the island the previous year. In 1971, Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters were designated a nature reserve. Since 1977, Norway has run an automated meteorological station on the island. Brazil Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822 and a republic in 1889. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem. British Indian Ocean Territory Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. British Virgin Islands First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. Brunei The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in the developing world. Bulgaria The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and is slated to join the EU in 2007. Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries. Burma Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently transferred to house arrest, where she remains virtually incommunicado. In November 2005, the junta extended her detention for at least another six months. Her supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed. Burundi Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. Over 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in the summer of 2006 but still faces many challenges. Cambodia Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863. Cambodia became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the remaining leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. Cameroon The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite a slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy headed by President Paul BIYA. Canada A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Canada's paramount political problem is meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services after a decade of budget cuts. Canada also faces questions about integrity in government following revelations regarding a corruption scandal in the federal government that has helped revive the fortunes of separatists in predominantly francophone Quebec. Cape Verde The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cape Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents. Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries, and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies, but when the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency. Central African Republic The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and May of 2005 in which General BOZIZE was affirmed as president. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. Chad Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution, and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which sporadically flares up despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In 2005 new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and have made probing attacks into eastern Chad. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits. Chile Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central and southern Chile; the latter were not completely subjugated by Spain until the early 1880s. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-84), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern lands. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation. China For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Christmas Island Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. Clipperton Island This isolated island was named for John CLIPPERTON, a pirate who made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in 1855, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France, which took possession in 1935. Cocos (Keeling) Islands There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. Colombia Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. Paramilitary groups challenge the insurgents for control of territory and the drug trade. Most paramilitary members have demobilized since 2002 in an ongoing peace process, although their commitment to ceasing illicit activity is unclear. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. Comoros Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangement named the 2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001, voters approved a new constitution and presidential elections took place in the spring of 2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its own president and a new union president took office in May 2002. Congo, Democratic Republic of the Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several subsequent sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by an insurrection backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; Joseph KABILA remains as president and is joined by four vice presidents representing the former government, former rebel groups, and the political opposition. The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005, and plans to hold a series of elections in 2006 to determine the presidency and National Assembly seats. Congo, Republic of the Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need to hope for new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term. Cook Islands Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965 residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems. Coral Sea Islands Scattered over more than three-quarters of a million square kilometers of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff on the Willis Islets. Automated weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs. Costa Rica Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including: disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread. Cote d'Ivoire Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states, but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought runner-up Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remain unresolved. The central government has yet to exert control over the northern regions and tensions remain high between GBAGBO and opposition leaders. Several thousand French and West African troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation process. Croatia The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. Cuba The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 2,712 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2005. Cyprus A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," but it is recognized only by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered talks - between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach an agreement to reunite the divided island - ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an April 2004 referendum. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under direct Republic of Cyprus control, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots. At present, every Cypriot carrying a Cyprus passport has the status of a European citizen; however, EU laws do not apply to north Cyprus. Nicosia continues to oppose EU efforts to establish direct trade and economic links to north Cyprus as a way of encouraging the Turkish Cypriot community to continue to support reunification. Czech Republic Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. Denmark Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs. Dhekelia By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area. Djibouti The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second and final term in 2005. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, but is also developing stronger ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism. Dominica Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean. Dominican Republic Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term. East Timor The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied East Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of East Timor. An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force in late September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999 the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent state. Ecuador What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence by 1819 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Seven presidents have governed Ecuador since 1996. Egypt The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty following World War II. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to ready the economy for the new millennium through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure. El Salvador El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms. Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards. Eritrea Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002 but final demarcation is on hold due to Ethiopian objections. Estonia After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Ethiopia Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990's ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia. Europa Island A French possession since 1897, the island is heavily wooded; it is the site of a small military garrison that staffs a weather station. European Union Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris. The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since. In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to 15. A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - bringing the current membership to 25. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the 2003 Treaty of Nice set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, gave member states two years to ratify the document before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006. Referenda held in France and the Netherlands in May-June 2005 rejected the proposed constitution. This development suspended the ratification effort and left the longer-term political integration of the EU in limbo. Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982. Faroe Islands The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A high degree of self government was attained in 1948. Fiji Fiji became independent in 1970, after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji, led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Finland Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999. France Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential democracy resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier parliamentary democracies. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy. French Guiana First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou. French Polynesia The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded. French Southern and Antarctic Lands The Southern Lands consist of two archipelagos, Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen, and two volcanic islands, Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul. They contain no permanent inhabitants and are visited only by researchers studying the native fauna. The Antarctic portion consists of "Adelie Land," a thin slice of the Antarctic continent discovered and claimed by the French in 1840. Gabon Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960. The current president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - has dominated the contry's political scene for almost four decades. President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in 2002-03 and the presidential elections in 2005 have exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Gabon's political opposition remains weak, divided, and financially dependent on the current regime. Despite political conditions, a small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous and stable African countries. Gambia, The The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965; it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia with Senegal between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty. A military coup in 1994 overthrew the president and banned political activity, but a 1996 constitution and presidential elections, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to civilian rule. The country undertook another round of presidential and legislative elections in late 2001 and early 2002. Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH, the leader of the coup, has been elected president in all subsequent elections. Gaza Strip The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003 the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005, bringing hope of a turning point in the conflict. In February 2005 Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments, focused on security issues, in an effort to move the peace process forward. Progress has been slow because of different interpretations of the verbal agreement by the two sides. In September 2005, Israel withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. An agreement signed by the PA and Israel in November 2005 authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control, with monitoring provided by the EU. Georgia The region of present-day Georgia contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first centuries A.D. and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short by the Mongol invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. An attempt by the incumbent Georgian government to manipulate national legislative elections in November 2003 touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, president since 1995. New elections in early 2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his National Movement Party. Progress on market reforms and democratization has been made in the years since independence, but this progress has been complicated by two civil conflicts in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These two territories remain outside the control of the central government and are ruled by de facto, unrecognized governments, supported by Russia. Russian-led peacekeeping operations continue in both regions. The Georgian Government put forward a new peace initiative for the peaceful resolution of the status of South Ossetia in 2005. Germany As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro. Ghana Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and a ban on political parties. A new constitution, restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS, head of state since 1981, won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election, succeeded him. Gibraltar Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. Although the current 1969 Constitution for Gibraltar states that the British government will never allow the people of Gibraltar to pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes, a series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and 2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltarian Government set up a referendum in late 2002 in which a majority of the citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since the referendum, tripartite talks have been held with Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to allow airlines other than British to serve Gibraltar, to speed up customs procedures, and to add more telephone lines into Gibraltar. Britain agreed to pay pensions to Spaniards who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed in 1969. Spain will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will fly. Glorioso Islands A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse. Greece Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981 Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the euro zone in 2001. Greenland Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute over stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament. The law went into effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs. Grenada Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974 making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year and have continued since that time. Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage. Guadeloupe Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles and its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe Guam Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installation on the island is one of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific. Guatemala The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000 people dead and had created some 1 million refugees. Guernsey The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Guernsey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. Guinea Guinea has had only two presidents since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003. Unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia has spilled over into Guinea on several occasions over the past decade, threatening stability and creating humanitarian emergencies. Guinea-Bissau Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In August 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president in the second round of presidential polling. Since formally assuming office in October 2005, Vieira has pledged to pursue economic development and national reconciliation. Guyana Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Jane JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001. Haiti The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the departure of President Jean-Betrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays have prompted repeated postponements, and Haiti missed the constitutionally-mandated presidential inauguration date of 7 February 2006. Heard Island and McDonald Islands These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve. Holy See (Vatican City) Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the Middle East, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith. Honduras Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. Hong Kong Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. Howland Island Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the island was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British companies mined for guano until about 1890. Earhart Light is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast that was partially destroyed during World War II, but has since been rebuilt; it is named in memory of the famed aviatrix Amelia EARHART. The island is administered by the US Department of the Interior as a National Wildlife Refuge. Hungary Hungary was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "Goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004. Iceland Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards. Iles Eparses The Iles Eparses, or scattered islands, are a group of five French entities - Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island - which on 1 April 1960 came under the authority of the Minister in charge of overseas possessions. On 19 September 1960 by decree, the islands were transferred to the charge of the Prefet of Reunion where they remained until 3 January 2005 when they were transferred by another decree to the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF). Bassas da India: A French possession since 1897, this atoll is a volcanic seamount surrounded by reefs and awash at high tide. Europa Island: A French possession since 1897, the island is heavily wooded; it is the site of a small military garrison that staffs a weather station. Glorioso Islands: A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse. Juan de Nova Island: Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological station. Tromelin Island: First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station. India The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto Indian lands about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by those of European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU brought independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. Despite impressive gains in economic investment and output, India faces pressing problems such as the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife. Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude. Indonesia The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to relinquish its colony. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and home to the world's largest Muslim population. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing financial sector reforms, stemming corruption, and holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations. Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the December 2004 tsunami, which particularly affected Aceh province causing over 100,000 deaths and over $4 billion in damage. An additional earthquake in March 2005 created heavy destruction on the island of Nias. Reconstruction in these areas may take up to a decade. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, but it continues to face a low intensity separatist guerilla movement in Papua. Iran Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority nominally vested in a learned religious scholar. Iranian-US relations have been strained since a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987-1988. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement. Following the elections of a reformist president and Majlis in the late 1990s, attempts to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction floundered as conservative politicians prevented reform measures from being enacted, increased repressive measures, and made electoral gains against reformers. Parliamentary elections in 2004 and the August 2005 inauguration of a conservative stalwart as president, completed the reconsolidation of conservative power in Iran's government. Iraq Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of military strongmen ruled the country, the latest was SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait, but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition forces remain in Iraq, helping to restore degraded infrastructure and facilitating the establishment of a freely elected government, while simultaneously dealing with a robust insurgency. The Coalition Provisional Authority, which temporarily administered Iraq after the invasion, transferred full governmental authority on 28 June 2004, to the Iraqi Interim Government (IG), which governed under the Transitional Administrative Law for Iraq (TAL). Under the TAL, elections for a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) were held in Iraq on 30 January 2005. Following these elections, the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) assumed office. The TNA was charged with drafting Iraq's permanent constitution, which was approved in a 15 October 2005 constitutional referendum. An election under the constitution for a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) was held in December 2005. The CoR approval in the selection of most of the cabinet ministers on 20 May 2006 marked the transition from the ITG to Iraq's full-term government. Ireland Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK. In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is being implemented with some difficulties. Isle of Man Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. Israel Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Palestinian-Israeli violence between September 2000 and February 2005. An agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February 2005 significantly reduced the violence. The election in January 2005 of Mahmud ABBAS as the new Palestinian leader following the November 2004 death of Yasir ARAFAT, the formation of a Likud-Labor-United Torah Judaism coalition government in January 2005, and the successful Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip (August-September 2005), presented an opportunity for a renewed peace effort. However, internal Israeli political events between October and December 2005 have destabilized the political situation and forced early elections, scheduled for March 2006. Italy Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north. Jamaica The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated, replaced by African slaves. England siezed the island in 1655 and a plantation economy - based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee - was established. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of which became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs created by the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. The cycle of violence, drugs, and poverty has served to impoverish large sectors of the populace. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy. Jan Mayen This desolate, mountainous island was named after a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and trappers over the following centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; it is the northernmost active volcano on earth. Japan In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally. In 2005, Japan began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Jarvis Island First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889, but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935. Abandoned after World War II, the island is currently a National Wildlife Refuge administered by the US Department of the Interior. Jersey Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Jersey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. Johnston Atoll Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005. Jordan Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country's long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, the son of King HUSSEIN, assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. After a two-year delay, parliamentary and municipal elections took place in the summer of 2003. The prime minister appointed in November 2005 stated the government would focus on political reforms, improving conditions for the poor, and fighting corruption. Juan de Nova Island Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological station. Kazakhstan Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers. Kenya Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition, defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. Kingman Reef The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge. Kiribati The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati. Korea, North An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il-so'ng, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive Soviet or Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development, as well as its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces, are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Since August 2003, North Korea has participated in the Six-Party Talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US designed to resolve the stalemate over its nuclear programs. The fourth round of Six-Party Talks were held in Beijing during July-September 2005. All parties agreed to a Joint Statement of Principles in which, among other things, the six parties unanimously reaffirmed the goal of verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. In the Joint Statement, the DPRK committed to "abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA safeguards." The Joint Statement also commits the US and other parties to certain actions as the DPRK denuclearizes. The US offered a security assurance, specifying that it had no nuclear weapons on ROK territory and no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or other weapons. The US and DPRK will take steps to normalize relations, subject to the DPRK's implementing its denuclearization pledge and resolving other longstanding concerns. While the Joint Statement provides a vision of the end-point of the Six-Party process, much work lies ahead to implement the elements of the agreement. Korea, South Korea was an independent kingdom for much of its millennia-long history. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Yo'ng-sam became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of military rule. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il. Kuwait Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91. Kyrgyzstan A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1864; it achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAYEV, who had run the country since 1990. Subsequent presidential elections in July 2005 were won overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIYEV. Current concerns include: privatization of state-owned enterprises, expansion of democracy and political freedoms, reduction of corruption, improving interethnic relations, and combating terrorism. Laos Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For three hundred years Lan Xang included large parts of present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997. Latvia After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Lebanon Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this territory and separated out a region of Lebanon in 1920. France granted this area independence in 1943. A 15-year civil war (1976-1991) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections, most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shi'a organization listed by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus justified its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar Revolution"). Syria finally withdrew the remainder of its military forces from Lebanon in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference, handing a two-thirds majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son. Lesotho Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 7 years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002. Liberia Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE assassinated President William TOLBERT (1971-80) and ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule followed by a prolonged civil war, in which DOE himself was killed. In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of intermittent fighting and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence throughout the country, completed a disarmament program for former combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish. Libya The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks from the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not reliquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI began to espouse his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Libyan support for terrorism appeared to have decreased after the imposition of sanctions. During the 1990s, QADHAFI also began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya resolved the Lockerbie case. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, and QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with western nations since then. He has received various Western European leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to Brussels in April 2004. QADHAFI also finally resolved in 2004 several outstanding cases against his government for terrorist activities in the 1980s by compensating the families of victims of the UTA and La Belle disco bombings. Liechtenstein The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. Shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight have resulted in concerns about the use of the financial institutions for money laundering. Liechtenstein has, however, implemented new anti-money-laundering legislation and recently concluded a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US. Lithuania Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Luxembourg Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union), and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area. Macau Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 20 December 1999. China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be practiced in Macau, and that Macau will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. Macedonia Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991, but Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international recognition, which occurred under the provisional designation of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, although differences over Macedonia's name remain. The undetermined status of neighboring Kosovo, implementation of the Framework Agreement - which ended the 2001 ethnic Albanian armed insurgency - and a weak economy continue to be challenges for Macedonia. Madagascar Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. Malawi Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution which came into full effect the following year. Current President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, has struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor, who still leads their shared political party. MUTHARIKA's anti-corruption efforts have led to several high-level arrests and one prominent conviction. Increasing corruption, population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, and the spread of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for the country. Malaysia During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials, to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism. Maldives The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Since 1978, President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM - currently in his sixth term in office - has dominated the islands' political scene. Following riots in the capital Male in August 2004, the president and his government have pledged to embark upon democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago. Mali The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a coup that ushered in democratic government. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE. Malta Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004. Marshall Islands After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network. Martinique The French began to settle this island in 1635, overcoming resistance from the local Carib inhabitants. In 1660, the suviving natives were rounded up and permanently expelled. The island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation. Mauritania Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984. Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991. Two multiparty presidential elections since then were widely seen as flawed, but October 2001 legislative and municipal elections were generally free and open. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council headed by Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, which declared it would remain in power for up to two years while it created conditions for genuine democratic institutions and organized elections. For now, however, Mauritania remains an autocratic state, and the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population and different Moor (Arab-Berber) communities. Mauritius Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505; it was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community. Mayotte Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego independence. Mexico The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections. Micronesia, Federated States of In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004. Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid. Midway Islands The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a national wildlife refuge. From 1996 to 2001 the refuge was open to the public; it is now temporarily closed. Moldova Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001. Monaco The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present-day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling Grimaldi family secured control in the late 13th century, and a principality was established in 1338. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. Mongolia The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and later came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. The ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. Since then, parliamentary elections returned the MPRP overwhelmingly to power in 2000 and produced a coalition government in 2004. Montenegro The use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century when the Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of Zeta; over subsequent centuries it was able to maintain its independence from the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro became a theocratic state ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality. After World War I, Montenegro was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and, at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser union of Serbia and Montenegro. Following a three-year postponement, Montenegro held an independence referendum in the spring of 2006 under rules set by the EU. The vote for severing ties with Serbia exceeded the 55% threshold, allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June 2006. Montserrat English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possesion of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003. Morocco In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997. Parliamentary elections were held for the second time in September 2002 and municipal elections were held in September 2003. Mozambique Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development. The ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In December 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His newly elected successor, Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, has promised to continue the sound economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment. Namibia South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia won its independence in 1990 and has been governed by SWAPO since. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. Nauru The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic. Navassa Island This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857 for its guano. Mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The lighthouse, built in 1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration of Navassa Island transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior. A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the following year it became a National Wildlife Refuge and annual scientific expeditions have continued. Nepal In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. A Maoist insurgency, launched in 1996, has gained traction and is threatening to bring down the regime, especially after a negotiated cease-fire between the Maoists and government forces broke down in August 2003. In 2001, the crown prince massacred ten members of the royal family, including the king and queen, and then took his own life. In October 2002, the new king dismissed the prime minister and his cabinet for "incompetence" after they dissolved the parliament and were subsequently unable to hold elections because of the ongoing insurgency. While stopping short of reestablishing parliament, the king in June 2004 reinstated the most recently elected prime minister who formed a four-party coalition government. Citing dissatisfaction with the government's lack of progress in addressing the Maoist insurgency and corruption, the king in February 2005 dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency, imprisoned party leaders, and assumed power. The king's government subsequently released party leaders and officially ended the state of emergency in May 2005, but the monarch retained absolute power until April 2006. After nearly three weeks of mass protests organized by the seven-party opposition and the Maoists, the king allowed parliament to reconvene on 28 April 2006. Netherlands The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. Netherlands Antilles Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion is called Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe (France). New Caledonia Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence. New Zealand The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances. Nicaragua The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, saw the Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006 announced the return of former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt. Niger Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. Nigeria British influence and control over what would become Nigeria grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The president faces the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, the OBASANJO administration must defuse longstanding ethnic and religious tensions, if it is to build a sound foundation for economic growth and political stability. Although the April 2003 elections were marred by some irregularities, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. Niue Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered. The population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to about 2,166 in 2006), with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest. Norfolk Island Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Northern Mariana Islands Under US administration as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975, and came into force on 24 March 1976. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978. Norway Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in 994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. The current focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU. Oman The inhabitants of the area of Oman have long prospered on Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century, a newly established sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship treaties with Britain. Over time, Oman's dependence on British political and military advisors increased, but it never became a British colony. In 1970, QABOOS bin Said al-Said overthrew the restrictive rule of his father; he has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world while preserving the longstanding close ties with the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries. Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south. Pakistan The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002. Palau After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence. Palmyra Atoll The Kingdom of Hawaii claimed the atoll in 1862, and the US included it among the Hawaiian Islands when it annexed the archipelago in 1898. The Hawaii Statehood Act of 1959 did not include Palmyra Atoll, which is now privately owned by the Nature Conservancy. This organization is managing the atoll as a nature preserve. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12 nautical mile US territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and were designated a National Wildlife Refuge in January 2001. Panama Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transfered to Panama by the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan to expand the Canal. The project, which is to begin in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2014-15. Papua New Guinea The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives. Paracel Islands The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. Paraguay In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, large, economically important areas were won from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER was overthrown in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then. Peru Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his ouster in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government - the first democratically elected president of Quechua ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, returned to the presidency with promises to improve social conditions. Philippines The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected President and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during WWII, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Philippines attained their independence. The 20-year rule of Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a widespread popular rebellion forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts, which prevented a return to full political stability and economic development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992 and his administration was marked by greater stability and progress on economic reforms. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998, but was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in January 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and widespread demonstrations led to his ouster. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year term in May 2004. The Philippine Government faces threats from armed communist insurgencies and from Muslim separatists in the south. Pitcairn Islands Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today. Poland Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment, underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations. Portugal Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986. Puerto Rico Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status. Qatar Ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, overthrew him in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Reunion The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. Romania The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in March of 2004 and completed accession talks with the European Union (EU) in December 2004; it is scheduled to accede to the EU in 2007. Russia Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the Communist period. While some progress has been made on the economic front, recent years have seen a recentralization of power under Vladimir PUTIN and the erosion of nascent democratic institutions. A determined guerrilla conflict still plagues Russia in Chechnya and threatens to destabilize the North Caucasus region. Rwanda In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the former Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda, but about 10,000 remain in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo and have formed an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF tried in 1990. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output, and ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived Tutsi political dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization and intolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu extremist insurgency across the border, and Rwandan involvement in two wars in recent years in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy. Saint Helena Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903. Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic. Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases the site for a meteorological station on Gough Island. Saint Kitts and Nevis First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nevis continues in its efforts to try and separate from Saint Kitts. Saint Lucia The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. Saint Pierre and Miquelon First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. Samoa New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997. San Marino The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco) also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marino in 301 A.D. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy. Social and political trends in the republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbor. Sao Tome and Principe Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. Although independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. Though the first free elections were held in 1991, the political environment has been one of continued instability with frequent changes in leadership and coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea is likely to have a significant impact on the country's economy. Saudi Arabia In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. A son of ABD AL-AZIZ rules the country today, and the country's Basic Law stipulates that the throne shall remain in the hands of the aging sons and grandsons of the kingdom's founder. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after Operation Desert Storm remained a source of tension between the royal family and the public until the US military's near-complete withdrawal to neighboring Qatar in 2003. The first major terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia in several years, which occurred in May and November 2003, prompted renewed efforts on the part of the Saudi government to counter domestic terrorism and extremism, which also coincided with a slight upsurge in media freedom and announcement of government plans to phase in partial political representation. As part of this effort, the government permitted elections - held nationwide from February through April 2005 - for half the members of 179 municipal councils. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns. Senegal Independent from France in 1960, Senegal was ruled by the Socialist Party for forty years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. A southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982, but Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping. Serbia The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 was resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Josip TITO took full control of Yugoslavia upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his new government and its successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In the early 1990s, post-TITO Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were recognized as independent states in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC, Serbia led various military intervention efforts to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992, but Serbia continued its campaign until signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. In 1998-99, massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international response, including the NATO bombing of Belgrade and the stationing of a NATO-led force (KFOR), in Kosovo. Federal elections in the fall of 2000, brought about the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity. In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted, and it was once more accepted into UN organizations under the name of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo has been governed by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since June 1999, under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, pending a determination by the international community of its future status. In 2002, the Serbian and Montenegrin components of Yugoslavia began negotiations to forge a looser relationship. In February 2003 lawmakers restructured the country into a loose federation of two republics called Serbia and Montenegro. The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro included a provision that allowed either republic to hold a referendum after three years that would allow for their independence from the state union. In the spring of 2006, Montenegro took advantage of the provision to undertake a successful independence vote enabling it to secede on 3 June. Two days later, Serbia declared that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. Seychelles A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993. The most recent presidential elections were held in 2001; President RENE, who had served since 1977, was re-elected. In April 2004 RENE stepped down and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president. Sierra Leone The government is slowly reestablishing its authority after the 1991 to 2002 civil war that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The last UN peacekeepers withdrew in December 2005, leaving full responsibility for security with domestic forces, but a new civilian UN office remains to support the government. Mounting tensions related to planned 2007 elections, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to continuing progress in Sierra Leone's stability. Singapore Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe. Slovakia The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Slovenia The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new multinational state, which was named Yugoslavia in 1929. After World War II, Slovenia became a republic of the renewed Yugoslavia, which though Communist, distanced itself from Moscow's rule. Dissatisfied with the exercise of power by the majority Serbs, the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short 10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a modern state. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Solomon Islands The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on this archipelago. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been very effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions. Somalia Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 in order to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule that managed to impose a degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades. After the regime's overthrow early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May of 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence, aided by the overwhelming dominance of a ruling clan and economic infrastructure left behind by British, Russian, and American military assistance programs. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring self-declared autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998, but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government, but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored. The mandate of the Transitional National Government (TNG), created in August 2000 in Arta, Djibouti, expired in August 2003. A two-year peace process, led by the Government of Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as Transitional Federal President of Somalia and the formation of a transitional government, known as the Somalia Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs). The Somalia TFIs include a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA), a transitional Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed GHEDI, and a 90-member cabinet. The TFIs are currently divided between Mogadishu and Jowhar, but discussions to co-locate the TFIs in one city are ongoing. Suspicion of Somali links with global terrorism further complicates the picture. South Africa After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island. Southern Ocean A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary oceans by the US Government. Spain Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986), have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and relatively high unemployment. Spratly Islands The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef, but has not made any formal claim. Sri Lanka The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formalized a cease-fire in February 2002, with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Sudan Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972, but broke out again in 1983. The second war and famine-related effects resulted in more than 4 million people displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than 2 million deaths over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords; a final Naivasha peace treaty of January 2005 granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years, after which a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict that broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003 has resulted in at least 200,000 deaths and nearly 2 million displaced; as of late 2005, peacekeeping troops were struggling to stabilize the situation. Sudan also has faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia and Chad, and armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations. Suriname First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party New Front coalition - returned to power in 1991 and has ruled since. Svalbard First discovered by the Norwegians in the 12th century, the islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognized in 1920; five years later it officially took over the territory. Swaziland Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured the monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection. Sweden A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe delayed Sweden's entry into the EU until 1995, and waived the introduction of the euro in 1999. Switzerland The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality. Syria Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, France administered Syria until its independence in 1946. The country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic, but in September 1961 the two entities separated and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel, and over the past decade Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of President al-ASAD in July 2000, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April of 2005. Taiwan In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the native population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform. Tajikistan The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it is now in the process of strengthening its democracy and transitioning to a free market economy after its 1992-1997 civil war. There have been no major security incidents in recent years, although the country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development assistance, which could create jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace. Tanzania Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities. Thailand A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing armed violence in its three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces. Togo French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, continued to rule well into the 21st century. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government continued to be dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967. Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. While most bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen, the EU initiated a partial resumption of cooperation and development aid to Togo in late 2004 based upon commitments by Togo to expand opportunities for political opposition and liberalize portions of the economy. Upon his death in February 2005, President EYADEMA was succeeded by his son Faure GNASSINGBE. The succession, supported by the military and in contravention of the nation's constitution, was challenged by popular protest and a threat of sanctions from regional leaders. GNASSINGBE succumbed to pressure and in April 2005 held elections that legitimized his succession. Tokelau Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. Tonga Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific. Trinidad and Tobago First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing. Tromelin Island First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station. Tunisia Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society. Turkey Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey, mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy, enabling it to begin accession membership talks with the European Union. Turkmenistan Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President Saparmurat NIYAZOV retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes in order to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. Turks and Caicos Islands The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory. Tuvalu In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period. Uganda The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections. Ukraine Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime minister in August of 2006. United Arab Emirates The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. United Kingdom As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to wrangling over the peace process. United States Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges The following US Pacific island territories constitute the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex and as such are managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of Interior. These remote refuges are the most widespread collection of marine- and terrestrial-life protected areas on the planet under a single country's jurisdiction. They protect many endemic species including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation not found elsewhere. Baker Island: The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Howland Island: Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the island was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British companies mined for guano until about 1890. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island, similar to the effort on nearby Baker Island, but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The famed American aviatrix Amelia EARHART disappeared while seeking out Howland Island as a refueling stop during her 1937 round-the-world flight; Earhart Light, a day beacon near the middle of the west coast, was named in her memory. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Jarvis Island: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889, but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935 until it was abandoned in 1942 during World War II. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Johnston Atoll: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are currently discussing future management options; in the interim, Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air Force. Kingman Reef: The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge. Midway Islands: The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a National Wildlife Refuge and are the site of the world's largest Laysan albatross colony. Palmyra Atoll: The Kingdom of Hawaii claimed the atoll in 1862, and the US included it among the Hawaiian Islands when it annexed the archipelago in 1898. The Hawaii Statehood Act of 1959 did not include Palmyra Atoll, which is now partly privately owned by the Nature Conservancy with the rest owned by the Federal government and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. These organizations are managing the atoll as a wildlife refuge. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12 nm US territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and designated as a National Wildlife Refuge in January 2001. Uruguay Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Annexed by Brazil as a separate province in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center EP-FA Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent. Uzbekistan Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization. Vanuatu Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceeding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted. Venezuela Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Hugo CHAVEZ, president since 1999, has promoted a controversial policy of "democratic socialism," which purports to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking globalization and undermining regional stability. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples. Vietnam The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the Communist North and anti-Communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under Communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to experience protests from various groups - such as the Protestant Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands and the Hoa Hao Buddhists in southern Vietnam over religious persecution. Montagnard grievances also include the loss of land to Vietnamese settlers. Virgin Islands During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. Wake Island The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station. An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and held until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's airstrip has been used by the US military, as well as for emergency landings. All operations on the island were suspended and all personnel evacuated in August 2006 with the approach of super typhoon Loke (category 5), which struck the island with sustained winds of 250 kph and a 6 m storm surge inflicting major damage. A US Air Force assessment and repair team returned to the island in September and restored limited function to the airfield and facilities. The future status of activities on the island will be determined upon completion of the survey and assessment. Wallis and Futuna The Futuna island group was discovered by the Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory. West Bank The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provided that Israel would retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifada that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003 the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA President in January 2005, bringing hope of a turning point in the conflict. Israel and the PA agreed in February 2005 to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments, focused on security issues, in an effort to move the peace process forward. Progress has been slow because of different interpretations of the verbal agreement by the two sides. Western Sahara Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. World Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war). Yemen North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border. Zambia The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. The new president launched an anti-corruption campaign in 2002, which resulted in the prosecution of former President Frederick CHILUBA and some officials of his administration. Zimbabwe The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. Opposition and labor strikes in 2003 were unsuccessful in pressuring MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their brutal repression of regime opponents. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition, according to UN estimates. This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2030 Airports - with paved runways Afghanistan total: 11 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Albania total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006) Algeria total: 52 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) American Samoa total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Angola total: 31 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Anguilla total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Antigua and Barbuda total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Argentina total: 154 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 65 914 to 1,523 m: 50 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Armenia total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Aruba total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Australia total: 311 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 133 914 to 1,523 m: 143 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Austria total: 25 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 15 (2006) Azerbaijan total: 27 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Bahamas, The total: 29 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Bahrain total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Bangladesh total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Barbados total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Belarus total: 41 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Belgium total: 25 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Belize total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Benin total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Bermuda total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Bhutan total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Bolivia total: 16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Botswana total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Brazil total: 714 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 24 1,524 to 2,437 m: 164 914 to 1,523 m: 464 under 914 m: 54 (2006) British Indian Ocean Territory total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) British Virgin Islands total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Brunei total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Bulgaria total: 132 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 96 (2006) Burkina Faso total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Burma total: 21 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Burundi total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Cambodia total: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Cameroon total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Canada total: 509 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 151 914 to 1,523 m: 248 under 914 m: 77 (2006) Cape Verde total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Cayman Islands total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Central African Republic total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Chad total: 7 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Chile total: 73 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 17 (2006) China total: 403 over 3,047 m: 56 2,438 to 3,047 m: 127 1,524 to 2,437 m: 138 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 60 (2006) Christmas Island total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Cocos (Keeling) Islands total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Colombia total: 101 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Comoros total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 25 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Congo, Republic of the total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Cook Islands total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Costa Rica total: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Cote d'Ivoire total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2006) Croatia total: 23 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Cuba total: 78 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 37 (2006) Cyprus total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Czech Republic total: 46 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 19 (2006) Denmark total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Djibouti total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Dominica total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Dominican Republic total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006) East Timor total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Ecuador total: 98 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 43 (2006) Egypt total: 72 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 under 914 m: 5 (2006) El Salvador total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Equatorial Guinea total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Eritrea total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2006) Estonia total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Ethiopia total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) European Union 1,863 (2006) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Faroe Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Fiji total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Finland total: 76 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 14 (2006) France total: 292 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 96 914 to 1,523 m: 81 under 914 m: 74 (2006) French Guiana total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) French Polynesia total: 39 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Gabon total: 11 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Gambia, The total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Gaza Strip total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Georgia total: 19 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Germany total: 332 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 54 1,524 to 2,437 m: 58 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 135 (2006) Ghana total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Gibraltar total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Greece total: 66 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Greenland total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Grenada total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Guadeloupe total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Guam total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Guatemala total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Guernsey total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Guinea total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2006) Guinea-Bissau total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Guyana total: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Haiti total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Honduras total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Hong Kong total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Hungary total: 20 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Iceland total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) India total: 243 over 3,047 m: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 73 914 to 1,523 m: 81 under 914 m: 21 (2006) Indonesia total: 159 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 49 914 to 1,523 m: 49 under 914 m: 42 (2006) Iran total: 129 over 3,047 m: 41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Iraq total: 77 over 3,047 m: 20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Ireland total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Isle of Man total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Israel total: 30 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 6 (2006) Italy total: 98 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 14 (2006) Jamaica total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Japan total: 145 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 30 (2006) Jersey total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Johnston Atoll total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Jordan total: 15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Kazakhstan total: 67 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Kenya total: 15 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Kiribati total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2006) Korea, North total: 36 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Korea, South total: 69 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Kuwait total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Kyrgyzstan total: 18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Laos total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Latvia total: 24 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Lebanon total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Lesotho total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Liberia total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Libya total: 60 over 3,047 m: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Lithuania total: 34 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Luxembourg total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Macau total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Macedonia total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Madagascar total: 29 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Malawi total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2006) Malaysia total: 37 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Maldives total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Mali total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Malta total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Marshall Islands total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Martinique total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Mauritania total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2006) Mauritius total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Mayotte total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Mexico total: 228 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 82 914 to 1,523 m: 77 under 914 m: 29 (2006) Micronesia, Federated States of total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Midway Islands total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Moldova total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Mongolia total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Montenegro total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Montserrat total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Morocco total: 26 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Mozambique total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Namibia total: 21 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Nauru total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Nepal total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Netherlands total: 20 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Netherlands Antilles total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) New Caledonia total: 11 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006) New Zealand total: 45 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Nicaragua total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Niger total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Nigeria total: 36 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Niue total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Norfolk Island total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Northern Mariana Islands total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Norway total: 67 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 29 (2006) Oman total: 6 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Pakistan total: 91 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 33 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Palau total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Panama total: 53 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 28 (2006) Papua New Guinea total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Paracel Islands total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Paraguay total: 12 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2006) Peru total: 54 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Philippines total: 83 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 36 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Poland total: 83 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 40 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Portugal total: 43 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 11 (2006) Puerto Rico total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Qatar total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Reunion total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Romania total: 25 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2006) Russia total: 616 over 3,047 m: 51 2,438 to 3,047 m: 198 1,524 to 2,437 m: 130 914 to 1,523 m: 100 under 914 m: 137 (2006) Rwanda total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Saint Helena total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Saint Kitts and Nevis total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Saint Lucia total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Saint Pierre and Miquelon total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Samoa total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Sao Tome and Principe total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Saudi Arabia total: 73 over 3,047 m: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Senegal total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Serbia total: 16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Seychelles total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Sierra Leone total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Singapore total: 9 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Slovakia total: 18 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Slovenia total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Solomon Islands total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Somalia total: 7 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) South Africa total: 146 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 914 to 1,523 m: 67 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Spain total: 96 over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Spratly Islands total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Sri Lanka total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2006) Sudan total: 15 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2006) Suriname total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Svalbard total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Swaziland total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Sweden total: 155 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 80 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 36 (2006) Switzerland total: 42 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 16 (2006) Syria total: 26 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Taiwan total: 38 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Tajikistan total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Tanzania total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Thailand total: 66 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Togo total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2006) Tonga total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Trinidad and Tobago total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Tunisia total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Turkey total: 89 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Turkmenistan total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Turks and Caicos Islands total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Uganda total: 5 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Ukraine total: 193 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 55 1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 93 (2006) United Arab Emirates total: 23 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) United Kingdom total: 334 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 149 914 to 1,523 m: 86 under 914 m: 58 (2006) United States total: 5,119 over 3,047 m: 189 2,438 to 3,047 m: 221 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,426 914 to 1,523 m: 2,337 under 914 m: 946 (2006) Uruguay total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Uzbekistan total: 34 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Vanuatu total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Venezuela total: 129 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 60 under 914 m: 19 (2006) Vietnam total: 26 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Virgin Islands total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Wake Island total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) Wallis and Futuna total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) West Bank total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Western Sahara total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006) Yemen total: 16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Zambia total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Zimbabwe total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 8 (2006) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2031 Airports - with unpaved runways Afghanistan total: 35 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Albania total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Algeria total: 90 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 23 (2006) American Samoa total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Angola total: 213 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 95 under 914 m: 81 (2006) Anguilla total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Antarctica total: 28 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 4 length unknown or variable: 4 (2006) Antigua and Barbuda total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Argentina total: 1,227 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 49 914 to 1,523 m: 587 under 914 m: 587 (2006) Armenia total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Australia total: 144 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 111 under 914 m: 15 (2006) Austria total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Azerbaijan total: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Bahamas, The total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 22 (2006) Bangladesh total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Belarus total: 45 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 35 (2006) Belgium total: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2006) Belize total: 38 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Benin total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Bhutan total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Bolivia total: 1,068 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 60 914 to 1,523 m: 207 under 914 m: 797 (2006) Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Botswana total: 75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 55 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Brazil total: 3,562 1,524 to 2,437 m: 81 914 to 1,523 m: 1,634 under 914 m: 1,847 (2006) British Virgin Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Brunei total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Bulgaria total: 85 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 72 (2006) Burkina Faso total: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Burma total: 64 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 32 (2006) Burundi total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Cambodia total: 14 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Cameroon total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 9 (2006) Canada total: 828 1,524 to 2,437 m: 66 914 to 1,523 m: 355 under 914 m: 407 (2006) Cayman Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Central African Republic total: 47 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Chad total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 21 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Chile total: 290 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 58 under 914 m: 216 (2006) China total: 83 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 39 (2006) Colombia total: 883 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 275 under 914 m: 572 (2006) Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 209 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 94 under 914 m: 97 (2006) Congo, Republic of the total: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 11 (2006) Cook Islands total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Costa Rica total: 125 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 101 (2006) Cote d'Ivoire total: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Croatia total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 37 (2006) Cuba total: 92 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 62 (2006) Cyprus total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Czech Republic total: 75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 49 (2006) Denmark total: 64 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 61 (2006) Djibouti total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Dominican Republic total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 10 (2006) East Timor total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Ecuador total: 261 914 to 1,523 m: 33 under 914 m: 228 (2006) Egypt total: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2006) El Salvador total: 71 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 56 (2006) Equatorial Guinea total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Eritrea total: 13 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Estonia total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2006) Ethiopia total: 70 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Europa Island total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) European Union 1,252 (2006) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Fiji total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Finland total: 72 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 67 (2006) France total: 185 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 73 under 914 m: 108 (2006) French Guiana total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2006) French Polynesia total: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Gabon total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Gaza Strip total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Georgia total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Germany total: 222 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 33 under 914 m: 185 (2006) Ghana total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Glorioso Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Greece total: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 13 (2006) Greenland total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Guadeloupe total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Guam total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Guatemala total: 439 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 111 under 914 m: 319 (2006) Guinea total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Guinea-Bissau total: 25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Guyana total: 81 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 65 (2006) Haiti total: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Honduras total: 105 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 84 (2006) Hungary total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Iceland total: 93 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 61 (2006) India total: 98 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 42 under 914 m: 48 (2006) Indonesia total: 503 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 471 (2006) Iran total: 192 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 140 under 914 m: 43 (2006) Iraq total: 33 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Ireland total: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Israel total: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Italy total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 19 (2006) Jamaica total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 22 (2006) Jan Mayen total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Japan total: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Jordan total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Juan de Nova Island total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Kazakhstan total: 83 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 53 (2006) Kenya total: 210 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 115 under 914 m: 84 (2006) Kiribati total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Korea, North total: 41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Korea, South total: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 35 (2006) Kuwait total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Kyrgyzstan total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 16 (2006) Laos total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (2006) Latvia total: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 19 (2006) Lebanon total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006) Lesotho total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2006) Liberia total: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 38 (2006) Libya total: 81 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 41 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Lithuania total: 57 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 53 (2006) Luxembourg total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Macedonia total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Madagascar total: 87 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 42 under 914 m: 43 (2006) Malawi total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Malaysia total: 80 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 72 (2006) Maldives total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) Mali total: 20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Marshall Islands total: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Martinique total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Mauritania total: 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Mauritius total: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Mexico total: 1,611 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 68 914 to 1,523 m: 460 under 914 m: 1,081 (2006) Midway Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Moldova total: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Mongolia total: 32 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Montenegro total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Morocco total: 34 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 11 (2006) Mozambique total: 136 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 87 (2006) Namibia total: 116 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 20 (2006) Nepal total: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 29 (2006) Netherlands total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) New Caledonia total: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 6 (2006) New Zealand total: 73 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 40 (2006) Nicaragua total: 165 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 141 (2006) Niger total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Nigeria total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Northern Mariana Islands total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Norway total: 32 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Oman total: 131 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 52 914 to 1,523 m: 35 under 914 m: 35 (2006) Pakistan total: 48 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Palau total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006) Palmyra Atoll total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Panama total: 64 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 53 (2006) Papua New Guinea total: 561 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 488 (2006) Paraguay total: 869 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 325 under 914 m: 518 (2006) Peru total: 214 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 63 under 914 m: 124 (2006) Philippines total: 173 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 69 under 914 m: 99 (2006) Poland total: 39 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (2006) Portugal total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 22 (2006) Puerto Rico total: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Qatar total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Romania total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Russia total: 1,007 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 127 under 914 m: 780 (2006) Rwanda total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Samoa total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Saudi Arabia total: 135 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Senegal total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Serbia total: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 12 (2006) Seychelles total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Sierra Leone total: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Slovakia total: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Slovenia total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Solomon Islands total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Somalia total: 58 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 6 (2006) South Africa total: 585 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 302 under 914 m: 249 (2006) Spain total: 61 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 44 (2006) Spratly Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Sri Lanka total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Sudan total: 73 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Suriname total: 42 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 36 (2006) Svalbard total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Swaziland total: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 10 (2006) Sweden total: 100 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 91 (2006) Switzerland total: 23 under 914 m: 23 (2006) Syria total: 66 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 54 (2006) Taiwan total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Tajikistan total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 22 (2006) Tanzania total: 113 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 33 (2006) Thailand total: 42 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 26 (2006) Togo total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Tonga total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Trinidad and Tobago total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Tromelin Island total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) Tunisia total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2006) Turkey total: 28 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 17 (2006) Turkmenistan total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Turks and Caicos Islands total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Tuvalu total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) Uganda total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 8 (2006) Ukraine total: 306 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 274 (2006) United Arab Emirates total: 14 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2006) United Kingdom total: 137 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 112 (2006) United States total: 9,739 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 157 914 to 1,523 m: 1,728 under 914 m: 7,847 (2006) Uruguay total: 56 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 31 (2006) Uzbekistan total: 27 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 25 (2006) Vanuatu total: 28 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 18 (2006) Venezuela total: 246 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 90 under 914 m: 147 (2006) Vietnam total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006) Wallis and Futuna total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) Western Sahara total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) Yemen total: 30 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2006) Zambia total: 101 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 64 under 914 m: 32 (2006) Zimbabwe total: 386 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 187 under 914 m: 194 (2006) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2032 Environment - current issues Afghanistan limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution Akrotiri shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base Albania deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents Algeria soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water American Samoa limited natural fresh water resources; the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines Andorra deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal Angola overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water Anguilla supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system Antarctica in 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the Antarctic ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million square kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased ultraviolet light passing through the hole damages the DNA of icefish, an Antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion earlier was shown to harm one-celled Antarctic marine plants; in 2002, significant areas of ice shelves disintegrated in response to regional warming Antigua and Barbuda water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly Arctic Ocean endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack Argentina environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets Armenia soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone Aruba NA Ashmore and Cartier Islands NA Atlantic Ocean endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea Australia soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources Austria some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe Azerbaijan local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton Bahamas, The coral reef decay; solid waste disposal Bahrain desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources, groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs Baker Island no natural fresh water resources Bangladesh many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation Barbados pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers Bassas da India NA Belarus soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine Belgium the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges Belize deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal Benin inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification Bermuda sustainable development Bhutan soil erosion; limited access to potable water Bolivia the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation Bosnia and Herzegovina air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; water shortages and destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife; deforestation Botswana overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources Bouvet Island NA Brazil deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills British Indian Ocean Territory NA British Virgin Islands limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments) Brunei seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia Bulgaria air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes Burkina Faso recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation Burma deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease Burundi soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations Cambodia illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing Cameroon waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing Canada air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities Cape Verde soil erosion; deforestation due to demand for wood used as fuel; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing Cayman Islands no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments Central African Republic tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation Chad inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification Chile widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage China air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species Christmas Island loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining Clipperton Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs Colombia deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions Comoros soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation Congo, Democratic Republic of the poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage Congo, Republic of the air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation Cook Islands NA Coral Sea Islands no permanent fresh water resources Costa Rica deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution Cote d'Ivoire deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents Croatia air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife Cuba air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation Cyprus water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization Czech Republic air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution Denmark air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides Dhekelia netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn Djibouti inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species Dominica NA Dominican Republic water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation East Timor widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion Ecuador deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands Egypt agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources El Salvador deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes Equatorial Guinea tap water is not potable; deforestation Eritrea deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare Estonia air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations Ethiopia deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management Europa Island NA European Union NA Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the Chornobyl disaster Faroe Islands NA Fiji deforestation; soil erosion Finland air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations France some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff French Guiana NA French Polynesia NA French Southern and Antarctic Lands NA Gabon deforestation; poaching Gambia, The deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent Gaza Strip desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources Georgia air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals Germany emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive Ghana recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water Gibraltar limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant Glorioso Islands NA Greece air pollution; water pollution Greenland protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting Grenada NA Guadeloupe NA Guam extirpation of native bird population by the rapid proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic, invasive species Guatemala deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution Guernsey NA Guinea deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage Guinea-Bissau deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing Guyana water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation Haiti extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water Heard Island and McDonald Islands NA Holy See (Vatican City) NA Honduras urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals Hong Kong air and water pollution from rapid urbanization Howland Island no natural fresh water resources Hungary the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet EU requirements will require large investments Iceland water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment India deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources Indian Ocean endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea Indonesia deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires Iran air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization Iraq government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification Ireland water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff Isle of Man waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution Israel limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides Italy air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities Jamaica heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions Jan Mayen NA Japan air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere Jarvis Island no natural fresh water resources Jersey NA Johnston Atoll no natural fresh water resources Jordan limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification Juan de Nova Island NA Kazakhstan radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers which flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices Kenya water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching Kingman Reef none Kiribati heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk Korea, North water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation Korea, South air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing Kuwait limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification Kyrgyzstan water pollution; many people get their water directly from contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation practices Laos unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water Latvia Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; the main environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010 Lebanon deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills Lesotho population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa Liberia tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage Libya desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities Liechtenstein NA Lithuania contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases Luxembourg air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland Macau NA Macedonia air pollution from metallurgical plants Madagascar soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several endangered species of flora and fauna unique to the island Malawi deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations Malaysia air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires Maldives depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching Mali deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching Malta very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination Marshall Islands inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels Martinique NA Mauritania overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation Mauritius water pollution, degradation of coral reefs Mayotte NA Mexico scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues Micronesia, Federated States of overfishing, climate change, pollution Midway Islands NA Moldova heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods Monaco NA Mongolia limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment Montenegro pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor Montserrat land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation Morocco land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters Mozambique a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters; elephant poaching for ivory is a problem Namibia very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas Nauru limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources Navassa Island NA Nepal deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions Netherlands water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain Netherlands Antilles NA New Caledonia erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires New Zealand deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species Nicaragua deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution Niger overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction Nigeria soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization Niue increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development Norway water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions Oman rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources Pacific Ocean endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea Pakistan water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification Palau inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing Palmyra Atoll NA Panama water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources Papua New Guinea rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought Paracel Islands NA Paraguay deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands Peru deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes Philippines uncontrolled deforestation especially in watershed areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers; coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps that are important fish breeding grounds Pitcairn Islands deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement) Poland situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to EU code, but at substantial cost to business and the government Portugal soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas Puerto Rico erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages Qatar limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities Reunion NA Romania soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands Russia air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides Rwanda deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching Saint Helena NA Saint Kitts and Nevis NA Saint Lucia deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region Saint Pierre and Miquelon recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment Saint Vincent and the Grenadines pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive Samoa soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing San Marino NA Sao Tome and Principe deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion Saudi Arabia desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills Senegal wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing Serbia air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube Seychelles water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater Sierra Leone rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing Singapore industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia Slovakia air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests Slovenia Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; pollution of coastal waters with heavy metals and toxic chemicals; forest damage near Koper from air pollution (originating at metallurgical and chemical plants) and resulting acid rain Solomon Islands deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying Somalia famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification South Africa lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands NA Southern Ocean increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries Spain pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification Spratly Islands NA Sri Lanka deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo Sudan inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought Suriname deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities Svalbard NA Swaziland limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion Sweden acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea Switzerland air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity Syria deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water Taiwan air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal Tajikistan inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides Tanzania soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory Thailand air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting Togo deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas Tokelau very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand Tonga deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations Trinidad and Tobago water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion Tromelin Island NA Tunisia toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification Turkey water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic Turkmenistan contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification Turks and Caicos Islands limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater Tuvalu since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary Uganda draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; poaching is widespread Ukraine inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant United Arab Emirates lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills United Kingdom continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move toward a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3% United States air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Johnston Atoll: no natural fresh water resources Kingman Reef: none Midway Islands and Palmyra Atoll: NA Uruguay water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal Uzbekistan shrinkage of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification; water pollution from industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause of many human health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil contamination from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals, including DDT Vanuatu a majority of the population does not have access to a reliable supply of potable water; deforestation Venezuela sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations Vietnam logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Virgin Islands lack of natural freshwater resources Wake Island NA Wallis and Futuna deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources West Bank adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment Western Sahara sparse water and lack of arable land World large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion Yemen very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification Zambia air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks Zimbabwe deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2033 Environment - international agreements Afghanistan party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation Albania party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Algeria party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Andorra party to: Hazardous Wastes signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Angola party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Antigua and Barbuda party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Argentina party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Armenia party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Australia party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Austria party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Azerbaijan party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Bahamas, The party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Bahrain party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Bangladesh party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Barbados party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Belarus party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Belgium party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Belize party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Benin party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Bhutan party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Bolivia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection Bosnia and Herzegovina party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Botswana party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Brazil party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Brunei party to: Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Bulgaria party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Burkina Faso party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Burma party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Burundi party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Cambodia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Cameroon party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Canada party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation Cape Verde party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Central African Republic party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Chad party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping Chile party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements China party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Colombia party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Comoros party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Congo, Democratic Republic of the party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Congo, Republic of the party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Cook Islands party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Costa Rica party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Cote d'Ivoire party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Croatia party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Cuba party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Cyprus party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Czech Republic party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Denmark party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Djibouti party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Dominica party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Dominican Republic party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea East Timor NA Ecuador party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Egypt party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements El Salvador party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Equatorial Guinea party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Eritrea party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Estonia party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Ethiopia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea European Union party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94 signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Fiji party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Finland party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements France party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Gabon party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Gambia, The party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Georgia party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Germany party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Ghana party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Greece party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Grenada party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Guatemala party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Guinea party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Guinea-Bissau party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Guyana party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Haiti party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes Holy See (Vatican City) party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification Honduras party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Hong Kong party to: Marine Dumping (associate member) Hungary party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Iceland party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation India party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Indonesia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Iran party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation Iraq party to: Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Ireland party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation Israel party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Italy party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Jamaica party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Japan party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling Jordan party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Kazakhstan party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Kenya party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Kiribati party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Korea, North party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Korea, South party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Kuwait party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping Kyrgyzstan party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Laos party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Latvia party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Lebanon party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation Lesotho party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Liberia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation Libya party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Liechtenstein party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Lithuania party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Luxembourg party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Macedonia party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Madagascar party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Malawi party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Malaysia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands Maldives party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Mali party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Malta party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Marshall Islands party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Mauritania party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Mauritius party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Mexico party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Micronesia, Federated States of party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Moldova party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Monaco party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Mongolia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Morocco party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea Mozambique party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Namibia party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Nauru party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Nepal party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Netherlands party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling New Zealand party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation Nicaragua party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Niger party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Nigeria party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Niue party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Norway party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Oman party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Pakistan party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Palau party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Panama party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Papua New Guinea party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Paraguay party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Peru party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Philippines party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Poland party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Portugal party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification Qatar party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Romania party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Russia party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Rwanda party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Saint Kitts and Nevis party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Saint Lucia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Saint Vincent and the Grenadines party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Samoa party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements San Marino party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution Sao Tome and Principe party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Saudi Arabia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Senegal party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling Serbia party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Seychelles party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Sierra Leone party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Singapore party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Slovakia party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Slovenia party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Solomon Islands party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Somalia party to: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection South Africa party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Southern Ocean the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing) note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north Spain party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Sri Lanka party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Sudan party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Suriname party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Swaziland party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Sweden party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Switzerland party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Syria party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Taiwan party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status Tajikistan party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Tanzania party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Thailand party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Togo party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Tonga party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Trinidad and Tobago party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Tunisia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Turkey party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Turkmenistan party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Tuvalu party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Uganda party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification Ukraine party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds United Arab Emirates party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea United Kingdom party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants United States party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes Uruguay party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation Uzbekistan party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Vanuatu party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Venezuela party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements Vietnam party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Western Sahara party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Yemen party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Zambia party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Zimbabwe party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2034 Military expenditures - percent of GDP (%) Afghanistan 1.7% (2005 est.) Albania 1.49% (FY02) Algeria 3.2% (2005 est.) Angola 8.8% (2005 est.) Antigua and Barbuda NA Argentina 1.3% (FY00) Armenia 6.5% (FY01) Australia 2.7% (2005 est.) Austria 0.9% (2004) Azerbaijan 2.6% (FY99) Bahamas, The NA Bahrain 4.9% (2005 est.) Bangladesh 1.8% (2005 est.) Barbados NA Belarus 1.4% (FY02) Belgium 1.3% (2003) Belize 1.7% (2005 est.) Benin 2.3% (2005 est.) Bermuda 0.11% (FY00/01) Bhutan 1% (2005 est.) Bolivia 1.4% (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.5% (FY02) Botswana 3.4% (2005 est.) Brazil 1.3% (2005 est.) Brunei 5.1% (2003 est.) Bulgaria 2.6% (2003) Burkina Faso 1.3% (2005 est.) Burma 2.1% (FY97) Burundi 5.6% (2005 est.) Cambodia 3% (FY01 est.) Cameroon 1.5% (2005 est.) Canada 1.1% (2003) Cape Verde 0.7% (2005 est.) Central African Republic 1% (2005 est.) Chad 1% (2005 est.) Chile 3.5% (2005 est.) China 4.3% (2005 est.) Colombia 3.4% (FY01) Comoros 3% (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.5% (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the 1.4% (2005 est.) Costa Rica 0.4% (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 1.6% (2005 est.) Croatia 2.39% (2002 est.) Cuba 1.8% (2005 est.) Cyprus 3.8% (FY02) Czech Republic 1.81% FY05 Denmark 1.5% (2004) Djibouti 4.3% (2005 est.) Dominica NA Dominican Republic 0% (2002 est.) East Timor NA Ecuador 2% (2005 est.) Egypt 3.4% (2004) El Salvador 1% (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea 2.1% (2005 est.) Eritrea 17.7% (2005 est.) Estonia 2% (2002 est.) Ethiopia 3.4% (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands NA Fiji 2.2% (FY02) Finland 2% (FY98/99) France 2.6% FY06 (2005 est.) French Guiana NA Gabon 3.4% (2005 est.) Gambia, The 0.4% (2005 est.) Gaza Strip NA Georgia 0.59% (FY00) Germany 1.5% (2003) Ghana 0.8% (2005 est.) Greece 4.3% (2003) Grenada NA Guatemala 0.5% (2005 est.) Guinea 2.9% (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau 3.1% (2005 est.) Guyana 0.9% (2003 est.) Haiti 0.9% (2003 est.) Honduras 2.55% (2005 est.) Hong Kong NA Hungary 1.75% (2002 est.) Iceland 0% India 2.5% (2005 est.) Indonesia 3% (2004) Iran 3.3% (2003 est.) Iraq NA Ireland 0.9% (FY00/01) Israel 7.7% (2005 est.) Italy 1.8% (2004) Jamaica 0.4% (2003 est.) Japan 1% (2005 est.) Jordan 11.4% (2005 est.) Kazakhstan 0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02) Kenya 1.6% (2005 est.) Kiribati NA Korea, North NA Korea, South 2.6% FY05 (2005 est.) Kuwait 4.2% (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan 1.4% (FY01) Laos 0.4% (2005 est.) Latvia 1.2% (FY01) Lebanon 3.1% (2004) Lesotho 2.1% (2005 est.) Liberia 7.5% (2005 est.) Libya 3.9% (FY99) Lithuania 1.9% (FY01) Luxembourg 0.9% (2003) Macedonia 6% (FY01/02 est.) Madagascar 7.2% (2005 est.) Malawi 0.8% (2005 est.) Malaysia 2.03% (FY00) Maldives 5.5% (2005 est.) Mali 1.9% (2005 est.) Malta 1% (2005 est.) Marshall Islands NA Mauritania 1.4% (2005 est.) Mauritius 0.2% (2005 est.) Mexico 0.8% (2005 est.) Moldova 0.4% (FY02) Mongolia 2.2% (FY02) Morocco 5% (2003 est.) Mozambique 1.3% (2005 est.) Namibia 2.3% (2005 est.) Nauru NA Nepal 1.5% (2005 est.) Netherlands 1.6% (2004) New Caledonia NA New Zealand 1% (FY02) Nicaragua 0.7% (2005 est.) Niger 1.4% (2005 est.) Nigeria 0.8% (2005 est.) Norway 1.9% (2003) Oman 11.4% (2003) Pakistan 3.9% (2005 est.) Palau NA Panama 1% (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea 1.4% (FY02) Paraguay 0.9% (2003 est.) Peru 1.4% (2003 est.) Philippines 0.9% (2005 est.) Poland 1.71% (2002) Portugal 2.3% (2003) Qatar 10% (FY00) Romania 2.47% (2002) Russia NA Rwanda 2.9% (2005 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis NA Saint Lucia NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA Samoa NA San Marino NA Sao Tome and Principe 0.8% (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia 10% (2002) Senegal 1.4% (2005 est.) Seychelles 2.1% (2005 est.) Sierra Leone 1.7% (2005 est.) Singapore 4.9% (FY01) Slovakia 1.87% FY05 (2005) Slovenia 1.7% (FY00) Solomon Islands NA Somalia 0.9% (2005 est.) South Africa 1.5% (2005 est.) Spain 1.2% (2003) Sri Lanka 2.6% (2005 est.) Sudan 3% (1999) (2004) Suriname 0.7% (2003 est.) Swaziland 1.4% (2005 est.) Sweden 1.5% (2005 est.) Switzerland 1% (FY01) Syria 5.9% (FY00) Taiwan 2.4% (2005 est.) Tajikistan 3.9% (FY01) Tanzania 0.2% (2005 est.) Thailand 1.8% (2003) Togo 1.6% (2005 est.) Tonga NA Trinidad and Tobago 0.6% (2003 est.) Tunisia 1.5% (FY99) Turkey 5.3% (2003) Turkmenistan 3.4% (FY99) Tuvalu NA Uganda 2.2% (2005 est.) Ukraine 1.4% (FY02) United Arab Emirates 3.1% (FY00) United Kingdom 2.4% (2003) United States 4.06% (FY03 est.) (2005 est.) Uruguay 2.1% (2005 est.) Uzbekistan 2% (FY97) Vanuatu NA Venezuela 1.2% (2005 est.) Vietnam 2.5% (FY98) West Bank NA World roughly 2% of gross world product (2005 est.) Yemen 6.4% (2005 est.) Zambia 1.8% (2005 est.) Zimbabwe 4% (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2038 Electricity - production (kWh) Afghanistan 905 million kWh (2003) Albania 5.68 billion kWh (2004) Algeria 26.99 billion kWh (2003 est.) American Samoa 130 million kWh (2003) Andorra NA kWh Angola 2.24 billion kWh (2004) Anguilla NA kWh Antigua and Barbuda 100 million kWh (2003) Argentina 87.16 billion kWh (2004) Armenia 6.317 billion kWh (2005) Aruba 770 million kWh (2003) Australia 237 billion kWh (2004) Austria 63.69 billion kWh (2004) Azerbaijan 20 billion kWh (2003) Bahamas, The 1.81 billion kWh (2003) Bahrain 7.345 billion kWh (2003) Bangladesh 17.42 billion kWh (2003) Barbados 819 million kWh (2003) Belarus 30 billion kWh (2004) Belgium 78.77 billion kWh (2003) Belize 120 million kWh (2003) Benin 69 million kWh (2003) Bermuda 682.5 million kWh (2005) Bhutan 1.882 billion kWh (2003) Bolivia 4.25 billion kWh (2003) Bosnia and Herzegovina 10.51 billion kWh (2003) Botswana 891 million kWh (2004) Brazil 387.5 billion kWh (2004) British Indian Ocean Territory NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military British Virgin Islands 34.55 million kWh (2003) Brunei 2.906 billion kWh (2004) Bulgaria 45 billion kWh (2004) Burkina Faso 375.6 million kWh (2003) Burma 7.393 billion kWh (2003) Burundi 141.3 million kWh (2003) Cambodia 123.7 million kWh (2003) Cameroon 2.988 billion kWh (2003) Canada 566.3 billion kWh (2003) Cape Verde 44.15 million kWh (2003) Cayman Islands 441.9 million kWh (2003) Central African Republic 106 million kWh (2003) Chad 120 million kWh (2003) Chile 45.3 billion kWh (2003) China 2.19 trillion kWh (2004) Colombia 50.43 billion kWh (2003) Comoros 18 million kWh (2003) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.036 billion kWh (2003) Congo, Republic of the 343 million kWh (2003) Cook Islands 28 million kWh (2003) Costa Rica 7.726 billion kWh (2003) Cote d'Ivoire 5.127 billion kWh (2003) Croatia 11.15 billion kWh (2003) Cuba 15.65 billion kWh (2004) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 3.801 billion kWh; north Cyprus: NA kWh (2003) Czech Republic 84.33 billion kWh (2004) Denmark 43.32 billion kWh (2003) Djibouti 240 million kWh (2003) Dominica 69.98 million kWh (2003) Dominican Republic 12.6 billion kWh (2003) East Timor NA kWh Ecuador 11.27 billion kWh (2003) Egypt 84.26 billion kWh (2003) El Salvador 4.158 billion kWh (2004) Equatorial Guinea 29.43 million kWh (2003) Eritrea 270.9 million kWh (2003) Estonia 10.304 billion kWh (2004) Ethiopia 2.058 billion kWh (2003) European Union 2.925 trillion kWh (2002 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 22.23 million kWh (2003) Faroe Islands 260.2 million kWh (2003) Fiji 775.7 million kWh (2003) Finland 79.61 billion kWh (2003) France 536.9 billion kWh (2003) French Guiana 465.2 million kWh (2003) French Polynesia 493.7 million kWh (2003) Gabon 1.487 billion kWh (2003) Gambia, The 140 million kWh (2003) Gaza Strip NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the Gaza Strip power plant and by an Israeli utility Georgia 8.634 billion kWh (2003) Germany 558.1 billion kWh (2003) Ghana 5.356 billion kWh (2003) Gibraltar 106.1 million kWh (2003) Greece 54.56 billion kWh (2003) Greenland 242.2 million kWh (2003) Grenada 159.8 million kWh (2003) Guadeloupe 1.165 billion kWh (2003) Guam 840.1 million kWh (2003) Guatemala 6.898 billion kWh (2003) Guernsey NA kWh Guinea 775 million kWh (2003) Guinea-Bissau 56 million kWh (2003) Guyana 779 million kWh (2003) Haiti 546 million kWh (2003) Holy See (Vatican City) NA kWh Honduras 4.338 billion kWh (2003) Hong Kong 37.3 billion kWh (2004) Hungary 32.21 billion kWh (2003) Iceland 8.619 billion kWh (2004) India 556.8 billion kWh (2003) Indonesia 120.2 billion kWh (2004) Iran 142.3 billion kWh (2003) Iraq 31.7 billion kWh (2005) Ireland 23.41 billion kWh (2003) Israel 44.24 billion kWh (2003) Italy 270.1 billion kWh (2003) Jamaica 3.717 billion kWh (2004) Japan 1.017 trillion kWh (2003) Jordan 7.517 billion kWh (2003) Kazakhstan 60.33 billion kWh (2003) Kenya 4.342 billion kWh (2003) Kiribati 12 million kWh (2003) Korea, North 18.75 billion kWh (2003) Korea, South 342.1 billion kWh (2004) Kuwait 38.19 billion kWh (2003) Kyrgyzstan 13.77 billion kWh (2003) Laos 3.767 billion kWh (2003) Latvia 3.97 billion kWh (2003) Lebanon 10.67 billion kWh (2003) Lesotho 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) Liberia 509.4 million kWh (2003) Libya 14.4 billion kWh (2003) Lithuania 19 billion kWh (2004) Luxembourg 3.203 billion kWh (2005 est.) Macau 1.893 billion kWh (2004) Macedonia 6.271 billion kWh (2005) Madagascar 825.4 million kWh (2003) Malawi 1.296 billion kWh (2003) Malaysia 79.28 billion kWh (2003) Maldives 135 million kWh (2003) Mali 820 million kWh (2003) Malta 2.082 billion kWh (2003) Martinique 1.205 billion kWh (2003) Mauritania 185.6 million kWh (2003) Mauritius 1.941 billion kWh (2003) Mayotte NA kWh Mexico 209.2 billion kWh (2003) Micronesia, Federated States of 192 million kWh (2002) Moldova 2.942 billion kWh (2003) Mongolia 3.24 billion kWh (2005 est.) Montenegro 2.864 billion kWh 2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.) Montserrat 2 million kWh (2003) Morocco 17.35 billion kWh (2003) Mozambique 15.14 billion kWh (2003) Namibia 1.464 billion kWh (2003) Nauru 23 million kWh (2003) Nepal 2.565 billion kWh (2005) Netherlands 95 billion kWh (2004) Netherlands Antilles 1.017 billion kWh (2003) New Caledonia 1.581 billion kWh (2003) New Zealand 39.82 billion kWh (2003) Nicaragua 2.887 billion kWh (2004) Niger 230 million kWh (2003) Nigeria 15.59 billion kWh (2003) Niue 3 million kWh (2003) Norfolk Island NA kWh Northern Mariana Islands NA kWh Norway 105.6 billion kWh (2003) Oman 10.3 billion kWh (2003) Pakistan 76.92 billion kWh (2003) Panama 5.398 billion kWh (2003) Papua New Guinea 1.592 billion kWh (2003) Paraguay 51.29 billion kWh (2003) Peru 22.68 billion kWh (2003 est.) Philippines 47.82 billion kWh (2003) Pitcairn Islands NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered generator Poland 150.8 billion kWh (2004) Portugal 44.32 billion kWh (2003) Puerto Rico 23.03 billion kWh (2003) Qatar 9.735 billion kWh (2003) Reunion 1.19 billion kWh (2003) Romania 57 billion kWh (2004) Russia 931 billion kWh (2004) Rwanda 98 million kWh (2003) Saint Helena 5 million kWh (2003) Saint Kitts and Nevis 111.7 million kWh (2003) Saint Lucia 281 million kWh (2003) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 44.15 million kWh (2003) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 95 million kWh (2003) Samoa 116 million kWh (2003) Sao Tome and Principe 15 million kWh (2003) Saudi Arabia 145.1 billion kWh (2003) Senegal 1.332 billion kWh (2003) Serbia 33.87 billion kWh (excluding Kosovo and Montenegro) (2004) Seychelles 241.3 million kWh (2003) Sierra Leone 260.6 million kWh (2003) Singapore 36.8 billion kWh (2004) Slovakia 30.57 billion kWh (2004) Slovenia 14.02 billion kWh (2003) Solomon Islands 55 million kWh (2003) Somalia 235.6 million kWh (2003) South Africa 215.9 billion kWh (2003) Spain 247.3 billion kWh (2003) Sri Lanka 7.308 billion kWh (2003) Sudan 3.165 billion kWh (2003) Suriname 2.014 billion kWh (2003) Swaziland 392 million kWh (2003) Sweden 127.9 billion kWh (2003) Switzerland 63.4 billion kWh (2003) Syria 29.53 billion kWh (2003 est.) Taiwan 218.3 billion kWh (2004) Tajikistan 16.5 billion kWh (2004) Tanzania 3.152 billion kWh (2003) Thailand 114.7 billion kWh (2003) Togo 165.9 million kWh (2003) Tokelau NA kWh Tonga 34 million kWh (2003) Trinidad and Tobago 6.076 billion kWh (2003) Tunisia 11.56 billion kWh (2003) Turkey 133.6 billion kWh (2003) Turkmenistan 11.41 billion kWh (2004 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 5 million kWh (2003) Uganda 1.729 billion kWh (2003) Ukraine 181.3 billion kWh (2004) United Arab Emirates 45.12 billion kWh (2004) United Kingdom 369.9 billion kWh (2003) United States 3.892 trillion kWh (2003) Uruguay 8.611 billion kWh (2003) Uzbekistan 46.52 billion kWh (2003) Vanuatu 41 million kWh (2003) Venezuela 87.44 billion kWh (2003) Vietnam 46.2 billion kWh (2004) Virgin Islands 1.04 billion kWh (2003) Wake Island NA kWh Wallis and Futuna NA kWh West Bank NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants Western Sahara 85 million kWh (2003) World 16.54 trillion kWh (2003 est.) Yemen 3.848 billion kWh (2003 est.) Zambia 8.347 billion kWh (2003) Zimbabwe 8.877 billion kWh (2003) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2042 Electricity - consumption (kWh) Afghanistan 1.042 billion kWh (2003) Albania 6.76 billion kWh (2004) Algeria 24.9 billion kWh (2003 est.) American Samoa 120.9 million kWh (2003) Andorra NA kWh Angola 1.9 billion kWh (2004) Anguilla 42.6 million kWh Antigua and Barbuda 93 million kWh (2003) Argentina 82.97 billion kWh (2004) Armenia 4.374 billion kWh (2005) Aruba 716.1 million kWh (2003) Australia 221 billion kWh (2004) Austria 64.78 billion kWh (2004) Azerbaijan 20.25 billion kWh (2003) Bahamas, The 1.683 billion kWh (2003) Bahrain 6.83 billion kWh (2003) Bangladesh 16.2 billion kWh (2003) Barbados 761.7 million kWh (2003) Belarus 34.3 billion kWh (2004) Belgium 79.66 billion kWh (2003) Belize 111.6 million kWh (2003) Benin 538.2 million kWh (2003) Bermuda 616.7 million kWh (2005) Bhutan 250.3 million kWh (2003) Bolivia 3.963 billion kWh (2003) Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.849 billion kWh (2003) Botswana 2.641 billion kWh (2004) Brazil 359.6 billion kWh (2004) British Indian Ocean Territory NA kWh British Virgin Islands 32.13 million kWh (2003) Brunei 2.726 billion kWh (2004) Bulgaria 25.1 billion kWh (2004) Burkina Faso 349.3 million kWh (2003) Burma 6.875 billion kWh (2003) Burundi 141.4 million kWh (2003) Cambodia 115 million kWh (2003) Cameroon 2.779 billion kWh (2003) Canada 520.9 billion kWh (2003) Cape Verde 41.06 million kWh (2003) Cayman Islands 411 million kWh (2003) Central African Republic 98.58 million kWh (2003) Chad 111.6 million kWh (2003) Chile 44.13 billion kWh (2003) China 2.17 trillion kWh (2004) Colombia 48.83 billion kWh (2003) Comoros 16.74 million kWh (2003) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4.324 billion kWh (2003) Congo, Republic of the 619 million kWh (2003) Cook Islands 34.46 million kWh (2005 est.) Costa Rica 7.12 billion kWh (2003) Cote d'Ivoire 3.418 billion kWh (2003) Croatia 15.81 billion kWh (2003) Cuba 13.27 billion kWh (2004) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 3.535 billion kWh (2004); north Cyprus: NA kWh (2003) Czech Republic 57.12 billion kWh (2004) Denmark 31.68 billion kWh (2003) Djibouti 223.2 million kWh (2003) Dominica 65.09 million kWh (2003) Dominican Republic 11.71 billion kWh (2003) East Timor NA kWh Ecuador 10.55 billion kWh (2003) Egypt 78.16 billion kWh (2003) El Salvador 4.45 billion kWh (2004) Equatorial Guinea 27.37 million kWh (2003) Eritrea 251.9 million kWh (2003) Estonia 6.26 billion kWh (2004) Ethiopia 1.914 billion kWh (2003) European Union 2.711 trillion kWh (2002 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 20.68 million kWh (2003) Faroe Islands 242 million kWh (2003) Fiji 721.4 million kWh (2003) Finland 78.94 billion kWh (2003) France 433.3 billion kWh (2003) French Guiana 432.6 million kWh (2003) French Polynesia 459.2 million kWh (2003) Gabon 1.383 billion kWh (2003) Gambia, The 130.2 million kWh (2003) Gaza Strip NA kWh Georgia 9.8 billion kWh (2005) Germany 510.4 billion kWh (2003) Ghana 5.081 billion kWh (2003) Gibraltar 98.69 million kWh (2003) Greece 53.5 billion kWh (2005 est.) Greenland 225.3 million kWh (2003) Grenada 148.6 million kWh (2003) Guadeloupe 1.084 billion kWh (2003) Guam 781.3 million kWh (2003) Guatemala 6.025 billion kWh (2003) Guernsey NA kWh Guinea 720.8 million kWh (2003) Guinea-Bissau 52.08 million kWh (2003) Guyana 724.5 million kWh (2003) Haiti 507.8 million kWh (2003) Holy See (Vatican City) NA kWh Honduras 4.369 billion kWh (2003) Hong Kong 39.22 billion kWh (2004) Hungary 36.96 billion kWh (2003) Iceland 8.619 billion kWh (2004) India 519 billion kWh (2003) Indonesia 105.4 billion kWh (2004) Iran 132.1 billion kWh (2003) Iraq 33.3 billion kWh (2005) Ireland 22.97 billion kWh (2003) Israel 39.67 billion kWh (2003) Italy 302.2 billion kWh (2003) Jamaica 2.974 billion kWh (2004) Japan 946.3 billion kWh (2003) Jersey 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) Jordan 7.959 billion kWh (2003) Kazakhstan 52.55 billion kWh (2003) Kenya 4.238 billion kWh (2003) Kiribati 11.16 million kWh (2003) Korea, North 17.43 billion kWh (2003) Korea, South 321.1 billion kWh (2004) Kuwait 35.52 billion kWh (2003) Kyrgyzstan 8.783 billion kWh (2003) Laos 3.298 billion kWh (2003) Latvia 5.839 billion kWh (2003) Lebanon 10.67 billion kWh (2003) Lesotho 363.5 million kWh (2003) Liberia 473.8 million kWh (2003) Libya 13.39 billion kWh (2003) Lithuania 12.079 billion kWh (2004) Luxembourg 6.14 billion kWh (2005 est.) Macau 1.899 billion kWh (2004) Macedonia 7.933 billion kWh (2005) Madagascar 767.7 million kWh (2003) Malawi 1.206 billion kWh (2003) Malaysia 73.63 billion kWh (2003) Maldives 125.6 million kWh (2003) Mali 762.6 million kWh (2003) Malta 1.936 billion kWh (2003) Martinique 1.12 billion kWh (2003) Mauritania 172.6 million kWh (2003) Mauritius 1.805 billion kWh (2003) Mayotte 87.79 million kWh NA kWh Mexico 193.9 billion kWh (2003) Micronesia, Federated States of 178.6 million kWh (2002) Moldova 3.036 billion kWh (2003) Monaco NA kWh Mongolia 3.37 billion kWh (2005 est.) Montenegro NA Montserrat 1.86 million kWh (2003) Morocco 17.58 billion kWh (2003) Mozambique 10.46 billion kWh (2003) Namibia 2.372 billion kWh (2003) Nauru 21.39 million kWh (2003) Nepal 1.85 billion kWh (2005) Netherlands 101.6 billion kWh (2003) Netherlands Antilles 945.8 million kWh (2003) New Caledonia 1.47 billion kWh (2003) New Zealand 37.03 billion kWh (2003) Nicaragua 1.848 billion kWh (2004) Niger 263.9 million kWh (2003) Nigeria 14.46 billion kWh (2003) Niue 2.79 million kWh (2003) Norfolk Island NA kWh Northern Mariana Islands NA kWh Norway 106.1 billion kWh (2003) Oman 9.582 billion kWh (2003) Pakistan 71.54 billion kWh (2003) Panama 4.87 billion kWh (2003) Papua New Guinea 1.481 billion kWh (2003) Paraguay 3.528 billion kWh (2003) Peru 21.09 billion kWh (2003) Philippines 44.48 billion kWh (2003) Poland 121.3 billion kWh (2004) Portugal 44.01 billion kWh (2003) Puerto Rico 21.42 billion kWh (2003) Qatar 9.053 billion kWh (2003) Reunion 1.107 billion kWh (2003) Romania 37.5 billion kWh (2003) Russia 811.5 billion kWh (2004) Rwanda 121.1 million kWh (2003) Saint Helena 4.65 million kWh (2003) Saint Kitts and Nevis 103.9 million kWh (2003) Saint Lucia 261.4 million kWh (2003) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 41.06 million kWh (2003) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 88.35 million kWh (2003) Samoa 107.9 million kWh (2003) Sao Tome and Principe 13.95 million kWh (2003) Saudi Arabia 134.9 billion kWh (2003) Senegal 1.239 billion kWh (2003) Serbia NA Seychelles 224.4 million kWh (2003) Sierra Leone 242.4 million kWh (2003) Singapore 33.2 billion kWh (2004) Slovakia 24.8 billion kWh (2004) Slovenia 12.52 billion kWh (2003) Solomon Islands 51.15 million kWh (2003) Somalia 219.1 million kWh (2003) South Africa 197.4 billion kWh (2003) Spain 231.2 billion kWh (2003) Sri Lanka 6.796 billion kWh (2003) Sudan 2.943 billion kWh (2003) Suriname 1.873 billion kWh (2003) Swaziland 1.161 billion kWh (2003) Sweden 131.8 billion kWh (2003) Switzerland 55.86 billion kWh (2003) Syria 28.26 billion kWh (2003 est.) Taiwan 206.1 billion kWh (2004) Tajikistan 15.05 billion kWh (2003) Tanzania 2.959 billion kWh (2003) Thailand 107.3 billion kWh (2003) Togo 654.3 million kWh (2003) Tokelau NA kWh Tonga 31.62 million kWh (2003) Trinidad and Tobago 5.651 billion kWh (2003) Tunisia 10.76 billion kWh (2003) Turkey 140.3 billion kWh (2005) Turkmenistan 8.847 billion kWh (2002) Turks and Caicos Islands 4.65 million kWh (2003) Uganda 1.448 billion kWh (2003) Ukraine 176 billion kWh (2004) United Arab Emirates 38.32 billion kWh (2002) United Kingdom 346.1 billion kWh (2003) United States 3.656 trillion kWh (2003) Uruguay 7.762 billion kWh (2003) Uzbekistan 48.45 billion kWh (2003) Vanuatu 38.13 million kWh (2003) Venezuela 81.32 billion kWh (2003) Vietnam 52 billion kWh (2004) Virgin Islands 967.3 million kWh (2003) Wallis and Futuna NA kWh West Bank NA kWh Western Sahara 83.7 million kWh (2003) World 15.45 trillion kWh (2003 est.) Yemen 2.827 billion kWh (2003 est.) Zambia 5.345 billion kWh (2003) Zimbabwe 11.22 billion kWh (2003) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2043 Electricity - imports (kWh) Afghanistan 200 million kWh (2003) Albania 1.08 billion kWh (2004 est.) Algeria 200 million kWh (2003 est.) American Samoa 0 kWh (2003) Andorra NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower Angola 0 kWh (2003) Antigua and Barbuda 0 kWh (2003) Argentina 1.561 billion kWh (2004) Armenia 463 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2003) Aruba 0 kWh (2003) Australia 0 kWh (2003) Austria 16.63 billion kWh (2004) Azerbaijan 2.35 billion kWh (2003) Bahamas, The 0 kWh (2003) Bahrain 0 kWh (2003) Bangladesh 0 kWh (2003) Barbados 0 kWh (2003) Belarus 7 billion kWh (2003) Belgium 14.7 billion kWh (2003) Belize 0 kWh (2003) Benin 474 million kWh (2003) Bermuda 0 kWh (2005) Bhutan 10 million kWh (2003) Bolivia 10 million kWh (2003) Bosnia and Herzegovina 2.271 billion kWh (2003) Botswana 1.39 billion kWh (2002) Brazil 37.4 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2004) British Virgin Islands 0 kWh (2003) Brunei 0 kWh (2004) Bulgaria 1.3 billion kWh (2003) Burkina Faso 0 kWh (2003) Burma 0 kWh (2004) Burundi 10 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2003) Cambodia 0 kWh (2003) Cameroon 0 kWh (2003) Canada 33 billion kWh (2004) Cape Verde 0 kWh (2003) Cayman Islands 0 kWh (2003) Central African Republic 0 kWh (2003) Chad 0 kWh (2003) Chile 2 billion kWh (2003) China 1.546 billion kWh (2003) Colombia 48.4 million kWh (2003) Comoros 0 kWh (2003) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 10 million kWh (2003) Congo, Republic of the 300 million kWh (2003) Cook Islands 0 kWh (2003) Costa Rica 50 million kWh (2003) Cote d'Ivoire 0 kWh (2003) Croatia 5.99 billion kWh (2003) Cuba 0 kWh (2003) Cyprus 0 kWh (2003) Czech Republic 9.776 billion kWh (2004) Denmark 7 billion kWh (2003) Djibouti 0 kWh (2003) Dominica 0 kWh (2003) Dominican Republic 0 kWh (2003) East Timor 0 kWh (2003) Ecuador 140 million kWh (2003) Egypt 250 million kWh (2003) El Salvador 473 million kWh (2004) Equatorial Guinea 0 kWh (2003) Eritrea 0 kWh (2003) Estonia 347 million kWh (2004) Ethiopia 0 kWh (2003) European Union 281.2 billion kWh (2002 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 kWh (2003) Faroe Islands 0 kWh (2003) Fiji 0 kWh (2003) Finland 11.9 billion kWh (2003) France 6.2 billion kWh (2003) French Guiana 0 kWh (2003) French Polynesia 0 kWh (2003) Gabon 0 kWh (2003) Gambia, The 0 kWh (2003) Gaza Strip NA kWh; note - some electricity supplied by an Israeli utility (2005) Georgia 1.2 billion kWh (2004) Germany 45.4 billion kWh (2003) Ghana 500 million kWh (2003) Gibraltar 0 kWh (2003) Greece 4.2 billion kWh (2002) Greenland 0 kWh (2003) Grenada 0 kWh (2003) Guadeloupe 0 kWh (2003) Guam 0 kWh (2003) Guatemala 35 million kWh (2003) Guernsey 0 kWh (2002) Guinea 0 kWh (2003) Guinea-Bissau 0 kWh (2003) Guyana 0 kWh (2003) Haiti 0 kWh (2003) Holy See (Vatican City) NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy Honduras 335 million kWh (2003) Hong Kong 9.84 billion kWh (2004) Hungary 14.1 billion kWh (2003) Iceland 0 kWh (2003) India 1.4 billion kWh (2003) Indonesia 0 kWh (2004) Iran 600 million kWh (2003) Iraq 2.02 billion kWh (2005) Ireland 1.2 billion kWh (2003) Israel 0 kWh (2003) Italy 51.5 billion kWh (2003) Jamaica 0 kWh (2004) Japan 0 kWh (2003) Jersey NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France Jordan 972 million kWh (2003) Kazakhstan 2.45 billion kWh (2003) Kenya 200 million kWh (2003) Kiribati 0 kWh (2003) Korea, North 0 kWh (2003) Korea, South 0 kWh (2004) Kuwait 0 kWh (2003) Kyrgyzstan 108 million kWh (2003) Laos 230 million kWh (2003) Latvia 2.7 billion kWh (2003) Lebanon 750 million kWh (2003) Lesotho 38 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) Liberia 0 kWh (2003) Libya 0 kWh (2003) Lithuania 4.144 billion kWh (2003) Luxembourg 5.287 billion kWh (2005 est.) Macau 153.3 million kWh (2004) Macedonia 1.662 billion kWh (2005) Madagascar 0 kWh (2003) Malawi 0 kWh (2003) Malaysia 0 kWh (2003) Maldives 0 kWh (2003) Mali 0 kWh (2003) Malta 0 kWh (2003) Martinique 0 kWh (2003) Mauritania 0 kWh (2003) Mauritius 0 kWh (2003) Mexico 390.2 million kWh (2003) Micronesia, Federated States of 0 kWh (2002) Moldova 600 million kWh (2003) Monaco NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France Mongolia 130 million kWh (2005 est.) Montserrat 0 kWh (2003) Morocco 1.45 billion kWh (2003) Mozambique 5.875 billion kWh (2003) Namibia 1.065 billion kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) Nauru 0 kWh (2003) Nepal 241 million kWh (2005) Netherlands 20.8 billion kWh (2003) Netherlands Antilles 0 kWh (2003) New Caledonia 0 kWh (2003) New Zealand 0 kWh (2003) Nicaragua 23.3 million kWh (2004) Niger 50 million kWh (2003) Nigeria 0 kWh (2003) Niue 0 kWh (2003) Northern Mariana Islands 0 kWh Norway 13.5 billion kWh (2003) Oman 0 kWh (2003) Pakistan 0 kWh (2003) Panama 25 million kWh (2003) Papua New Guinea 0 kWh (2003) Paraguay 0 kWh (2003) Peru 0 kWh (2003) Philippines 0 kWh (2003) Poland 5 billion kWh (2004) Portugal 5.9 billion kWh (2003) Puerto Rico 0 kWh (2003) Qatar 0 kWh (2003) Reunion 0 kWh (2003) Romania 380 million kWh (2003) Russia 14 billion kWh (2002) Rwanda 30 million kWh (2003) Saint Helena 0 kWh (2003) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 kWh (2003) Saint Lucia 0 kWh (2003) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 kWh (2003) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 kWh (2003) Samoa 0 kWh (2003) Sao Tome and Principe 0 kWh (2003) Saudi Arabia 0 kWh (2003) Senegal 0 kWh (2003) Serbia 11.23 billion kWh (excluding Kosovo; imports from Montenegro) (2004) Seychelles 0 kWh (2003) Sierra Leone 0 kWh (2003) Singapore 0 kWh (2004) Slovakia 8.731 billion kWh (2004) Slovenia 5.975 billion kWh (2003) Solomon Islands 0 kWh (2003) Somalia 0 kWh (2003) South Africa 6.739 billion kWh (2003) Spain 8.7 billion kWh (2003) Sri Lanka 0 kWh (2003) Sudan 0 kWh (2003) Suriname 0 kWh (2003) Swaziland 821.4 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2004) Sweden 24.3 billion kWh (2003) Switzerland 30.1 billion kWh (2003) Syria 0 kWh (2003) Taiwan 0 kWh (2004) Tajikistan 4.81 billion kWh (2004) Tanzania 28 million kWh (2003) Thailand 980 million kWh (2003) Togo 500 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2003) Tonga 0 kWh (2003) Trinidad and Tobago 0 kWh (2003) Tunisia 5 million kWh (2003) Turkey 1.2 billion kWh (2002) Turkmenistan 0 kWh (2002) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 kWh (2003) Uganda 0 kWh (2003) Ukraine 255 million kWh (2004) United Arab Emirates 0 kWh (2004) United Kingdom 5.1 billion kWh (2003) United States 30.39 billion kWh (2003) Uruguay 654 million kWh (2003) Uzbekistan 10.55 billion kWh (2003) Vanuatu 0 kWh (2003) Venezuela 0 kWh (2003) Vietnam NA kWh Virgin Islands 0 kWh (2003) Wallis and Futuna 0 kWh (2002) West Bank NA kWh Western Sahara 0 kWh (2003) World 545.2 billion kWh (2003) Yemen 0 kWh (2003) Zambia 0 kWh (2003) Zimbabwe 3.3 billion kWh (2003) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2044 Electricity - exports (kWh) Afghanistan 0 kWh (2003) Albania 200 million kWh (2003) Algeria 400 million kWh (2003 est.) American Samoa 0 kWh (2003) Andorra NA kWh Angola 0 kWh (2003) Antigua and Barbuda 0 kWh (2003) Argentina 2.07 billion kWh (2004) Armenia 650 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2003) Aruba 0 kWh (2003) Australia 0 kWh (2003) Austria 13.53 billion kWh (2004) Azerbaijan 700 million kWh (2003) Bahamas, The 0 kWh (2003) Bahrain 0 kWh (2003) Bangladesh 0 kWh (2003) Barbados 0 kWh (2003) Belarus 800 million kWh (2004) Belgium 8.3 billion kWh (2003) Belize 0 kWh (2003) Benin 0 kWh (2003) Bermuda 0 kWh (2005) Bhutan 1.51 billion kWh (2003) Bolivia 0 kWh (2003) Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.2 billion kWh (2003) Botswana 0 kWh (2002) Brazil 6 million kWh (2004) British Virgin Islands 0 kWh (2003) Brunei 0 kWh (2004) Bulgaria 6.8 billion kWh (2003) Burkina Faso 0 kWh (2003) Burma 0 kWh (2003) Burundi 0 kWh (2003) Cambodia 0 kWh (2003) Cameroon 0 kWh (2003) Canada 22 billion kWh (2004) Cape Verde 0 kWh (2003) Cayman Islands 0 kWh (2003) Central African Republic 0 kWh (2003) Chad 0 kWh (2003) Chile 0 kWh (2003) China 10.6 billion kWh (2003) Colombia 1.082 billion kWh (2003) Comoros 0 kWh (2003) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.3 billion kWh (2003) Congo, Republic of the 0 kWh (2003) Cook Islands 0 kWh (2003) Costa Rica 115 million kWh (2003) Cote d'Ivoire 1.35 billion kWh (2003) Croatia 550 million kWh (2003) Cuba 0 kWh (2003) Cyprus 0 kWh (2003) Czech Republic 25.49 billion kWh (2004) Denmark 15.6 billion kWh (2003) Djibouti 0 kWh (2003) Dominica 0 kWh (2003) Dominican Republic 0 kWh (2003) East Timor 0 kWh (2003) Ecuador 65 million kWh (2003) Egypt 450 million kWh (2003) El Salvador 91 million kWh (2004) Equatorial Guinea 0 kWh (2003) Eritrea 0 kWh (2003) Estonia 2.141 billion kWh (2004) Ethiopia 0 kWh (2003) European Union 282.6 billion kWh (2002) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 kWh (2003) Faroe Islands 0 kWh (2003) Fiji 0 kWh (2003) Finland 7 billion kWh (2003) France 72.2 billion kWh (2003) French Guiana 0 kWh (2003) French Polynesia 0 kWh (2003) Gabon 0 kWh (2003) Gambia, The 0 kWh (2003) Gaza Strip 0 kWh (2001) Georgia 71 million kWh (2004) Germany 54.1 billion kWh (2003) Ghana 400 million kWh (2003) Gibraltar 0 kWh (2003) Greece 2.1 billion kWh (2002) Greenland 0 kWh (2003) Grenada 0 kWh (2003) Guadeloupe 0 kWh (2003) Guam 0 kWh (2003) Guatemala 425 million kWh (2003) Guernsey 0 kWh (2002) Guinea 0 kWh (2003) Guinea-Bissau 0 kWh (2003) Guyana 0 kWh (2003) Haiti 0 kWh (2003) Holy See (Vatican City) 0 kWh Honduras 0 kWh (2003) Hong Kong 3.086 billion kWh (2004) Hungary 7.1 billion kWh (2003) Iceland 0 kWh (2003) India 187 million kWh (2003) Indonesia 0 kWh (2004) Iran 840 million kWh (2003) Iraq 0 kWh (2005) Ireland 0 kWh (2003) Israel 1.47 billion kWh (2003) Italy 500 million kWh (2003) Jamaica 0 kWh (2004) Japan 0 kWh (2003) Jordan 4 million kWh (2003) Kazakhstan 6 billion kWh (2003) Kenya 0 kWh (2003) Kiribati 0 kWh (2003) Korea, North 0 kWh (2003) Korea, South 0 kWh (2004) Kuwait 0 kWh (2003) Kyrgyzstan 4.13 billion kWh (2003) Laos 435 million kWh (2003) Latvia 38 million kWh (2003) Lebanon 0 kWh (2003) Lesotho 0 kWh (2003) Liberia 0 kWh (2003) Libya 0 kWh (2003) Lithuania 11.7 billion kWh (2003) Luxembourg 2.346 billion kWh (2005 est.) Macau 0 kWh (2004) Macedonia 0 kWh (2005) Madagascar 0 kWh (2003) Malawi 0 kWh (2003) Malaysia 100 million kWh (2003) Maldives 0 kWh (2003) Mali 0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2003) Malta 0 kWh (2003) Martinique 0 kWh (2003) Mauritania 0 kWh (2003) Mauritius 0 kWh (2003) Mexico 1.07 billion kWh (2003) Micronesia, Federated States of 0 kWh (2002) Moldova 300 million kWh (2003) Mongolia 18 million kWh (2005 est.) Montserrat 0 kWh (2003) Morocco 0 kWh (2003) Mozambique 9.5 billion kWh (2003) Namibia 55 million kWh (2003) Nauru 0 kWh (2003) Nepal 111 million kWh (2005) Netherlands 3.8 billion kWh (2003) Netherlands Antilles 0 kWh (2003) New Caledonia 0 kWh (2003) New Zealand 0 kWh (2003) Nicaragua 21.8 million kWh (2004) Niger 0 kWh (2003) Nigeria 40 million kWh (2003) Niue 0 kWh (2003) Northern Mariana Islands 0 kWh Norway 5.6 billion kWh (2003) Oman 0 kWh (2003) Pakistan 0 kWh (2003) Panama 175 million kWh (2003) Papua New Guinea 0 kWh (2003) Paraguay 44.17 billion kWh (2003) Peru 0 kWh (2003) Philippines 0 kWh (2003) Poland 15.2 billion kWh (2004) Portugal 3.1 billion kWh (2003) Puerto Rico 0 kWh (2003) Qatar 0 kWh (2003) Reunion 0 kWh (2003) Romania 3.3 billion kWh (2003) Russia 24 billion kWh (2003) Rwanda 0 kWh (2003) Saint Helena 0 kWh (2003) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 kWh (2003) Saint Lucia 0 kWh (2003) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 kWh (2003) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 kWh (2003) Samoa 0 kWh (2003) Sao Tome and Principe 0 kWh (2003) Saudi Arabia 0 kWh (2003) Senegal 0 kWh (2003) Serbia 12.05 billion kWh (excluding Kosovo; exported to Montenegro) (2004) Seychelles 0 kWh (2003) Sierra Leone 0 kWh (2003) Singapore 0 kWh (2004) Slovakia 10.59 billion kWh (2004) Slovenia 5.811 billion kWh (2003) Solomon Islands 0 kWh (2003) Somalia 0 kWh (2003) South Africa 10.14 billion kWh (2003) Spain 7.5 billion kWh (2003) Sri Lanka 0 kWh (2003) Sudan 0 kWh (2003) Suriname 0 kWh (2003) Swaziland 0 kWh (2004) Sweden 11.5 billion kWh (2003) Switzerland 33.2 billion kWh (2003) Syria 0 kWh (2003) Taiwan 0 kWh (2004) Tajikistan 3.874 billion kWh (2003) Tanzania 0 kWh (2003) Thailand 315 million kWh (2003) Togo 0 kWh (2003) Tonga 0 kWh (2003) Trinidad and Tobago 0 kWh (2003) Tunisia 10 million kWh (2003) Turkey 600 million kWh (2002) Turkmenistan 1.136 billion kWh (2004) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 kWh (2003) Uganda 160 million kWh (2003) Ukraine 1 billion kWh (2004) United Arab Emirates 0 kWh (2004) United Kingdom 3 billion kWh (2003) United States 23.97 billion kWh (2003) Uruguay 900 million kWh (2003) Uzbekistan 5.36 billion kWh (2003) Vanuatu 0 kWh (2003) Venezuela 0 kWh (2003) Vietnam NA kWh Virgin Islands 0 kWh (2003) Wallis and Futuna 0 kWh (2002) Western Sahara 0 kWh (2003) World 537 billion kWh (2003) Yemen 0 kWh (2003) Zambia 2 billion kWh (2003) Zimbabwe 0 kWh (2003) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2046 Population below poverty line (%) Afghanistan 53% (2003) Albania 25% (2004 est.) Algeria 25% (2005 est.) American Samoa NA% Andorra NA% Angola 70% (2003 est.) Anguilla 23% (2002) Antigua and Barbuda NA% Argentina 38.5% (June 2005) Armenia 43% (2003 est.) Aruba NA% Australia NA% Austria 5.9% (2004) Azerbaijan 49% (2002 est.) Bahamas, The 9.3% (2004) Bahrain NA% Bangladesh 45% (2004 est.) Barbados NA% Belarus 27.1% (2003 est.) Belgium 4% (1989 est.) Belize 33% (1999 est.) Benin 33% (2001 est.) Bermuda 19% (2000) Bhutan NA% Bolivia 64% (2004 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 25% (2004 est.) Botswana 30.3% (2003) Brazil 22% (1998 est.) British Virgin Islands NA% Brunei NA% Bulgaria Below $2.15 per day (PPP) 4% (2003) Burkina Faso 45% (2003 est.) Burma 25% (2000 est.) Burundi 68% (2002 est.) Cambodia 40% (2004 est.) Cameroon 48% (2000 est.) Canada 15.9%; note - this figure is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), a calculation that results in higher figures than found in many comparable economies; Canada does not have an official poverty line (2003) Cape Verde 30% (2000) Cayman Islands NA% Central African Republic NA% Chad 80% (2001 est.) Chile 18.2% (2005) China 10% (2001 est.) Colombia 49.2% (2005) Comoros 60% (2002 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the NA% Congo, Republic of the NA% Cook Islands NA% Costa Rica 18% (2004 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 37% (1995) Croatia 11% (2003) Cuba NA% Cyprus NA% Czech Republic At risk of poverty after social transfers: 8% Denmark NA% Djibouti 50% (2001 est.) Dominica 30% (2002 est.) Dominican Republic 25% East Timor 42% (2003 est.) Ecuador 41% (2003) Egypt 20% (2005 est.) El Salvador 36.1% (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea NA% Eritrea 50% (2004 est.) Estonia Below $2.15 per day (PPP) 5% (2003) Ethiopia 50% (2004 est.) European Union see individual country listings Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA% Faroe Islands NA% Fiji 25.5% (1990-91) Finland NA% France 6.5% (2000) French Guiana NA% French Polynesia NA% Gabon NA% Gambia, The NA% Gaza Strip 81% (2004 est.) Georgia 54% (2001 est.) Germany NA% Ghana 31.4% (1992 est.) Gibraltar NA% Greece NA% Greenland NA% Grenada 32% (2000) Guadeloupe NA% Guam 23% (2001 est.) Guatemala 75% (2004 est.) Guernsey NA% Guinea 40% (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau NA% Guyana NA% Haiti 80% (2003 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) NA% Honduras 53% (1993 est.) Hong Kong NA% Hungary At-risk-of poverty rate after social transfers: 12% (2003) Iceland NA% India 25% (2002 est.) Indonesia 16.7% (2004) Iran 40% (2002 est.) Iraq NA% Ireland 10% (1997 est.) Isle of Man NA% Israel 21% (2005) Italy NA% Jamaica 19.1% (2003 est.) Japan NA% Jersey NA% Jordan 30% (2001 est.) Kazakhstan 19% (2004 est.) Kenya 50% (2000 est.) Kiribati NA% Korea, North NA% Korea, South 15% (2003 est.) Kuwait NA% Kyrgyzstan 40% (2004 est.) Laos 34% (2005 est.) Latvia Below $2.15 per day (PPP): 3% Lebanon 28% (1999 est.) Lesotho 49% (1999) Liberia 80% Libya NA% Liechtenstein NA% Lithuania Less than $2.15 per day (PPP): 4% Luxembourg NA% Macau NA% Macedonia 29.6% (2004 est.) Madagascar 50% (2004 est.) Malawi 55% (2004 est.) Malaysia 8% (1998 est.) Maldives 21% NA% Mali 64% (2001 est.) Malta NA% Marshall Islands NA% Martinique NA% Mauritania 40% (2004 est.) Mauritius 10% (2001 est.) Mayotte NA% Mexico 40% (2003 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 26.7% Moldova 80% (2001 est.) Monaco NA% Mongolia 36.1% (2004 est.) Montenegro 12.2% (2003) Montserrat NA% Morocco 19% (2005 est.) Mozambique 70% (2001 est.) Namibia the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that 34.9% of the population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per day Nauru NA% Nepal 31% (2003-2004) Netherlands 10.5% NA% Netherlands Antilles NA% New Caledonia NA% New Zealand NA% Nicaragua 50% (2001 est.) Niger 63% (1993 est.) Nigeria 60% (2000 est.) Niue NA% Northern Mariana Islands NA% Norway NA% Oman NA% Pakistan 32% (FY00/01 est.) Palau NA% Panama 37% (1999 est.) Papua New Guinea 37% (2002 est.) Paraguay 32% (2005 est.) Peru 54% (2003 est.) Philippines 40% (2001 est.) Poland 17% (2003 est.) Portugal NA% Puerto Rico NA% Qatar NA% Reunion NA% Romania At-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers 12% (2003 est.) Russia 17.8% (2004 est.) Rwanda 60% (2001 est.) Saint Helena NA% Saint Kitts and Nevis NA% Saint Lucia NA% Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA% Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA% Samoa NA% San Marino NA% Sao Tome and Principe 54% (2004 est.) Saudi Arabia NA% Senegal 54% (2001 est.) Serbia 30% note: data covers the former Serbia and Montenegro (1999 est.) Seychelles NA% Sierra Leone 68% (1989 est.) Singapore NA% Slovakia At-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers: 21% Slovenia At-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers: 10% (2003) Solomon Islands NA% Somalia NA% South Africa 50% (2000 est.) Spain NA% Sri Lanka 22% (1997 est.) Sudan 40% (2004 est.) Suriname 70% (2002 est.) Swaziland 69% (2005) Sweden NA% Switzerland NA% Syria 20% (2004 est.) Taiwan 0.9% (2005) Tajikistan 64% (2004 est.) Tanzania 36% (2002 est.) Thailand 10% (2004 est.) Togo 32% (1989 est.) Tokelau NA% Tonga 24% NA% Trinidad and Tobago 21% (1992 est.) Tunisia 7.4% (2005 est.) Turkey 20% (2002) Turkmenistan 58% (2003 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands NA% Tuvalu NA% Uganda 35% (2001 est.) Ukraine 29% (2003 est.) United Arab Emirates NA% United Kingdom 17% (2002 est.) United States 12% (2004 est.) Uruguay 22% of households (2004) Uzbekistan 28% (2004 est.) Vanuatu NA% Venezuela 47% (1998 est.) Vietnam 19.5% (2004 est.) Virgin Islands NA% Wallis and Futuna NA% West Bank 46% including Gaza Strip (2004 est.) Western Sahara NA% Yemen 45.2% (2003) Zambia 86% (1993) Zimbabwe 80% (2004 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2047 Household income or consumption by percentage share (%) Afghanistan lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Albania lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Algeria lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.8% (1995) American Samoa lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Andorra lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Angola lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Anguilla lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Antigua and Barbuda lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Argentina lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA Armenia lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 41.3% (2004) Aruba lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Australia lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) Austria lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 22.5% (2004) Azerbaijan lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 27.8% (1995) Bahamas, The lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: 27% Bahrain lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Bangladesh lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.) Barbados lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Belarus lowest 10%: 5.1% highest 10%: 20% (1998) Belgium lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 23% (1996) Belize lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Benin lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Bermuda lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Bhutan lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Bolivia lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 32% (1999) Bosnia and Herzegovina lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Botswana lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Brazil lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 31.27% (2002) British Virgin Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Brunei lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Bulgaria lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 23.7% (2001) Burkina Faso lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 46.8% (1994) Burma lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) Burundi lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 32.9% (1998) Cambodia lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 33.8% (1997) Cameroon lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 36.6% (1996) Canada lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 23.8% (1994) Cape Verde lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Cayman Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Central African Republic lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (1993) Chad lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Chile lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 47% (2000) China lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 30.4% (1998) Colombia lowest 10%: 7.9% highest 10%: 34.3% (2004) Comoros lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Congo, Democratic Republic of the lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Congo, Republic of the lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Cook Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Costa Rica lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 36.8% (2002) Cote d'Ivoire lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 28.8% (1995) Croatia lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 24.5% (2003 est.) Cuba lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Cyprus lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Czech Republic lowest 10%: 4.3% highest 10%: 22.4% (1996) Denmark lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.) Djibouti lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Dominica lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Dominican Republic lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37.9% (1998) East Timor lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Ecuador lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 32% note: data for urban households only (October 2003) Egypt lowest 10%: 4.4% highest 10%: 25% (1995) El Salvador lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.3% (2001) Equatorial Guinea lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Eritrea lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Estonia lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 28.5% (2000) Ethiopia lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 33.7% (1995) European Union lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.5% (1995 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Faroe Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Fiji lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Finland lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 21.6% (1991) France lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.1% (1995) French Guiana lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% French Polynesia lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Gabon lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Gambia, The lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Gaza Strip lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Georgia lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 27.9% (1996) Germany lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 25.1% (1997) Ghana lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 30.1% (1999) Gibraltar lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Greece lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 28.3% (1998 est.) Greenland lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Grenada lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Guadeloupe lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Guam lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Guatemala lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 46% (1998) Guernsey lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Guinea lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 32% (1994) Guinea-Bissau lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 42.4% (1991) Guyana lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Haiti lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Honduras lowest 10%: 0.6% highest 10%: 42.7% (1998) Hong Kong lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Hungary lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 22.2% (2002) Iceland lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% India lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 33.5% (1997) Indonesia lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 28.5% (2002) Iran lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Iraq lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Ireland lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 27.3% (1997) Isle of Man lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Israel lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 28.3% (1997) Italy lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 26.6% (2000) Jamaica lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 30.3% (2000) Japan lowest 10%: 4.8% highest 10%: 21.7% (1993) Jersey lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Jordan lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 29.8% (1997) Kazakhstan lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.) Kenya lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 37.2% (2000) Kiribati lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Korea, North lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Korea, South lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25% (2005 est.) Kuwait lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Kyrgyzstan lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 23.3% (2001) Laos lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 30.6% (1997) Latvia lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.1% (1998) Lebanon lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Lesotho lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4% Liberia lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Libya lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Liechtenstein lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Lithuania lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 24.9% (2000) Luxembourg lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Macau lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Macedonia lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Madagascar lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 29% (1999) Malawi lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Malaysia lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.) Maldives lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Mali lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 40.4% (1994) Malta lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Marshall Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Martinique lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Mauritania lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 30.2% (2000) Mauritius lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Mayotte lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Mexico lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 35.6% (2002) Micronesia, Federated States of lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Moldova lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 30.7% (1997) Monaco lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Mongolia lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37% (1995) Montserrat lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Morocco lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 30.9% (1998-99) Mozambique lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 31.7% (1997) Namibia lowest 10%: NA% 0.5% highest 10%: NA% 64.5% Nauru lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Nepal lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 39.1% (2003-2004) Netherlands lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 22.9% (1999) Netherlands Antilles lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% New Caledonia lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% New Zealand lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA (1991 est.) Nicaragua lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 45% (2001) Niger lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 35.4% (1995) Nigeria lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 40.8% (1996-97) Niue lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Northern Mariana Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Norway lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 21.8% (1995) Oman lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Pakistan lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 27.6% (FY96/97) Palau lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Panama lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 35.7% (1997) Papua New Guinea lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 40.5% (1996) Paraguay lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.8% (1998) Peru lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 37.2% (2000) Philippines lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.9% (2003) Poland lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 26.7% (2002) Portugal lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.) Puerto Rico lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Qatar lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Reunion lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Romania lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 27.6% (2003) Russia lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 38.7% (1998) Rwanda lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 24.2% (1985) Saint Helena lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Saint Kitts and Nevis lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Saint Lucia lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Saint Pierre and Miquelon lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Samoa lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% San Marino lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Sao Tome and Principe lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Saudi Arabia lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Senegal lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 33.5% (1995) Seychelles lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Sierra Leone lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.6% (1989) Singapore lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Slovakia lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 20.9% (1992) Slovenia lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 21.4% (1998) Solomon Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Somalia lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% South Africa lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 45.9% (1994) Spain lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990) Sri Lanka lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 28% (1995) Sudan lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Suriname lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Swaziland lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 50.2% (1995) Sweden lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 20.1% (1992) Switzerland lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 25.2% (1992) Syria lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Taiwan lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.) Tajikistan lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 25.2% (1998) Tanzania lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 30.1% (1993) Thailand lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) Togo lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Tonga lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Trinidad and Tobago lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Tunisia lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.8% (1995) Turkey lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 30.7% (2000) Turkmenistan lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 31.7% (1998) Turks and Caicos Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Tuvalu lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Uganda lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 21% (2000) Ukraine lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 24.8% (2005) United Arab Emirates lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% United Kingdom lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 28.5% (1999) United States lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 30.5% (1997) Uruguay lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 25.8% (1997) Uzbekistan lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 22% (2000) Vanuatu lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Venezuela lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 36.5% (1998) Vietnam lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 29.9% (1998) Virgin Islands lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Wallis and Futuna lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% West Bank lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Western Sahara lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% World lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 29.4% (2000 est.) Yemen lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25.9% (2003) Zambia lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 41% (1998) Zimbabwe lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 40.4% (1995) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2048 Labor force - by occupation (%) Afghanistan agriculture: 80% industry: 10% services: 10% (2004 est.) Albania agriculture: 58% industry: 19% services: 23% (2004 est.) Algeria agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.) American Samoa agriculture: 34% industry: 33% services: 33% (1990) Andorra agriculture: 0.34% industry: 19.63% services: 80.03% (2004) Angola agriculture: 85% industry and services: 15% (2003 est.) Anguilla agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%, manufacturing 3%, construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, commerce 36%, services 29% (2000 est.) Antigua and Barbuda agriculture: 7% industry: 11% services: 82% (1983) Argentina agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Armenia agriculture: 45% industry: 25% services: 30% (2002 est.) Aruba agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining Australia agriculture: 3.6% industry: 21.2% services: 75.2% (2004 est.) Austria agriculture: 3% industry: 27% services: 70% (2005 est.) Azerbaijan agriculture: 41% industry: 7% services: 52% (2001) Bahamas, The agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.) Bahrain agriculture: 1% industry: 79% services: 20% (1997 est.) Bangladesh agriculture: 63% industry: 11% services: 26% (FY95/96) Barbados agriculture: 10% industry: 15% services: 75% (1996 est.) Belarus agriculture: 14% industry: 34.7% services: 51.3% (2003 est.) Belgium agriculture: 1.3% industry: 24.5% services: 74.2% (2003 est.) Belize agriculture: 27% industry: 18% services: 55% (2001 est.) Bermuda agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%, professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%, sales 7%, services 19% (2004 est.) Bhutan agriculture: 93% industry: 2% services: 5% Bolivia agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Bosnia and Herzegovina agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Botswana agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Brazil agriculture: 20% industry: 14% services: 66% (2003 est.) British Virgin Islands agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% Brunei agriculture: 2.9% industry: 61.1% services: 36% (2003 est.) Bulgaria agriculture: 11% industry: 32.7% services: 56.3% (3rd qtr. 2004 est.) Burkina Faso agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000 est.) Burma agriculture: 70% industry: 7% services: 23% (2001) Burundi agriculture: 93.6% industry: 2.3% services: 4.1% (2002 est.) Cambodia agriculture: 75% industry: NA% services: NA% (2004 est.) Cameroon agriculture: 70% industry: 13% services: 17% Canada agriculture 2%, manufacturing 14%, construction 5%, services 75%, other 3% (2004) Cayman Islands agriculture: 1.4% industry: 12.6% services: 86% (1995) Chad agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing) industry and services: 20% Chile agriculture: 13.6% industry: 23.4% services: 63% (2003) China agriculture: 49% industry: 22% services: 29% (2003 est.) Cocos (Keeling) Islands note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others Colombia agriculture: 22.7% industry: 18.7% services: 58.5% (2000 est.) Comoros agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% Congo, Democratic Republic of the agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Cook Islands agriculture: 29% industry: 15% services: 56% (1995) Costa Rica agriculture: 20% industry: 22% services: 58% (1999 est.) Croatia agriculture: 2.7% industry: 32.8% services: 64.5% (2004) Cuba agriculture: 21.2% industry: 14.4% services: 64.4% (2004) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: agriculture 7.4%, industry 38.2%, services 54.4% (2004 est.) north Cyprus: agriculture 14.5%, industry 29%, services 56.5% (2004 est.) Czech Republic agriculture: 4.1% industry: 37.6% services: 58.3% (2003) Denmark agriculture: 3% industry: 21% services: 76% (2004 est.) Djibouti agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Dominica agriculture: 40% industry: 32% services: 28% Dominican Republic agriculture: 17% industry: 24.3% services: 58.7% (1998 est.) East Timor agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Ecuador agriculture: 8% industry: 24% services: 68% (2001) Egypt agriculture: 32% industry: 17% services: 51% (2001 est.) El Salvador agriculture: 17.1% industry: 17.1% services: 65.8% (2003 est.) Eritrea agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% Estonia agriculture: 11% industry: 20% services: 69% (1999 est.) Ethiopia agriculture: 80% industry: 8% services: 12% (1985) European Union agriculture: 4.4% industry: 27.2% services: 67.2% note: the remainder is in miscellaneous public and private sector industries and services (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing) industry and services: 5% Faroe Islands agriculture: 33% industry: 33% services: 34% Fiji agriculture: 70% industry and services: 30% (2001 est.) Finland agriculture and forestry 8%, industry 22%, construction 6%, commerce 14%, finance, insurance, and business services 10%, transport and communications 8%, public services 32% France agriculture: 4.1% industry: 24.4% services: 71.5% (1999) French Guiana agriculture: 18.2% industry: 21.2% services: 60.6% (1980) French Polynesia agriculture: 13% industry: 19% services: 68% (2002) Gabon agriculture: 60% industry: 15% services: 25% Gambia, The agriculture: 75% industry: 19% services: 6% Gaza Strip agriculture: 11.9% industry: 18% services: 70.1% (2nd qtr. 2005) Georgia agriculture: 40% industry: 20% services: 40% (1999 est.) Germany agriculture: 2.8% industry: 33.4% services: 63.8% (1999) Ghana agriculture: 60% industry: 15% services: 25% (1999 est.) Gibraltar agriculture: negligible industry: 40% services: 60% Greece agriculture: 12% industry: 20% services: 68% (2004 est.) Grenada agriculture: 24% industry: 14% services: 62% (1999 est.) Guadeloupe agriculture: 15% industry: 20% services: 65% (2002) Guam agriculture: 26% industry: 10% services: 64% (2004 est.) Guatemala agriculture: 50% industry: 15% services: 35% (1999 est.) Guinea agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2000 est.) Guinea-Bissau agriculture: 82% industry and services: 18% (2000 est.) Guyana agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Haiti agriculture: 66% industry: 9% services: 25% Holy See (Vatican City) note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican Honduras agriculture: 34% industry: 21% services: 45% (2001 est.) Hong Kong manufacturing 7.5%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.9%, financing, insurance, and real estate 19.6%, transport and communications 7.1%, community and social services 18.8% note: above data exclude public sector (2005 est.) Hungary agriculture: 5.5% industry: 33.3% services: 61.2% (2003) Iceland agriculture: 10.3% industry: 18.3% services: 71.4% (2003) India agriculture: 60% industry: 17% services: 23% (1999) Indonesia agriculture: 46.5% industry: 11.8% services: 41.7% (1999 est.) Iran agriculture: 30% industry: 25% services: 45% (2001 est.) Iraq agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Ireland agriculture: 8% industry: 29% services: 64% (2002 est.) Isle of Man agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% Israel agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%, manufacturing 20.2%, construction 7.5%, commerce 12.8%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, finance and business 13.1%, personal and other services 6.4%, public services 31.2% (1996) Italy agriculture: 5% industry: 32% services: 63% (2001) Jamaica agriculture: 19.3% industry: 16.6% services: 64.1% (2004) Japan agriculture: 4.6% industry: 27.8% services: 67.7% (2004) Jordan agriculture: 5% industry: 12.5% services: 82.5% (2001 est.) Kazakhstan agriculture: 20% industry: 30% services: 50% (2002 est.) Kenya agriculture: 75% industry and services: 25% (2003 est.) Kiribati 2.70213%, 32%, 65.3% Korea, North agriculture: 36% industry and services: 64% Korea, South agriculture: 6.4% industry: 26.4% services: 67.2% (2005 est.) Kuwait agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Kyrgyzstan agriculture: 55% industry: 15% services: 30% (2000 est.) Laos agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (1997 est.) Latvia agriculture: 15% industry: 25% services: 60% (2000 est.) Lebanon agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Lesotho agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa industry and services: 14% Liberia agriculture: 70% industry: 8% services: 22% (2000 est.) Libya agriculture: 17% industry: 23% services: 59% (2004 est.) Liechtenstein agriculture: 2% industry: 47% services: 51% (31 December 2001) Lithuania agriculture: 15.8% industry: 28.2% services: 56% (2004 est.) Luxembourg agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2004 est.) Macau manufacturing 13.7%, construction 10.5%, transport and communications 5.9%, wholesale and retail trade 14.6%, restaurants and hotels 10.3%, gambling 17.9%, public sector 7.8%, other services and agriculture 19.3% (2005 est.) Macedonia agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Malawi agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2003 est.) Malaysia agriculture: 14.5% industry: 36% services: 49.5% (2000 est.) Maldives agriculture: 22% industry: 18% services: 60% (1995) Mali agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2001 est.) Malta agriculture: 3% industry: 22% services: 75% (2005 est.) Marshall Islands agriculture: 21.4% industry: 20.9% services: 57.7% Martinique agriculture: 10% industry: 17% services: 73% (1997) Mauritania agriculture: 50% industry: 10% services: 40% (2001 est.) Mauritius agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24% (1995) Mexico agriculture: 18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2003) Micronesia, Federated States of note: 0.9% two-thirds are government employees, 34.4%, 64.7% Moldova agriculture: 40% industry: 14% services: 46% (1998) Mongolia herding/agriculture 42%, mining 4%, manufacturing 6%, trade 14%, services 29%, public sector 5% (2003) Montenegro agriculture: 2% industry: 30% services: 68% (2004) Morocco agriculture: 40% industry: 15% services: 45% (2003 est.) Mozambique agriculture: 81% industry: 6% services: 13% (1997 est.) Namibia agriculture: 47% industry: 20% services: 33% (1999 est.) Nauru note: 0.1% employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation Nepal agriculture: 76% industry: 6% services: 18% Netherlands agriculture: 2% industry: 19% services: 79% (2004 est.) Netherlands Antilles agriculture: 1% industry: 20% services: 79% (2005 est.) New Caledonia agriculture: 20% industry: 20% services: 60% (1999 est.) New Zealand agriculture: 10% industry: 25% services: 65% (1995) Nicaragua agriculture: 30.5% industry: 17.3% services: 52.2% (2003 est.) Niger agriculture: 90% industry: 6% services: 4% Nigeria agriculture: 70% industry: 10% services: 20% (1999 est.) Niue note: most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board Norfolk Island agriculture: 10% industry and services: 90% Northern Mariana Islands agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Norway agriculture: 4% industry: 22% services: 74% (1995) Oman agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Pakistan agriculture: 42% industry: 20% services: 38% (2004 est.) Palau agriculture: 20% industry: NA% services: NA% (1990) Panama agriculture: 20.8% industry: 18% services: 61.2% (1995 est.) Papua New Guinea agriculture: 85% industry: NA% services: NA% Paraguay agriculture: 45% industry: NA% services: NA% Peru agriculture: 9% industry: 18% services: 73% (2001) Philippines agriculture: 36% industry: 16% services: 48% (2004 est.) Pitcairn Islands note: no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing Poland agriculture: 16.1% industry: 29% services: 54.9% (2002) Portugal agriculture: 10% industry: 30% services: 60% (1999 est.) Puerto Rico agriculture: 3% industry: 20% services: 77% (2000 est.) Reunion agriculture: 13% industry: 12% services: 75% (2000) Romania agriculture: 31.6% industry: 30.7% services: 37.7% (2004) Russia agriculture: 10.3% industry: 21.4% services: 68.3% (2004 est.) Rwanda agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% Saint Helena agriculture: 6% industry: 48% services: 46% (1987 est.) Saint Lucia agriculture: 21.7% industry: 24.7% services: 53.6% (2002 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon agriculture: 18% industry: 41% services: 41% (1996 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines agriculture: 26% industry: 17% services: 57% (1980 est.) Samoa agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% San Marino agriculture: 1% industry: 42% services: 57% (2000 est.) Sao Tome and Principe note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers Saudi Arabia agriculture: 12% industry: 25% services: 63% (1999 est.) Senegal agriculture: 77% industry and services: 23% (1990 est.) Serbia agriculture: 30% industry: 46% services: 24% note: excluding Kosovo and Montenegro (2002) Seychelles agriculture: 10% industry: 19% services: 71% (1989) Sierra Leone agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Singapore manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%, financial, business, and other services 39%, other 26% (2003) Slovakia agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003) Slovenia agriculture: 4.8% industry: 39.1% services: 56.1% (2004) Solomon Islands agriculture: 75% industry: 5% services: 20% (2000 est.) Somalia agriculture: 71% industry and services: 29% South Africa agriculture: 30% industry: 25% services: 45% (1999 est.) Spain agriculture: 5.3% industry: 30.1% services: 64.6% (2004 est.) Sri Lanka agriculture: 38% industry: 17% services: 45% (1998 est.) Sudan agriculture: 80% industry: 7% services: 13% (1998 est.) Suriname agriculture: 8% industry: 14% services: 78% Swaziland agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Sweden agriculture: 2% industry: 24% services: 74% (2000 est.) Switzerland agriculture: 4.6% industry: 26.3% services: 69.1% (1998) Syria agriculture: 30% industry: 27% services: 43% (2002 est.) Taiwan agriculture: 6% industry: 35.8% services: 58.2% (2005 est.) Tajikistan agriculture: 67.2% industry: 7.5% services: 25.3% (2000 est.) Tanzania agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2002 est.) Thailand agriculture: 49% industry: 14% services: 37% (2000 est.) Togo agriculture: 65% industry: 5% services: 30% (1998 est.) Tonga agriculture: 65% industry and services: 35% (1997 est.) Trinidad and Tobago agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.) Tunisia agriculture: 55% industry: 23% services: 22% (1995 est.) Turkey agriculture: 35.9% industry: 22.8% services: 41.2% (3rd qtr. 2004) Turkmenistan agriculture: 48.2% industry: 13.8% services: 37% (2003 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services Tuvalu note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors) Uganda agriculture: 82% industry: 5% services: 13% (1999 est.) Ukraine agriculture: 24% industry: 32% services: 44% (1996) United Arab Emirates agriculture: 7% industry: 15% services: 78% (2000 est.) United Kingdom agriculture: 1.5% industry: 19.1% services: 79.5% (2004) United States farming, forestry, and fishing 0.7%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.9%, managerial, professional, and technical 34.7%, sales and office 25.4%, other services 16.3% note: figures exclude the unemployed (2005) Uruguay agriculture: 14% industry: 16% services: 70% Uzbekistan agriculture: 44% industry: 20% services: 36% (1995) Vanuatu agriculture: 65% industry: 5% services: 30% (2000 est.) Venezuela agriculture: 13% industry: 23% services: 64% (1997 est.) Vietnam agriculture: 56.8% industry: 37% services: 6.2% (July 2005) Virgin Islands agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) Wallis and Futuna agriculture: 80% industry: 4% services: 16% (2001 est.) West Bank agriculture: 18.4% industry: 24% services: 57.6% (April-June 2005) Western Sahara agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50% World agriculture: 42% industry: 21% services: 37% (2002 est.) Yemen note: most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force Zambia agriculture: 85% industry: 6% services: 9% Zimbabwe agriculture: 66% industry: 10% services: 24% (1996) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2049 Exports - commodities Afghanistan opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems Albania textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco Algeria petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97% American Samoa canned tuna 93% (2004 est.) Andorra tobacco products, furniture Angola crude oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, gas, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton Anguilla lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum Antigua and Barbuda petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% Argentina edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles Armenia diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy Aruba live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment Australia coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment Austria machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs Azerbaijan oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs Bahamas, The mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables Bahrain petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles Bangladesh garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood (2001) Barbados sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components Belarus machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs Belgium machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs Belize sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood Benin cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa Bermuda reexports of pharmaceuticals Bhutan electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones, spices Bolivia natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin Bosnia and Herzegovina metals, clothing, wood products Botswana diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles Brazil transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos British Virgin Islands rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand Brunei crude oil, natural gas, refined products Bulgaria clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels Burkina Faso cotton, livestock, gold Burma clothing, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice Burundi coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides Cambodia clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear Cameroon crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton Canada motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum Cape Verde fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides Cayman Islands turtle products, manufactured consumer goods Central African Republic diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco Chad cotton, cattle, gum arabic, oil Chile copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine China machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and steel Christmas Island phosphate Cocos (Keeling) Islands copra Colombia petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers Comoros vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra Congo, Democratic Republic of the diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt Congo, Republic of the petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds Cook Islands copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing Costa Rica coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment Cote d'Ivoire cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish Croatia transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels Cuba sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: citrus, potatoes, pharmaceuticals, cement, clothing and cigarettes; north Cyprus: citrus, potatoes, textiles Czech Republic machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003) Denmark machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, chemicals, furniture, ships, windmills Djibouti reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit) Dominica bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges Dominican Republic ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods East Timor coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports Ecuador petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp Egypt crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals El Salvador offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity Equatorial Guinea petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa Eritrea livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures (2000) Estonia machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001) Ethiopia coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds European Union machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages. Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) wool, hides, meat Faroe Islands fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999) Fiji sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil Finland machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp (1999) France machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages French Guiana shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing French Polynesia cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat Gabon crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001) Gambia, The peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels, re-exports Gaza Strip citrus, flowers, textiles Georgia scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits, tea, wine Germany machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles Ghana gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds Gibraltar (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% Greece food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles Greenland fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%) Grenada bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace Guadeloupe bananas, sugar, rum, melons, spring water Guam mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products; construction materials, fish, food and beverage products Guatemala coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom Guernsey tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables Guinea bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products Guinea-Bissau cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber Guyana sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber Haiti manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes Honduras coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber Hong Kong electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material Hungary machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% (2003) Iceland fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite India textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures Indonesia oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber Iran petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets Iraq crude oil (83.9%), crude materials excluding fuels (8.0%), food and live animals (5.0%) Ireland machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products Isle of Man tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb Israel machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel Italy engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals Jamaica alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels Japan transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals Jersey light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles Jordan clothing, phosphates, fertilizers, potash, vegetables, manufactures, pharmaceuticals Kazakhstan oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001) Kenya tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement Kiribati copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish Korea, North minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, fishery products Korea, South semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals Kuwait oil and refined products, fertilizers Kyrgyzstan cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, hydropower; machinery; shoes Laos garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin Latvia wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs Lebanon authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper Lesotho manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) Liberia rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee Libya crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas Liechtenstein small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products Lithuania mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001) Luxembourg machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass Macau clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts Macedonia food, beverages, tobacco; miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel Madagascar coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products Malawi tobacco 60%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel Malaysia electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals Maldives fish, clothing Mali cotton, gold, livestock Malta machinery and transport equipment, manufactures Marshall Islands copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish Martinique refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples Mauritania iron ore, fish and fish products, gold Mauritius clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses Mayotte ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon Mexico manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton Micronesia, Federated States of fish, garments, bananas, black pepper Moldova foodstuffs, textiles, machinery Mongolia copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals Montserrat electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle Morocco clothing, fish, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, fruits, vegetables Mozambique aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity Namibia diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins Nauru phosphates Nepal carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain Netherlands machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs Netherlands Antilles petroleum products New Caledonia ferronickels, nickel ore, fish New Zealand dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery Nicaragua coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts Niger uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions Nigeria petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber Niue canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passion fruit products, pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts Norfolk Island postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados Northern Mariana Islands garments Norway petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish Oman petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles Pakistan textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs Palau shellfish, tuna, copra, garments Panama bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, clothing Papua New Guinea oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns Paraguay soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather Peru copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee Philippines electronic equipment, machinery and transport equipment, garments, optical instruments, coconut products, fruits and nuts, copper products, chemicals Pitcairn Islands fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps Poland machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2003) Portugal clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper products, hides Puerto Rico chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment Qatar liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel Reunion sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3% Romania textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products Russia petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures Rwanda coffee, tea, hides, tin ore Saint Helena fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts Saint Kitts and Nevis machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco Saint Lucia bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil Saint Pierre and Miquelon fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts Saint Vincent and the Grenadines bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis racquets Samoa fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer San Marino building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods, hides, ceramics Sao Tome and Principe cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil Saudi Arabia petroleum and petroleum products 90% Senegal fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton Serbia manufactured goods, food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment Seychelles canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports) Sierra Leone diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish Singapore machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels Slovakia vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004) Slovenia manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food Solomon Islands timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa Somalia livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal South Africa gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment Spain machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods Sri Lanka textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish Sudan oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar Suriname alumina, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas Swaziland soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit Sweden machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals Switzerland machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products Syria crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat Taiwan computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles, plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002) Tajikistan aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles Tanzania gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton Thailand textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances Togo reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa Tokelau stamps, copra, handicrafts Tonga squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops Trinidad and Tobago petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers Tunisia textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons Turkey apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment Turkmenistan gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles Turks and Caicos Islands lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells Tuvalu copra, fish Uganda coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold Ukraine ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products United Arab Emirates crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates United Kingdom manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco United States agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2003) Uruguay meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products Uzbekistan cotton 41.5%, gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, automobiles (1998) Vanuatu copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee Venezuela petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures Vietnam crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes Virgin Islands refined petroleum products Wallis and Futuna copra, chemicals, construction materials West Bank olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone Western Sahara phosphates 62% World the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services Yemen crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish Zambia copper/cobalt 64%, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, cotton Zimbabwe cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2050 Exports - partners (%) Afghanistan US 25.3%, Pakistan 20.9%, India 20.8%, Finland 4% (2005) Albania Italy 72.4%, Greece 10.5%, Serbia and Montenegro 5% (2005) Algeria US 22.8%, Italy 16.2%, Spain 10.4%, France 10%, Canada 8%, Brazil 6.1%, Belgium 4.4%, Germany 4.2% (2005) American Samoa Indonesia 28.2%, India 22.3%, Australia 15.3%, Japan 11.2%, NZ 7.1% (2005) Andorra Spain 58%, France 34% (2004) Angola US 39.8%, China 29.6%, France 7.8%, Chile 5.4%, Taiwan 4.4% (2005) Anguilla UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2004) Antigua and Barbuda Spain 34%, Germany 20.7%, Italy 7.7%, Singapore 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2005) Argentina Brazil 15.3%, US 10.8%, Chile 10.5%, China 8.3% (2005) Armenia Germany 15.6%, Netherlands 13.7%, Belgium 12.8%, Russia 12.2%, Israel 11.5%, US 11.2%, Georgia 4.8% (2005) Aruba Netherlands 33.5%, Panama 16.7%, Colombia 11.9%, US 11.3%, Venezuela 10.1%, Netherlands Antilles 9% (2005) Australia Japan 20.3%, China 11.5%, South Korea 7.9%, US 6.7%, NZ 6.5%, India 5% (2005) Austria Germany 31.2%, Italy 8.7%, US 5.8%, Switzerland 5.2%, France 4.2% (2005) Azerbaijan Italy 30.3%, France 9.4%, Russia 6.6%, Turkey 6.3%, Turkmenistan 6.3%, Georgia 4.8%, Israel 4.5%, Croatia 4.1% (2005) Bahamas, The US 31%, Spain 29.7%, Poland 9.3%, Germany 5.6%, Guatemala 4.1% (2005) Bahrain Saudi Arabia 3.3%, US 2.6%, UAE 2.3% (2005) Bangladesh US 23.6%, Germany 13.5%, UK 9.4%, France 6.4% (2005) Barbados US 18.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 15%, UK 12.1%, Saint Lucia 8.4%, Jamaica 7.9%, Grenada 4.6%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.6% (2005) Belarus Russia 38.5%, Ukraine 7.8%, Poland 7.1%, Latvia 4.2%, UK 4.1%, China 4.1% (2005) Belgium Germany 19.4%, France 17.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 8.2%, US 6.4%, Italy 5.3% (2005) Belize US 30.6%, UK 25%, France 4.8% (2005) Benin China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005) Bermuda France 65.6%, Spain 11.7%, US 4.5% (2005) Bhutan Japan 33.2%, Germany 13.6%, France 13.5%, South Korea 7.8%, US 7.7%, Thailand 5.8%, Italy 5.1% (2005) Bolivia Brazil 41.2%, US 14.1%, Colombia 8.8%, Argentina 7.6%, Peru 5.5% (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia 18.4%, Italy 17.1%, Slovenia 14.6%, Germany 12.8%, Austria 6.5%, Hungary 5.2%, China 4.2% (2005) Botswana European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2004) Brazil US 19.6%, China 7.5%, Argentina 6.9%, Germany 5.3%, Mexico 4.3% (2005) British Virgin Islands Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004) Brunei Japan 36.8%, Indonesia 19.3%, South Korea 12.7%, US 9.5%, Australia 9.3% (2005) Bulgaria Italy 12%, Turkey 10.5%, Germany 9.8%, Greece 9.5%, France 4.6% (2005) Burkina Faso China 38.3%, Singapore 12.6%, Thailand 5.7%, Ghana 5.2%, Taiwan 4.4% (2005) Burma Thailand 44.3%, India 12.3%, China 6.8%, Japan 5% (2005) Burundi Germany 24.4%, Belgium 11.1%, Netherlands 8%, Switzerland 5.8%, US 4.6%, Pakistan 4% (2005) Cambodia US 48.6%, Hong Kong 24.4%, Germany 5.6%, Canada 4.6% (2005) Cameroon Spain 17.2%, Italy 13.7%, France 9.4%, South Korea 8.1%, UK 8%, Netherlands 7.8%, Belgium 4.8%, US 4.3% (2005) Canada US 84.2%, Japan 2.1%, UK 1.8% (2005) Cape Verde Spain 38.2%, Portugal 33.2%, US 9.2%, Morocco 5.4% (2005) Cayman Islands mostly US (2004) Central African Republic Belgium 34.1%, France 9.5%, Spain 8.5%, Italy 7.9%, China 6.9%, Indonesia 6.2%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 4.6%, US 4.4%, Turkey 4.4% (2005) Chad US 78.1%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 4.1% (2005) Chile US 15.8%, Japan 11.5%, China 11.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, South Korea 5.5%, Brazil 4.4%, Italy 4.2%, Mexico 4% (2005) China US 21.4%, Hong Kong 16.3%, Japan 11%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany 4.3% (2005) Christmas Island Australia, NZ (2004) Cocos (Keeling) Islands Australia (2004) Colombia US 41.8%, Venezuela 9.9%, Ecuador 6.3% (2005) Comoros France 27.7%, Singapore 16.8%, Japan 15.1%, Germany 13.7%, US 5.8%, Netherlands 5.1% (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the Belgium 38.2%, US 17.9%, China 11.7%, France 8%, Finland 7.8%, Chile 4.3% (2005) Congo, Republic of the China 38.9%, US 29%, Taiwan 11.8%, South Korea 7.2% (2005) Cook Islands Australia 34%, Japan 27%, New Zealand 25%, US 8% (2004) Costa Rica US 42.6%, Hong Kong 6.9%, Netherlands 6.4%, Guatemala 4.2% (2005) Cote d'Ivoire France 18.3%, US 14.1%, Netherlands 11%, Nigeria 8%, Panama 4.4% (2005) Croatia Italy 21.8%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 14.7%, Germany 10.7%, Slovenia 8.1%, Austria 7.3% (2005) Cuba Netherlands 25.4%, Canada 20.7%, China 9.8%, Spain 6.8% (2005) Cyprus France 17.7%, UK 17%, Greece 12.2%, Germany 5.7% (2005) Czech Republic Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%, France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005) Denmark Germany 17.5%, Sweden 13.2%, UK 8.8%, US 6.4%, France 5.5%, Netherlands 5.3%, Norway 5.1% (2005) Djibouti Somalia 55.2%, Yemen 19.5%, Ethiopia 17.9% (2005) Dominica UK 26.2%, Jamaica 9.8%, South Korea 8.7%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.6%, Guyana 7.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2005) Dominican Republic US 79%, Netherlands 2.4%, Mexico 1.9% (2005) East Timor Indonesia 100% (2005) Ecuador US 51.1%, Peru 8%, Germany 4.4%, Colombia 4.3% (2005) Egypt US 13.4%, Italy 9.4%, Spain 7.7%, Syria 5.7%, Germany 4.9%, France 4.9%, UK 4.1% (2005) El Salvador US 61%, Guatemala 12.1%, Honduras 7.4%, Nicaragua 4.2% (2005) Equatorial Guinea US 25.8%, China 22.9%, Spain 11.4%, Canada 7.7%, Taiwan 7.5%, Portugal 5.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, France 4.2% (2005) Eritrea Italy 39.3%, US 14.9%, Belarus 7.3%, Germany 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2005) Estonia Finland 26.5%, Sweden 12.9%, Latvia 8.8%, Russia 6.5%, Germany 6.2%, Lithuania 4.8% (2005) Ethiopia Saudi Arabia 6.9%, Djibouti 6.8%, Switzerland 6.4%, Italy 5.9%, US 5.5%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005) European Union US 24.2%, Switzerland 7.7%, China 5%, Russia 4.7% (2004) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2005) Faroe Islands Denmark 38.2%, UK 29.6%, Nigeria 8.9%, Norway 6.1%, Netherlands 4.3% (2005) Fiji US 19.7%, Australia 17%, UK 12.3%, Japan 5.4%, Samoa 4.1% (2005) Finland Russia 11.2%, Sweden 10.7%, Germany 10.5%, UK 6.6%, US 6.2%, Netherlands 4.8% (2005) France Germany 14.7%, Spain 9.6%, Italy 8.7%, UK 8.3%, US 7.2%, Belgium 7.1% (2005) French Guiana France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2004) French Polynesia France 46.3%, Japan 20.8%, Niger 12.8%, US 12.5% (2005) Gabon US 53.5%, France 6.4%, China 6.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4% (2005) Gambia, The India 40.4%, UK 18.2%, Indonesia 8.3%, Senegal 4.6%, Belgium 4.3% (2005) Gaza Strip Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2004) Georgia Russia 18.1%, Turkey 14.3%, Azerbaijan 9.8%, Turkmenistan 8.9%, Bulgaria 5%, Armenia 4.7%, Ukraine 4.4%, Canada 4.2% (2005) Germany France 10.2%, US 8.8%, UK 7.9%, Italy 6.9%, Netherlands 6.1%, Belgium 5.6%, Austria 5.4%, Spain 5.1% (2005) Ghana Netherlands 12.6%, UK 8.3%, US 6.7%, Belgium 5.8%, France 5.7%, Germany 4.5% (2005) Gibraltar UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%, Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2005) Greece Germany 12.4%, Italy 10.4%, UK 6.7%, Bulgaria 5.9%, US 5.3%, Cyprus 5.2%, Turkey 5.1%, France 4.2% (2005) Greenland Denmark 62.5%, Japan 12.3%, China 5.3% (2005) Grenada Saint Lucia 12.1%, US 11.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.2%, Germany 7.9%, Netherlands 7.8%, Saint Kitts & Nevis 7.4%, Dominica 7.4%, UK 6.8%, France 4.2% (2005) Guadeloupe France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (2004) Guam Japan 67.2%, Singapore 11.6%, UK 4.8% (2005) Guatemala US 50.1%, El Salvador 12.1%, Honduras 7.3%, Mexico 4% (2005) Guernsey UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2004) Guinea Russia 14.6%, South Korea 11.3%, Spain 10.2%, Ukraine 7.9%, US 6.1%, Ireland 6%, France 5.7%, Germany 5%, Belgium 4.5% (2005) Guinea-Bissau India 72%, Nigeria 17.1%, Ecuador 4% (2005) Guyana Canada 18.9%, US 18.9%, UK 11.7%, Portugal 8.1%, Jamaica 5.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.2% (2005) Haiti US 80.8%, Dominican Republic 6.9%, Canada 4% (2005) Honduras US 73.2%, Guatemala 2.9%, El Salvador 2.9% (2005) Hong Kong China 45%, US 16.1%, Japan 5.3% (2005) Hungary Germany 29.4%, Austria 5.9%, Italy 5.6%, France 5%, UK 4.7% (2005) Iceland UK 17.9%, Germany 16.4%, Netherlands 13%, US 8.1%, Spain 7.7%, Denmark 4.3% (2005) India US 16.7%, UAE 8.5%, China 6.6%, Singapore 5.3%, UK 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.4% (2005) Indonesia Japan 21.1%, US 11.5%, Singapore 9.2%, South Korea 8.3%, China 7.8%, Malaysia 4% (2005) Iran Japan 16.6%, China 11%, Italy 5.8%, South Korea 5.7%, South Africa 5.7%, Turkey 5.6%, Netherlands 4.5%, France 4.3% (2005) Iraq US 49.3%, Italy 10.3%, Spain 6.2%, Canada 5.6% (2005) Ireland US 18.7%, UK 17.4%, Belgium 15.2%, Germany 7.4%, France 6.4%, Netherlands 4.8% (2005) Isle of Man UK (2004) Israel US 36.5%, Belgium 8.7%, Hong Kong 5.6% (2005) Italy Germany 13.1%, France 12.3%, US 8.1%, Spain 7.4%, UK 6.4% (2005) Jamaica US 25.8%, Canada 19.3%, UK 10.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, China 7%, Norway 6.4%, Germany 5.6% (2005) Japan US 22.9%, China 13.4%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 7.3%, Hong Kong 6.1% (2005) Jersey UK (2004) Jordan US 29.4%, Iraq 15.6%, India 8.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.9% (2005) Kazakhstan Bermuda 12.5%, Russia 11.1%, Germany 10.7%, China 10%, Italy 7.9%, France 7.7%, Romania 4.5%, US 4% (2005) Kenya Uganda 13.9%, UK 10.5%, US 9.5%, Netherlands 8.2%, Egypt 5.1%, Tanzania 4.7%, Pakistan 4.5% (2005) Kiribati US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%, Australia 7.5%, Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark 4.6% (2005) Korea, North China 45.6%, South Korea 20.2%, Japan 12.9% (2004) Korea, South China 21.8%, US 14.6%, Japan 8.5%, Hong Kong 5.5% (2005) Kuwait Japan 19.6%, South Korea 15.3%, US 11.8%, Taiwan 11%, Singapore 9.5%, Netherlands 4.7% (2005) Kyrgyzstan UAE 35.6%, Russia 18.6%, China 13.4%, Kazakhstan 12.6% (2005) Laos Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005) Latvia Lithuania 11%, Estonia 10.8%, Germany 10.2%, UK 10.2%, Russia 7.9%, Sweden 7.8%, Denmark 5.3%, Poland 5.3% (2005) Lebanon Syria 25.3%, UAE 11.4%, Switzerland 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia 6% (2005) Lesotho Hong Kong 43.6%, China 35.4%, Germany 8.4% (2005) Liberia Belgium 41.4%, Spain 11.6%, US 9.1%, Malaysia 5.5%, Thailand 4.6%, Poland 4.6%, Germany 4.4% (2005) Libya Italy 37.9%, Germany 15.2%, Spain 8.7%, Turkey 6.3%, France 6.2%, US 5.2% (2005) Liechtenstein EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%, Italy 6.6%, UK 4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7% (2004) Lithuania Russia 10.4%, Latvia 10.2%, Germany 9.4%, France 7%, Estonia 5.9%, Poland 5.5%, Sweden 5%, US 4.7%, UK 4.7%, Denmark 4.3% (2005) Luxembourg Germany 21%, France 16.3%, Belgium 9.2%, UK 8.3%, Italy 7.5%, Spain 6.6%, Netherlands 4.3% (2005) Macau US 48.7%, China 14.9%, Hong Kong 9.8%, Germany 5.9% (2005) Macedonia Germany 17.8%, Greece 15.3%, Italy 8.3% (2005) Madagascar France 30.9%, US 30.3%, Germany 8.6% (2005) Malawi US 18%, South Africa 12.2%, Egypt 7.6%, Germany 7%, Netherlands 6.9%, Japan 4.8%, Russia 4.6%, UK 4.2%, Mozambique 4% (2005) Malaysia US 19.7%, Singapore 15.6%, Japan 9.3%, China 6.6%, Hong Kong 5.8%, Thailand 5.4% (2005) Maldives Japan 22.8%, Thailand 22.7%, Sri Lanka 16.4%, UK 12.6%, Singapore 5.8%, Germany 4.8%, France 4.3% (2005) Mali China 25.2%, Pakistan 12.8%, Thailand 8.7%, Taiwan 6.7%, Italy 4.5% (2005) Malta France 15.4%, US 14.4%, Singapore 12.3%, UK 11.3%, Germany 11.2%, Italy 5.1%, Libya 4.2% (2005) Marshall Islands US, Japan, Australia, China (2004) Martinique France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2004) Mauritania Italy 14.9%, Japan 12.3%, France 11.8%, Belgium 8.5%, Germany 8.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.2%, Spain 6.5%, Russia 5%, Netherlands 4.4% (2005) Mauritius UK 32.3%, France 20.7%, US 11.7%, Madagascar 6.2%, Italy 5.3% (2005) Mayotte France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2004) Mexico US 85.7%, Canada 2%, Spain 1.4% (2005) Micronesia, Federated States of Japan, US, Guam (2004) Moldova Russia 32.9%, Italy 12.7%, Romania 10.6%, Ukraine 9.5%, Belarus 6.7%, Germany 4.5% (2005) Mongolia China 56.2%, Canada 15.6%, US 14.7% (2005) Montenegro Switzerland 83.9%, Italy 6.1%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3% (2003) Montserrat US, Antigua and Barbuda (2004) Morocco France 30.3%, Spain 18%, UK 6.2%, Italy 5.2%, India 4.1% (2005) Mozambique Belgium 25.5%, South Africa 12.2%, Spain 11.6%, Italy 11.6%, Germany 7.7% (2005) Namibia South Africa 33.4%, US 4% (2004) Nauru South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2005) Nepal India 53.7%, US 17.4%, Germany 7.1% (2005) Netherlands Germany 24.9%, Belgium 13%, France 9.4%, UK 9.1%, Italy 5.7%, US 4.3%, Spain 4.1% (2005) Netherlands Antilles US 29.4%, Panama 14.4%, Mexico 8.8%, Haiti 5.6%, Venezuela 4.9%, Bahamas, The 4.5% (2005) New Caledonia Japan 21.4%, France 16%, Taiwan 11.4%, South Korea 10.1%, Spain 9%, China 7.2%, South Africa 5.2%, Belgium 4.5% (2005) New Zealand Australia 21.4%, US 14.1%, Japan 10.6%, China 5.1%, UK 4.7% (2005) Nicaragua US 60.7%, Mexico 8.6%, El Salvador 6.2% (2005) Niger France 47.8%, Nigeria 21.4%, US 20.3% (2005) Nigeria US 49.7%, Brazil 10.4%, Spain 7.6% (2005) Niue New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia (2004) Norfolk Island Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2004) Northern Mariana Islands US (2004) Norway UK 25.5%, Germany 12.6%, Netherlands 9.9%, France 9.1%, US 6.7%, Sweden 6.5% (2005) Oman China 21.7%, South Korea 19.5%, Japan 14.3%, Thailand 12.7%, UAE 7.1%, Taiwan 4.1% (2005) Pakistan US 22.5%, UAE 8.9%, UK 5.8%, China 5.4%, Germany 4.6% (2005) Palau US, Japan, Singapore (2004) Panama US 44.9%, Spain 8.9%, Sweden 5.6%, Netherlands 4.9%, Costa Rica 4% (2005) Papua New Guinea Australia 28.7%, Japan 8.6%, China 5.4% (2005) Paraguay Uruguay 26.7%, Brazil 15.2%, Argentina 4.8%, Chile 4.7% (2005) Peru US 31.1%, China 10.8%, Chile 6.6%, Canada 5.9%, Switzerland 4.6% (2005) Philippines US 18%, Japan 17.5%, China 9.9%, Netherlands 9.8%, Hong Kong 8.1%, Singapore 6.6%, Malaysia 6%, Taiwan 4.6% (2005) Poland Germany 28.2%, France 6.2%, Italy 6.1%, UK 5.6%, Czech Republic 4.6%, Russia 4.4%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005) Portugal Spain 25.9%, France 13.1%, Germany 11.9%, UK 8%, US 5.4%, Italy 4.3% (2005) Puerto Rico US 90.3%, UK 1.6%, Netherlands 1.4%, Dominican Republic 1.4% (2004) Qatar Japan 37.1%, South Korea 19.5%, Singapore 8.3% (2005) Reunion France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2004) Romania Italy 19.4%, Germany 14%, Turkey 7.9%, France 7.4%, UK 5.5%, Hungary 4.1%, US 4.1% (2005) Russia Netherlands 10.3%, Germany 8.3%, Italy 7.9%, China 5.5%, Ukraine 5.2%, Turkey 4.5%, Switzerland 4.4% (2005) Rwanda Germany 11%, China 6.5%, Belgium 4.5% (2005) Saint Helena Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2005) Saint Kitts and Nevis US 63.5%, Canada 8.4%, UK 5.8% (2005) Saint Lucia France 29.3%, US 17.4%, China 17%, UK 13.1%, Brazil 6.2% (2005) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Spain 33.6%, Belgium 21.8%, India 18.3%, France 9.4%, US 7.5% (2005) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines France 50.3%, Italy 21%, Greece 11%, US 4.2% (2005) Samoa Australia 75.9%, American Samoa 13.6%, US 6.5% (2005) Sao Tome and Principe Netherlands 61.1%, Belgium 9.2%, Turkey 5.5%, South Korea 4% (2005) Saudi Arabia US 16.4%, Japan 16.1%, South Korea 9.1%, China 6.9%, Singapore 5.1%, Taiwan 4.2% (2005) Senegal Mali 16.9%, India 13.1%, France 9.5%, Spain 6.1%, Italy 5.5%, Gambia, The 4.6% (2005) Seychelles UK 23%, Spain 19.6%, France 11.4%, Japan 9.7%, Italy 7.4%, Germany 5.7%, Netherlands 5.4% (2005) Sierra Leone Belgium 66.2%, Germany 13.5%, US 4.6% (2005) Singapore Malaysia 14.7%, US 11.5%, Indonesia 10.7%, Hong Kong 10.4%, China 9.5%, Japan 6%, Thailand 4.5%, Australia 4.1% (2005) Slovakia Germany 26.2%, Czech Republic 14.1%, Austria 7.1%, Italy 6.7%, Poland 6.3%, Hungary 5.7% (2005) Slovenia Germany 19.9%, Italy 12.7%, Croatia 9.4%, Austria 8.1%, France 8.1% (2005) Solomon Islands China 40.7%, South Korea 13.2%, Thailand 6.9%, Japan 6.3%, Philippines 4.5%, Italy 4.1% (2005) Somalia UAE 52.6%, Yemen 14.6%, Oman 6.3%, India 4.2% (2005) South Africa UK 11.1%, US 9.1%, Japan 8.3%, Germany 6.3%, China 5.2%, Italy 4.5% (2005) Spain France 19.4%, Germany 11.4%, Portugal 9.5%, UK 8.5%, Italy 8.4% (2005) Sri Lanka US 30.9%, UK 11.6%, India 7.3%, Belgium 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2005) Sudan China 71.1%, Japan 12%, Saudi Arabia 2.8% (2005) Suriname Norway 23.5%, US 16.5%, Canada 16.1%, Belgium 9.7%, France 7.9%, UAE 7.3% (2005) Swaziland South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2004) Sweden US 10.6%, Germany 10.2%, Norway 8.7%, UK 7.3%, Denmark 6.5%, Finland 5.7%, France 4.9%, Netherlands 4.5%, Belgium 4.3% (2005) Switzerland Germany 19.4%, US 10.9%, Italy 9.1%, France 8.7%, UK 5.4%, Spain 4.1% (2005) Syria Iraq 22.3%, Saudi Arabia 15.3%, Italy 8.4%, Germany 8.3%, Lebanon 7.7%, Egypt 4.3%, France 4.2% (2005) Taiwan China 21.6%, US 16.22%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 7.7% (2005) Tajikistan Netherlands 46.6%, Turkey 15.8%, Russia 9.1%, Uzbekistan 7.3%, Latvia 4.9%, Iran 4% (2005) Tanzania China 10.2%, Canada 8.6%, India 7.3%, Netherlands 5.2%, Japan 4.5%, Kenya 4.4%, Germany 4.3% (2005) Thailand US 15.5%, Japan 13.7%, China 8.3%, Singapore 6.8%, Hong Kong 5.6%, Malaysia 5.2% (2005) Togo Ghana 21.1%, Burkina Faso 18.2%, Benin 11.5%, Mali 7.3%, India 5.8%, Nigeria 4% (2005) Tokelau New Zealand (2004) Tonga Japan 41.5%, US 33.1%, NZ 6.3% (2005) Trinidad and Tobago US 68.8%, Jamaica 5.5%, Barbados 2.9% (2005) Tunisia France 30.9%, Italy 21.1%, Germany 9.4%, Spain 5.5%, Libya 4.5% (2005) Turkey Germany 12.9%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7.6%, US 6.7%, France 5.2%, Spain 4.1% (2005) Turkmenistan Ukraine 43.5%, Iran 15%, Hungary 5.4% (2005) Turks and Caicos Islands US, UK (2004) Tuvalu Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2005) Uganda Kenya 15.1%, Belgium 9.9%, Netherlands 9.7%, France 7.1%, Germany 5.1%, Rwanda 4% (2005) Ukraine Russia 22.1%, Turkey 6%, Italy 5.6% (2005) United Arab Emirates Japan 24.6%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 5.6%, India 4.3% (2005) United Kingdom US 15.1%, Germany 10.5%, France 8.9%, Ireland 7.3%, Netherlands 5.5%, Belgium 5%, Spain 4.4% (2005) United States Canada 23.4%, Mexico 13.3%, Japan 6.1%, China 4.6%, UK 4.3% (2005) Uruguay US 18.6%, Brazil 15.6%, Mexico 6.9%, Argentina 6.1%, Spain 4.1%, Germany 4% (2005) Uzbekistan Russia 24.6%, China 12.3%, Turkey 7.1%, Ukraine 5.6%, Bangladesh 4.9%, Poland 4.3%, Tajikistan 4.2% (2005) Vanuatu Thailand 46.5%, India 14.1%, Poland 7.9%, Turkey 7.7%, Japan 6.9% (2005) Venezuela US 51.2%, Netherlands Antilles 7.3%, Canada 2.4% (2005) Vietnam US 21.2%, Japan 13.3%, Australia 8.4%, China 7.5%, Singapore 5.3%, Germany 5% (2005) Virgin Islands US, Puerto Rico (2004) Wallis and Futuna Italy 40%, Croatia 15%, US 14%, Denmark 13% (2004) West Bank Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) Western Sahara Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) World US 15.6%, Germany 7.4%, China 5.7%, France 4.9%, UK 4.7%, Japan 4.5% (2005) Yemen China 36.5%, Chile 19.2%, Thailand 12.5%, Japan 5.4%, South Korea 4.4%, US 4.1% (2005) Zambia Switzerland 28.7%, South Africa 18.6%, UK 14.4%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 5.4%, Tanzania 5.1%, Zimbabwe 4.1% (2005) Zimbabwe South Africa 32.8%, China 7.4%, Japan 6.3%, Zambia 5.2%, Netherlands 5%, US 4.6%, Italy 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2051 Administrative divisions Afghanistan 34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Daykondi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Panjshir, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol Albania 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Qarku i Beratit, Qarku i Dibres, Qarku i Durresit, Qarku i Elbasanit, Qarku i Fierit, Qarku i Gjirokastres, Qarku i Korces, Qarku i Kukesit, Qarku i Lezhes, Qarku i Shkodres, Qarku i Tiranes, Qarku i Vlores Algeria 48 provinces (wilayat, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen American Samoa none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western Andorra 7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, Escaldes-Engordany, La Massana, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria Angola 18 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire Anguilla none (overseas territory of the UK) Antigua and Barbuda 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip Argentina 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur, Tucuman note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica Armenia 11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan Aruba none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Australia 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia Austria 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna) Azerbaijan 59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika) rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu, Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu, Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu, Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu, Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu, Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu, Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu, Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi Bahamas, The 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay Bahrain 5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor Bangladesh 6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet Barbados 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may be given parish status Belarus 6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk, Vitsyebsk note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers Belgium 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities Belize 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo Benin 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou Bermuda 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick Bhutan 18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Dagana, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang note: there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse Bolivia 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally supervised district* - Brcko district (Brcko Distrikt)*, the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska; note - Brcko district is in northeastern Bosnia and is an administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the district remains under international supervision Botswana 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern Brazil 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins British Virgin Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Brunei 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong Bulgaria 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol Burkina Faso 45 provinces; Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komondjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koulpelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Noumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondoma, Zoundweogo Burma 7 divisions (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne) divisions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon states: Chin State, Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Shan State Burundi 17 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rurale, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi Cambodia 20 provinces (khaitt, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities* (krong, singular and plural) provinces: Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Krachen, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev municipalities: Keb, Pailin, Phnum Penh, Preah Seihanu Cameroon 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest Canada 10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory* Cape Verde 17 municipalities (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao Miguel, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal Cayman Islands 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western Central African Republic 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga Chad 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile note: instead of 14 prefectures, there may be a new administrative structure of 28 departments (departments, singular - department) and 1 city*; Assongha, Baguirmi, Bahr El Gazal, Bahr Koh, Batha Oriental, Batha Occidental, Biltine, Borkou, Dababa, Ennedi, Guera, Hadjer Lamis, Kabia, Kanem, Lac, Lac Iro, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Boneye, Mayo-Dallah, Monts de Lam, N'Djamena*, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile Oriental, Tandjile Occidental, Tibesti Chile 13 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica China 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural) provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan) autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet) municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau Christmas Island none (territory of Australia) Cocos (Keeling) Islands none (territory of Australia) Colombia 32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada Comoros 3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), Domoni*, Fomboni*, Moheli (Mwali), Moroni*, Moutsamoudou* Congo, Democratic Republic of the 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu Congo, Republic of the 10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha Cook Islands none Costa Rica 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose Cote d'Ivoire 19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra, Denguele, Dix-Huit Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs, Lagunes, Marahoue, Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe, Savanes, Sud-Bandama, Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou, Zanzan Croatia 20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad - singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska Zupanija, Brodsko-Posavska Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska Zupanija, Istarska Zupanija, Karlovacka Zupanija, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija, Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija, Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija, Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija, Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija, Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija, Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija, Varazdinska Zupanija, Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija, Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija, Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka Zupanija Cuba 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara Cyprus 6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note - Turkish Cypriot area's administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of Lefkosia (Nicosia) and Larnaca Czech Republic 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj Denmark metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 2 boroughs* (amtskommuner, singular - amtskommune); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavn (Copenhagen)*, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg note: as a result of an extensive 2005 local government reform, with 2006 being a transition year, 275 municipalities will be merged to 99 by 1 January 2007, and the 14 counties will be reorganized into five regions Djibouti 6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah Dominica 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter Dominican Republic 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde East Timor 13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque Ecuador 22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe Egypt 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, As Suways, Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj El Salvador 14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana, Sonsonate, Usulutan Equatorial Guinea 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas Eritrea 6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (Southern), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea) Estonia 15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru) note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses Ethiopia 9 ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) Faroe Islands none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 49 municipalities Fiji 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western Finland 6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, Oulun Laani France 22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes note: metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre, Miquelon) French Guiana none (overseas department of France) French Polynesia none (overseas lands of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are five archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, Iles Sous-le-Vent note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia French Southern and Antarctic Lands none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts named Ile Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Iles Saint-Paul et Amsterdam; excludes "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US Gabon 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem Gambia, The 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, Western Georgia 9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 9 cities (k'alak'ebi, singular - k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika) regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli cities: Chiat'ura, Gori, K'ut'aisi, P'ot'i, Rust'avi, Tbilisi, Tqibuli, Tsqaltubo, Zugdidi autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi) note: the administrative centers of the two autonomous republics are shown in parentheses Germany 13 states (Laender, singular - Land) and 3 free states* (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern*, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen*, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen* Ghana 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western Gibraltar none (overseas territory of the UK) Greece 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos Greenland 3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland), Kitaa (Vestgronland) note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland Grenada 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick Guadeloupe none (overseas department of France) Guam none (territory of the US) Guatemala 22 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa Guernsey none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint Saviour, Torteval, Vale Guinea 33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla, Boffa, Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka, Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane, Kindia, Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Lelouma, Lola, Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri, Telimele, Tougue, Yomou Guinea-Bissau 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos Guyana 10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Haiti 10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est Holy See (Vatican City) none Honduras 18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro Hong Kong none (special administrative region of China) Hungary 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 22 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros) counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg capital city: Budapest Iceland 8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland India 28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, West Bengal Indonesia 30 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Irian Jaya Barat, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Kepulauan Riau, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Riau, Sulawesi Barat, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta* note: following the implementation of decentralization beginning on 1 January 2001, the 440 districts or regencies have become the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services Iran 30 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Janubi, Khorasan-e Razavi, Khorasan-e Shemali, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan Iraq 18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit Ireland 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province Isle of Man none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections Israel 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv Italy 15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions* (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia*, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna*, Sicilia*, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige*, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta*, Veneto Jamaica 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation Japan 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi Jersey none (British crown dependency) Jordan 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba Kazakhstan 14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala, singular - qalasy); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the lease to 2050 Kenya 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western Kiribati 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina) Korea, North 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si, singular and plural) provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang) municipalites: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang) Korea, South 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities (gwangyoksi, singular and plural) provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North Cholla), Cholla-namdo (South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto (North Ch'ungch'ong), Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang) metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inch'on), Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan), Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi (Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan) Kuwait 6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak Al Kabir Kyrgyzstan 7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city* (shaar); Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty (Karakol) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Laos 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang Latvia 26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities*: Aizkraukles Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons, Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons, Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala*, Kraslavas Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja*, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons, Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons, Rezekne*, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils*, Ventspils Rajons Lebanon 8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye Lesotho 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka Liberia 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe Libya 25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions Liechtenstein 11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz Lithuania 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus Luxembourg 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg Macau none (special administrative region of China) Macedonia 85 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aerodrom (Skopje), Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Butel (Skopje), Cair (Skopje), Caska, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa, Cesinovo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Debartsa, Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Drugovo, Gazi Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija, Gjorce Petrov (Skopje), Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Jegunovce, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda (Skopje), Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovo i Rastusa, Mogila, Negotino, Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Saraj (Skopje), Skopje, Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vranestica, Vrapciste, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci note: the ten municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses collectively constitute "greater Skopje" Madagascar 6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara Malawi 27 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba Malaysia 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu; and one federal territory (wilayah persekutuan) with three components, city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya Maldives 19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital city*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale* (Male), Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu Mali 8 regions (regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou Malta none (administered directly from Valletta); note - local councils carry out administrative orders Marshall Islands 33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje Martinique none (overseas department of France) Mauritania 12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district*; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza Mauritius 9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne Mayotte none (territorial collectivity of France) Mexico 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas Micronesia, Federated States of 4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap Moldova 32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala) raions: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir, Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului Monaco none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo Mongolia 21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs Montenegro 21 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Andrijevia, Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Plav, Pluzine, Pljevlja, Podgornica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Ulcinj, Zabljak Montserrat 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter Morocco 15 regions; Grand Casablanca, Chaouia-Ouardigha, Doukkala-Abda, Fes-Boulemane, Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen, Guelmim-Es Smara, Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, Meknes-Tafilalet, Oriental, Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer, Souss-Massa-Draa, Tadla-Azilal, Tanger-Tetouan, Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate note: Morocco claims the territory of Western Sahara, the political status of which is considered undetermined by the US Government; portions of the regions Guelmim-Es Smara and Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra as claimed by Morocco lie within Western Sahara; Morocco claims another region, Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, which falls entirely within Western Sahara Mozambique 10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia Namibia 13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa Nauru 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren Nepal 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti Netherlands 12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland Netherlands Antilles none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note: each island has its own government New Caledonia none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 provinces named Iles Loyaute, Nord, and Sud New Zealand 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast Nicaragua 15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonomista); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas Niger 8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder Nigeria 36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara Niue none; note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 14 villages at the second order Norfolk Island none (territory of Australia) Northern Mariana Islands none (commonwealth in political union with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four municipalities at the second order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian Norway 19 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold Oman 5 regions (manatiq, singular - mintaqat) and 4 governorates* (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Buraymi*, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat*, Musandam*, Zufar (Dhofar)* Pakistan 4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas Palau 16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol Panama 9 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*(Kuna Yala), and Veraguas Papua New Guinea 20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain Paraguay 17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital city*; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Asuncion*, Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion, Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro Peru 25 regions (regiones, singular - region) and 1 province* (provincia); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali Philippines 79 provinces and 117 chartered cities provinces: Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Biliran, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu, Compostela, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela, Kalinga, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, La Union, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato, Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay chartered cities: Alaminos, Angeles, Antipolo, Bacolod, Bago, Baguio, Bais, Balanga, Batangas, Bayawan, Bislig, Butuan, Cabanatuan, Cadiz, Cagayan de Oro, Calamba, Calapan, Calbayog, Candon, Canlaon, Cauayan, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan, Danao, Dapitan, Davao, Digos, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Escalante, Gapan, General Santos, Gingoog, Himamaylan, Iligan, Iloilo, Isabela, Iriga, Kabankalan, Kalookan, Kidapawan, Koronadal, La Carlota, Laoag, Lapu-Lapu, Las Pinas, Legazpi, Ligao, Lipa, Lucena, Maasin, Makati, Malabon, Malaybalay, Malolos, Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila, Marawi, Markina, Masbate, Muntinlupa, Munoz, Naga, Olongapo, Ormoc, Oroquieta, Ozamis, Pagadian, Palayan, Panabo, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Passi, Puerto Princesa, Quezon, Roxas, Sagay, Samal, San Carlos (in Negros Occidental), San Carlos (in Pangasinan), San Fernando (in La Union), San Fernando (in Pampanga), San Jose, San Jose del Monte, San Pablo, Santa Rosa, Santiago, Silay, Sipalay, Sorsogon, Surigao, Tabaco, Tacloban, Tacurong, Tagaytay, Tagbilaran, Taguig, Tagum, Talisay (in Cebu), Talisay (in Negros Oriental), Tanauan, Tangub, Tanjay, Tarlac, Toledo, Tuguegarao, Trece Martires, Urdaneta, Valencia, Valenzuela, Victorias, Vigan, Zamboanga Pitcairn Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Poland 16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Zachodniopomorskie Portugal 18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu Puerto Rico none (territory of the US with commonwealth status); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco Qatar 10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal Reunion none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons Romania 41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti (Bucharest)*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea Russia 48 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respublik, singular - respublika), 9 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 7 krays (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast (avtonomnaya oblast') oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl' republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan (Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya (Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas), Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk), Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola), Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk) autonomous okrugs: Aga Buryat (Aginskoye), Chukotka (Anadyr'), Evenk (Tura), Khanty-Mansi, Koryak (Palana), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Taymyr [Dolgano-Nenets] (Dudinka), Ust'-Orda Buryat (Ust'-Ordynskiy), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard) krays: Altay (Barnaul), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Permskiy, Primorskiy (Vladivostok), Stavropol' federal cities: Moscow (Moskva), Saint Petersburg (Sankt-Peterburg) autonomous oblast: Yevrey [Jewish] (Birobidzhan) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Rwanda 12 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - prefigintara for singular and plural); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri Saint Helena 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha* Saint Kitts and Nevis 14 parishes; Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland, Saint James Windward, Saint John Capesterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capesterre, Saint Paul Charlestown, Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle Island, Trinity Palmetto Point Saint Lucia 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort Saint Pierre and Miquelon none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon at the second order Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick Samoa 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano San Marino 9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle Sao Tome and Principe 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995 Saudi Arabia 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk Senegal 11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor Serbia 29 districts (okrugov; singular - okrug), 1 capital city* Serbia Proper: Belgrad*, Bor, Branicevo, Jablanica, Kolubara, Macva, Moravica, Nisava, Pcinja, Pirot, Podunavlje, Pomoravlje, Rasina, Raska, Sumadija, Toplica, Zajecar, Zlatibor Vojvodina Autonomous Province: Central Banat, North Backa, North Banat, South Backa, South Banat, Srem, West Backa Kosovo and Metojia Autonomous Province: Kosovo, Kosovska-Mitrovica, Kosovo-Pomoravlje, Pec, Prizren Seychelles 23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka Sierra Leone 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* Singapore none Slovakia 8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky Slovenia 182 municipalities (obcine, singular - obcina) and 11 urban municipalities* (mestne obcine , singular - mestna obcina ) Ajdovscina, Beltinci, Benedikt, Bistrica ob Sotli, Bled, Bloke, Bohinj, Borovnica, Bovec, Braslovce, Brda, Brezice, Brezovica, Cankova, Celje*, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Cerknica, Cerkno, Cerkvenjak, Crensovci, Crna na Koroskem, Crnomelj, Destrnik, Divaca, Dobje, Dobrepolje, Dobrna, Dobrova-Horjul-Polhov Gradec, Dobrovnik-Dobronak, Dolenjske Toplice, Dol pri Ljubljani, Domzale, Dornava, Dravograd, Duplek, Gorenja Vas-Poljane, Gorisnica, Gornja Radgona, Gornji Grad, Gornji Petrovci, Grad, Grosuplje, Hajdina, Hoce-Slivnica, Hodos-Hodos, Horjul, Hrastnik, Hrpelje-Kozina, Idrija, Ig, Ilirska Bistrica, Ivancna Gorica, Izola-Isola, Jesenice, Jezersko, Jursinci, Kamnik, Kanal, Kidricevo, Kobarid, Kobilje, Kocevje, Komen, Komenda, Koper-Capodistria*, Kostel, Kozje, Kranj*, Kranjska Gora, Krizevci, Krsko, Kungota, Kuzma, Lasko, Lenart, Lendava-Lendva, Litija, Ljubljana*, Ljubno, Ljutomer, Logatec, Loska Dolina, Loski Potok, Lovrenc na Pohorju, Luce, Lukovica, Majsperk, Maribor*, Markovci, Medvode, Menges, Metlika, Mezica, Miklavz na Dravskem Polju, Miren-Kostanjevica, Mirna Pec, Mislinja, Moravce, Moravske Toplice, Mozirje, Murska Sobota*, Muta, Naklo, Nazarje, Nova Gorica*, Novo Mesto*, Odranci, Oplotnica, Ormoz, Osilnica, Pesnica, Piran-Pirano, Pivka, Podcetrtek, Podlehnik, Podvelka, Polzela, Postojna, Prebold, Preddvor, Prevalje, Ptuj*, Puconci, Race-Fram, Radece, Radenci, Radlje ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne na Koroskem, Razkrizje, Ribnica, Ribnica na Pohorju, Rogasovci, Rogaska Slatina, Rogatec, Ruse, Salovci, Selnica ob Dravi, Semic, Sempeter-Vrtojba, Sencur, Sentilj, Sentjernej, Sentjur pri Celju, Sevnica, Sezana, Skocjan, Skofja Loka, Skofljica, Slovenj Gradec*, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje pri Jelsah, Smartno ob Paki, Smartno pri Litiji, Sodrazica, Solcava, Sostanj, Starse, Store, Sveta Ana, Sveti Andraz v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Jurij, Tabor, Tisina, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trnovska Vas, Trzic, Trzin, Turnisce, Velenje*, Velika Polana, Velike Lasce, Verzej, Videm, Vipava, Vitanje, Vodice, Vojnik, Vransko, Vrhnika, Vuzenica, Zagorje ob Savi, Zalec, Zavrc, Zelezniki, Zetale, Ziri, Zirovnica, Zuzemberk, Zrece note: there may be 45 more municipalities Solomon Islands 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western Somalia 18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed South Africa 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape Spain 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country) note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central government, are all located along the coast of Morocco and are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania) Sri Lanka 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western note: in 1998 the Government of Sri Lanka proposed a merger of the former Northern and Eastern provinces; while this merger was never ratified, the Government treats North Eastern Province as a de facto singular administrative unit Sudan 25 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah (El Gezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah (Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb al Istiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr al Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei), Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal (Northern Bahr al Ghazal), Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shamal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (Eastern Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab) Suriname 10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica Swaziland 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni Sweden 21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholms, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands Switzerland 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich Syria 14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus Taiwan includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller islands near central island and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural) counties: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung (county), Kin-men, Lien-chiang, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei (county), T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin municipalities: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan special municipalities: Kao-hsiung city, T'ai-pei city note: Taiwan generally uses Wade-Giles system for romanization; special municipality of Taipei adopted standard pinyin romanization for street and place names within city boundaries, other local authorities have selected a variety of romanization systems Tajikistan 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand) note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses Tanzania 26 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West Thailand 76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep Mahanakhon (Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phetchaburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket, Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon Togo 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes Tokelau none (territory of New Zealand) Tonga 3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u Trinidad and Tobago 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin ward: Tobago Tunisia 24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan) Turkey 81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel (Mersin), Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak Turkmenistan 5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Turks and Caicos Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Tuvalu none Uganda 56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe note: as of a July 2005, 13 new districts were reportedly added bringing the total up to 69; the new districts are Amolatar, Amuria, Budaka, Butaleja, Ibanda, Kaabong, Kabingo, Kaliro, Kiruhura, Koboko, Manafwa, Mityana, Nakaseke; a total of nine more districts are in the process of being added Ukraine 24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) United Arab Emirates 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn) United Kingdom England: 47 boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs, 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities, 3 royal boroughs boroughs: Barnsley, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Bury, Calderdale, Darlington, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Halton, Hartlepool, Kirklees, Knowsley, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North Tyneside, Oldham, Poole, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Rochdale, Rotherham, Sandwell, Sefton, Slough, Solihull, Southend-on-Sea, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Swindon, Tameside, Thurrock, Torbay, Trafford, Walsall, Warrington, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton counties (or unitary authorities): Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Worcestershire London boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth cities and boroughs: Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Salford, Sheffield, Sunderland, Wakefield, Westminster districts: Bath and North East Somerset, East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, Rutland, South Gloucestershire, Telford and Wrekin, West Berkshire, Wokingham cities: City of Bristol, Derby, City of Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, City of London, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, York royal boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Windsor and Maidenhead Northern Ireland: 24 districts, 2 cities, 6 counties districts: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane cities: Belfast, Londonderry (Derry) counties: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone Scotland: 32 council areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian; Wales: 11 county boroughs, 9 counties, 2 cities and counties county boroughs: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Conwy, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen, Wrexham counties: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, The Vale of Glamorgan cities and counties: Cardiff, Swansea United States 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming Uruguay 19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres Uzbekistan 12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (respublika), and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati, Buxoro Viloyati, Farg'ona Viloyati, Jizzax Viloyati, Namangan Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi), Qoraqalpog'iston Respublikasi* (Nukus), Samarqand Viloyati, Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston), Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri**, Toshkent Viloyati, Xorazm Viloyati (Urganch) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) Vanuatu 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba Venezuela 23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital district* (distrito capital), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**, Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas, Yaracuy, Zulia note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands Vietnam 59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural) provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh Virgin Islands none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas Wallis and Futuna none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms at the second order named Alo, Sigave, Wallis Western Sahara none (under de facto control of Morocco) World 272 nations, dependent areas, and other entities Yemen 19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate Zambia 9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western Zimbabwe 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2052 Agriculture - products Afghanistan opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins Albania wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products Algeria wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle American Samoa bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock Andorra small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep Angola bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest products; fish Anguilla small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising Antigua and Barbuda cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock Argentina sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock Armenia fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock Aruba aloes; livestock; fish Australia wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry Austria grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber Azerbaijan cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats Bahamas, The citrus, vegetables; poultry Bahrain fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish Bangladesh rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry Barbados sugarcane, vegetables, cotton Belarus grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk Belgium sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk Belize bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments Benin cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock Bermuda bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey Bhutan rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs Bolivia soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber Bosnia and Herzegovina wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock Botswana livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts Brazil coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef British Virgin Islands fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish Brunei rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, eggs Bulgaria vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock Burkina Faso cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock Burma rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products Burundi coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides Cambodia rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca Cameroon coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber Canada wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish Cape Verde bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish Cayman Islands vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming Central African Republic cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber Chad cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels Chile grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber China rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts Colombia coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp Comoros vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca) Congo, Democratic Republic of the coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products Congo, Republic of the cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products Cook Islands copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry Costa Rica coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber Cote d'Ivoire coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber Croatia wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products Cuba sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock Cyprus citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, vegetables; poultry, pork, lamb; dairy, cheese Czech Republic wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry Denmark barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish Djibouti fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides Dominica bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited Dominican Republic sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs East Timor coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla Ecuador bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp Egypt cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats El Salvador coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp Equatorial Guinea coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber Eritrea sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish Estonia potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish Ethiopia cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish European Union wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes; dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry; fish Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products Faroe Islands milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish Fiji sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish Finland barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish France wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish French Guiana corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry French Polynesia coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, coffee; poultry, beef, dairy products Gabon cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish Gambia, The rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats Gaza Strip olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products Georgia citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock Germany potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry Ghana cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber Gibraltar none Greece wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products Greenland forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish Grenada bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables Guadeloupe bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats Guam fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef Guatemala sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens Guernsey tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle Guinea rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber Guinea-Bissau rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish Guyana sugarcane, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish, shrimp Haiti coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood Honduras bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp Hong Kong fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish Hungary wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products Iceland potatoes, green vegetables; mutton, dairy products; fish India rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish Indonesia rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs Iran wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar Iraq wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep, poultry Ireland turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products Isle of Man cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry Israel citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products Italy fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish Jamaica sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks Japan rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish Jersey potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products Jordan wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry Kazakhstan grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock Kenya tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs Kiribati copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish Korea, North rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs Korea, South rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish Kuwait practically no crops; fish Kyrgyzstan tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool Laos sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry Latvia grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish Lebanon citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats Lesotho corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock Liberia rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber Libya wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle Liechtenstein wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products Lithuania grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish Luxembourg wine, grapes, barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits; dairy products, livestock products Macau only 2% of land area is cultivated, mainly by vegetable growers; fishing, mostly for crustaceans, is important; some of the catch is exported to Hong Kong Macedonia grapes, wine, tobacco, vegetables; milk, eggs Madagascar coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products Malawi tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice; Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice; Sarawak - rubber, pepper, timber Maldives coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish Mali cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats Malta potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs Marshall Islands coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens Martinique pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane Mauritania dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep Mauritius sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish Mayotte vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra Mexico corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products Micronesia, Federated States of black pepper, tropical fruits and vegetables, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), betel nuts, sweet potatoes; pigs, chickens; fish Moldova vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk Monaco none Mongolia wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses Montenegro grains, tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes; sheepherding; commercial fishing negligible Montserrat cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products Morocco barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock Mozambique cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry Namibia millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes; livestock; fish Nauru coconuts Nepal rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat Netherlands grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock Netherlands Antilles aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit New Caledonia vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish New Zealand wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, lamb and mutton, dairy products; fish Nicaragua coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters Niger cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry Nigeria cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish Niue coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle Norfolk Island Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry Northern Mariana Islands coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle Norway barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish Oman dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish Pakistan cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs Palau coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish Panama bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables; livestock; shrimp Papua New Guinea coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla; shell fish, poultry, pork Paraguay cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber Peru coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish Philippines sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples, mangoes; pork, eggs, beef; fish Pitcairn Islands honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens Poland potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy Portugal grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, swine, poultry, dairy products; fish Puerto Rico sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens Qatar fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish Reunion sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn Romania wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep Russia grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk Rwanda coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock Saint Helena coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha) Saint Kitts and Nevis sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish Saint Lucia bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa Saint Pierre and Miquelon vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish Saint Vincent and the Grenadines bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish Samoa coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa San Marino wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese, hides Sao Tome and Principe cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish Saudi Arabia wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk Senegal peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish Serbia wheat, maize, sugar beets, sunflower, beef, pork, milk Seychelles coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; poultry; tuna Sierra Leone rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish Singapore rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs; fish, ornamental fish Slovakia grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products Slovenia potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep, poultry Solomon Islands cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish Somalia bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; fish South Africa corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products Spain grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish Sri Lanka rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish Sudan cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock Suriname paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest products Swaziland sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep Sweden barley, wheat, sugar beets; meat, milk Switzerland grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs Syria wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk Taiwan rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish Tajikistan cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats Tanzania coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats Thailand rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans Togo coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish Tokelau coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats; fish Tonga squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish Trinidad and Tobago cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry Tunisia olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products Turkey tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock Turkmenistan cotton, grain; livestock Turks and Caicos Islands corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish Tuvalu coconuts; fish Uganda coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry Ukraine grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk United Arab Emirates dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish United Kingdom cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish United States wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products Uruguay rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish Uzbekistan cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock Vanuatu copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables; beef; fish Venezuela corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish Vietnam paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, seafood Virgin Islands fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle Wallis and Futuna breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish West Bank olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products Western Sahara fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish Yemen grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish Zambia corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), coffee; cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides Zimbabwe corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2053 Airports Afghanistan 46 (2006) Albania 11 (2006) Algeria 142 (2006) American Samoa 3 (2006) Angola 244 (2006) Anguilla 3 (2006) Antarctica 20 note: there are no developed public access airports or landing facilities; 28 stations or remote field locations, operated by 11 National Antarctic Programs from nations party to the Antarctic Treaty, have restricted aircraft landing facilities comprising a total of 11 runways and 22 skiways for fixed-wing aircraft; some stations have both runways and skiways; commercial enterprises operate two aircraft landing facilities at one station; helicopter pads are available at all 37 year-round and 15 seasonal stations operated by National Antarctic Programs; the 11 runways are suitable for wheeled, fixed-wing aircraft: three are gravel, four blue-ice, two sea-ice and two compacted snow; of these, five are 3 km in length, two are between 2 km and 3 km in length, three are between 1 km and 2 km in length and one is less than 1 km in length; the 22 snow surface skiways are limited to use by ski-equipped, fixed-wing aircraft; of these, three are equal to or greater than 3 km in length, one is between 2 km and 3 km in length, nine are between 1 km and 2 km in length, five are less than 1 km in length, and four are of unknown or variable length; snow surface skiways are generally prepared and maintained during specific periods only and during summer; all aircraft landing facilities subject to severe restrictions and limitations resulting from extreme seasonal and geographic conditions; aircraft landing facilities do not meet ICAO standards; advance approval from the respective governmental or nongovernmental operating organization required for using their facilities; landed aircraft are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty; guidelines for the operation of aircraft near concentrations of birds in Antarctica were adopted in 2004; relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by states party to the Antarctic Treaty regulating access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude South, have to be complied with (see information under "Legal System"); an Antarctic Flight Information Manual (AFIM) providing up-to-date details of Antarctic air facilities and procedures is maintained and published by the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (2006) Antigua and Barbuda 3 (2006) Argentina 1,381 (2006) Armenia 13 (2006) Aruba 1 (2006) Australia 455 (2006) Austria 55 (2006) Azerbaijan 36 (2006) Bahamas, The 64 (2006) Bahrain 3 (2006) Baker Island one abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m covered with vegetation and unusable (2006) Bangladesh 16 (2006) Barbados 1 (2006) Belarus 86 (2006) Belgium 43 (2006) Belize 43 (2006) Benin 5 (2006) Bermuda 1 (2006) Bhutan 2 (2006) Bolivia 1,084 (2006) Bosnia and Herzegovina 28 (2006) Botswana 85 (2006) Brazil 4,276 (2006) British Indian Ocean Territory 1 (2006) British Virgin Islands 3 (2006) Brunei 2 (2006) Bulgaria 217 (2006) Burkina Faso 34 (2006) Burma 85 (2006) Burundi 8 (2006) Cambodia 20 (2006) Cameroon 47 (2006) Canada 1,337 (2006) Cape Verde 7 (2006) Cayman Islands 3 (2006) Central African Republic 50 (2006) Chad 52 (2006) Chile 363 (2006) China 486 (2006) Christmas Island 1 (2006) Cocos (Keeling) Islands 1 (2006) Colombia 984 (2006) Comoros 4 (2006) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 234 (2006) Congo, Republic of the 32 (2006) Cook Islands 9 (2006) Costa Rica 157 (2006) Cote d'Ivoire 35 (2006) Croatia 68 (2006) Cuba 170 (2006) Cyprus 16 (2006) Czech Republic 121 (2006) Denmark 92 (2006) Djibouti 13 (2006) Dominica 2 (2006) Dominican Republic 33 (2006) East Timor 8 (2006) Ecuador 359 (2006) Egypt 88 (2006) El Salvador 75 (2006) Equatorial Guinea 4 (2006) Eritrea 17 (2006) Estonia 24 (2006) Ethiopia 84 (2006) Europa Island 1 (2006) European Union 3,115 (2006) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 5 (2006) Faroe Islands 1 (2006) Fiji 28 (2006) Finland 148 (2006) France 477 (2006) French Guiana 11 (2006) French Polynesia 51 (2006) Gabon 56 (2006) Gambia, The 1 (2006) Gaza Strip 2 note: includes Gaza International Airport closed since its runway was destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces in December 2001 (2006) Georgia 23 (2006) Germany 554 (2006) Ghana 12 (2006) Gibraltar 1 (2006) Glorioso Islands 1 (2006) Greece 82 (2006) Greenland 14 (2006) Grenada 3 (2006) Guadeloupe 9 (2006) Guam 5 (2006) Guatemala 450 (2006) Guernsey 2 (one on Alderney) (2006) Guinea 16 (2006) Guinea-Bissau 28 (2006) Guyana 90 (2006) Haiti 12 (2006) Honduras 116 (2006) Hong Kong 3 (2006) Howland Island one airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop on the round-the-world flight of Amelia EARHART and Fred NOONAN - they left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island, but were never seen again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable (2006) Hungary 46 (2006) Iceland 98 (2006) Iles Eparses 4 (2006) India 341 (2006) Indonesia 662 (2006) Iran 321 (2006) Iraq 110 (2006) Ireland 36 (2006) Isle of Man 1 (2006) Israel 53 (2006) Italy 133 (2006) Jamaica 35 (2006) Jan Mayen 1 (2006) Japan 175 (2006) Jersey 1 (2006) Johnston Atoll 1 note: non-operational (2006) Jordan 17 (2006) Juan de Nova Island 1 (2006) Kazakhstan 150 (2006) Kenya 225 (2006) Kingman Reef lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938 (2006) Kiribati 19 (2006) Korea, North 77 (2006) Korea, South 107 (2006) Kuwait 7 (2006) Kyrgyzstan 37 (2006) Laos 44 (2006) Latvia 46 (2006) Lebanon 7 (2006) Lesotho 28 (2006) Liberia 53 (2006) Libya 141 (2006) Lithuania 91 (2006) Luxembourg 2 (2006) Macau 1 (2006) Macedonia 17 (2006) Madagascar 116 (2006) Malawi 42 (2006) Malaysia 117 (2006) Maldives 5 (2006) Mali 29 (2006) Malta 1 (2006) Marshall Islands 15 (2006) Martinique 2 (2006) Mauritania 25 (2006) Mauritius 6 (2006) Mayotte 1 (2006) Mexico 1,839 (2006) Micronesia, Federated States of 6 (2006) Midway Islands 3; note - only one operational (2006) Moldova 12 (2006) Mongolia 44 (2006) Montenegro 5 (2006) Montserrat 2 (2006) Morocco 60 (2006) Mozambique 158 (2006) Namibia 137 (2006) Nauru 1 (2006) Nepal 48 (2006) Netherlands 27 (2006) Netherlands Antilles 5 (2006) New Caledonia 25 (2006) New Zealand 118 (2006) Nicaragua 176 (2006) Niger 28 (2006) Nigeria 69 (2006) Niue 1 (2006) Norfolk Island 1 (2006) Northern Mariana Islands 5 (2006) Norway 99 (2006) Oman 137 (2006) Pakistan 139 (2006) Palau 3 (2006) Palmyra Atoll 1 (2006) Panama 117 (2006) Papua New Guinea 582 (2006) Paracel Islands 1 (2006) Paraguay 881 (2006) Peru 268 (2006) Philippines 256 (2006) Poland 122 (2006) Portugal 66 (2006) Puerto Rico 30 (2006) Qatar 5 (2006) Reunion 2 (2006) Romania 61 (2006) Russia 1,623 (2006) Rwanda 9 (2006) Saint Helena 1 note: Wideawake Field on Ascension Island (2006) Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 (2006) Saint Lucia 2 (2006) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2 (2006) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 (2006) Samoa 4 (2006) Sao Tome and Principe 2 (2006) Saudi Arabia 208 (2006) Senegal 20 (2006) Serbia 39 (2006) Seychelles 15 (2006) Sierra Leone 10 (2006) Singapore 9 (2006) Slovakia 36 (2006) Slovenia 14 (2006) Solomon Islands 35 (2006) Somalia 65 (2006) South Africa 731 (2006) Spain 157 (2006) Spratly Islands 3 (2006) Sri Lanka 16 (2006) Sudan 88 (2006) Suriname 47 (2006) Svalbard 4 (2006) Swaziland 18 (2006) Sweden 255 (2006) Switzerland 65 (2006) Syria 92 (2006) Taiwan 42 (2006) Tajikistan 40 (2006) Tanzania 124 (2006) Thailand 108 (2006) Togo 9 (2006) Tonga 6 (2006) Trinidad and Tobago 6 (2006) Tromelin Island 1 (2006) Tunisia 30 (2006) Turkey 117 (2006) Turkmenistan 29 (2006) Turks and Caicos Islands 8 (2006) Tuvalu 1 (2006) Uganda 31 (2006) Ukraine 499 (2006) United Arab Emirates 37 (2006) United Kingdom 471 (2006) United States 14,858 (2006) United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker Island: one abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m covered with vegetation and unusable Howland Island: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop on the round-the-world flight of Amelia EARHART and Fred NOONAN; the aviators left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island but were never seen again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable Johnston Atoll: 1 - closed and not maintained Kingman Reef: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938 Midway Islands: 3 - one operational (2,409 m paved); no fuel for sale except emergencies Palmyra Atoll: 1 - 1,846 m unpaved runway; privately owned (2006) Uruguay 64 (2006) Uzbekistan 61 (2006) Vanuatu 31 (2006) Venezuela 375 (2006) Vietnam 32 (2006) Virgin Islands 2 (2006) Wake Island 1 (2006) Wallis and Futuna 2 (2006) West Bank 3 (2006) Western Sahara 11 (2006) World 49,024 (2006) Yemen 46 (2006) Zambia 111 (2006) Zimbabwe 403 (2006) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2054 Birth rate (births/1,000 population) Afghanistan 46.6 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Albania 15.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Algeria 17.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) American Samoa 22.46 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Andorra 8.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Angola 45.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Anguilla 14.17 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 16.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Argentina 16.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Armenia 12.07 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Aruba 11.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Australia 12.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Austria 8.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Azerbaijan 20.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bahamas, The 17.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bahrain 17.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bangladesh 29.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Barbados 12.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belarus 11.16 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belgium 10.38 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belize 28.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Benin 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bermuda 11.4 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bhutan 33.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bolivia 23.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Botswana 23.08 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Brazil 16.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands 14.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Brunei 18.79 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bulgaria 9.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burkina Faso 45.62 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burma 17.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burundi 42.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cambodia 26.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cameroon 33.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Canada 10.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cape Verde 24.87 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cayman Islands 12.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Central African Republic 33.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Chad 45.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Chile 15.23 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) China 13.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 20.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Comoros 36.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 43.69 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the 42.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cook Islands 21 births/1,000 population (2001 census) Costa Rica 18.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 35.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Croatia 9.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cuba 11.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cyprus 12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Czech Republic 9.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Denmark 11.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Djibouti 39.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Dominica 15.27 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Dominican Republic 23.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) East Timor 26.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ecuador 22.29 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Egypt 22.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) El Salvador 26.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea 35.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Eritrea 34.33 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Estonia 10.04 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ethiopia 37.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) European Union 10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Faroe Islands 14.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Fiji 22.55 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Finland 10.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) France 11.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) French Guiana 20.46 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) French Polynesia 16.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gabon 36.16 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gambia, The 39.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gaza Strip 39.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Georgia 10.41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Germany 8.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ghana 30.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gibraltar 10.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Greece 9.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Greenland 15.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Grenada 22.08 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guadeloupe 15.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guam 18.79 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guatemala 29.88 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guernsey 8.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guinea 41.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau 37.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guyana 18.28 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Haiti 36.44 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Honduras 28.24 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Hong Kong 7.29 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Hungary 9.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iceland 13.64 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) India 22.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Indonesia 20.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iran 17 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iraq 31.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ireland 14.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Isle of Man 11.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Israel 17.97 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Italy 8.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jamaica 20.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Japan 9.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jersey 9.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jordan 21.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kazakhstan 16 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kenya 39.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kiribati 30.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Korea, North 15.54 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Korea, South 10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kuwait 21.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan 22.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Laos 35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Latvia 9.24 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lebanon 18.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lesotho 24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Liberia 44.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Libya 26.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Liechtenstein 10.21 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lithuania 8.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Luxembourg 11.94 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Macau 8.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Macedonia 12.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Madagascar 41.41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malawi 43.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malaysia 22.86 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Maldives 34.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mali 49.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malta 10.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Marshall Islands 33.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Martinique 13.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mauritania 40.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mauritius 15.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mayotte 40.95 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mexico 20.69 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 24.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Moldova 15.7 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Monaco 9.19 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mongolia 21.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Montenegro 12.6 births/1,000 population (2004) Montserrat 17.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Morocco 21.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mozambique 35.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Namibia 24.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nauru 24.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nepal 30.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Netherlands 10.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles 14.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) New Caledonia 18.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) New Zealand 13.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nicaragua 24.51 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Niger 50.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nigeria 40.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Niue NA births/1,000 population Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands 19.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Norway 11.46 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Oman 36.24 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Pakistan 29.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Palau 18.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Panama 21.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea 29.36 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Paraguay 29.1 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Peru 20.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Philippines 24.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland 9.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Portugal 10.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Puerto Rico 12.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Qatar 15.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Reunion 18.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Romania 10.7 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Russia 9.95 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Rwanda 40.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Helena 12.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 18.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Lucia 19.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 13.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Samoa 16.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) San Marino 10.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 40.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia 29.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Senegal 32.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Seychelles 16.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sierra Leone 45.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Singapore 9.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Slovakia 10.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Slovenia 8.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Solomon Islands 30.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Somalia 45.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) South Africa 18.2 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Spain 10.06 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sri Lanka 15.51 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sudan 34.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Suriname 18.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Svalbard NA births/1,000 population Swaziland 27.41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sweden 10.27 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Switzerland 9.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Syria 27.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Taiwan 12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tajikistan 32.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tanzania 37.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Thailand 13.87 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Togo 37.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga 25.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 12.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tunisia 15.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turkey 16.62 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turkmenistan 27.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 21.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tuvalu 22.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uganda 47.35 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ukraine 8.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates 18.96 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) United Kingdom 10.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) United States 14.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uruguay 13.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uzbekistan 26.36 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Vanuatu 22.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Venezuela 18.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Vietnam 16.86 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Virgin Islands 13.96 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna NA births/1,000 population West Bank 31.67 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Western Sahara NA births/1,000 population World 20.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Yemen 42.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Zambia 41 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Zimbabwe 28.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2055 Military branches Afghanistan Afghan National Army (includes Afghan Air Force) (2006) Albania General Staff Headquarters, Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air Defense Command, Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command Algeria National Popular Army (ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian National Navy (MRA), Air Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2005) Andorra no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra Angola Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra, MdG), Air and Air Defense Forces (FANA) (2006) Antigua and Barbuda Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (2006) Argentina Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic (includes naval aviation and naval infantry), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA) (2005) Armenia Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Force (NKSDF), Air Force, Air Defense Force (2006) Aruba no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Netherlands Navy and Marines, Coast Guard Australia Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command Austria Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK) Azerbaijan Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces Bahamas, The Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Marines, Air Wing (2006) Bahrain Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Navy, Air Force, National Guard Bangladesh Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006) Barbados Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Coast Guard (2005) Belarus Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force (2006) Belgium Belgian Armed Forces: Land, Naval, and Air Operations Commands (2005) Belize Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard Benin Army, Navy, Air Force Bermuda no regular military forces Bhutan Royal Bhutan Army: Royal Bodyguard, Royal Bhutan Police (2005) Bolivia Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2006) Bosnia and Herzegovina VF Army (the air and air defense forces are subordinate commands within the Army), VRS Army (the air and air defense forces are subordinate commands within the Army) Botswana Botswana Defense Force (includes an air wing) (2006) Brazil Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil (MB), includes Naval Air and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB) (2006) Brunei Royal Brunei Armed Forces: Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) (2005) Bulgaria Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Bulgarian Air Force (2006) Burkina Faso Army, Air Force of Burkina Faso (Force Aerienne de Burkina Faso), National Gendarmerie (2006) Burma Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (2005) Burundi National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationales, FDN): Army (includes Naval Detachment and Air Wing), National Gendarmerie (being disbanded) (2006) Cambodia Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force (2005) Cameroon Cameroon Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC) (2006) Canada Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Canada Command (homeland security) (2006) Cape Verde People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast Guard (includes maritime air wing) Cayman Islands no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force Central African Republic Central African Armed Forces (FACA): Ground Forces, Military Air Service; General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG), Republican Guard, National Police (2006) Chad Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale Tchadienne, ANT), Air Force, Gendarmerie (2004) Chile Army of the Nation, National Navy (Armada de Chile, includes naval air, marine corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACh), Chilean Carabineros (National Police) (2006) China People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes airborne forces), and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (PAP); Reserve and Militia Forces (2006) Colombia Army (Ejercito Nacional), National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes naval aviation, marines, and coast guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana) (2006) Comoros Comoran Defense Force: Comoran Security Force (includes Gendarmerie and Army), Comoran Federal Police (2006) Congo, Democratic Republic of the Army, Navy, Air Force Congo, Republic of the Congolese Armed Forces (FAC): Army, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Navy, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard (2005) Cook Islands no regular military forces; Ministry of Police and Disaster Management (2005) Costa Rica no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police (2006) Cote d'Ivoire Cote d'Ivoire Defense and Security Forces (FDSC): Army, Navy, Air Force (2006) Croatia Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air and Air Defense Forces (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzrakoplovna Obrana, HRZiPZO), Joint Education and Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police Force supports each of the three Croatian military forces (2006) Cuba Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR): Revolutionary Army (ER), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2005) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG; includes air and naval elements); north Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot Security Force (GKK) Czech Republic Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes air forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2006) Denmark Defense Command: Army Operational Command, Admiral Danish Fleet, Tactical Air Command (2006) Djibouti Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force) Dominica no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes coast guard) Dominican Republic Army, Navy, Air Force East Timor East Timor Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, FDTL): Army, Navy (Armada) (2005) Ecuador Army, Navy (includes naval infantry, naval aviation, coast guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) Egypt Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command El Salvador Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2006) Equatorial Guinea Army, Navy, Air Force (2005) Eritrea Army, Navy, Air Force Estonia Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2006) Ethiopia Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) no regular military forces Faroe Islands no regular military forces Fiji Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval Forces (2006) Finland Finnish Defense Forces: Army, Navy (includes coastal defense forces), Air Force (2003) France Army (includes marines, Foreign Legion, light aviation), Navy (includes naval air), Air Force (includes air defense), National Gendarmerie French Guiana no regular military forces; Gendarmerie French Polynesia no regular military forces; Gendarmerie and National Police Force Gabon Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police Gambia, The Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambian Navy (GN), Presidential Guard, National Guard Gaza Strip in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however, public security forces (2002) Georgia Ground Forces (includes National Guard), Air and Air Defense Forces, Navy (2006) Germany Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Service Support Command (Streitkraeftebasis), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst) (2006) Ghana Ghanaian Army, Ghanaian Navy, Ghanaian Air Force (2006) Gibraltar Royal Gibraltar Regiment Greece Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Ellinikos Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polimiki Aeroporia, EPA) (2006) Grenada no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force Guadeloupe no regular military forces Guatemala Army, Navy (includes marines), Air Force Guinea Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard (2006) Guinea-Bissau People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force Guyana Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps (2006) Haiti the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are constitutionally abolished Holy See (Vatican City) Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia) Honduras Army, Navy (includes naval infantry), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2006) Hong Kong no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region Hungary Ground Forces, Air Forces Iceland no regular armed forces; Icelandic National Police, Icelandic Coast Guard (Islenska Landhelgisgaeslan) subordinate to Ministry of Justice, Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (2006) India Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force, Coast Guard, various security or paramilitary forces (includes Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, and Defense Security Corps) Indonesia Indonesia Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI): Army (TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-AL, includes marines, naval air arm), Air Force (TNI-AU) note: the TNI is directly subordinate to the president but the government is making efforts to incorporate it into the Department of Defense Iran Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (Niruye Havayi Jomhuriye Islamiye Iran; includes air defense); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army); Law Enforcement Forces (2006) Iraq Iraqi Armed Forces: Iraqi Regular Army (includes Iraqi Special Operations Force, Iraqi Intervention Force), Iraqi Navy (former Iraqi Coastal Defense Force), Iraqi Air Force (former Iraqi Army Air Corps) (2005) Ireland Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps) (2006) Israel Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Army Headquarters, Israel Navy, Israeli Air and Space Force (ISAF, includes air defense forces); historically there have been no separate Israeli military services (2005) Italy Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI), Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Corpo dei Carabinieri, CC) (2005) Jamaica Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing Japan Japanese Defense Agency (JDA): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Nihon Koku-Jieitai, ASDF) (2006) Jordan Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya al-Urduniya), Special Operations Command (Socom); Public Security Directorate (normally falls under Ministry of Interior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis situations) (2006) Kazakhstan Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Force, Republican Guard Kenya Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2006) Kiribati no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands) Korea, North North Korean People's Army: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces (2005) Korea, South Army, Navy, Republic of Korea Air Force (Han-guk Kong Goon), Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (coast guard) (2006) Kuwait Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2006) Kyrgyzstan Army, Air Force, National Guard (2005) Laos Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force Latvia Latvian Republic Defense Force: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze) (2005) Lebanon Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force Lesotho Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing Liberia Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force Libya Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (LAAF) (2006) Lithuania Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005) Luxembourg Army Macau no regular military forces Macedonia Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM): Joint Operational Command, with subordinate Air Wing (Makedonsko Voeno Vozduhoplovstvo, MVV), Special Force Command (2006) Madagascar People's Armed Forces: Intervention Force, Development Force, and Aeronaval Force (navy and air); National Gendarmerie Malawi Malawi Armed Forces: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (includes Mobile Force Unit) Malaysia Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM): Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) (2006) Maldives National Security Service: Security Branch (ground forces), Air Element, Coast Guard Mali Army, Air Force, National Guard Malta Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime elements) (2005) Marshall Islands no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police Martinique no regular military forces; Gendarmerie Mauritania Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2005) Mauritius no regular military forces; National Police Force, Special Mobile Force, National Coast Guard Mexico Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico, ARM, includes Naval Air Force (FAN) and Marines) (2006) Micronesia, Federated States of no ministry of defense and no standing armed forces; the paramilitary Maritime Wing, a small maritime law enforcement unit, is responsible to the Division of Maritime Surveillance within the Office of the Attorney General (2003) Moldova National Army: Ground Forces, Rapid Reaction Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006) Mongolia Mongolian People's Army (MPA), Mongolian People's Air Force (MPAF); there is no navy (2005) Montserrat no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005) Morocco Royal Armed Forces (Forces Armees Royales, FAR): Royal Moroccan Army (includes Air Defense), Navy (includes Marines), Royal Moroccan Air Force (Force Aerienne Royale Marocaine) (2006) Mozambique Mozambique Armed Defense Forces (FADM): Mozambique Army, Mozambique Navy (Marinha Mocambique, MM), Mozambique Air Force (Forca Aerea de Mocambique, FAM) (2006) Namibia Namibian Defense Force: Army, Air Wing, Navy (2006) Nauru no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2005) Nepal Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service); Nepalese Police Force Netherlands Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Military Police, Defense Interservice Command (DICO) (2006) Netherlands Antilles no regular military forces; National Guard, Police Force (2005) New Caledonia no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force New Zealand New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2006) Nicaragua Army (includes Navy, Air Force) Niger Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, National Air Force (2005) Nigeria Nigerian Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger Air Force (2006) Niue no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force Norway Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2006) Oman Royal Omani Armed Forces: Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman, RAFO) (2006) Pakistan Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya) (2006) Palau no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2006) Panama an amendment to the Constitution abolished the armed forces, but there are security forces (Panamanian Public Forces or PPF includes the Panamanian National Police, National Maritime Service, and National Air Service) Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Defense Force (includes Maritime Operations Element, Air Operations Element) Paraguay Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Paraguay, FAP) (2006) Peru Peruvian Army (Ejercito Peruano), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru; includes naval air, naval infantry, and coast guard), Peruvian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) Philippines Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Philippine Air Force (Hukbomg Himpapawid ng Pilipinas) (2006) Poland Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (includes Navy (Marynarka Wojenna, MW)), Polish Air Force (Polskie Sily Powietrzne, PSP) (2006) Portugal Army, Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP), National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana) (2005) Puerto Rico no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary National Guard, Police Force Qatar Qatari Amiri Land Force (QALF), Qatari Amiri Navy (QAN), Qatari Amiri Air Force (QAAF) Reunion no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) (2005) Romania Land Forces, Naval Forces, Romanian Air Force (Fortele Aerienne Romane, FAR), Special Operations (2006) Russia Ground Forces (SV), Navy (VMF), Air Forces (VVS); Airborne Troops (VDV), Strategic Rocket Troops (RVSN), and Space Troops (KV) are independent "combat arms," not subordinate to any of the three branches Rwanda Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force Saint Lucia no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) (2006) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard (2005) Samoa no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2005) San Marino no regular military forces; Voluntary Military Force (Corpi Militari Voluntar) performs ceremonial duties and limited police functions (2006) Sao Tome and Principe Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP): Army, Coast Guard, Presidential Guard (2004) Saudi Arabia Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary) Senegal Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2006) Serbia Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije, VS): Serbian Land Forces (Kopnene Vojska, KoV), Air Force and Air Defense Force (Vozduhoplostvo i Protivozduhoplovna Odbrana, ViPO), naval force to be determined (2006) Seychelles Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes Navy Wing, Air Wing), National Guard (2005) Sierra Leone Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Maritime Wing) Singapore Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Republic of Singapore Air Force (includes Air Defense) (2006) Slovakia Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily), Training and Support Forces (Vycviku a Podpory Sily) (2005) Slovenia Slovenian Army (includes air and naval forces) Solomon Islands no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) Somalia a Somali National Army was attempted under the interim government; numerous factions and clans maintain independent militias, and the Somaliland and Puntland regional governments maintain their own security and police forces South Africa South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint Operations Command, Joint Support Command, Military Intelligence, Military Health Service (2005) Spain Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force (Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA) (2006) Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lankan Air Force (2006) Sudan Sudanese People's Armed Forces (SPAF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force Suriname National Army, Naval Element, Air Wing (2006) Swaziland Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes air wing), Royal Swaziland Police Force (RSPF) (2005) Sweden Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army (Armen), Royal Swedish Navy (Marinen), Swedish Air Force (Svenska Flygvapnet) (2006) Switzerland Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe); Switzerland has no navy, but maintains a fleet of military patrol boats to patrol Swiss borders (2006) Syria Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy), Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005) Taiwan Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command Tajikistan Ground Troops, Air and Air Defense Troops, Mobile Troops (2005) Tanzania Tanzanian People's Defense Force (JWTZ): Army, Naval Wing, Air Defense Command (includes air wing), National Service Thailand Royal Thai Army (RTA), Royal Thai Navy (RTN, includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force (Knogtap Agard Thai, RTAF) (2006) Togo Togolese Armed Forces (FAT): Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie (2005) Tonga Tonga Defense Services: Land Force (Royal Guard), Naval Force (includes Royal Marines, Air Wing) (2006) Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes air wing) (2004) Tunisia Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2006) Turkey Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Land Forces, Naval Forces (includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Force (Turk Hava Kuvvetleri) (2006) Turkmenistan Ground Forces, Artillery and Rocket Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006) Tuvalu no regular military forces; Police Force Uganda Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (UPDF): Army, Marine Unit, Air Wing Ukraine Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (Viyskovo-Povitryani Syly), Air Defense Forces (2002) United Arab Emirates Army, Navy (includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force) United Kingdom Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy Uruguay Army, Navy (includes naval air arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Uruguaya, FAU) (2006) Uzbekistan Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard Vanuatu no regular military forces; security forces comprise the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) and paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF), which includes Vanuatu's naval force, known as the Police Maritime Wing (PMW); border security in Vanuatu is the joint responsibility of the Customs and Inland Revenue Service, VPF, VMF, and PMW (2003) Venezuela National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales or FAN): Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada; includes Marines, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional) Vietnam People's Armed Forces: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includes People's Navy Command (with naval infantry, coast guard), Air and Air Defense Force (Kon Quan Nhan Dan), Border Defense Command), People's Public Security Forces, Militia Force, Self-Defense Forces (2005) Yemen Army (includes Special Forces), Navy (includes Marines), Unified Yemen Air Force (includes Air Defense Force) (2006) Zambia Zambian National Defense Force (ZNDF): Army, Air Force, Police, National Service Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2056 Budget Afghanistan revenues: $269 million expenditures: $561 million; including capital expenditures of $41.7 million note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order Trust Fund (FY04-05 budget est.) Albania revenues: $1.96 billion expenditures: $2.377 billion; including capital expenditures of $500 million (2005 est.) Algeria revenues: $42.05 billion expenditures: $30.75 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.8 billion (2005 est.) American Samoa revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US grants) expenditures: $127 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97) Andorra revenues: $373.5 million expenditures: $373.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) Angola revenues: $8.5 billion expenditures: $10 billion; including capital expenditures of $963 million (2005 est.) Anguilla revenues: $22.8 million expenditures: $22.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Antigua and Barbuda revenues: $123.7 million expenditures: $145.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Argentina revenues: $42.63 billion expenditures: $39.98 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Armenia revenues: $786.1 million expenditures: $930.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Aruba revenues: $507.9 million expenditures: $577.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) Australia revenues: $249.8 billion expenditures: $240.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Austria revenues: $148.6 billion expenditures: $154.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Azerbaijan revenues: $3.18 billion expenditures: $2.986 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Bahamas, The revenues: $1.03 billion expenditures: $1.03 billion; including capital expenditures of $130 million (FY04/05) Bahrain revenues: $4.662 billion expenditures: $3.447 billion; including capital expenditures of $700 million (2005 est.) Bangladesh revenues: $5.993 billion expenditures: $8.598 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Barbados revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Belarus revenues: $5.903 billion expenditures: $6.343 billion; including capital expenditures of $180 million (2005 est.) Belgium revenues: $180.4 billion expenditures: $180.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.56 billion (2005 est.) Belize revenues: $262 million expenditures: $329 million; including capital expenditures of $70 million (2005 est.) Benin revenues: $766.8 million expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Bermuda revenues: $738 million expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05) Bhutan revenues: $346.6 million expenditures: including capital expenditures of $NA note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of Bhutan's budget expenditures (FY95/96 est.) Bolivia revenues: $2.848 billion expenditures: $3.189 billion; including capital expenditures of $741 million (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina revenues: $4.373 billion expenditures: $4.401 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Botswana revenues: $3.766 billion expenditures: $3.767 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Brazil revenues: $140.6 billion expenditures: $172.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) British Virgin Islands revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital expenditures of $33.8 million (1997) Brunei revenues: $3.765 billion expenditures: $4.815 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.) Bulgaria revenues: $11.18 billion expenditures: $10.9 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Burkina Faso revenues: $1.033 billion expenditures: $1.382 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Burma revenues: $473.3 million expenditures: $716.6 million; including capital expenditures of NA (FY04/05 est.) Burundi revenues: $215.4 million expenditures: $278 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Cambodia revenues: $559.4 million expenditures: $772 million; including capital expenditures of $291 million (2005 est.) Cameroon revenues: $3.263 billion expenditures: $2.705 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Canada revenues: $159.6 billion expenditures: $152.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) Cape Verde revenues: $328.1 million expenditures: $393.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Cayman Islands revenues: $423.8 million expenditures: $392.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) Central African Republic revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Chad revenues: $765.2 million expenditures: $653.3 million; including capital expenditures of $146 million (2005 est.) Chile revenues: $29.2 billion expenditures: $24.75 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.33 billion (2005 est.) China revenues: $392.1 billion expenditures: $424.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Christmas Island revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Colombia revenues: $46.82 billion expenditures: $48.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Comoros revenues: $27.6 million expenditures: $NA (2001 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the revenues: $700 million expenditures: $750 million; including capital expenditures of $24 million (2004 est.) Congo, Republic of the revenues: $1.328 billion expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Cook Islands revenues: $70.95 million expenditures: $69.05 million; including capital expenditures of $5.744 million (FY00/01 est.) Costa Rica revenues: $2.722 billion expenditures: $3.195 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire revenues: $2.434 billion expenditures: $2.83 billion; including capital expenditures of $420 million (2005 est.) Croatia revenues: $17.69 billion expenditures: $19.35 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Cuba revenues: $22.11 billion expenditures: $23.65 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Cyprus revenues: Republic of Cyprus - $6.698 billion (2005 est.) expenditures: Republic of Cyprus - $7.122 billion (2005 est.) revenues: $685.7 million; north Cyprus - $231.3 million (2003 est.) expenditures: north Cyprus - $432.8 million (2003 est.) Czech Republic revenues: $48.16 billion expenditures: $53.04 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Denmark revenues: $144 billion expenditures: $135 billion; including capital expenditures of $4.6 billion (2005 est.) Djibouti revenues: $135 million expenditures: $182 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) Dominica revenues: $73.9 million expenditures: $84.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) Dominican Republic revenues: $5.322 billion expenditures: $5.485 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2005) East Timor revenues: $107.7 million expenditures: $73 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.) Ecuador revenues: $8.822 billion expenditures: planned $8.153 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2005 est.) Egypt revenues: $20.29 billion expenditures: $27.68 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.7 billion (2005 est.) El Salvador revenues: $2.84 billion expenditures: $3.167 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea revenues: $1.973 billion expenditures: $711.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Eritrea revenues: $248.8 million expenditures: $409.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Estonia revenues: $4.91 billion expenditures: $4.7 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Ethiopia revenues: $2.338 billion expenditures: $2.88 billion; including capital expenditures of $788 million (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million; including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.) Faroe Islands revenues: $488 million expenditures: $484 million; including capital expenditures of $21 million (1999) Fiji revenues: $720.5 million expenditures: $728.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Finland revenues: $99.61 billion expenditures: $97.14 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) France revenues: $1.06 trillion expenditures: $1.144 trillion; including capital expenditures of $23 billion (2005 est.) French Guiana revenues: $135.5 million expenditures: $135.5 million; including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) French Polynesia revenues: $865 million expenditures: $644.1 million; including capital expenditures of $185 million (1996) Gabon revenues: $2.463 billion expenditures: $1.618 billion; including capital expenditures of $325 million (2005 est.) Gambia, The revenues: $46.63 million expenditures: $62.66 million; including capital expenditures of $4.1 million (2005 est.) Gaza Strip revenues: $964 million expenditures: $1.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA; note - these budget data include West Bank (2004) Georgia revenues: $1.43 billion expenditures: $1.56 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Germany revenues: $1.249 trillion expenditures: $1.362 trillion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Ghana revenues: $3.216 billion expenditures: $3.506 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Gibraltar revenues: $307 million expenditures: $284 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) Greece revenues: $94.13 billion expenditures: $103.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Greenland revenues: $646 million expenditures: $629 million; including capital expenditures of $85 million (1999) Grenada revenues: $85.8 million expenditures: $102.1 million; including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997) Guadeloupe revenues: $637.7 million expenditures: $680.1 million; including capital expenditures of $112.5 million (2002) Guam revenues: $319.6 million expenditures: $427.8 million (2002 est.) Guatemala revenues: $3.374 billion expenditures: $4.041 billion; including capital expenditures of $750 million (2005 est.) Guernsey revenues: $539.2 million expenditures: $448.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002) Guinea revenues: $305.6 million expenditures: $590.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Guyana revenues: $320.1 million expenditures: $362.6 million; including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2005 est.) Haiti revenues: $400 million expenditures: $600.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) revenues: $245.2 million expenditures: $260.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002) Honduras revenues: $1.693 billion expenditures: $1.938 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2005 est.) Hong Kong revenues: $31.31 billion expenditures: $32.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (2005 est.) Hungary revenues: $51.4 billion expenditures: $58.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Iceland revenues: $6.995 billion expenditures: $6.761 billion; including capital expenditures of $467 million (2005 est.) India revenues: $111.2 billion expenditures: $135.8 billion; including capital expenditures of $15 billion (2005 est.) Indonesia revenues: $54.3 billion expenditures: $57.7 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Iran revenues: $48.82 billion expenditures: $60.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $7.6 billion (2005 est.) Iraq revenues: $19.3 billion expenditures: $24 billion; including capital expenditures of $5 billion (2005 budget) Ireland revenues: $70.46 billion expenditures: $69.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.5 billion (2005 est.) Isle of Man revenues: $485 million expenditures: $463 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) Israel revenues: $43.82 billion expenditures: $58.04 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Italy revenues: $785.7 billion expenditures: $861.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Jamaica revenues: $2.8 billion expenditures: $3.21 billion; including capital expenditures of $180.4 million (2005 est.) Japan revenues: $1.429 trillion expenditures: $1.775 trillion; including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $71 billion (2005 est.) Jersey revenues: $601 million expenditures: $588 million; including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) Jordan revenues: $2.8 billion expenditures: $4.688 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.092 billion (2005 est.) Kazakhstan revenues: $12.19 billion expenditures: $12.44 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Kenya revenues: $3.715 billion expenditures: $3.88 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Kiribati revenues: $55.52 million expenditures: $59.71 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05) Korea, North revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Korea, South revenues: $195 billion expenditures: $189 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Kuwait revenues: $47.21 billion expenditures: $20.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan revenues: $516.3 million expenditures: $539.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Laos revenues: $319.3 million expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Latvia revenues: $5.673 billion expenditures: $5.889 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Lebanon revenues: $4.953 billion expenditures: $6.595 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Lesotho revenues: $738.5 million expenditures: $792.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2005 est.) Liberia revenues: $85.4 million expenditures: $90.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Libya revenues: $25.34 billion expenditures: $15.47 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.6 billion (2005 est.) Liechtenstein revenues: $424.2 million expenditures: $414.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) Lithuania revenues: $8.429 billion expenditures: $9.103 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.) Luxembourg revenues: $9.195 billion expenditures: $9.573 billion; including capital expenditures of $975.5 million (2005 est.) Macau revenues: $3.16 billion expenditures: $3.16 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05/06) Macedonia revenues: $2.105 billion expenditures: $2.15 billion; including capital expenditures of $114 million (2005 est.) Madagascar revenues: $703.6 million expenditures: $853 million; including capital expenditures of $331 million (2005 est.) Malawi revenues: $844.6 million expenditures: $913.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Malaysia revenues: $30.57 billion expenditures: $34.62 billion; including capital expenditures of $9.4 billion (2005 est.) Maldives revenues: $265 million (excluding foreign grants) expenditures: $362 million; including capital expenditures of $80 million (2004 est.) Mali revenues: $764 million expenditures: $828 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) Malta revenues: $2.503 billion expenditures: $2.703 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Marshall Islands revenues: $42 million expenditures: $40 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1999) Martinique revenues: $317.5 million expenditures: $317.5 million; including capital expenditures of $140 million (1996) Mauritania revenues: $421 million expenditures: $378 million; including capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.) Mauritius revenues: $1.377 billion expenditures: $1.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Mayotte revenues: $NA expenditures: $73 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.) Mexico revenues: $181 billion expenditures: $184 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005) Micronesia, Federated States of revenues: $127.3 million ($69 million less grants) expenditures: $144.2 million; including capital expenditures of $17.9 million $NA (1998 est.) Moldova revenues: $1.069 billion expenditures: $1.065 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Monaco revenues: $719.2 million expenditures: $864.1 million; including capital expenditures of $283.1 million (2004) Mongolia revenues: $702 million expenditures: $651 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Montenegro revenues: NA expenditures: NA Montserrat revenues: $31.4 million expenditures: $31.6 million; including capital expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 est.) Morocco revenues: $12.94 billion expenditures: $16.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.19 billion (2005 est.) Mozambique revenues: $1.031 billion expenditures: $1.93 billion (2005 est.) Namibia revenues: $1.945 billion expenditures: $2.039 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Nauru revenues: $13.5 million expenditures: $13.5 million (2005) Nepal revenues: $1.153 billion expenditures: $1.789 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05/06) Netherlands revenues: $291.8 billion expenditures: $303.7 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles revenues: $757.9 million expenditures: $949.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) New Caledonia revenues: $856.3 million expenditures: $836.5 million (1996 est.) New Zealand revenues: $43.1 billion expenditures: $37.57 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Nicaragua revenues: $1.134 billion expenditures: $1.358 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Niger revenues: $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources expenditures: $320 million; including capital expenditures of $178 million (2002 est.) Nigeria revenues: $12.86 billion expenditures: $13.54 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Niue revenues: $15.07 million expenditures: $16.33 million; including capital expenditures of $123,700 Norfolk Island revenues: $4.6 million expenditures: $4.8 million; including capital expenditures of $2 million (FY99/00) Northern Mariana Islands revenues: $193 million expenditures: $223 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY01/02 est.) Norway revenues: $176.1 billion expenditures: $131.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Oman revenues: $14.36 billion expenditures: $10.61 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Pakistan revenues: $15.45 billion expenditures: $20.07 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Palau revenues: $72.07 million expenditures: $72.43 million; including capital expenditures of $12.98 million (FY98/99 est.) Panama revenues: $3.426 billion expenditures: $3.959 billion; including capital expenditures of $471 million (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea revenues: $1.368 billion expenditures: $1.354 billion; including capital expenditures of $344 million (2005 est.) Paraguay revenues: $1.334 billion expenditures: $1.37 billion; including capital expenditures of $700 million (2005 est.) Peru revenues: $21.87 billion expenditures: $22.47 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion for general government, but excluding private enterprises (2005 est.) Philippines revenues: $12.38 billion expenditures: $15.77 billion; including capital expenditures of NA (2005 est.) Pitcairn Islands revenues: $746,000 expenditures: $1.028 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY04/05) Poland revenues: $52.73 billion expenditures: $63.22 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Portugal revenues: $78.84 billion expenditures: $90.27 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Puerto Rico revenues: $6.7 billion expenditures: $9.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00) Qatar revenues: $17.31 billion expenditures: $11.31 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2005 est.) Reunion revenues: $554.7 million expenditures: $554.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998) Romania revenues: $29.97 billion expenditures: $31.37 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2005 est.) Russia revenues: $176.7 billion expenditures: $125.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Rwanda revenues: $509.9 million expenditures: $584.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Saint Helena revenues: $11.2 million expenditures: $11 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93) Saint Kitts and Nevis revenues: $89.7 million expenditures: $128.2 million; including capital expenditures of $19.5 million (2003 est.) Saint Lucia revenues: $141.2 million expenditures: $146.7 million; including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (2000 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon revenues: $70 million expenditures: $60 million; including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines revenues: $94.6 million expenditures: $85.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Samoa revenues: $171.3 million expenditures: $78.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2001-02) San Marino revenues: $400 million expenditures: $400 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Sao Tome and Principe revenues: $26.39 million expenditures: $59.48 million; including capital expenditures of $54 million (2004 est.) Saudi Arabia revenues: $143.7 billion expenditures: $89.65 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Senegal revenues: $1.657 billion expenditures: $1.926 billion; including capital expenditures of $357 million (2005 est.) Serbia revenues: $11.45 billion expenditures: $11.12 billion; including capital expenditures $NA; note - figures are for Serbia and Montenegro; Serbian Statistical Office indicates that for 2006 budget, Serbia will have revenues of $7.08 billion (2005 est.) Seychelles revenues: $343.3 million expenditures: $332.2 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Sierra Leone revenues: $96 million expenditures: $351 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Singapore revenues: $18.67 billion expenditures: $18.21 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.1 billion (2005 est.) Slovakia revenues: $22.7 billion expenditures: $23.2 billion (2005 est.) Slovenia revenues: $16.02 billion expenditures: $16.73 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Solomon Islands revenues: $49.7 million expenditures: $75.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2003) Somalia revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA South Africa revenues: $65.91 billion expenditures: $70.62 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Spain revenues: $440.9 billion expenditures: $448.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $12.8 billion (2005 est.) Sri Lanka revenues: $3.804 billion expenditures: $5.469 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Sudan revenues: $6.182 billion expenditures: $5.753 billion; including capital expenditures of $304 million (2005 est.) Suriname revenues: $392.6 million expenditures: $425.9 million (2004) Svalbard revenues: $11.5 million expenditures: $11.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) Swaziland revenues: $805.6 million expenditures: $957.1 million; including capital expenditures of $147 million (2005 est.) Sweden revenues: $210.5 billion expenditures: $205.9 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Switzerland revenues: $138.1 billion expenditures: $143.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Syria revenues: $6.392 billion expenditures: $7.613 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.23 billion (2005 est.) Taiwan revenues: $41.67 billion expenditures: $50.26 billion; including capital expenditures of $14.4 billion (2005 est.) Tajikistan revenues: $442.3 million expenditures: $542.6 million; including capital expenditures of $86 million (2005 est.) Tanzania revenues: $2.235 billion expenditures: $2.669 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Thailand revenues: $30.64 billion expenditures: $31.76 billion; including capital expenditures of $5 billion (2005 est.) Togo revenues: $251.3 million expenditures: $292.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Tokelau revenues: $430,800 expenditures: $2.8 million; including capital expenditures of NA (1987 est.) Tonga revenues: $56.97 million expenditures: $83.88 million; including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY99/00 est.) Trinidad and Tobago revenues: $4.5 billion expenditures: $4.06 billion; including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (2005 est.) Tunisia revenues: $7.322 billion expenditures: $8.304 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2005 est.) Turkey revenues: $93.58 billion expenditures: $115.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Turkmenistan revenues: $1.401 billion expenditures: $1.542 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1997-98 est.) Tuvalu revenues: $22.78 million expenditures: $14.23 million; including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.) Uganda revenues: $1.845 billion expenditures: $1.904 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Ukraine revenues: $23.59 billion expenditures: $22.98 billion; note - this is the consolidated budget (January-September 2005) United Arab Emirates revenues: $34.93 billion expenditures: $29.41 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.4 billion (2005 est.) United Kingdom revenues: $881.4 billion expenditures: $951 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) United States revenues: $2.119 trillion expenditures: $2.466 trillion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Uruguay revenues: $4.468 billion expenditures: $4.845 billion; including capital expenditures of $193 million (2005 est.) Uzbekistan revenues: $2.815 billion expenditures: $2.917 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Vanuatu revenues: $78.7 million expenditures: $72.23 million (2003) Venezuela revenues: $39.63 billion expenditures: $41.27 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.6 billion (2005 est.) Vietnam revenues: $11.64 billion expenditures: $12.95 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (2005 est.) Virgin Islands revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Wallis and Futuna revenues: $29,730 expenditures: $31,330 (1998 est.) West Bank revenues: $964 million expenditures: $1.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA; note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2004) Western Sahara revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA Yemen revenues: $5.616 billion expenditures: $5.719 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Zambia revenues: $1.688 billion expenditures: $1.866 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) Zimbabwe revenues: $1.409 billion expenditures: $1.905 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2057 Capital Afghanistan name: Kabul geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 12 E time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Akrotiri name: Episkopi Cantonment; also serves as capital of Dhekelia geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Albania name: Tirana (Tirane) geographic coordinates: 41 20 N, 19 50 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Algeria name: Algiers geographic coordinates: 36 47 N, 2 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) American Samoa name: Pago Pago geographic coordinates: 14 16 S, 170 42 W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Andorra name: Andorra la Vella geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Angola name: Luanda geographic coordinates: 8 48 S, 13 14 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Anguilla name: The Valley geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 04 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Antigua and Barbuda name: Saint John's geographic coordinates: 17 06 N, 61 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Argentina name: Buenos Aires geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 27 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Armenia name: Yerevan geographic coordinates: 40 11 N, 44 30 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Aruba name: Oranjestad geographic coordinates: 12 33 N, 70 06 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Australia name: Canberra geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 08 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March (ended first Sunday in April 2006) note: Australia is divided into three time zones Austria name: Vienna geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Azerbaijan name: Baku (Baki, Baky) geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 51 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Bahamas, The name: Nassau geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October Bahrain name: Manama geographic coordinates: 26 13 N, 50 35 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Bangladesh name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 25 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Barbados name: Bridgetown geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Belarus name: Minsk geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Belgium name: Brussels geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Belize name: Belmopan geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Benin name: Porto-Novo (official capital) geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cotonou (seat of government) Bermuda name: Hamilton geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 46 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October Bhutan name: Thimphu geographic coordinates: 27 28 N, 89 39 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Bolivia name: La Paz (adminstrative capital) geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Sucre (constitutional capital) Bosnia and Herzegovina name: Sarajevo geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Botswana name: Gaborone geographic coordinates: 24 45 S, 25 55 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Brazil name: Brasilia geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in February note: Brazil is divided into four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha islands British Virgin Islands name: Road Town geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Brunei name: Bandar Seri Begawan geographic coordinates: 4 52 S, 114 55 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Bulgaria name: Sofia geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Burkina Faso name: Ouagadougou geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Burma name: Rangoon (Yangon) geographic coordinates: 16 47 N, 96 10 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Naypyidaw is being established as a government center Burundi name: Bujumbura geographic coordinates: 3 23 S, 29 22 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Cambodia name: Phnom Penh geographic coordinates: 11 33 N, 104 55 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Cameroon name: Yaounde geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Canada name: Ottawa geographic coordinates: 45 25 N, 75 40 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November note: Canada is divided into six time zones Cape Verde name: Praia geographic coordinates: 14 55 N, 23 31 W time difference: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Cayman Islands name: George Town (on Grand Cayman) geographic coordinates: 19 20 N, 81 23 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Central African Republic name: Bangui geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Chad name: N'Djamena geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 15 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Chile name: Santiago geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March China name: Beijing geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 116 24 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone Christmas Island name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 18 44 N, 64 19 W time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Cocos (Keeling) Islands name: West Island geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 55 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Colombia name: Bogota geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Comoros name: Moroni geographic coordinates: 11 41 S, 43 16 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Congo, Democratic Republic of the name: Kinshasa geographic coordinates: 4 18 S, 15 18 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Congo, Republic of the name: Brazzaville geographic coordinates: 4 16 S, 15 17 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Cook Islands name: Avarua geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Costa Rica name: San Jose geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Cote d'Ivoire name: Yamoussoukro geographic coordinates: 5 19 N, 4 02 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrative center; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan Croatia name: Zagreb geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 15 58 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Cuba name: Havana geographic coordinates: 23 08 N, 82 22 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Cyprus name: Nicosia (Lefkosia) geographic coordinates: 35 10 N, 33 22 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Czech Republic name: Prague geographic coordinates: 40 55 N, 21 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Denmark name: Copenhagen geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Dhekelia name: Episkopi Cantonment; located in Akrotiri geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Djibouti name: Djibouti geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 15 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Dominica name: Roseau geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Dominican Republic name: Santo Domingo geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) East Timor name: Dili geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Ecuador name: Quito geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Egypt name: Cairo geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Thursday in September El Salvador name: San Salvador geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Equatorial Guinea name: Malabo geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Eritrea name: Asmara (Asmera) geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 53 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Estonia name: Tallinn geographic coordinates: 59 25 N, 24 45 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Ethiopia name: Addis Ababa geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) European Union name: Brussels (Belgium) geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, the European Parliament meets in Strasbourg, France, and the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in Luxembourg Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) name: Stanley geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 41 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends third Sunday in April Faroe Islands name: Torshavn geographic coordinates: 62 01 N, 6 46 W time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Fiji name: Suva (on Viti Levu) geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Finland name: Helsinki geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 58 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October France name: Paris geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October French Guiana name: Cayenne geographic coordinates: 4 56 N, 52 20 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) French Polynesia name: Papeete geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Gabon name: Libreville geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Gambia, The name: Banjul geographic coordinates: 12 28 N, 16 39 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Georgia name: T'bilisi geographic coordinates: 41 43 N, 44 49 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Germany name: Berlin geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Ghana name: Accra geographic coordinates: 5 33 N, 0 13 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Gibraltar name: Gibraltar geographic coordinates: 39 11 N, 5 22 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Greece name: Athens geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Greenland name: Nuuk (Godthab) geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 44 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Greenland is divided into four time zones Grenada name: Saint George's geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Guadeloupe name: Basse-Terre geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 61 44 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Guam name: Hagatna (Agana) geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 144 45 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Guatemala name: Guatemala geographic coordinates: 14 38 N, 90 31 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last Friday in September; note - there is no DST planned for 2007-2009 Guernsey name: Saint Peter Port geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Guinea name: Conakry geographic coordinates: 9 31 N, 13 43 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Guinea-Bissau name: Bissau geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Guyana name: Georgetown geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Haiti name: Port-au-Prince geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October Holy See (Vatican City) name: Vatican City geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Honduras name: Tegucigalpa geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these new dates become effective in 2007 Hungary name: Budapest geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Iceland name: Reykjavik geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) India name: New Delhi geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Indonesia name: Jakarta geographic coordinates: 6 10 S, 106 48 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Indonesia is divided into three time zones Iran name: Tehran geographic coordinates: 35 40 N, 51 26 E time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Iraq name: Baghdad geographic coordinates: 33 21 N, 44 25 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 1 October Ireland name: Dublin geographic coordinates: 53 20 N, 6 15 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Isle of Man name: Douglas geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 28 W time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Israel name: Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv geographic coordinates: 32 05 N, 34 48 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends the Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur Italy name: Rome geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Jamaica name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Japan name: Tokyo geographic coordinates: 35 42 N, 139 46 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Jersey name: Saint Helier geographic coordinates: 49 12 N, 2 07 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Jordan name: Amman geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Thursday in March; ends last Friday in September Kazakhstan name: Astana geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 30 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Kazakhstan is divided into three time zones Kenya name: Nairobi geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Kiribati name: Tarawa geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Korea, North name: Pyongyang geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Korea, South name: Seoul geographic coordinates: 37 34 N, 127 00 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Kuwait name: Kuwait geographic coordinates: 29 20 N, 47 59 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Kyrgyzstan name: Bishkek geographic coordinates: 42 54 N, 74 36 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Laos name: Vientiane geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Latvia name: Riga geographic coordinates: 56 57 N, 24 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Lebanon name: Beirut geographic coordinates: 33 53 N, 35 30 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Lesotho name: Maseru geographic coordinates: 29 28 S, 27 30 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Liberia name: Monrovia geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 47 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Libya name: Tripoli geographic coordinates: 32 54 N, 13 11 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Liechtenstein name: Vaduz geographic coordinates: 47 09 N, 9 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Lithuania name: Vilnius geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Luxembourg name: Luxembourg geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Macedonia name: Skopje geographic coordinates: 41 59 N, 21 26 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Madagascar name: Antananarivo geographic coordinates: 18 52 S, 47 30 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Malawi name: Lilongwe geographic coordinates: 13 59 S, 33 44 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Malaysia name: Kuala Lumpur geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur Maldives name: Male geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 31 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Mali name: Bamako geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Malta name: Valletta geographic coordinates: 35 54 N, 14 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Marshall Islands name: Majuro geographic coordinates: 7 05 N, 171 08 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Martinique name: Fort-de-France geographic coordinates: 14 36 N, 61 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Mauritania name: Nouakchott geographic coordinates: 18 06 N, 15 57 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Mauritius name: Port Louis geographic coordinates: 20 10 S, 57 30 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Mayotte name: Mamoudzou geographic coordinates: 12 47 S, 45 14 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Mexico name: Mexico (Distrito Federal) geographic coordinates: 19 24 N, 99 09 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October note: Mexico is divided into four time zones Micronesia, Federated States of name: Palikir geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 158 08 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Moldova name: Chisinau (Kishinev) geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 50 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Monaco name: Monaco geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Mongolia name: Ulaanbaatar geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 53 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September Montenegro name: Podgorica (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 42 26 N, 19 16 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Cetinje (capital city) Montserrat name: Plymouth geographic coordinates: 16 44 N, 62 14 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat Morocco name: Rabat geographic coordinates: 34 02 N, 6 51 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Mozambique name: Maputo geographic coordinates: 25 58 S, 32 35 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Namibia name: Windhoek geographic coordinates: 22 34 S, 17 06 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April Nauru no official capital; government offices in Yaren District time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Nepal name: Kathmandu geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Netherlands name: Amsterdam geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: The Hague (seat of government) Netherlands Antilles name: Willemstad (on Curacao) geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) New Caledonia name: Noumea geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) New Zealand name: Wellington geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island Nicaragua name: Managua geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Niger name: Niamey geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Nigeria name: Abuja geographic coordinates: 9 12 N, 7 11 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Niue name: Alofi geographic coordinates: 19 01 S, 169 55 W time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Norfolk Island name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E time difference: UTC+11.5 (16.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Northern Mariana Islands name: Saipan geographic coordinates: 15 12 N, 145 45 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Norway name: Oslo geographic coordinates: 59 55 N, 10 45 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Oman name: Muscat geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Pakistan name: Islamabad geographic coordinates: 33 42 N, 73 10 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Palau name: Melekeok geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Panama name: Panama geographic coordinates: 8 58 N, 79 32 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Papua New Guinea name: Port Moresby geographic coordinates: 9 30 S, 147 10 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Paraguay name: Asuncion geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Peru name: Lima geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Philippines name: Manila geographic coordinates: 14 35 N, 121 00 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Pitcairn Islands name: Adamstown geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Poland name: Warsaw geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Portugal name: Lisbon geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Puerto Rico name: San Juan geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 66 07 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Qatar name: Doha geographic coordinates: 25 17 N, 51 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Reunion name: Saint-Denis geographic coordinates: 20 52 S, 55 28 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Romania name: Bucharest geographic coordinates: 44 26 N, 26 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Russia name: Moscow geographic coordinates: 55 45 N, 37 35 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Russia is divided into eleven time zones Rwanda name: Kigali geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 04 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Saint Helena name: Jamestown geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Saint Kitts and Nevis name: Basseterre geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Saint Lucia name: Castries geographic coordinates: 14 01 N, 61 00 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Saint Pierre and Miquelon name: Saint-Pierre geographic coordinates: 46 46 N, 56 11 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these new dates become effective in 2007 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines name: Kingstown geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Samoa name: Apia geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 45W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) San Marino name: San Marino geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Sao Tome and Principe name: Sao Tome geographic coordinates: 0 12 N, 6 39 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Saudi Arabia name: Riyadh geographic coordinates: 24 38 N, 46 43 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Senegal name: Dakar geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Serbia name: Belgrade geographic coordinates: 44 50 N, 20 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Seychelles name: Victoria geographic coordinates: 4 38 S, 55 27 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Sierra Leone name: Freetown geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Singapore name: Singapore geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Slovakia name: Bratislava geographic coordinates: 48 09 N, 17 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Slovenia name: Ljubljana geographic coordinates: 46 03 N, 14 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Solomon Islands name: Honiara geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Somalia name: Mogadishu geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 22 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) South Africa name: Pretoria (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 29 12 S, 28 10 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital) Spain name: Madrid geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Spain is divided into two time zones, including the Canary Islands Sri Lanka name: Colombo geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital) Sudan name: Khartoum geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Suriname name: Paramaribo geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Svalbard name: Longyearbyen geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 33 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Swaziland name: Mbabane geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital) Sweden name: Stockholm geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Switzerland name: Bern geographic coordinates: 46 57 N, 7 26 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Syria name: Damascus geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 30 September Taiwan name: Taipei geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Tajikistan name: Dushanbe geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Tanzania name: Dar es Salaam geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on a regular basis Thailand name: Bangkok geographic coordinates: 13 45 N, 100 31 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Togo name: Lome geographic coordinates: 6 08 N, 1 13 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Tokelau none; each atoll has its own administrative center time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) Tonga name: Nuku'alofa geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Trinidad and Tobago name: Port-of-Spain geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Tunisia name: Tunis geographic coordinates: 36 48 N, 10 11 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Turkey name: Ankara geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October Turkmenistan name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Turks and Caicos Islands name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October Tuvalu name: Funafuti geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet Uganda name: Kampala geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Ukraine name: Kyiv (Kiev) geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October United Arab Emirates name: Abu Dhabi geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) United Kingdom name: London geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 10 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October United States name: Washington, DC (capital) geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these new dates become effective in 2007 note: the United States is divided into six time zones Uruguay name: Montevideo geographic coordinates: 34 53 S, 56 11 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March Uzbekistan name: Tashkent (Toshkent) geographic coordinates: 41 20 N, 69 18 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Vanuatu name: Port-Vila (on Efate) geographic coordinates: 17 44 S, 168 19 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Venezuela name: Caracas geographic coordinates: 10 30 N, 66 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Vietnam name: Hanoi geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Virgin Islands name: Charlotte Amalie geographic coordinates: 18 21 N, 64 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Wallis and Futuna name: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea) geographic coordinates: 13 57 S, 171 56 W time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Western Sahara none time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Yemen name: Sanaa geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Zambia name: Lusaka geographic coordinates: 15 25 S, 28 17 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Zimbabwe name: Harare geographic coordinates: 17 50 S, 31 03 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2058 Imports - commodities Afghanistan capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products Albania machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals Algeria capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods American Samoa materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6% (2004 est.) Andorra consumer goods, food, electricity Angola machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods Anguilla fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles Antigua and Barbuda food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil Argentina machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics Armenia natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds Aruba machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs Australia machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products Austria machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs Azerbaijan machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals Bahamas, The machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals Bahrain crude oil, machinery, chemicals Bangladesh machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000) Barbados consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components Belarus mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals Belgium machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products Belize machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco Benin foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products Bermuda clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals Bhutan fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice Bolivia petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans Bosnia and Herzegovina machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs Botswana foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products Brazil machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil British Virgin Islands building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery Brunei machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals Bulgaria machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials Burkina Faso capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum Burma fabric, petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food products Burundi capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs Cambodia petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products Cameroon machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food Canada machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods Cape Verde foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels Cayman Islands foodstuffs, manufactured goods Central African Republic food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals Chad machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles Chile petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas China machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, optical and medical equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel Christmas Island consumer goods Cocos (Keeling) Islands foodstuffs Colombia industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity Comoros rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment Congo, Democratic Republic of the foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels Congo, Republic of the capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs Cook Islands foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods Costa Rica raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum Cote d'Ivoire fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs Croatia machinery, transport and electrical equipment; chemicals, fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs Cuba petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, intermediate goods, machinery, transport equipment; north Cyprus: vehicles, fuel, cigarettes, food, minerals, chemicals, machinery Czech Republic machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003) Denmark machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods Djibouti foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products Dominica manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals Dominican Republic foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals East Timor food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery Ecuador vehicles, medicinal products, telecommunications equipment, electricity Egypt machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels El Salvador raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity Equatorial Guinea petroleum sector equipment, other equipment Eritrea machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods (2000) Estonia machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001) Ethiopia food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles European Union machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing Faroe Islands consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, fuels, fish, salt (1999) Fiji manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals Finland foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains France machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals French Guiana food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals French Polynesia fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment Gabon machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials Gambia, The foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment Gaza Strip food, consumer goods, construction materials Georgia fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals Germany machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals Ghana capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs Gibraltar fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs Greece machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals Greenland machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products Grenada food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel Guadeloupe foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials Guam petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods Guatemala fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity Guernsey coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment Guinea petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs Guinea-Bissau foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products Guyana manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food Haiti food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials Honduras machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs (2000) Hong Kong raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported) Hungary machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.7%, fuels and electricity 7.7%, food products 3.1%, raw materials 2.0% (2003) Iceland machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles India crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals Indonesia machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs Iran industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services, military supplies Iraq food, medicine, manufactures Ireland data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing Isle of Man timber, fertilizers, fish Israel raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods Italy engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco Jamaica food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials Japan machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001) Jersey machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals Jordan crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods Kazakhstan machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8% (2001) Kenya machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics Kiribati foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel Korea, North petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain Korea, South machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics Kuwait food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing Kyrgyzstan oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs Laos machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods Latvia machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles Lebanon petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco Lesotho food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000) Liberia fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs Libya machinery, transport equipment, semi-finished goods, food, consumer products Liechtenstein agricultural products, raw materials, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles Lithuania mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals Luxembourg minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods Macau raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods (foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco), capital goods, mineral fuels and oils Macedonia machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products Madagascar capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food Malawi food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment Malaysia electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals Maldives petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods Mali petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles Malta machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, tobacco Marshall Islands foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco Martinique petroleum products, crude oil, foodstuffs, construction materials, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods Mauritania machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods Mauritius manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals Mayotte food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals Mexico metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts Micronesia, Federated States of food, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, beverages Moldova mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles (2000) Mongolia machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea Montserrat machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials Morocco crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics Mozambique machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles Namibia foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals Nauru food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery Nepal gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer Netherlands machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing Netherlands Antilles crude petroleum, food, manufactures New Caledonia machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs New Zealand machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics Nicaragua consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products Niger foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals Nigeria machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals Niue food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products Norway machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs Oman machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants Pakistan petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea Palau machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs Panama capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals Papua New Guinea machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals Paraguay road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery Peru petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper Philippines raw materials, machinery and equipment, fuels, vehicles and vehicle parts, plastic, chemicals, grains Pitcairn Islands fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs Poland machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003) Portugal machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum, textiles, agricultural products Puerto Rico chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products Qatar machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals Reunion manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products Romania machinery and equipment, fuels and minerals, chemicals, textile and products, basic metals, agricultural products Russia machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, sugar, semifinished metal products Rwanda foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material Saint Helena food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts Saint Kitts and Nevis machinery, manufactures, food, fuels Saint Lucia food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels Saint Pierre and Miquelon meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials Saint Vincent and the Grenadines foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels Samoa machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs San Marino wide variety of consumer manufactures, food Sao Tome and Principe machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products Saudi Arabia machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles Senegal food and beverages, capital goods, fuels Seychelles machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals Sierra Leone foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals Singapore machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs Slovakia machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003) Slovenia machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food Solomon Islands food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals Somalia manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, qat South Africa machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs Spain machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments Sri Lanka textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment Sudan foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat Suriname capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods Swaziland motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals Sweden machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing Switzerland machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles Syria machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper Taiwan machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision instruments (2002) Tajikistan electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs Tanzania consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil Thailand capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels Togo machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products Tokelau foodstuffs, building materials, fuel Tonga foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals Trinidad and Tobago machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals Tunisia textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food Turkey machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment Turkmenistan machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs Turks and Caicos Islands food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials Tuvalu food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods Uganda capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals Ukraine energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals United Arab Emirates machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food United Kingdom manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs United States agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) (2003) Uruguay machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum Uzbekistan machinery and equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals (1998) Vanuatu machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels Venezuela raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials Vietnam machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles Virgin Islands crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials Wallis and Futuna chemicals, machinery, passenger ships, consumer goods West Bank food, consumer goods, construction materials Western Sahara fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs World the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services Yemen food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals Zambia machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing Zimbabwe machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2059 Climate Afghanistan arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers Akrotiri temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters Albania mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter Algeria arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer American Samoa tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October); little seasonal temperature variation Andorra temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers Angola semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April) Anguilla tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds Antarctica severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing Antigua and Barbuda tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation Arctic Ocean polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow Argentina mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest Armenia highland continental, hot summers, cold winters Aruba tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation Ashmore and Cartier Islands tropical Atlantic Ocean tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November Australia generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north Austria temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers Azerbaijan dry, semiarid steppe Bahamas, The tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream Bahrain arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers Baker Island equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun Bangladesh tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) Barbados tropical; rainy season (June to October) Bassas da India tropical Belarus cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime Belgium temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy Belize tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) Benin tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north Bermuda subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter Bhutan varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas Bolivia varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid Bosnia and Herzegovina hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast Botswana semiarid; warm winters and hot summers Bouvet Island antarctic Brazil mostly tropical, but temperate in south British Indian Ocean Territory tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds British Virgin Islands subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds Brunei tropical; hot, humid, rainy Bulgaria temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers Burkina Faso tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers Burma tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April) Burundi equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January) Cambodia tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation Cameroon varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north Canada varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north Cape Verde temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic Cayman Islands tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April) Central African Republic tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers Chad tropical in south, desert in north Chile temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south China extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north Christmas Island tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April) Clipperton Island tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, wet season (May to October) Cocos (Keeling) Islands tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year Colombia tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands Comoros tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) Congo, Democratic Republic of the tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October) Congo, Republic of the tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator Cook Islands tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March Coral Sea Islands tropical Costa Rica tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands Cote d'Ivoire tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October) Croatia Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast Cuba tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) Cyprus temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters Czech Republic temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters Denmark temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers Dhekelia temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters Djibouti desert; torrid, dry Dominica tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall Dominican Republic tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall East Timor tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons Ecuador tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands Egypt desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters El Salvador tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands Equatorial Guinea tropical; always hot, humid Eritrea hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands Estonia maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers Ethiopia tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation Europa Island tropical European Union cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate Faroe Islands mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy Fiji tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation Finland cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes France generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral French Guiana tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation French Polynesia tropical, but moderate French Southern and Antarctic Lands antarctic Gabon tropical; always hot, humid Gambia, The tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May) Gaza Strip temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers Georgia warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast Germany temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind Ghana tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north Gibraltar Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers Glorioso Islands tropical Greece temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers Greenland arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters Grenada tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds Guadeloupe subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity Guam tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December); little seasonal temperature variation Guatemala tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands Guernsey temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast Guinea generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds Guinea-Bissau tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds Guyana tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) Haiti tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds Heard Island and McDonald Islands antarctic Holy See (Vatican City) temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) Honduras subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains Hong Kong subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall Howland Island equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun Hungary temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers Iceland temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers Iles Eparses tropical India varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north Indian Ocean northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean Indonesia tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands Iran mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast Iraq mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq Ireland temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time Isle of Man temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time Israel temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas Italy predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south Jamaica tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior Jan Mayen arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog Japan varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north Jarvis Island tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun Jersey temperate; mild winters and cool summers Johnston Atoll tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation Jordan mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) Juan de Nova Island tropical Kazakhstan continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid Kenya varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior Kingman Reef tropical; moderated by prevailing winds Kiribati tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds Korea, North temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer Korea, South temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter Kuwait dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters Kyrgyzstan dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone Laos tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) Latvia maritime; wet, moderate winters Lebanon Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows Lesotho temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers Liberia tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers Libya Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior Liechtenstein continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers Lithuania transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers Luxembourg modified continental with mild winters, cool summers Macau subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers Macedonia warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall Madagascar tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south Malawi sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) Malaysia tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons Maldives tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August) Mali subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February) Malta Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers Marshall Islands tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt Martinique tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average; average temperature 17.3 degrees C; humid Mauritania desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty Mauritius tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May) Mayotte tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) Mexico varies from tropical to desert Micronesia, Federated States of tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage Midway Islands subtropical; moderated by prevailing easterly winds Moldova moderate winters, warm summers Monaco Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers Mongolia desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges) Montenegro Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland Montserrat tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation Morocco Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior Mozambique tropical to subtropical Namibia desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic Nauru tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) Navassa Island marine, tropical Nepal varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south Netherlands temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters Netherlands Antilles tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds New Caledonia tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid New Zealand temperate with sharp regional contrasts Nicaragua tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands Niger desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south Nigeria varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north Niue tropical; modified by southeast trade winds Norfolk Island subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation Northern Mariana Islands tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October Norway temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast Oman dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south Pacific Ocean planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December Pakistan mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north Palau tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November Palmyra Atoll equatorial, hot, and very rainy Panama tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May) Papua New Guinea tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation Paracel Islands tropical Paraguay subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west Peru varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes Philippines tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October) Pitcairn Islands tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March) Poland temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers Portugal maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south Puerto Rico tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation Qatar arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers Reunion tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) Romania temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms Russia ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast Rwanda temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible Saint Helena Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena) Saint Kitts and Nevis tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) Saint Lucia tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August Saint Pierre and Miquelon cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy Saint Vincent and the Grenadines tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) Samoa tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October) San Marino Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers Sao Tome and Principe tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May) Saudi Arabia harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes Senegal tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind Serbia in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall) Seychelles tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May) Sierra Leone tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) Singapore tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms Slovakia temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters Slovenia Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east Solomon Islands tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather Somalia principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons South Africa mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow Southern Ocean sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter Spain temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast Spratly Islands tropical Sri Lanka tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) Sudan tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November) Suriname tropical; moderated by trade winds Svalbard arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year Swaziland varies from tropical to near temperate Sweden temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north Switzerland temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers Syria mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus Taiwan tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year Tajikistan midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains Tanzania varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands Thailand tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid Togo tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north Tokelau tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) Tonga tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) Trinidad and Tobago tropical; rainy season (June to December) Tromelin Island tropical Tunisia temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south Turkey temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior Turkmenistan subtropical desert Turks and Caicos Islands tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry Tuvalu tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) Uganda tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast Ukraine temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south United Arab Emirates desert; cooler in eastern mountains United Kingdom temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast United States mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun Johnston Atoll and Kingman Reef: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation Midway Islands: subtropical with cool, moist winters (December to February) and warm, dry summers (May to October); moderated by prevailing easterly winds; most of the 1,067 mm (42 in) of annual rainfall occurs during the winter Palmyra Atoll: equatorial, hot; located within the low pressure area of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where the northeast and southeast trade winds meet, it is extremely wet with between 4,000-5,000 mm (160-200 in) of rainfall each year Uruguay warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown Uzbekistan mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east Vanuatu tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April Venezuela tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands Vietnam tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March) Virgin Islands subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November Wake Island tropical Wallis and Futuna tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C West Bank temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters Western Sahara hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew World a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates - bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones - that separate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates Yemen mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east Zambia tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April) Zimbabwe tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2060 Coastline (km) Afghanistan 0 km (landlocked) Akrotiri 56.3 km Albania 362 km Algeria 998 km American Samoa 116 km Andorra 0 km (landlocked) Angola 1,600 km Anguilla 61 km Antarctica 17,968 km Antigua and Barbuda 153 km Arctic Ocean 45,389 km Argentina 4,989 km Armenia 0 km (landlocked) Aruba 68.5 km Ashmore and Cartier Islands 74.1 km Atlantic Ocean 111,866 km Australia 25,760 km Austria 0 km (landlocked) Azerbaijan 0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km est.) Bahamas, The 3,542 km Bahrain 161 km Baker Island 4.8 km Bangladesh 580 km Barbados 97 km Bassas da India 35.2 km Belarus 0 km (landlocked) Belgium 66.5 km Belize 386 km Benin 121 km Bermuda 103 km Bhutan 0 km (landlocked) Bolivia 0 km (landlocked) Bosnia and Herzegovina 20 km Botswana 0 km (landlocked) Bouvet Island 29.6 km Brazil 7,491 km British Indian Ocean Territory 698 km British Virgin Islands 80 km Brunei 161 km Bulgaria 354 km Burkina Faso 0 km (landlocked) Burma 1,930 km Burundi 0 km (landlocked) Cambodia 443 km Cameroon 402 km Canada 202,080 km Cape Verde 965 km Cayman Islands 160 km Central African Republic 0 km (landlocked) Chad 0 km (landlocked) Chile 6,435 km China 14,500 km Christmas Island 138.9 km Clipperton Island 11.1 km Cocos (Keeling) Islands 26 km Colombia 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) Comoros 340 km Congo, Democratic Republic of the 37 km Congo, Republic of the 169 km Cook Islands 120 km Coral Sea Islands 3,095 km Costa Rica 1,290 km Cote d'Ivoire 515 km Croatia 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km) Cuba 3,735 km Cyprus 648 km Czech Republic 0 km (landlocked) Denmark 7,314 km Dhekelia 27.5 km Djibouti 314 km Dominica 148 km Dominican Republic 1,288 km East Timor 706 km Ecuador 2,237 km Egypt 2,450 km El Salvador 307 km Equatorial Guinea 296 km Eritrea 2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km) Estonia 3,794 km Ethiopia 0 km (landlocked) Europa Island 22.2 km European Union 65,413.9 km Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1,288 km Faroe Islands 1,117 km Fiji 1,129 km Finland 1,250 km France 3,427 km French Guiana 378 km French Polynesia 2,525 km French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1,232 km Gabon 885 km Gambia, The 80 km Gaza Strip 40 km Georgia 310 km Germany 2,389 km Ghana 539 km Gibraltar 12 km Glorioso Islands 35.2 km Greece 13,676 km Greenland 44,087 km Grenada 121 km Guadeloupe 306 km Guam 125.5 km Guatemala 400 km Guernsey 50 km Guinea 320 km Guinea-Bissau 350 km Guyana 459 km Haiti 1,771 km Heard Island and McDonald Islands 101.9 km Holy See (Vatican City) 0 km (landlocked) Honduras 820 km Hong Kong 733 km Howland Island 6.4 km Hungary 0 km (landlocked) Iceland 4,970 km Iles Eparses Bassas da India: 35.2 km Europa Island: 22.2 km Glorioso Islands: 35.2 km Juan de Nova Island: 24.1 km Tromelin Island: 3.7 km India 7,000 km Indian Ocean 66,526 km Indonesia 54,716 km Iran 2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km) Iraq 58 km Ireland 1,448 km Isle of Man 160 km Israel 273 km Italy 7,600 km Jamaica 1,022 km Jan Mayen 124.1 km Japan 29,751 km Jarvis Island 8 km Jersey 70 km Johnston Atoll 34 km Jordan 26 km Juan de Nova Island 24.1 km Kazakhstan 0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km) Kenya 536 km Kingman Reef 3 km Kiribati 1,143 km Korea, North 2,495 km Korea, South 2,413 km Kuwait 499 km Kyrgyzstan 0 km (landlocked) Laos 0 km (landlocked) Latvia 531 km Lebanon 225 km Lesotho 0 km (landlocked) Liberia 579 km Libya 1,770 km Liechtenstein 0 km (doubly landlocked) Lithuania 90 km Luxembourg 0 km (landlocked) Macau 41 km Macedonia 0 km (landlocked) Madagascar 4,828 km Malawi 0 km (landlocked) Malaysia 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km) Maldives 644 km Mali 0 km (landlocked) Malta 196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo) Marshall Islands 370.4 km Martinique 350 km Mauritania 754 km Mauritius 177 km Mayotte 185.2 km Mexico 9,330 km Micronesia, Federated States of 6,112 km Midway Islands 15 km Moldova 0 km (landlocked) Monaco 4.1 km Mongolia 0 km (landlocked) Montenegro 293.5 km Montserrat 40 km Morocco 1,835 km Mozambique 2,470 km Namibia 1,572 km Nauru 30 km Navassa Island 8 km Nepal 0 km (landlocked) Netherlands 451 km Netherlands Antilles 364 km New Caledonia 2,254 km New Zealand 15,134 km Nicaragua 910 km Niger 0 km (landlocked) Nigeria 853 km Niue 64 km Norfolk Island 32 km Northern Mariana Islands 1,482 km Norway 25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km) Oman 2,092 km Pacific Ocean 135,663 km Pakistan 1,046 km Palau 1,519 km Palmyra Atoll 14.5 km Panama 2,490 km Papua New Guinea 5,152 km Paracel Islands 518 km Paraguay 0 km (landlocked) Peru 2,414 km Philippines 36,289 km Pitcairn Islands 51 km Poland 491 km Portugal 1,793 km Puerto Rico 501 km Qatar 563 km Reunion 207 km Romania 225 km Russia 37,653 km Rwanda 0 km (landlocked) Saint Helena Saint Helena: 60 km Ascension Island: NA Tristan da Cunha: 40 km Saint Kitts and Nevis 135 km Saint Lucia 158 km Saint Pierre and Miquelon 120 km Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 84 km Samoa 403 km San Marino 0 km (landlocked) Sao Tome and Principe 209 km Saudi Arabia 2,640 km Senegal 531 km Serbia 0 km (landlocked) Seychelles 491 km Sierra Leone 402 km Singapore 193 km Slovakia 0 km (landlocked) Slovenia 46.6 km Solomon Islands 5,313 km Somalia 3,025 km South Africa 2,798 km South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands NA km Southern Ocean 17,968 km Spain 4,964 km Spratly Islands 926 km Sri Lanka 1,340 km Sudan 853 km Suriname 386 km Svalbard 3,587 km Swaziland 0 km (landlocked) Sweden 3,218 km Switzerland 0 km (landlocked) Syria 193 km Taiwan 1,566.3 km Tajikistan 0 km (landlocked) Tanzania 1,424 km Thailand 3,219 km Togo 56 km Tokelau 101 km Tonga 419 km Trinidad and Tobago 362 km Tromelin Island 3.7 km Tunisia 1,148 km Turkey 7,200 km Turkmenistan 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) Turks and Caicos Islands 389 km Tuvalu 24 km Uganda 0 km (landlocked) Ukraine 2,782 km United Arab Emirates 1,318 km United Kingdom 12,429 km United States 19,924 km United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker Island: 4.8 km Howland Island: 6.4 km Jarvis Island: 8 km Johnston Atoll: 34 km Kingman Reef: 3 km Midway Islands: 15 km Palmyra Atoll: 14.5 km Uruguay 660 km Uzbekistan 0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline Vanuatu 2,528 km Venezuela 2,800 km Vietnam 3,444 km (excludes islands) Virgin Islands 188 km Wake Island 19.3 km Wallis and Futuna 129 km West Bank 0 km (landlocked) Western Sahara 1,110 km World 356,000 km note: 98 nations and other entities are islands that border no other countries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Baker Island, Barbados, Bassas da India, Bermuda, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, Europa Island, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Howland Island, Iceland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island, Jersey, Johnston Atoll, Juan de Nova Island, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Federated States of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, Navassa Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka, Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tromelin Island, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna, Taiwan Yemen 1,906 km Zambia 0 km (landlocked) Zimbabwe 0 km (landlocked) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2061 Imports - partners (%) Afghanistan Pakistan 23.9%, US 11.8%, Germany 6.8%, India 6.5%, Turkey 5.1%, Turkmenistan 5%, Russia 4.7%, Kenya 4.4% (2005) Albania Italy 29.3%, Greece 16.4%, Turkey 7.5%, China 6.6%, Germany 5.4%, Russia 4% (2005) Algeria France 28.2%, Italy 7.8%, Spain 7.1%, China 6.6%, Germany 6.3%, US 5.5% (2005) American Samoa Australia 66%, Samoa 13.8%, NZ 10.8% (2005) Andorra Spain 51.5%, France 22.3%, US 0.3% (2004) Angola South Korea 20.8%, Portugal 13.6%, US 12.7%, South Africa 7.5%, Brazil 5.6%, France 5.3%, China 5.1% (2005) Anguilla US, Puerto Rico, UK (2004) Antigua and Barbuda US 21.1%, China 16.4%, Germany 13.3%, Singapore 12.7%, Spain 6.5% (2005) Argentina Brazil 34.6%, US 16.8%, China 5.4%, Germany 5.3% (2005) Armenia Russia 13.5%, Belgium 8%, Germany 7.9%, Ukraine 7%, Turkmenistan 6.3%, US 6.2%, Israel 5.8%, Iran 5%, Romania 4.2% (2005) Aruba US 55.9%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.8% (2005) Australia US 13.9%, China 13.7%, Japan 11%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.6% (2005) Austria Germany 45.9%, Italy 6.6%, Switzerland 4.5% (2005) Azerbaijan Russia 17%, UK 9.1%, Singapore 9.1%, Turkey 7.4%, Germany 6.1%, Turkmenistan 5.8%, Ukraine 5.4%, China 4.1% (2005) Bahamas, The US 22.5%, South Korea 20.2%, Spain 7.8%, Brazil 7.1%, Italy 6.5%, Germany 5.4% (2005) Bahrain Saudi Arabia 36.4%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 6.4%, US 5.4%, UK 5%, UAE 4.1% (2005) Bangladesh India 14.1%, China 13.5%, Kuwait 8.5%, Singapore 6.2%, Japan 4.1%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2005) Barbados NZ 45.9%, US 20.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12% (2005) Belarus Russia 57.9%, Germany 9.7%, Ukraine 6.4%, Poland 5.2% (2005) Belgium Netherlands 17.8%, Germany 17.2%, France 11.4%, UK 6.8%, Ireland 6.5%, US 5.4% (2005) Belize US 31%, Mexico 11.6%, Russia 8.8%, Cuba 6%, Guatemala 5.6%, China 4.6%, Spain 4.4% (2005) Benin France 21.8%, Ghana 7.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, China 6.7%, UK 5.2%, Belgium 4.9%, Togo 4.5%, Thailand 4.2%, Nigeria 4% (2005) Bermuda Kazakhstan 51%, France 19%, South Korea 10.2%, US 7.6% (2005) Bhutan Hong Kong 68.4%, Mexico 20.8%, France 3.9% (2005) Bolivia Brazil 21.9%, Argentina 16.7%, US 13.8%, Chile 6.9%, Peru 6.5%, Japan 6.1%, China 5.8% (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia 24.7%, Germany 13.7%, Slovenia 13.1%, Italy 11%, Austria 6.9%, Hungary 5.5% (2005) Botswana Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2004) Brazil US 19.7%, Germany 8.7%, Argentina 8.2%, China 6.2%, Nigeria 6.1% (2005) British Virgin Islands Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004) Brunei Singapore 32.7%, Malaysia 23.3%, Japan 6.9%, UK 5.3%, Thailand 4.5%, South Korea 4.1% (2005) Bulgaria Russia 15.6%, Germany 13.6%, Italy 9%, Turkey 6.1%, Greece 5%, France 4.7% (2005) Burkina Faso France 24.2%, Cote d'Ivoire 23.7%, Togo 6.8% (2005) Burma China 28.8%, Thailand 21.8%, Singapore 18.3%, Malaysia 7.6% (2005) Burundi Kenya 12.9%, Tanzania 10.6%, Belgium 10.4%, Italy 8.1%, France 5.4%, Uganda 5.3%, China 5%, India 4.1% (2005) Cambodia Hong Kong 16.1%, China 13.6%, France 12.1%, Thailand 11.2%, Taiwan 10.2%, South Korea 7.5%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4.9%, Japan 4.1% (2005) Cameroon France 25%, Nigeria 12.5%, Belgium 6.6%, China 5.8%, US 5.3%, Thailand 4.7%, Germany 4.4% (2005) Canada US 56.7%, China 7.8%, Mexico 3.8% (2005) Cape Verde Portugal 41.5%, Italy 8%, Netherlands 7.3%, Spain 5.5%, France 4.8%, Belgium 4.7%, Brazil 4.3% (2005) Cayman Islands US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2004) Central African Republic France 16.7%, Netherlands 10.4%, Cameroon 9.8%, US 7.4% (2005) Chad France 21.1%, Cameroon 15.5%, US 12.1%, Belgium 6.8%, Portugal 4.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005) Chile Argentina 14.8%, US 14.6%, Brazil 11.7%, China 7.8%, South Korea 4.8%, Yemen 4.4% (2005) China Japan 15.2%, South Korea 11.6%, Taiwan 11.2%, US 7.4%, Germany 4.6% (2005) Christmas Island principally Australia (2004) Cocos (Keeling) Islands Australia (2004) Colombia US 28.5%, Mexico 8.3%, China 7.6%, Brazil 6.5%, Venezuela 5.7% (2005) Comoros France 20.5%, South Africa 11.7%, UAE 9.1%, Kenya 8%, Pakistan 5%, Mauritius 4.4%, Belgium 4.3%, India 4.1% (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the South Africa 16.5%, Belgium 16.1%, France 9.1%, Zambia 6.9%, Kenya 5.7%, Germany 4.6%, US 4.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005) Congo, Republic of the France 25.6%, China 11.3%, US 8.1%, India 8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 5.1%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005) Cook Islands New Zealand 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2004) Costa Rica US 41.3%, Japan 5.6%, Venezuela 4.8%, Mexico 4.8%, Ireland 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, China 4.2% (2005) Cote d'Ivoire France 27.7%, Nigeria 24.5%, Singapore 6.6% (2005) Croatia Italy 15.9%, Germany 14.9%, Russia 9.1%, Slovenia 6.8%, Austria 5.8%, China 4.7%, France 4.2% (2005) Cuba China 14.9%, Spain 13.9%, Canada 8.6%, US 8.5%, Germany 7.4%, Italy 5.7%, Mexico 5.2%, Japan 4.1% (2005) Cyprus Greece 17.3%, Italy 10.3%, UK 9%, Germany 8.4%, Israel 7.1% (2005) Czech Republic Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%, Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2005) Denmark Germany 20.5%, Sweden 13.8%, Norway 6.6%, Netherlands 6.6%, UK 6%, China 4.7%, France 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2005) Djibouti Saudi Arabia 21.7%, India 18.5%, China 10%, Ethiopia 4.8%, France 4.5%, US 4.3%, Japan 4.2% (2005) Dominica US 25.3%, China 20.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, South Korea 7.1%, Japan 4.6%, UK 4.4% (2005) Dominican Republic US 50.2%, Colombia 6.2%, Mexico 5.8% (2005) Ecuador US 22.3%, Colombia 14.9%, Venezuela 7.8%, Brazil 6%, China 5.3% (2005) Egypt US 10.6%, Germany 7%, China 6.5%, France 6.3%, Italy 5.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2005) El Salvador US 43.4%, Guatemala 8.2%, Mexico 7.8% (2005) Equatorial Guinea US 24.6%, Italy 20.7%, France 12.1%, Spain 10.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.7%, UK 7% (2005) Eritrea Germany 22.2%, Italy 20.3%, France 15.9%, US 12.8%, Ireland 8.2% (2005) Estonia Finland 19.8%, Germany 13.8%, Russia 9.4%, Sweden 8.8%, Lithuania 6.1%, Latvia 4.7% (2005) Ethiopia Saudi Arabia 14.7%, China 12.6%, US 12.4%, **COUNTRY** 9.6%, India 6.7%, Italy 4.6% (2005) European Union US 15.3%, China 12.4%, Russia 7.8%, Japan 7.2% (2004) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2005) Faroe Islands Denmark 46.2%, Norway 18.2%, Germany 8.2%, Spain 7.5%, Iceland 4.8% (2005) Fiji Singapore 27.4%, Australia 23.6%, NZ 18.9%, Thailand 4.5% (2005) Finland Germany 16.2%, Sweden 14.1%, Russia 13.9%, Netherlands 6.2%, Denmark 4.6%, UK 4.3%, China 4.2% (2005) France Germany 18.9%, Belgium 10.7%, Italy 8.2%, Spain 7%, Netherlands 6.5%, UK 5.9%, US 5.1% (2005) French Guiana France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2004) French Polynesia France 52.7%, Singapore 14.9%, NZ 6.8%, US 6.6% (2005) Gabon France 40.6%, US 6.4%, Cameroon 4.2% (2005) Gambia, The China 21.3%, Senegal 11.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.4%, Brazil 6%, US 5.2%, UK 5.1%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005) Gaza Strip Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2004) Georgia Russia 15.4%, Turkey 11.4%, Azerbaijan 9.4%, Ukraine 8.8%, Germany 8.3%, US 6% (2005) Germany France 8.7%, Netherlands 8.5%, US 6.6%, China 6.4%, UK 6.3%, Italy 5.7%, Belgium 5%, Austria 4% (2005) Ghana Nigeria 15.4%, China 12.7%, US 6.4%, UK 5.3%, Netherlands 4.1%, South Africa 4.1% (2005) Gibraltar Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2005) Greece Germany 12.7%, Italy 12.4%, Russia 7.8%, France 5.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2005) Greenland Denmark 66.8%, Sweden 19.3%, Ireland 3.6% (2005) Grenada Trinidad and Tobago 27.8%, US 27%, UK 6% (2005) Guadeloupe France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (2004) Guam Singapore 50%, South Korea 21.4%, Japan 14%, Hong Kong 4.6% (2005) Guatemala US 38.1%, Mexico 7.6%, El Salvador 4.8%, South Korea 4.8%, Panama 4.4% (2005) Guernsey UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2004) Guinea China 8.5%, US 7.3%, France 7.2%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.2%, Italy 4.7%, Belgium 4.1% (2005) Guinea-Bissau Italy 25.3%, Senegal 18.6%, Portugal 15.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.3% (2005) Guyana US 26.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.9%, Cuba 6.6%, UK 5%, China 4.1% (2005) Haiti US 49.3%, Netherlands Antilles 12%, Colombia 3.2% (2005) Honduras US 53.1%, Guatemala 6.5%, El Salvador 4.1% (2005) Hong Kong China 45%, Japan 11%, Taiwan 7.2%, Singapore 5.8%, US 5.1%, South Korea 4.4% (2005) Hungary Germany 27.2%, Russia 7.5%, China 7.2%, Austria 6.7%, Italy 4.9%, France 4.8%, Netherlands 4.3% (2005) Iceland Germany 13.4%, US 9.1%, Sweden 8.6%, Denmark 7.3%, Norway 7.2%, UK 5.9%, China 5.3%, Netherlands 5%, Japan 4.7% (2005) India China 7.3%, US 5.6%, Switzerland 4.7% (2005) Indonesia Singapore 16.4%, Japan 12%, China 10.1%, US 6.7%, Thailand 6%, South Korea 5%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, Australia 4.4% (2005) Iran Germany 13.8%, UAE 8.3%, China 8.3%, Italy 7%, France 6.2%, South Korea 5.4%, Russia 4.8% (2005) Iraq Turkey 23.2%, Syria 23%, US 11.6%, Jordan 5.1% (2005) Ireland UK 37%, US 13.8%, Germany 9.2%, Netherlands 4.5% (2005) Isle of Man UK (2004) Israel US 13.4%, Belgium 10.1%, Germany 6.4%, UK 5.7%, Switzerland 5.5%, China 4.2% (2005) Italy Germany 17.2%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 5.7%, China 4.6%, Belgium 4.5%, Spain 4.2% (2005) Jamaica US 41.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 14%, Venezuela 5.5%, Japan 4.6% (2005) Japan China 21%, US 12.7%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, UAE 4.9%, Australia 4.7%, South Korea 4.7%, Indonesia 4% (2005) Jersey UK (2004) Jordan Saudi Arabia 20.9%, China 8%, Germany 7.1%, US 6.2%, South Korea 4.1% (2005) Kazakhstan Russia 35.9%, China 21.4%, Germany 7.1% (2005) Kenya UAE 13.6%, Saudi Arabia 9.9%, US 9.8%, India 8.3%, South Africa 7.9%, China 7.1%, UK 5.4% (2005) Kiribati Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2005) Korea, North China 32.9%, Thailand 10.7%, Japan 4.8% (2004) Korea, South Japan 18.5%, China 14.8%, US 11.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2005) Kuwait US 14%, Germany 10.7%, Japan 8.4%, Saudi Arabia 6.2%, UK 5.6%, France 4.8%, China 4.5% (2005) Kyrgyzstan China 43.2%, Russia 19.8%, Kazakhstan 11.9%, Turkey 4.5% (2005) Laos Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005) Latvia Germany 13.9%, Lithuania 13.6%, Russia 8.6%, Estonia 7.9%, Poland 6.4%, Finland 5.9%, Belarus 5.8%, Sweden 5.1% (2005) Lebanon Italy 11.1%, Syria 10.7%, France 9.2%, Germany 6.5%, China 5.4%, US 5.3%, UK 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2005) Lesotho US 84%, Belgium 12.8%, Canada 2.4% (2005) Liberia South Korea 37.9%, Japan 21.1%, Singapore 14.2%, Croatia 4.7% (2005) Libya Italy 21.5%, Germany 10.4%, Tunisia 5.6%, Turkey 4.9%, UK 4.9%, France 4.8%, South Korea 4.7%, China 4.6% (2005) Liechtenstein EU, Switzerland (2004) Lithuania Russia 27.9%, Germany 15.2%, Poland 8.3% (2005) Luxembourg Belgium 28.2%, Germany 21.8%, China 12.8%, France 9.6%, Netherlands 5.1% (2005) Macau China 43.1%, Japan 10.9%, Hong Kong 10%, Singapore 5.2%, US 4.1%, Taiwan 4% (2005) Macedonia Russia 13.2%, Germany 10.4%, Greece 9.2%, Bulgaria 7.3%, Italy 6% (2005) Madagascar France 16.6%, China 10.6%, Iran 7.9%, Mauritius 6.5%, South Africa 5.9%, Hong Kong 5% (2005) Malawi South Africa 37.9%, Zambia 8.7%, Mozambique 7.8%, Zimbabwe 7.3%, India 6.4%, Tanzania 4.6% (2005) Malaysia Japan 14.6%, US 13%, Singapore 11.8%, China 11.6%, Taiwan 5.6%, Thailand 5.3%, South Korea 5%, Germany 4.5% (2005) Maldives Singapore 24.1%, UAE 15.7%, India 11.3%, Malaysia 7.2%, Sri Lanka 5.7%, UK 4.5% (2005) Mali France 13.1%, Senegal 13.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.5% (2005) Malta Italy 32.3%, UK 11.5%, France 9.6%, Germany 8%, US 5.5%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) Marshall Islands US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2004) Martinique France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%, US 3% (2004) Mauritania France 18.5%, UK 7.2%, US 7%, China 6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.3% (2005) Mauritius France 12.1%, South Africa 11%, India 7.2%, Finland 6.1%, China 6%, Germany 5.3%, Bahrain 5.2%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) Mayotte France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2004) Mexico US 53.4%, China 8%, Japan 5.9% (2005) Micronesia, Federated States of US, Japan, Hong Kong (2004) Moldova Ukraine 20.9%, Russia 11.7%, Romania 11.2%, Germany 8.3%, Italy 6.6%, Turkey 4.1% (2005) Mongolia Russia 35.8%, China 25.7%, Japan 6.3%, South Korea 6%, Germany 4.2% (2005) Montenegro Greece 10.2%, Italy 10.2%, Germany 9.6%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.2% (2003) Montserrat US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2004) Morocco France 18.2%, Spain 11%, Saudi Arabia 6.8%, Russia 6.8%, Italy 6.1%, China 5.2%, Germany 4.7% (2005) Mozambique South Africa 36.3%, Australia 12.8%, India 5.1% (2005) Namibia South Africa 85.2%, US (2004) Nauru South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2005) Nepal India 47.5%, UAE 11.2%, China 10.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.9%, Kuwait 4.1% (2005) Netherlands Germany 16.6%, Belgium 9.3%, China 8.8%, US 7.6%, UK 5.8%, France 4.7%, Russia 4.4% (2005) Netherlands Antilles Venezuela 52.3%, US 21.4%, Italy 4.9%, Netherlands 4.6% (2005) New Caledonia France 39%, Singapore 17.4%, Australia 13%, NZ 5.3% (2005) New Zealand Australia 20.9%, US 11%, Japan 11%, China 10.9%, Germany 4.9% (2005) Nicaragua US 19.6%, Mexico 10.3%, Venezuela 9.5%, Costa Rica 8.5%, Guatemala 6.7%, El Salvador 4.5%, South Korea 4.1% (2005) Niger France 14.5%, US 10.7%, French Polynesia 7.5%, Nigeria 7.4%, Italy 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.1%, Belgium 4.6%, Germany 4.5%, China 4.5% (2005) Nigeria China 10.4%, US 7.3%, UK 6.7%, Netherlands 6%, France 5.9%, Germany 4.2% (2005) Niue New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2004) Norfolk Island Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2004) Northern Mariana Islands US, Japan (2004) Norway Sweden 14.6%, Germany 13.6%, Denmark 7.3%, UK 6.8%, China 5.5%, US 5%, France 4% (2005) Oman UAE 22.4%, Japan 15.7%, UK 7.7%, US 6.7%, Germany 5.8%, India 4.2% (2005) Pakistan China 13.8%, Saudi Arabia 10.3%, UAE 8.8%, Japan 6.1%, US 5%, Kuwait 5%, Germany 4.8% (2005) Palau US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea (2004) Panama US 27.5%, Netherlands Antilles 11.4%, Costa Rica 4.7%, Japan 4.5% (2005) Papua New Guinea Australia 54.6%, Singapore 13.4%, Japan 4.3%, Malaysia 4.2% (2005) Paraguay Brazil 26.8%, Argentina 21.1%, US 20.8%, China 9.5% (2005) Peru US 18.2%, China 8.5%, Brazil 8%, Ecuador 7.4%, Colombia 6.1%, Argentina 5.1%, Chile 5.1%, Venezuela 4.1% (2005) Philippines US 19.2%, Japan 17%, Singapore 7.9%, Taiwan 7.5%, China 6.3%, South Korea 4.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.6%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2005) Poland Germany 29.6%, Russia 8.7%, Italy 6.6%, Netherlands 5.9%, France 5.7% (2005) Portugal Spain 29%, Germany 13.4%, France 8.5%, Italy 5.2%, Netherlands 4.3%, UK 4.2% (2005) Puerto Rico US 55.0%, Ireland 23.7%, Japan 5.4% (2004) Qatar France 11.5%, Japan 10.5%, US 10.4%, Germany 8.4%, Saudi Arabia 7.3%, UK 7%, Italy 6.5%, South Korea 5.5%, UAE 4.8% (2005) Reunion France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2004) Romania Italy 15.5%, Germany 14%, Russia 8.3%, France 6.8%, Turkey 4.9%, China 4.1% (2005) Russia Germany 13.6%, Ukraine 8%, China 7.4%, Japan 6%, Belarus 4.7%, US 4.7%, Italy 4.6%, South Korea 4.1% (2005) Rwanda Kenya 23.8%, Uganda 6.2%, Belgium 5.4%, Germany 5.3% (2005) Saint Helena UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2005) Saint Kitts and Nevis US 46.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.7%, UK 5.4%, France 4.5%, Japan 4.2% (2005) Saint Lucia US 24.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 15.5%, Netherlands 14.5%, Venezuela 5.6%, UK 5.6%, France 4.7% (2005) Saint Pierre and Miquelon France 51.3%, Canada 31.8%, Belgium 4.1% (2005) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines France 36.1%, Singapore 12.5%, Italy 11.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 7.9%, US 7.2% (2005) Samoa NZ 31%, Australia 22.6%, US 13.5%, Japan 7.5%, Fiji 6%, China 4.6% (2005) Sao Tome and Principe UK 94.2%, Portugal 2.7%, US 1% (2005) Saudi Arabia US 13%, Germany 9.5%, Japan 7.9%, China 7.3%, France 4.7%, Italy 4.2% (2005) Senegal France 22.8%, Nigeria 11.4%, Brazil 4.5%, Thailand 4.3%, US 4.2%, UK 4% (2005) Seychelles Saudi Arabia 16.7%, Spain 14.9%, Singapore 7.6%, France 7.5%, Italy 6.2%, South Africa 6.2% (2005) Sierra Leone Germany 18.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.2%, UK 8.5%, US 6.9%, China 5.6%, Netherlands 5.4%, South Africa 4.1% (2005) Singapore Malaysia 14.4%, US 12.4%, China 10.8%, Japan 10.1%, Indonesia 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, South Korea 4.5% (2005) Slovakia Germany 25.1%, Czech Republic 19.3%, Russia 10.5%, Austria 6.1%, Poland 4.7%, Hungary 4.6%, Italy 4.5% (2005) Slovenia Germany 19.5%, Italy 18.6%, Austria 12%, France 7.2%, Croatia 4.2% (2005) Solomon Islands Australia 25.8%, Singapore 25.3%, NZ 4.6%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2005) Somalia Djibouti 30.1%, Kenya 13.7%, Brazil 8.4%, India 8%, Oman 5.3%, UAE 5% (2005) South Africa Germany 14.9%, US 7%, China 6.9%, UK 6.8%, Saudi Arabia 6.5%, Japan 5.9%, Iran 5.8%, France 4.3% (2005) Spain Germany 15%, France 14.5%, Italy 8.5%, UK 5.8%, Netherlands 4.9%, China 4.3% (2005) Sri Lanka India 19.7%, China 9.9%, Singapore 7.2%, Iran 5.5%, Malaysia 4.6%, Hong Kong 4.5% (2005) Sudan China 20.7%, Saudi Arabia 9.4%, UAE 5.9%, Egypt 5.5%, Japan 5.1%, India 4.8% (2005) Suriname US 29.3%, Netherlands 17.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.7%, China 6.5%, Japan 5.2% (2005) Swaziland South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9%, Singapore 0.3% (2004) Sweden Germany 17.5%, Denmark 8.9%, Norway 7.8%, UK 6.6%, Netherlands 6.2%, Finland 5.8%, France 5% (2005) Switzerland Germany 31.6%, Italy 10.5%, France 10%, US 5.6%, Netherlands 4.8%, Austria 4.6%, UK 4.4% (2005) Syria Saudi Arabia 10.6%, China 5.6%, Egypt 5.4%, Italy 5.3%, UAE 5.2%, Ukraine 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2005) Taiwan Japan 25.3%, US 11.6%, China 11%, South Korea 7.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2005) Tajikistan Russia 19.3%, Kazakhstan 12.7%, Uzbekistan 11.5%, Azerbaijan 8.6%, China 7%, Ukraine 6.2%, Romania 4.6%, Turkmenistan 4% (2005) Tanzania South Africa 12.2%, China 9.6%, India 7%, UAE 6.1%, Kenya 5.2%, UK 4.1% (2005) Thailand Japan 22%, China 9.4%, US 7.4%, Malaysia 6.8%, UAE 4.8%, Singapore 4.5% (2005) Togo France 17.8%, China 13.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 6.5%, Italy 4.5%, Spain 4.3% (2005) Tokelau New Zealand (2004) Tonga NZ 33.4%, Fiji 26.7%, Australia 10.5%, US 8.4% (2005) Trinidad and Tobago US 27.7%, Venezuela 13.3%, Brazil 11.8%, Japan 5.5%, Canada 4.2% (2005) Tunisia France 25.5%, Italy 22.9%, Germany 9.5%, Spain 5.5% (2005) Turkey Germany 11.7%, Russia 11%, Italy 6.5%, China 5.9%, France 5%, US 4.6%, UK 4% (2005) Turkmenistan UAE 12.4%, Azerbaijan 10.9%, US 9.4%, Russia 8.9%, Ukraine 7.4%, Turkey 7.2%, Iran 6.1%, Germany 5.3%, Kazakhstan 4.2% (2005) Turks and Caicos Islands US, UK (2004) Tuvalu Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%, NZ 4.1% (2005) Uganda Kenya 32%, UAE 8.6%, South Africa 6.4%, India 5.7%, China 5.2%, UK 4.4%, US 4.1%, Japan 4% (2005) Ukraine Russia 35.5%, Germany 9.4%, Turkmenistan 7.4%, China 5% (2005) United Arab Emirates UK 10%, China 9.7%, US 9.4%, India 9.2%, Germany 5.9%, Japan 5.4%, France 4.7%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) United Kingdom Germany 12.8%, US 8.7%, France 7.1%, Netherlands 6.6%, China 5%, Norway 4.7%, Belgium 4.6%, Italy 4% (2005) United States Canada 16.9%, China 15%, Mexico 10%, Japan 8.2%, Germany 5% (2005) Uruguay Argentina 18.9%, Brazil 18.5%, Paraguay 14%, US 8.6%, China 6.2% (2005) Uzbekistan Russia 26.7%, South Korea 15.3%, Germany 8.9%, China 7.2%, Kazakhstan 6.4%, Turkey 4.7%, Ukraine 4.7% (2005) Vanuatu Australia 18.4%, Japan 16.6%, Singapore 14.7%, Poland 8.5%, NZ 7.2%, Fiji 6.3% (2005) Venezuela US 31.6%, Colombia 11%, Brazil 9.1%, Mexico 6.9% (2005) Vietnam China 16.3%, Singapore 12.8%, Taiwan 11.7%, Japan 10.4%, South Korea 9.9%, Thailand 6.8% (2005) Virgin Islands US, Puerto Rico (2004) Wallis and Futuna France 97%, Australia 2%, NZ 1% (2004) West Bank Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) Western Sahara Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) World China 9.3%, US 9%, Germany 9%, Japan 6.1%, France 4.2% (2005) Yemen UAE 14.6%, Saudi Arabia 11.6%, China 9.1%, Kuwait 5%, India 4.5% (2005) Zambia South Africa 47.6%, UK 12.6%, Zimbabwe 4.3% (2005) Zimbabwe South Africa 42.9%, China 4.6%, Botswana 3.3% (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2062 Economic aid - donor Australia ODA, $894 million (FY99/00) Austria ODA, $681 million (2004) Belgium ODA, $1.072 billion (2002) Canada ODA, $2.6 billion (2004) Denmark ODA, $2 billion (2004) Finland ODA, $379 million (2001) France ODA, $5.4 billion (2002) Germany ODA, $5.6 billion (1998) Iceland $6.7 million $NA Ireland ODA, $607 million (2004) Italy ODA, $1 billion (2002 est.) Japan ODA, $8.9 billion (2004) Korea, South ODA, $423.3 million (2004) Lesotho ODA, $4.4 million Luxembourg ODA, $235.59 million (2004) Netherlands ODA, $4 billion (2003 est.) New Zealand ODA, $99.7 million Norway ODA, $1.4 billion (1998) Portugal ODA, $271 million (1995) Saudi Arabia pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon; since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance to the Palestinians; pledged $230 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq; pledged $133 million in direct grant aid, $187 million in concessional loans, and $153 million in export credits for Pakistan earthquake relief Spain ODA, $1.33 billion (1999) Sweden ODA, $1.7 billion (1997) Switzerland ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) United Arab Emirates since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004) United Kingdom ODA, $7.9 billion (2004) United States ODA, $6.9 billion (1997) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2063 Constitution Afghanistan new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004 Akrotiri Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 Albania adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998 Algeria 8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996 American Samoa ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967 Andorra Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991, approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 4 May 1993 Angola 11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11 August 1980, 6 March 1991, and 26 August 1992; note - a new constitution will likely be passed following the next legislative election Anguilla Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990 Antigua and Barbuda 1 November 1981 Argentina 1 May 1853; revised August 1994 Armenia adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005 Aruba 1 January 1986 Australia 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 Austria 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945) Azerbaijan adopted 12 November 1995 Bahamas, The 10 July 1973 Bahrain new constitution 14 February 2002 Bangladesh 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times Barbados 30 November 1966 Belarus 15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits Belgium 7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state Belize 21 September 1981 Benin December 1990 Bermuda 8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003 Bhutan no written constitution or bill of rights; note - in 2001, the king commissioned the drafting of a constitution, and in March 2005 publicly unveiled it; is awaiting national referendum Bolivia 2 February 1967; revised in August 1994 Bosnia and Herzegovina the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution now in force; note - each of the entities also has its own constitution Botswana March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 Brazil 5 October 1988 British Virgin Islands 1 June 1977, amended in 2000 Brunei 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984) Bulgaria adopted 12 July 1991 Burkina Faso 2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991 formally adopted; amended April 2000 Burma 3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not include participation of democratic opposition Burundi 28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum Cambodia promulgated 21 September 1993 Cameroon 20 May 1972 approved by referendum, 2 June 1972 formally adopted; revised January 1996 Canada made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments Cape Verde new constitution came into force 25 September 1992; underwent a major revision on 23 November 1995, substantially increasing the powers of the president; a 1999 revision created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica) Cayman Islands 1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994 Central African Republic ratified by popular referendum 5 December 2004; effective 27 December 2004 Chad passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits Chile 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005 China most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 Christmas Island Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 Colombia 5 July 1991 Comoros 23 December 2001 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18 February 2006 Congo, Republic of the approved by referendum 20 January 2002 Cook Islands 4 August 1965 Costa Rica 7 November 1949 Cote d'Ivoire new constitution adopted 4 August 2000 Croatia adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001 Cuba 24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002 Cyprus 16 August 1960; from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer participated in the government; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently since the mid-1960s; in 1975, following the 1974 Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which became the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence in 1983; a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5 May 1985 Czech Republic ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 Denmark 5 June 1849 adoption of original constitution; a major overhaul of 5 June 1953 allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 Djibouti multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992 Dominica 3 November 1978 Dominican Republic 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002 East Timor 22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model) Ecuador 10 August 1998 Egypt 11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980 and 25 May 2005 El Salvador 23 December 1983 Equatorial Guinea approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995 Eritrea a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented Estonia adopted 28 June 1992 Ethiopia ratified December 1994, effective 22 August 1995 European Union based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2001; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 caused a suspension of the ratification process Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998 Faroe Islands 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) Fiji enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998 Finland 1 March 2000 France adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October 1958; amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1996 Amsterdam Treaty, 2000 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in 1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term French Guiana 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) French Polynesia 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Gabon adopted 14 March 1991 Gambia, The 24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished January 1997 Georgia adopted 24 August 1995 Germany 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990 Ghana approved 28 April 1992 Gibraltar 30 May 1969 Greece 11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001 Greenland 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) Grenada 19 December 1973 Guadeloupe 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Guam Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950 Guatemala 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993 Guernsey unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice Guinea 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) Guinea-Bissau 16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, NA 1996 Guyana 6 October 1980 Haiti approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution remains technically in force but has not been observed since Aristide's departure in 2004 Holy See (Vatican City) new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929) Honduras 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995 Hong Kong Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" Hungary 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system Iceland 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times India 26 January 1950; amended many times Indonesia August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of amemdments concluded in 2002 Iran 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership Iraq ratified on 15 October 2005 Ireland adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937 Isle of Man unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution Israel no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law Italy passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times Jamaica 6 August 1962 Japan 3 May 1947 Jersey unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice Jordan 1 January 1952; amended 1954, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1965, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1984 Kazakhstan first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995 Kenya 12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001 Kiribati 12 July 1979 Korea, North adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992, and September 1998 Korea, South 17 July 1948 Kuwait approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 Kyrgyzstan adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly expands the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature; following the spring 2005 demonstrations, a new Constitutional Council was appointed and the reform process is ongoing Laos promulgated 14 August 1991 Latvia 15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution Lebanon 23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989 Lesotho 2 April 1993 Liberia 6 January 1986 Libya 11 December 1969; amended 2 March 1977 Liechtenstein 5 October 1921 Lithuania adopted 25 October 1992 Luxembourg 17 October 1868; occasional revisions Macau Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" Macedonia adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to the judiciary Madagascar 19 August 1992 by national referendum Malawi 18 May 1994 Malaysia 31 August 1957; amended 16 September 1963 Maldives adopted 1 January 1998 Mali adopted 12 January 1992 Malta 1964 constitution; amended many times Marshall Islands 1 May 1979 Martinique 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Mauritania 12 July 1991 Mauritius 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992 Mayotte 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Mexico 5 February 1917 Micronesia, Federated States of 10 May 1979 Moldova new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979 Monaco 17 December 1962 Mongolia 12 February 1992 Montenegro 12 October 1992 (was approved by the Assembly) Montserrat effective 19 December 1989 Morocco 10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996 Mozambique 30 November 1990 Namibia ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990 Nauru 29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day) Nepal 9 November 1990 Netherlands adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002 Netherlands Antilles 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended New Caledonia 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) New Zealand consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987 Nicaragua 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000 Niger new constitution adopted 18 July 1999 Nigeria new constitution adopted May 1999 Niue 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act) Norfolk Island Norfolk Island Act of 1979 Northern Mariana Islands Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986 Norway 17 May 1814; amended many times Oman none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens Pakistan 12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003 Palau 1 January 1981 Panama 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983, 1994, and 2004 Papua New Guinea 16 September 1975 Paraguay promulgated 20 June 1992 Peru 31 December 1993 Philippines 2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987 Pitcairn Islands 30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964 Poland adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997, passed by national referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 1997 Portugal 25 April 1976; revised many times Puerto Rico ratified 3 March 1952, approved by US Congress 3 July 1952, effective 25 July 1952 Qatar ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by the amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005 Reunion 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Romania 8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003 Russia adopted 12 December 1993 Rwanda new constitution adopted 4 June 2003 Saint Helena 1 January 1989 Saint Kitts and Nevis 19 September 1983 Saint Lucia 22 February 1979 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 27 October 1979 Samoa 1 January 1962 San Marino 8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution Sao Tome and Principe approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990 Saudi Arabia governed according to Shari'a law; the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993 Senegal new constitution adopted 7 January 2001 Serbia 28 September 1990; note - a new draft constitution approved by Parliament on 30 September 2006 stresses that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia; the draft must still be approved by a national referendum Seychelles 18 June 1993 Sierra Leone 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times Singapore 3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution) Slovakia ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership Slovenia adopted 23 December 1991 Solomon Islands 7 July 1978 Somalia 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979 note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing South Africa 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases Spain 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 Sri Lanka adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978 Sudan 12 April 1973; suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan signed December 2005 Suriname ratified 30 September 1987 Swaziland the first constitution was signed into law in July 2005 and is scheduled to be implemented in January 2006 Sweden 1 January 1975 Switzerland revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, officially entered into force 1 January 2000 Syria 13 March 1973 Taiwan 25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005 Tajikistan 6 November 1994 Tanzania 25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984 Thailand constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997; abrogated on 19 September 2006 after coup; interim constitution promulgated on 1 October 2006; junta has promised new constitution by October 2007 Togo multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992 Tokelau administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970 Tonga 4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967 Trinidad and Tobago 1 August 1976 Tunisia 1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002 Turkey 7 November 1982 Turkmenistan adopted 18 May 1992 Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9 August 2006) Tuvalu 1 October 1978 Uganda 8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system Ukraine adopted 28 June 1996 United Arab Emirates 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996 United Kingdom unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice United States 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789 Uruguay 27 November 1966, effective February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997 Uzbekistan new constitution adopted 8 December 1992 Vanuatu 30 July 1980 Venezuela 30 December 1999 Vietnam 15 April 1992 Virgin Islands Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 Wallis and Futuna 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Yemen 16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001 Zambia 24 August 1991; amended in 1996 to establish presidential term limits Zimbabwe 21 December 1979 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2064 Economic aid - recipient Afghanistan international pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09 Albania ODA: $366 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2003 est.) Algeria $122.8 million (2002 est.) American Samoa important financial support from the US, more than $40 million in 1994 Andorra none Angola $383.5 million (1999) Anguilla $9 million (2004 est.) Antigua and Barbuda $1.65 million (2004) Argentina $10 billion (2001 est.) Armenia ODA, $254 million (2004) Aruba $-11.3 million (2004) Azerbaijan ODA, $140 million (2000 est.) Bahamas, The $5 million (2004) Bahrain $150 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from the UAE and Kuwait (2002) Bangladesh $1.575 billion (2000 est.) Barbados $9.1 million (1995) Belarus $194.3 million (1995) Belize $NA Benin $342.6 million (2000) Bermuda $NA Bhutan $78 million substantial aid from India and other nations Bolivia $221 million (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $650 million (2001 est.) Botswana $73 million (1995) Brazil $30 billion (2002) British Virgin Islands $NA Brunei $770,000 (2004) Bulgaria $475 million per year in EU pre-accession aid (2004-06) Burkina Faso $468.4 million (2003) Burma $127 million (2001 est.) Burundi $105.5 million (2003) Cambodia $504 million pledged in grants and concessional loans for 2005 by international donors Cameroon in January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million; debt relief now totals $1.26 billion Cape Verde $136 million (1999) Cayman Islands $390,000 $NA Central African Republic ODA, $59.8 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2002 est.) Chad $238.3 million received; note - $125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank; ODA $246.9 million (2003 est.) Chile $0 (2002) China $NA Christmas Island $NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands $NA Colombia $NA Comoros $24 million (2003 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the $2.2 billion (FY03/04) Congo, Republic of the $159.1 million (1995) Cook Islands $13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995) Cote d'Ivoire ODA, $1 billion (1996 est.) Croatia ODA, $166.5 million (2002) Cuba $68.2 million (1997 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus - $NA; north Cyprus - $700 million from Turkey in grants and loans, which are usually forgiven (2003-06) Czech Republic $2.8 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Djibouti $64.1 million (2004) Dominica $29.2 million (2004 est.) Dominican Republic $571.6 million (2004) East Timor $153 million (2004 est.) Ecuador $216 million (2002) Egypt ODA, $1.12 billion (2002) El Salvador $125 million of which, $53 million from US (2003) Equatorial Guinea $33.8 million $NA Eritrea $77 million (1999) Estonia $735 million (2004-06) Ethiopia $308 million (FY00/01) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $0 (1997 est.) Faroe Islands $135 million (annual subsidy from Denmark) (1998) Fiji $63.9 million (2004) French Guiana $NA French Polynesia $580 million (2004) Gabon $331 million (1995) Gambia, The $59.8 million (2003) Gaza Strip $2 billion; note - includes West Bank (2004 est.) Georgia ODA, $150 million (2000 est.) Ghana $6.9 billion (1999) Gibraltar $NA Greece $8 billion from EU (2000-06) Greenland $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1997) Grenada $15.4 million (2004) Guadeloupe $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (2004) Guam Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal Treasury ($143 million in 1997) into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam (2001 est.) Guatemala $250 million (2000 est.) Guernsey $NA Guinea $237.5 million (2003) Guinea-Bissau $115.4 million (1995) Guyana $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) Haiti $153 million (FY05 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) $0 Honduras $557.8 million (1999) Hungary $3.4 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) India $2.9 billion (FY98/99) Indonesia $43 billion note: Indonesia finished its IMF program in December 2003 but still receives bilateral aid through the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), which pledged $2.8 billion in grants and loans for 2004 and again in 2005; nearly $5 billion in aid money pledged by a variety bilateral, multilateral, and non-governmental organization (NGO) donors following the 2004 tsunami; money is slated for use in relief and rebuilding efforts in Aceh (2002) Iran $408 million (2002 est.) Iraq more than $33 billion in foreign aid pledged for 2004-07 (2004) Isle of Man $NA Israel $662 million from US (2003 est.) Jamaica $18.5 million; note - US aid only (2004) Jersey $0 Jordan ODA, $500 million (2004 est.) Kazakhstan $74.2 million in US assistance programs, 1992-2000 (FY2004) Kenya $453 million (1997) Kiribati $16.7 million largely from UK and Japan (2004) Korea, North $NA; note - approximately 350,000 metric tons in food aid, worth approximately $118 million, through the World Food Program appeal in 2004, plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations Kuwait $NA (2001) Kyrgyzstan $50 million from the US (2001) Laos $243 million (2001 est.) Latvia $1.2 billion (2004-06) Lebanon $2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft loans pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference Lesotho $41.5 million (2000) Liberia $94 million (1999) Libya ODA, $4.4 million (2002) Liechtenstein $0 Lithuania $1.6 billion in committed EU structural and cohesion funds (2004-06) Macau $NA Macedonia $250 million (2003 est.) Madagascar $354 million (2001) Malawi $401.5 million (2001) Maldives $27.9 million $NA (2004) Mali $472.1 million (2002) Malta $NA Marshall Islands $51.1 million more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002 Martinique $NA; note - substantial annual aid from France (1998) Mauritania $305.7 million (2002) Mauritius $42 million (1997) Mayotte $208 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (2004) Mexico $1.166 billion (1995) Micronesia, Federated States of $86.3 million under terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US pledged $1.3 billion in grant aid during the period 1986-2001; the level of aid has been subsequently reduced Moldova $100 million (2000) Monaco $NA Mongolia $215 million (2003) Montenegro NA Montserrat Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.) Morocco ODA, $218 million (2002) Mozambique $632.8 million (2001) Namibia ODA, $160 million (2000 est.) Nauru $20 million mostly from Australia Nepal $424 million (FY00/01) Netherlands Antilles $21.5 million IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2004) New Caledonia $525 million annual subsidy from France (2004) Nicaragua $419.5 million (2005 est.) Niger $453.3 million (2003) Nigeria IMF, $250 million (1998) Niue $2.6 million from New Zealand (2002) Norfolk Island $NA Northern Mariana Islands extensive funding from US Oman $76.4 million (1995) Pakistan $2.4 billion (FY01/02) Palau $19.6 million; note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provides Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities Panama $197.1 million (1995) Papua New Guinea $NA Paraguay $NA Peru $491 million (2002) Philippines ODA commitments, $2 billion (2004) Pitcairn Islands $3.465 million (2004) Poland $13.9 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Puerto Rico $NA Qatar $NA Reunion $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.) Romania $3.3 billion in committed EU pre-accession aid (2004-06) Russia in FY01 from US, $979 million (including $750 million in non-proliferation subsidies); in 2001 from EU, $200 million (2000 est.) Rwanda $425 million (2003) Saint Helena $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997) Saint Kitts and Nevis $-110,000 (2004) Saint Lucia $-21.5 million (2004) Saint Pierre and Miquelon approximately $60 million in annual grants from France Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $10.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (2004) Samoa $30.8 million (2004) San Marino $NA Sao Tome and Principe $200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program Senegal $449.6 million (2003 est.) Serbia $2 billion pledged in 2001 to Serbia and Montenegro (disbursements to follow over several years; aid pledged by EU and US has been placed on hold because of lack of cooperation by Serbia in handing over General Ratco MLADIC to the criminal court in The Hague) Seychelles $16.4 million (1995) Sierra Leone $297.4 million (2003 est.) Singapore $NA Slovakia $1.9 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Slovenia $484 million in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) Solomon Islands $122 million annually, mainly from Australia (2004 est.) Somalia $60 million (1999 est.) South Africa $487.5 million (2000) Sri Lanka $577 million (1998) Sudan $172 million (2001) Suriname $46 million Netherlands provided $37 million for project and program assistance, European Development Fund $4 million, Belgium $2 million (2003) Svalbard $8.2 million from Norway (1998) Swaziland $104 million (2001) Syria $180 million (2002 est.) Tajikistan $67 million from US (2005) Tanzania $1.2 billion (2001) Thailand $72 million (2002) Togo ODA, $80 million (2000 est.) Tokelau about $4 million annually from New Zealand Tonga $19.3 million Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02) Trinidad and Tobago $24 million (1999 est.) Tunisia $114.6 million (2002) Turkey ODA, $635.8 million (2002) Turkmenistan $16 million from the US (2001) Turks and Caicos Islands $4.1 million (1997) Tuvalu $13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.) Uganda $959 million (2003) Ukraine $637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion (1998) Uruguay $NA Uzbekistan $91.6 million from the US (2005) Vanuatu $37.8 million (2004) Venezuela $74 million (2000) Vietnam $2.8 billion in credits and grants pledged by international donors for 2000 (2004) Virgin Islands $NA Wallis and Futuna assistance from France West Bank $1.14 billion; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004 est.) Western Sahara $NA World $154 billion official development assistance (ODA) (2004) Yemen $2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements) Zambia $640.6 million (2002) Zimbabwe $178 million; note - the EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds (2000 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2065 Currency (code) Afghanistan afghani (AFA) Albania lek (ALL) Algeria Algerian dinar (DZD) American Samoa US dollar (USD) Andorra euro (EUR) Angola kwanza (AOA) Anguilla East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Antigua and Barbuda East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Argentina Argentine peso (ARS) Armenia dram (AMD) Aruba Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) Australia Australian dollar (AUD) Austria euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Azerbaijan Azerbaijani manat (AZM) Bahamas, The Bahamian dollar (BSD) Bahrain Bahraini dinar (BHD) Bangladesh taka (BDT) Barbados Barbadian dollar (BBD) Belarus Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR) Belgium euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Belize Belizean dollar (BZD) Benin Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Bermuda Bermudian dollar (BMD) Bhutan ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR) Bolivia boliviano (BOB) Bosnia and Herzegovina marka (BAM) Botswana pula (BWP) Brazil real (BRL) British Indian Ocean Territory both the British Pound (GBP) and the US Dollar (USD) are accepted British Virgin Islands US dollar (USD) Brunei Bruneian dollar (BND) Bulgaria lev (BGL) Burkina Faso Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Burma kyat (MMK) Burundi Burundi franc (BIF) Cambodia riel (KHR) Cameroon Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Canada Canadian dollar (CAD) Cape Verde Cape Verdean escudo (CVE) Cayman Islands Caymanian dollar (KYD) Central African Republic Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Chad Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Chile Chilean peso (CLP) China yuan (CNY); note - also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB) Christmas Island Australian dollar (AUD) Cocos (Keeling) Islands Australian dollar (AUD) Colombia Colombian peso (COP) Comoros Comoran franc (KMF) Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congolese franc (CDF) Congo, Republic of the Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Cook Islands New Zealand dollar (NZD) Costa Rica Costa Rican colon (CRC) Cote d'Ivoire Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Croatia kuna (HRK) Cuba Cuban peso (CUP) and Convertible peso (CUC) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: Cypriot pound (CYP); Turkish Cypriot area: Turkish New lira (YTL) Czech Republic Czech koruna (CZK) Denmark Danish krone (DKK) Djibouti Djiboutian franc (DJF) Dominica East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Dominican Republic Dominican peso (DOP) East Timor US dollar (USD) Ecuador US dollar (USD) Egypt Egyptian pound (EGP) El Salvador US dollar (USD) Equatorial Guinea Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Eritrea nakfa (ERN) Estonia Estonian kroon (EEK) Ethiopia birr (ETB) European Union euro, British pound, Cypriot pound, Czech koruna, Danish krone, Estonian kroon, Hungarian forint, Latvian lat, Lithuanian litas, Maltese lira, Polish zloty, Slovak koruna, Slovenian tolar, Swedish krona Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Falkland pound (FKP) Faroe Islands Danish krone (DKK) Fiji Fijian dollar (FJD) Finland euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries France euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries French Guiana euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries French Polynesia Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) Gabon Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States Gambia, The dalasi (GMD) Gaza Strip new Israeli shekel (ILS) Georgia lari (GEL) Germany euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Ghana cedi (GHC) Gibraltar Gibraltar pound (GIP) Greece euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Greenland Danish krone (DKK) Grenada East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Guadeloupe euro (EUR) Guam US dollar (USD) Guatemala quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed Guernsey British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound Guinea Guinean franc (GNF) Guinea-Bissau Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Guyana Guyanese dollar (GYD) Haiti gourde (HTG) Holy See (Vatican City) euro (EUR) Honduras lempira (HNL) Hong Kong Hong Kong dollar (HKD) Hungary forint (HUF) Iceland Icelandic krona (ISK) India Indian rupee (INR) Indonesia Indonesian rupiah (IDR) Iran Iranian rial (IRR) Iraq New Iraqi dinar (NID) as of 22 January 2004 Ireland euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Isle of Man British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound Israel new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code for the NIS Italy euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Jamaica Jamaican dollar (JMD) Japan yen (JPY) Jersey British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound Jordan Jordanian dinar (JOD) Kazakhstan tenge (KZT) Kenya Kenyan shilling (KES) Kiribati Australian dollar (AUD) Korea, North North Korean won (KPW) Korea, South South Korean won (KRW) Kuwait Kuwaiti dinar (KD) Kyrgyzstan Laos kip (LAK) Latvia Latvian lat (LVL) Lebanon Lebanese pound (LBP) Lesotho loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) Liberia Liberian dollar (LRD) Libya Libyan dinar (LYD) Liechtenstein Swiss franc (CHF) Lithuania litas (LTL) Luxembourg euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Macau pataca (MOP) Macedonia Macedonian denar (MKD) Madagascar Madagascar ariary (MGA) Malawi Malawian kwacha (MWK) Malaysia ringgit (MYR) Maldives rufiyaa (MVR) Mali Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Malta Maltese lira (MTL) Marshall Islands US dollar (USD) Martinique euro (EUR) Mauritania ouguiya (MRO) Mauritius Mauritian rupee (MUR) Mayotte euro (EUR) Mexico Mexican peso (MXN) Micronesia, Federated States of US dollar (USD) Moldova Moldovan leu (MDL) Monaco euro (EUR) Mongolia togrog/tugrik (MNT) Montenegro euro (EUR) Montserrat East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Morocco Moroccan dirham (MAD) Mozambique metical (MZM) Namibia Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR) Nauru Australian dollar (AUD) Nepal Nepalese rupee (NPR) Netherlands euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) New Caledonia Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) New Zealand New Zealand dollar (NZD) Nicaragua gold cordoba (NIO) Niger Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States (BCEAO) Nigeria naira (NGN) Niue New Zealand dollar (NZD) Norfolk Island Australian dollar (AUD) Northern Mariana Islands US dollar (USD) Norway Norwegian krone (NOK) Oman Omani rial (OMR) Pakistan Pakistani rupee (PKR) Palau US dollar (USD) Panama balboa (PAB); US dollar (USD) Papua New Guinea kina (PGK) Paraguay guarani (PYG) Peru nuevo sol (PEN) Philippines Philippine peso (PHP) Pitcairn Islands New Zealand dollar (NZD) Poland zloty (PLN) Portugal euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries Puerto Rico US dollar (USD) Qatar Qatari rial (QAR) Reunion euro (EUR) Romania leu (ROL) is being phased out in 2006; "new" leu (RON) was introduced in 2005 due to currency revaluation: 10,000 ROL = 1 RON Russia Russian ruble (RUR) Rwanda Rwandan franc (RWF) Saint Helena Saint Helenian pound (SHP) Saint Kitts and Nevis East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Saint Lucia East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Saint Pierre and Miquelon euro (EUR) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Samoa tala (SAT) San Marino euro (EUR) Sao Tome and Principe dobra (STD) Saudi Arabia Saudi riyal (SAR) Senegal Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Serbia new Yugoslav dinar (YUM); note - in Kosovo both the euro and the Yugoslav dinar are legal Seychelles Seychelles rupee (SCR) Sierra Leone leone (SLL) Singapore Singapore dollar (SGD) Slovakia Slovak koruna (SKK) Slovenia tolar (SIT) Solomon Islands Solomon Islands dollar (SBD) Somalia Somali shilling (SOS) South Africa rand (ZAR) Spain euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by the financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions with the member countries Sri Lanka Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) Sudan Sudanese dinar (SDD) Suriname Surinam dollar (SRD) Svalbard Norwegian krone (NOK) Swaziland lilangeni (SZL) Sweden Swedish krona (SEK) Switzerland Swiss franc (CHF) Syria Syrian pound (SYP) Taiwan new Taiwan dollar (TWD) Tajikistan somoni Tanzania Tanzanian shilling (TZS) Thailand baht (THB) Togo Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States Tokelau New Zealand dollar (NZD) Tonga pa'anga (TOP) Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD) Tunisia Tunisian dinar (TND) Turkey Turkish lira (YTL); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005 Turkmenistan Turkmen manat (TMM) Turks and Caicos Islands US dollar (USD) Tuvalu Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar Uganda Ugandan shilling (UGX) Ukraine hryvnia (UAH) United Arab Emirates Emirati dirham (AED) United Kingdom British pound (GBP) United States US dollar (USD) Uruguay Uruguayan peso (UYU) Uzbekistan Uzbekistani soum (UZS) Vanuatu vatu (VUV) Venezuela bolivar (VEB) Vietnam dong (VND) Virgin Islands US dollar (USD) Wallis and Futuna Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) West Bank new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD) Western Sahara Moroccan dirham (MAD) Yemen Yemeni rial (YER) Zambia Zambian kwacha (ZMK) Zimbabwe Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2066 Death rate (deaths/1,000 population) Afghanistan 20.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Albania 5.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Algeria 4.61 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) American Samoa 3.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Andorra 6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Angola 24.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Anguilla 5.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Argentina 7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Armenia 8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Aruba 6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Australia 7.51 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Austria 9.76 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Azerbaijan 9.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bahamas, The 9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bahrain 4.14 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bangladesh 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Barbados 8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belarus 14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belgium 10.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belize 5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Benin 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bermuda 7.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bhutan 12.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bolivia 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Botswana 29.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Brazil 6.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Brunei 3.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bulgaria 14.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burkina Faso 15.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burma 9.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burundi 13.46 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cambodia 9.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cameroon 13.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Canada 7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cape Verde 6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cayman Islands 4.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Central African Republic 18.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Chad 16.38 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Chile 5.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) China 6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA deaths/1,000 population Colombia 5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Comoros 8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 13.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the 12.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cook Islands NA deaths/1,000 population Costa Rica 4.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 14.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Croatia 11.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cuba 7.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cyprus 7.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Czech Republic 10.59 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Denmark 10.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Djibouti 19.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Dominica 6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Dominican Republic 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) East Timor 6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ecuador 4.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Egypt 5.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) El Salvador 5.78 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea 15.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Eritrea 9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Estonia 13.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ethiopia 14.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) European Union 10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA deaths/1,000 population Faroe Islands 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Fiji 5.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Finland 9.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) France 9.14 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) French Guiana 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) French Polynesia 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gabon 12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gambia, The 12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gaza Strip 3.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Georgia 9.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Germany 10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ghana 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gibraltar 9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Greece 10.24 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Greenland 7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Grenada 6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guadeloupe 6.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guam 4.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guatemala 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guernsey 10.01 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guinea 15.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau 16.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guyana 8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Haiti 12.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Honduras 5.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Hong Kong 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Hungary 13.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iceland 6.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) India 8.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Indonesia 6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iran 5.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iraq 5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ireland 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Isle of Man 11.19 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Israel 6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Italy 10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jamaica 6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Japan 9.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jersey 9.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jordan 2.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kazakhstan 9.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kenya 14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kiribati 8.26 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Korea, North 7.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Korea, South 5.85 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kuwait 2.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan 7.08 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Laos 11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Latvia 13.66 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lebanon 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lesotho 28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Liberia 23.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Libya 3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Liechtenstein 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lithuania 10.98 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Luxembourg 8.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Macau 4.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Macedonia 8.77 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Madagascar 11.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malawi 19.33 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malaysia 5.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Maldives 7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mali 16.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malta 8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Marshall Islands 4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Martinique 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mauritania 12.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mauritius 6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mayotte 7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mexico 4.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 4.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Moldova 12.64 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Monaco 12.91 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mongolia 6.95 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Montenegro 9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2004) Montserrat 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Morocco 5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mozambique 21.35 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Namibia 18.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nauru 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nepal 9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Netherlands 8.68 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) New Caledonia 5.69 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) New Zealand 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nicaragua 4.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Niger 20.91 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nigeria 16.94 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Niue NA deaths/1,000 population Norfolk Island NA deaths/1,000 population Northern Mariana Islands 2.29 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Norway 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Oman 3.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Pakistan 8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Palau 6.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Panama 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea 7.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Paraguay 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Peru 6.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Philippines 5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands NA deaths/1,000 population Poland 9.89 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Portugal 10.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Puerto Rico 7.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Qatar 4.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Reunion 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Romania 11.77 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Russia 14.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Rwanda 16.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Helena 6.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.33 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Lucia 5.08 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Samoa 6.62 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) San Marino 8.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia 2.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Senegal 9.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Seychelles 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sierra Leone 23.03 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Singapore 4.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Slovakia 9.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Slovenia 10.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Solomon Islands 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Somalia 16.63 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) South Africa 22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Spain 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sri Lanka 6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sudan 8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Suriname 7.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Svalbard NA deaths/1,000 population Swaziland 29.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sweden 10.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Switzerland 8.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Syria 4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Taiwan 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tajikistan 8.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tanzania 16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Thailand 7.04 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Togo 9.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tokelau NA deaths/1,000 population Tonga 5.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 10.57 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tunisia 5.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turkey 5.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turkmenistan 8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tuvalu 7.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uganda 12.24 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ukraine 14.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates 4.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) United Kingdom 10.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) United States 8.26 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uruguay 9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uzbekistan 7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Vanuatu 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Venezuela 4.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Vietnam 6.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Virgin Islands 6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna NA deaths/1,000 population West Bank 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Western Sahara NA deaths/1,000 population World 8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Yemen 8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Zambia 19.93 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Zimbabwe 21.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2067 Military expenditures - dollar figure Afghanistan $122.4 million (2005 est.) Albania $56.5 million (FY02) Algeria $3 billion (2005 est.) Angola $2 billion (2005 est.) Antigua and Barbuda NA Argentina $4.3 billion (FY99) Armenia $135 million (FY01) Australia $17.84 billion (2005 est.) Austria $1.497 billion (FY01/02) Azerbaijan $121 million (FY99) Bahamas, The NA Bahrain $627.7 million (2005 est.) Bangladesh $1.01 billion (2005 est.) Barbados NA Belarus $420.5 million (2006) Belgium $3.999 billion (2003) Belize $19 million (2005 est.) Benin $100.9 million (2005 est.) Bermuda $4.03 million (2001) Bhutan $8.29 million (2005 est.) Bolivia $130 million (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $234.3 million (FY02) Botswana $325.5 million (2005 est.) Brazil $9.94 billion (2005 est.) Brunei $290.7 million (2003 est.) Bulgaria $356 million (FY02) Burkina Faso $74.83 million (2005 est.) Burma $39 million (FY97) Burundi $43.9 million (2005 est.) Cambodia $112 million (FY01 est.) Cameroon $230.2 million (2005 est.) Canada $9,801.7 million (2003) Cape Verde $7.18 million (2005 est.) Central African Republic $16.37 million (2005 est.) Chad $68.95 million (2005 est.) Chile $3.91 billion (2005 est.) China $81.48 billion (2005 est.) Colombia $3.3 billion (FY01) Comoros $12.87 million (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the $103.7 million (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the $85.22 million (2005 est.) Costa Rica $83.46 million (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $246.6 million (2005 est.) Croatia $620 million (2004) Cuba $694 million (2005 est.) Cyprus $384 million (FY02) Czech Republic $2.17 billion (2004) Denmark $3,271.6 million (2003) Djibouti $29.05 million (2005 est.) Dominica NA Dominican Republic $0 (2002 est.) East Timor $4.4 million (FY03) Ecuador $650 million (2005 est.) Egypt $2.44 billion (2003) El Salvador $161.7 million (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $152.2 million (2005 est.) Eritrea $220.1 million (2005 est.) Estonia $155 million (2002 est.) Ethiopia $295.9 million (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands NA Fiji $36 million (2004) Finland $1.8 billion (FY98/99) France $45 billion FY06 (2005) French Guiana NA Gabon $253.5 million (2005 est.) Gambia, The $1.55 million (2005 est.) Gaza Strip NA Georgia $23 million (FY00) Germany $35.063 billion (2003) Ghana $83.65 million (2005 est.) Greece $5.89 billion (2004) Grenada NA Guatemala $169.8 million (2005 est.) Guinea $119.7 million (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau $9.46 million (2005 est.) Guyana $6.48 million (2003 est.) Haiti $25.96 million (2003 est.) Honduras $52.8 million (2005 est.) Hong Kong Hong Kong garrison is funded by China; figures are NA Hungary $1.08 billion (2002 est.) Iceland 0 India $19.04 billion (2005 est.) Indonesia $1.3 billion (2004) Iran $4.3 billion (2003 est.) Iraq $1.34 billion (2005 est.) Ireland $700 million (FY00/01) Israel $9.45 billion (2005 est.) Italy $28,182.8 million (2003) Jamaica $31.17 million (2003 est.) Japan $44.31 billion (2005 est.) Jordan $1.4 billion (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $221.8 million (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02) Kenya $280.5 million (2005 est.) Kiribati NA Korea, North $5,217.4 million (FY02) Korea, South $21.06 billion FY05 (2005 est.) Kuwait $3.01 billion (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $19.2 million (FY01) Laos $11.04 million (2005 est.) Latvia $87 million (FY01) Lebanon $540.6 million (2004) Lesotho $41.1 million (2005 est.) Liberia $67.4 million (2005 est.) Libya $1.3 billion (FY99) Lithuania $230.8 million (FY01) Luxembourg $231.6 million (2003) Macedonia $200 million (FY01/02 est.) Madagascar $329 million (2005 est.) Malawi $15.81 million (2005 est.) Malaysia $1.69 billion (FY00 est.) Maldives $45.07 million (2005 est.) Mali $106.3 million (2005 est.) Malta $38.168 million (2005 est.) Marshall Islands NA Mauritania $19.32 million (2005 est.) Mauritius $12.04 million (2005 est.) Mexico $6.07 billion (2005 est.) Moldova $8.7 million (2004) Mongolia $23.1 million (FY02) Montenegro $2.306 billion Morocco $2.31 billion (2003 est.) Mozambique $78.03 million (2005 est.) Namibia $149.5 million (2005 est.) Nauru NA Nepal $104.9 million (2005 est.) Netherlands $9.408 billion (2004) New Caledonia NA New Zealand $1.147 billion (FY03/04) Nicaragua $32.27 million (2005 est.) Niger $44.78 million (2005 est.) Nigeria $737.6 million (2005 est.) Norway $4,033.5 million (2003) Oman $252.99 million (2004) Pakistan $4.26 billion (2005 est.) Palau NA Panama $150 million (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $16.9 million (2003) Paraguay $53.1 million (2003 est.) Peru $829.3 million (2003 est.) Philippines $836.9 million (2005 est.) Poland $3.5 billion (2002) Portugal $3,497.8 million (2003) Qatar $723 million (FY00) Romania $985 million (2002) Russia NA Rwanda $53.66 million (2005 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis NA Saint Lucia NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA Samoa NA San Marino $700,000 (FY00/01) Sao Tome and Principe $581,729 (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia $18 billion (2002) Senegal $117.3 million (2005 est.) Serbia $14.85 million Seychelles $14.85 million (2005 est.) Sierra Leone $14.25 million (2005 est.) Singapore $4.47 billion (FY01 est.) Slovakia $406 million (2002) Slovenia $370 million (FY00) Solomon Islands NA Somalia $22.34 million (2005 est.) South Africa $3.55 billion (2005 est.) Spain $9,906.5 million (2003) Sri Lanka $606.2 million (2005 est.) Sudan $587 million (2001 est.) (2004) Suriname $7.5 million (2003 est.) Svalbard $5.501 billion Swaziland $41.6 million (2005 est.) Sweden $5.51 billion (2005 est.) Switzerland $2.548 billion (FY01) Syria $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending Taiwan $7.93 billion (2005 est.) Tajikistan $35.4 million (FY01) Tanzania $21.2 million (2005 est.) Thailand $1.775 billion (FY00) Togo $29.98 million (2005 est.) Tokelau $66.72 million Tonga NA Trinidad and Tobago $66.72 million (2003 est.) Tunisia $356 million (FY99) Turkey $12.155 billion (2003) Turkmenistan $90 million (FY99) Turks and Caicos Islands $192.8 million Tuvalu NA Uganda $192.8 million (2005 est.) Ukraine $617.9 million (FY02) United Arab Emirates $1.6 billion (FY00) United Kingdom $42,836.5 million (2003) United States $518.1 billion (FY04 est.) (2005 est.) Uruguay $371.2 million (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $200 million (FY97) Vanuatu NA Venezuela $1.61 billion (2005 est.) Vietnam $650 million (FY98) West Bank NA Western Sahara $992.2 million World aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide has increased in the beginning of the 21st century, with the largest increase in the US; a rough estimate for 2005 is $1.2 trillion (at puchasing power parity) (2005 est.) Yemen $992.2 million (2005 est.) Zambia $121.7 million (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $124.7 million (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 2 November, 2006 ====================================================================== @2068 Dependent areas Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island France Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica Netherlands Aruba, Netherlands Antilles New Zealand Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau Norway Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard United Kingdom Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena and Ascension, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands United States American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2070 Disputes - international Afghanistan most Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been repatriated, but thousands still remain in Iran, many at their own choosing; Coalition and Pakistani forces continue to patrol remote tribal areas to control the borders and stem organized terrorist and other illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings between Pakistani and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments; regional conflicts over water-sharing arrangements with Amu Darya and Helmand River states Albania the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; thousands of unemployed Albanians emigrate annually to nearby Italy and other developed countries Algeria Algeria supports the exiled Sahrawi Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Western Saharan Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria; Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; in an attempt to improve relations, Morocco, in mid-2004, unilaterally lifted the requirement that Algerians visiting Morocco possess entry visas - a gesture not reciprocated by Algeria; Algeria remains concerned about armed bandits operating throughout the Sahel who sometimes destabilize southern Algerian towns; dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the FLN's assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco American Samoa none Andorra none Angola many Cabinda exclave secessionists have sought shelter in neighboring states Anguilla none Antarctica Antarctic Treaty freezes claims (see Antarctic Treaty Summary in government type entry); Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK claim land and maritime sectors (some overlapping) for a large portion of the continent; the US and many other states do not recognize these territorial claims and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia reserve the right to do so); no claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west; several states with territorial claims in Antarctica have expressed their intention to submit data to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to extend their continental shelf claims to adjoining undersea ridges Antigua and Barbuda none Arctic Ocean some maritime disputes (see littoral states) Argentina Argentina continues to assert its claims to the UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly occupying the Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed no longer to seek settlement by force; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and Chilean claims (see Antarctic disputes); unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; action by the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, for mapping and demarcating the disputed boundary in the Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur) remains pending Armenia Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s, has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; border with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh dispute; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy; tens of thousands of Armenians emigrate, primarily to Russia, to seek employment Aruba none Ashmore and Cartier Islands Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia has closed the surrounding waters to Indonesian traditional fishing and created a national park in the region while continuing to prospect for hydrocarbons in the vicinity Atlantic Ocean some maritime disputes (see littoral states) Australia East Timor and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; East Timor dispute hampers creation of a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia (see also Ashmore and Cartier Islands dispute); regional states express concern over Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted its claims to UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental margin from both its mainland and Antarctic claims Austria Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic Azerbaijan Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratify Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas Bahamas, The disagrees with the US on the alignment of the maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic privation and political instability Bahrain none Baker Island none Bangladesh discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh resists India's attempts to fence or wall off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary inspection in 2005 revealed 92 pillars are missing; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources Barbados in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration that will result in a binding award challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters and the southern limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Bassas da India claimed by Madagascar Belarus 1997 boundary treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security; the whole boundary with Latvia and more than half the boundary with Lithuania remains undemarcated; discussions toward economic and political union with Russia proceed slowly Belgium none Belize Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS seeks to revive the 2002 failed Belize-Guatemala Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK financial package Benin Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over sections of riverine boundary involving disputed villages and squatters; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve maritime and land boundary disputes, but clashes among rival gangs along the border persist; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones Bermuda none Bhutan approximately 105,000 Bhutanese have lived decades as refugees in Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees camps; Bhutan cooperates with India to expel Indian separatists Bolivia Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro have delimited most of their boundary, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute; discussions continue with Croatia on several small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinder ratification of the 1999 border agreement Botswana commission established with Namibia has yet to resolve small residual disputes along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; downstream Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam at Popavalle (Popa Falls); Botswana has built electric fences to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans who flee to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has long supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing their short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary Bouvet Island none Brazil unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute with Uruguay over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada boundary streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina; in 2004 Brazil submitted its claims to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to extend its maritime continental margin British Indian Ocean Territory Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001 the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1965 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest island in the chain; British Virgin Islands none Brunei in 2003 Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalemated prompting consideration of international legal adjudication; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; Brunei established an exclusive economic fishing zone encompassing Louisa Reef in southern Spratly Islands in 1984 but makes no public territorial claim to the offshore reefs; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants Bulgaria none Burkina Faso two villages are in dispute along the border with Benin; Benin accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; Burkina Faso border regions remain a staging area for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire rebels and an asylum for refugees caught in local fighting; the Ivoirian Government accuses Burkina Faso of sheltering Ivoirian rebels Burma over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups with substantial numbers of kin beyond its borders; despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; ethnic Karens flee into Thailand to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops; in 2005 Thailand sheltered about 121,000 Burmese refugees; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric dam on the Salween River near the border; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand continue to voice concern over China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province; India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists from hiding in remote Burmese uplands Burundi Tutsi, Hutu, other conflicting ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in the Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda in an effort to gain control over populated and natural resource areas; government heads pledge to end conflict, but localized violence continues despite the presence of about 6,000 peacekeepers from the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB) since 2004; although some 150,000 Burundian refugees have been repatriated, as of February 2005, Burundian refugees still reside in camps in western Tanzania as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo Cambodia Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers and Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory; maritime boundary with Vietnam is hampered by unresolved dispute over offshore islands; Cambodia accuses Thailand of obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; in 2004, Cambodian-Laotian and Laotian-Vietnamese boundary commissions re-erected missing markers completing most of their demarcations Cameroon ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission, which continues to meet regularly to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake Chad in the north; implementation of the ICJ ruling on the Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea is impeded by imprecisely defined coordinates and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River; Nigeria initially rejected cession of the Bakassi Peninsula, then agreed, but much of the indigenous population opposes cession; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries Canada managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; working toward greater cooperation with US in monitoring people and commodities crossing the border; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland Cape Verde none Cayman Islands none Central African Republic about 30,000 refugees fleeing the 2002 civil conflict in the CAR still reside in southern Chad; periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan persist Chad since the expulsions of residents from Darfur in 2003 by Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military, about 200,000 refugees remain in eastern Chad; Chad remains an important mediator in the Sudanese civil conflict, reducing tensions with Sudan arising from cross-border banditry; Chadian Aozou rebels reside in southern Libya; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries Chile Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian gas and other commodities; Peru proposes changing its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; action by the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, for mapping and demarcating the disputed boundary in the Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur) remains pending China in 2005, China and India began drafting principles to resolve all aspects of their extensive boundary and territorial disputes together with a security and foreign policy dialogue to consolidate discussions related to the boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; recent talks and confidence-building measures have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; about 90,000 ethnic Tibetan exiles reside primarily in India as well as Nepal and Bhutan; China asserts sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratlys but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratlys and in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan have become more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared equidistance line in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is considered indefinite; China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans; China and Russia prepare to demarcate the boundary agreed to in October 2004 between the long-disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province Christmas Island none Clipperton Island none Cocos (Keeling) Islands none Colombia Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; dispute with Venezuela over maritime boundary and Los Monjes Islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics, guerrilla, and paramilitary activities penetrate all of its neighbors' borders and have created a serious refugee crisis with over 300,000 persons having fled the country, mostly into neighboring states Comoros claims French-administered Mayotte Congo, Democratic Republic of the heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledge to end conflict but unchecked tribal, rebel, and militia fighting continues unabated in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, drawing in the neighboring states of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has maintained over 14,000 peacekeepers in the region since 1999; thousands of Ituri refugees from the Congo continue to flee the fighting primarily into Uganda; 90,000 Angolan refugees were repatriated by 2004 with the remainder in the DRC expected to return in 2005; in 2005, DRC and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism to address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels and the DRC providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means and bases to attack Rwandan forces; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area Congo, Republic of the about 7,000 Congolese refugees fleeing internal civil conflicts since the mid-1990s still reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area Cook Islands none Coral Sea Islands none Costa Rica in September 2005, Costa Rica took its case before the ICJ to advocate the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa Rican vessels using the Río San Juan over which Nicaragua retains sovereignty Cote d'Ivoire rebel and ethnic fighting against the central government in 2002 has spilled into neighboring states, driven out foreign cocoa workers from nearby countries, and, in 2004, resulted in 6,000 peacekeepers deployed as part of UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) assisting 4,000 French troops already in-country; the Ivorian Government accuses Burkina Faso and Liberia of supporting Ivorian rebels Croatia discussions continue with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Pirin Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains un-ratified and in dispute; as a European Union peripheral state, neighboring Slovenia must conform to the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia Cuba US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease Cyprus hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto autonomous entities, the internationally recognized Cypriot Government and a Turkish-Cypriot community (north Cyprus); the 1,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has served in Cyprus since 1964 and maintains the buffer zone between north and south; March 2003 reunification talks failed, but Turkish-Cypriots later opened their borders to temporary visits by Greek Cypriots; on 24 April 2004, the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities voted in simultaneous and parallel referenda on whether to approve the UN-brokered Annan Plan that would have ended the 30-year division of the island by establishing a new "United Cyprus Republic," a majority of Greek Cypriots voted "no"; on 1 May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union still divided, with the EU's body of legislation and standards (acquis communitaire) suspended in the north Czech Republic in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property; individual Sudeten Germans seek restitution for property confiscated in connection with their expulsion from Czechoslovakia after World War II; Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic Denmark Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese continue to study proposals for full independence; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland Djibouti Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; thousands of Somali refugees await repatriation in UNHCR camps in Djibouti Dominica Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Dominican Republic increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work East Timor UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) has maintained about 1,000 peacekeepers in East Timor since 2002; East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit the land boundary, but several sections of the boundary especially around the Oekussi enclave remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which prevents delimitation of the northern maritime boundaries; many refugees who left East Timor in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Australia and East Timor agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for 50 years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; dispute with Australia has hampered creation of a southern maritime boundary with Indonesia Ecuador organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border and caused over 20,000 refugees to flee into Ecuador in 2004 Egypt Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the two triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is developing the Hala'ib Triangle north of the Treaty line; since the attack on Taba and other Egyptian resort towns on the Red Sea in October 2004, Egypt vigilantly monitors the Sinai and borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip; Egypt does not extend domestic asylum to some 70,000 persons who identify themselves as Palestinians but who largely lack UNRWA assistance and, until recently, UNHCR recognition as refugees El Salvador in 1992, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, but despite Organization of American States (OAS) intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcation of the border remains stalled; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca advocating Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not identified in the ICJ decision, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca Equatorial Guinea in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; UN has been pressing Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to pledge to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay Eritrea Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but despite international intervention, mutual animosities, accusations, and armed posturing have prevented demarcation; Ethiopia refuses to withdraw to the delimited boundary until claimed technical errors made by the EEBC that ignored "human geography" are addressed, including the award of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war; Eritrea insists that the EEBC decision be implemented immediately without modifications; in 2005 Eritrea began severely restricting the operations of the UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) monitoring the 25km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000; Sudan sustains over 110,000 Eritrean refugees and accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups Estonia in 2005, Russia refuses to sign the 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia when Estonia prepares a unilateral declaration referencing Soviet occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands better accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules Ethiopia Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but mutual animosities, accusations, and armed posturing prevail, preventing demarcation despite international intervention; Ethiopia refuses to withdraw to the delimited boundary until technical errors made by the EEBC that ignored "human geography" are addressed, including the award of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war; Eritrea insists that the EEBC decision be implemented immediately without modifications; Ethiopia has only an administrative line and no international border with the Oromo region of southern Somalia where it maintains alliances with local clans in opposition to the unrecognized Somali Interim Government in Mogadishu; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Sudan have been delayed by civil war Europa Island claimed by Madagascar European Union as a political union, the EU has no border disputes with neighboring countries, but Estonia and Latvia have no land boundary agreements with Russia, Slovenia disputes its land and maritime boundaries with Croatia, and Spain has territorial and maritime disputes with Morocco; the EU has set up a Schengen area - consisting of 13 EU member states that have signed the convention implementing the Schengen agreements (1985 and 1990) on the free movement of persons and the harmonization of border controls in Europe; the Schengen agreements ("acquis") became incorporated into EU law with the implementation of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999; member states are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden; in addition, non-EU states Iceland and Norway (as part of the Nordic Union) have been included in the Schengen area since 1996 (full members in 2001), bringing the total current membership to 15; the UK (since 2000) and Ireland (since 2002) take part in some aspects of the Schengen area, especially with respect to police and criminal matters; the 10 new member states that joined the EU in 2004 eventually are expected to participate in Schengen, following a transition period to upgrade their border controls and procedures Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks Faroe Islands because anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resources have not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for full independence have been deferred; Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line boundary; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm Fiji none Finland various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands France Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia French Guiana Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana French Polynesia none French Southern and Antarctic Lands French claim to "Adelie Land" in Antarctica is not recognized by the US Gabon UN presses Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay; only a few hundred out of the 20,000 Republic of the Congo refugees who fled militia fighting in 2000 remain in Gabon Gambia, The attempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists from southern Senegal's Casamance region, as well as from conflicts in other west African states Gaza Strip West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in August 2005 Georgia Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting 80% of their common border, leaving certain small, strategic segments and the maritime boundary unresolved; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge in Abkhazia; UN Observer Mission in Georgia has maintained a peacekeeping force in Georgia since 1993; Meshkheti Turks scattered throughout the former Soviet Union seek to return to Georgia; boundary with Armenia remains undemarcated; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian government; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas Germany none Ghana Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped fighting in Cote d'Ivoire Gibraltar in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement; the government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even greater autonomy Glorioso Islands claimed by Madagascar Greece Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia Greenland managed dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland Grenada none Guadeloupe none Guam none Guatemala Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the rain forests of Belize's border region; Organization of American States (OAS) is attempting to revive the 2002 failed Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, a joint ecological park for the disputed Sapodilla Cays, and a substantial US-UK financial package; Guatemalans enter Mexico illegally seeking work or transit to the US Guernsey none Guinea conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in domestic instability; Sierra Leone has pressured Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga, occupied since 1998 Guinea-Bissau attempts to stem refugees and cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and political instability from a separatist movement in Senegal's Casamance region Guyana all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters Haiti since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians fleeing economic privation and civil unrest continue to cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island Heard Island and McDonald Islands none Holy See (Vatican City) none Honduras in 1992, International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border, but despite Organization of American States (OAS) intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcation of the border remains stalled; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJ ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize, but agreed to creation of a joint ecological park and Guatemalan corridor in the Caribbean in the failed 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum, which the OAS is attempting to revive; Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over a complex dispute over islands and maritime boundaries in the Caribbean Sea Hong Kong none Howland Island none Hungary in 2004, Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits - and voted down a referendum to extend dual citizenship - to ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring states, which have objected to such measures; consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Hungary must implement the strict Schengen border rules Iceland Iceland disputes Denmark's alignment of the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm Iles Eparses Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: claimed by Madagascar Tromelin Island: claimed by Mauritius India since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other matters continue; various talks and confidence-building measures have cautiously begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease fire in Kashmir and in 2005, restored bus service across the highly militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on the impact and benefits of India's building the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; disputes persist with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch; Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, to exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the border; dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; India seeks cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam separatists from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to demarcate minor disputed boundary sections; India maintains a strict border regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal Indian Ocean some maritime disputes (see littoral states) Indonesia East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey, and delimit land boundary, but several sections of the boundary remain unresolved; many East Timorese refugees who left in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which hinders a decision on a northern maritime boundary; a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts of their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain; ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil block; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Batam Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait Iran Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran; Iran stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors Iraq coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring boundary security; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq Ireland Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm Isle of Man none Israel West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region Italy Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa Jamaica none Jan Mayen none Japan the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting Jarvis Island none Jersey none Johnston Atoll none Jordan 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation Juan de Nova Island claimed by Madagascar Kazakhstan in 2005, Kazakhstan agreed with Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to commence demarcating their boundaries; delimitation with Kyrgyzstan is complete; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains unresolved; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states Kenya Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to approximately a quarter of a million refugees including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; the Kenya-Somalia border is open to pastoralists and is susceptible to cross-border clan insurgencies; Kenya's administrative limits extend beyond the treaty border into the Sudan, creating the Ilemi Triangle Kingman Reef none Kiribati none Korea, North China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers and a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with South over the Northern Limit Line; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima) Korea, South Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with North Korea over the Northern Limit Line; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954 Kuwait Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf Kyrgyzstan delimitation with Kazakhstan is complete; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation of 130 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas Laos Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels Latvia Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia must implement the strict Schengen border rules Lebanon Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978 Lesotho none Liberia although Liberia's domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs was declared over in 2003, civil unrest persists, and in 2004, 133,000 Liberian refugees remained in Guinea, 72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000 in Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone; since 2003, the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has maintained about 18,000 peacekeepers in Liberia; the Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivoirian rebels; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber Libya Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant disputes; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya Liechtenstein in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property Lithuania Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons Luxembourg none Macau none Macedonia ethnic Albanians in Kosovo object to demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Greece continues to reject the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France) Malawi disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant Malaysia Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - but parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; ICJ awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil block; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines retains a now dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; in 2003, Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalemated prompting consideration of international adjudication; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait Maldives none Mali none Malta none Marshall Islands claims US territory of Wake Island Martinique none Mauritania Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years Mauritius Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; claims French-administered Tromelin Island Mayotte claimed by Comoros Mexico prolonged drought, population growth, and outmoded practices and infrastructure in the border region have strained water-sharing arrangements with the US; the US has stepped up efforts to stem nationals from Mexico, Central America, and other parts of the world from illegally crossing the border with Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of none Midway Islands none Moldova Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region which remains under OSCE supervision Monaco none Mongolia none Montenegro ethnic Albanians in Kosovo refuse demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement, which includes a section of boundary with Montenegro Montserrat none Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussions have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation setting limits on exploration and refugee interdiction since Morocco's 2002 rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of a median line from the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa Mozambique none Namibia border commission has yet to resolve small residual disputes with Botswana along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river Nauru none Navassa Island claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing Nepal joint border commission continues to work on small disputed sections of boundary with India; India has instituted a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal cross-border activities Netherlands none Netherlands Antilles none New Caledonia Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu New Zealand asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) [see Antarctica] Nicaragua Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica Niger Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries Nigeria ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake Chad in the north; following the UN-brokered Greentree Agreement of 12 June 2006, Nigeria, in completion of the 2002 ICJ decision on the Cameroon-Nigerian land boundary, handed sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon on 14 August; all Nigerian military forces have reportedly withdrawn from the region but Nigeria will continue to maintain a police and administrative presence in the southeastern "transition zone" for a period of up to two years; Nigeria pledges to provide for the resettlement of those Bakassi residents who wish to remain Nigerian citizens; the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in implementation; a joint task force was established in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land boundary with Benin on the Okpara River; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries Niue none Norfolk Island none Northern Mariana Islands none Norway Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land and its continental shelf); despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone Oman boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah exclave, but details have not been made public Pacific Ocean some maritime disputes (see littoral states) Pakistan various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease-fire in the Kashmir, and in 2005 restored bus service across the highly militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on the impact of India's building the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration and in general the two states still dispute Indus River water sharing; to defuse tensions and prepare discussions on a maritime boundary, in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion of the disputed the Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, had repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees and had undertaken a census to count the remaining million or more, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to control the border with Afghanistan and stem organized terrorist or other illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings with Afghan and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments Palau border delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines, Indonesia Palmyra Atoll none Panama organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate within the border region with Panama Papua New Guinea relies on assistance from Australia to keep out illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and secessionists Paracel Islands occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam Paraguay unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations Peru Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral law to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundary along the parallel of latitude to an equidistance line which favors Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru does not support Bolivia's claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along the Peruvian border Philippines Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf Pitcairn Islands none Poland as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland must implement the strict Schengen border rules Portugal Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz Puerto Rico increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico each year looking for work Qatar none Reunion none Romania Romania and Ukraine have taken their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania also opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea; Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Romania, to which Romania had objected Russia in 2005, China and Russia ratified the treaty to divide up the islands in the Amur, Ussuri, and Argun Rivers, representing the final portion of their centuries-long border disputes; the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting all but small, strategic segments of the land boundary and the maritime boundary; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia signed equidistance boundaries in the Caspian seabed but the littoral states have no consensus on dividing the water column; Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone; various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia (Kareliya) and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union following the Second World War but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands; in May 2005, Russia recalled its signatures to the 1996 border agreements with Estonia (1996) and Latvia (1997), when the two Baltic states announced issuance of unilateral declarations referencing Soviet occupation and ensuing territorial losses; Russia demands better treatment of ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, to strict Schengen border rules; delimitation of land boundary with Ukraine is complete, but states have renewed discussions on demarcation; the dispute over the maritime boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-going expert-level discussions; discussions toward economic and political union with Belarus advance slowly; Kazakhstan and Russia boundary delimitation ratified November 2005 and demarcation is underway; Russian Duma has not yet ratified 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement with the US in the Bering Sea Rwanda Tutsi, Hutu, Hema, Lendu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda to gain control over populated areas and natural resources - government heads pledge to end conflicts, but localized violence continues despite UN peacekeeping efforts; DROC and Rwanda established a border verification mechanism in 2005 to address accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebels and the Congo providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the means and bases to attack Rwandan forces; as of 2004, Rwandan refugees lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia Saint Helena none Saint Kitts and Nevis joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Saint Lucia joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Saint Pierre and Miquelon none Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea Samoa none San Marino none Sao Tome and Principe none Saudi Arabia despite resistance from nomadic groups, the demarcation of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen boundary established under the 2000 Jeddah Treaty is almost complete; Saudi Arabia still maintains the concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier along sections of the border with Yemen in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran; the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as stipulated in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds that the agreement was not formally ratified Senegal The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem Senegalese citizens from the Casamance region fleeing separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling Serbia the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo remains unresolved and several thousand peacekeepers from the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) have administered the region since 1999, with Kosovar Albanians overwhelmingly supporting and Serbian officials opposing Kosovo independence; the international community had agreed to begin a process to determine final status but contingency of solidifying multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo has not been satisfied; ethnic Albanians in Kosovo refuse demarcation of the boundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Serbia and Montenegro delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but sections with Serbia along the Drina River remain in dispute Seychelles together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory) Sierra Leone domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone perpetuate insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone pressures Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga occupied since 1998 Singapore disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works, bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait Slovakia Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which Slovakia had protested; consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia must implement the strict Schengen border rules Slovenia the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains unratified and in dispute; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovenia must implement the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia Solomon Islands Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security Somalia "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities to landlocked Ethiopia and establish commercial ties with regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek support from neighboring states in their secessionist aspirations and in conflicts with each other; Ethiopia has only an administrative line with the Oromo region of southern Somalia and maintains alliances with local Somali clans opposed to the unrecognized Somali Interim Government, which plans eventual relocation from Kenya to Mogadishu; rival militia and clan fighting in southern Somalia periodically spills over into Kenya South Africa South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force Southern Ocean Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west Spain in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz Spratly Islands all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands Sri Lanka none Sudan the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-twentieth century have penetrated all of its border states that provide shelter for fleeing refugees and cover to disparate domestic and foreign conflicting elements; since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military have driven about 200,000 Darfur region refugees into eastern Chad; large numbers of Sudanese refugees have also fled to Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; southern Sudan provides shelter to Ugandans seeking periodic protection from soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by civil and ethnic fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundary extends into the southern Sudan, creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is economically developing the "Hala'ib Triangle" north of the Treaty Line; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations from the Central African Republic along the border Suriname area claimed by French Guiana between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters Svalbard despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone Swaziland none Sweden none Switzerland none Syria Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence personnel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan Taiwan involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting Tajikistan boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands, but neither state has published maps of ceded areas and demarcation has not yet commenced; talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan Tanzania disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant Thailand separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Burma over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers; Cambodia claims Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory and obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; ethnic Karens from Burma flee into Thailand - to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops - resulting in Thailand sheltering about 120,000 Burmese refugees in 2005; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric dam construction on the Salween River near the border; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province Togo in 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary Tokelau none Tonga none Trinidad and Tobago Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to challenge this boundary as it may extend into its waters as well Tromelin Island claimed by Mauritius Tunisia none Turkey complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh Turkmenistan cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation of land boundary with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled Turks and Caicos Islands have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder Tuvalu none Uganda Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces; Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) into the southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; LRA forces have attacked Kenyan villages across the border Ukraine 1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is complete and parties have renewed discussions on demarcation; the dispute over the maritime boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and ongoing expert-level discussions; Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria Region, which remains under OSCE supervision; in 2004 Ukraine and Romania took their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea United Arab Emirates the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as stipulated in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds that the agreement was not formally ratified; boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies United Kingdom in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965; most Chagossians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm United States prolonged drought, population growth, and outmoded practices and infrastructure in the border region strain water-sharing arrangements with Mexico; the US has stepped up efforts to stem nationals from Mexico, Central America, and other parts of the world from crossing illegally into the US from Mexico; illegal immigrants from the Caribbean, notably Haiti and the Dominican Republic, attempt to enter the US through Florida by sea; 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputes with Canada at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; US and Canada seek greater cooperation in monitoring people and commodities crossing the border; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other state; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges none Uruguay uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina Uzbekistan prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; delimitation with Kazakhstan complete with demarcation underway; border delimitation of 130 km of border with Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas Vanuatu Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France Venezuela claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; dispute with Colombia over Los Monjes islands and maritime boundary near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region resulting in several thousand residents migrating away from the border; US, France, and the Netherlands recognize Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation and other states' recognition of it Vietnam southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese squatters and armed encroachments along border; after years of Cambodia claiming Vietnam had moved or destroyed boundary markers, in 2005, after much domestic debate, Cambodia ratified an agreement with Vietnam that settled all but a small portion of the land boundary; establishment of a maritime boundary with Cambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over offshore islands; in 2004, Laotian-Vietnamese boundary commission agrees to erect missing markers in two adjoining provinces; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; China occupies Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities in the Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands Virgin Islands none Wake Island claimed by Marshall Islands Wallis and Futuna none West Bank West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region Western Sahara Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals World stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 329 international land boundaries separate the 193 independent states and 73 dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities; ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states into separate political entities as much as history, physical terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes arbitrary and imposed boundaries; maritime states have claimed limits and have so far established over 130 maritime boundaries and joint development zones to allocate ocean resources and to provide for national security at sea; boundary, borderland/resource, and territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized; most disputes over the alignment of political boundaries are confined to short segments and are today less common and less hostile than borderland, resource, and territorial disputes; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries, however, encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorial disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or they may be brought on by resource competition; ethnic and cultural clashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorial fragmentation around the world; disputes over islands at sea or in rivers frequently form the source of territorial and boundary conflict; other sources of contention include access to water and mineral (especially petroleum) resources, fisheries, and arable land; nonetheless, most nations cooperate to clarify their international boundaries and to resolve territorial and resource disputes peacefully; regional discord today prevails not so much between the armed forces of independent states as between stateless armed entities that detract from the sustenance and welfare of local populations, leaving the community of nations to cope with resultant refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmental degradation Yemen Yemen protests Eritrea fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Yemen by the ICJ in 1999; Saudi Arabia still maintains the concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier along sections of the border with Yemen in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections of the boundary Zambia in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river Zimbabwe Botswana has built electric fences and South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2075 Ethnic groups (%) Afghanistan Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4% Albania Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.) note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization) Algeria Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1% note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools American Samoa native Pacific islander 92.9%, Asian 2.9%, white 1.2%, mixed 2.8%, other 0.2% (2000 census) Andorra Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998) Angola Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22% Anguilla black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%, other 1.5% (2001 Census) Antigua and Barbuda black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian Argentina white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3% Armenia Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census) Aruba mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% Australia Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% Austria Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census) Azerbaijan Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9% (1999 census) note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region Bahamas, The black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% Bahrain Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census) Bangladesh Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998) Barbados black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6% Belarus Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census) Belgium Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% Belize mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% Benin African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 Bermuda black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2000 census) Bhutan Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15% Bolivia Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15% Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000) note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam Botswana Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7% Brazil white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2000 census) British Virgin Islands black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed Brunei Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12% Bulgaria Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census) Burkina Faso Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani Burma Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% Burundi Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000 Cambodia Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4% Cameroon Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1% Canada British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26% Cape Verde Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1% Cayman Islands mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20% Central African Republic Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2% Chad 200 distinct groups; in the north and center: Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim; in the south: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang, Moussei, Massa, most of whom are Christian or animist; about 1,000 French citizens live in Chad Chile white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2% China Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1% Christmas Island Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001) Cocos (Keeling) Islands Europeans, Cocos Malays Colombia mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% Comoros Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava Congo, Democratic Republic of the over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population Congo, Republic of the Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3% Cook Islands Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census) Costa Rica white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% Cote d'Ivoire Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998) Croatia Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census) Cuba mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1% Cyprus Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001) Czech Republic Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census) Denmark Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali Djibouti Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5% Dominica black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian Dominican Republic mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11% East Timor Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority Ecuador mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3% Egypt Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%, Greek, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1% El Salvador mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1% Equatorial Guinea Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish Eritrea Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3% Estonia Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census) Ethiopia Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1% Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) British Faroe Islands Scandinavian Fiji Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.) Finland Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.7%, Russian 0.4%, Estonian 0.2%, Roma 0.2%, Sami 0.1% France Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities French Guiana black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% French Polynesia Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4% Gabon Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba); other Africans and Europeans, 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality Gambia, The African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1% Gaza Strip Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6% Georgia Georgian 83.8%, Azeri 6.5%, Armenian 5.7%, Russian 1.5%, other 2.5% (2002 census) Germany German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish) Ghana African 98.5% (includes Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998) Gibraltar Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans Greece Greek 98%, Turkish and other 2% note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece Greenland Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (2000) Grenada black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian Guadeloupe black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% Guam Chamorro 37.1%, Filipino 26.3%, other Pacific islander 11.3%, white 6.9%, other Asian 6.3%, other ethnic origin or race 2.3%, mixed 9.8% (2000 census) Guatemala Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (2001 census) Guernsey UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other European countries Guinea Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10% Guinea-Bissau African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% Guyana East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7% Haiti black 95%, mulatto and white 5% Holy See (Vatican City) Italians, Swiss, other Honduras mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1% Hong Kong Chinese 95%, other 5% Hungary Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census) Iceland homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6% India Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000) Indonesia Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26% Iran Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% Iraq Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5% Ireland Celtic, English Isle of Man Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton Israel Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab) (2004) Italy Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) Jamaica black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1% Japan Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004) Jersey Jersey 51.1%, British 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) Jordan Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1% Kazakhstan Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census) Kenya Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1% Kiribati Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census) Korea, North racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese Korea, South homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) Kuwait Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1%, Ukrainian 1%, Uygur 1%, other 5.7% (1999 census) Laos Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% Latvia Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002) Lebanon Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians Lesotho Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, Liberia indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves) Libya Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians Liechtenstein Alemannic 86%, Italian, Turkish, and other 14% Lithuania Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census) Luxembourg Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo) and European (guest and resident workers) Macau Chinese 95.7%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) 1%, other 3.3% (2001 census) Macedonia Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Roma 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 census) Madagascar Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran Malawi Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European Malaysia Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, Indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.) Maldives South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs Mali Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5% Malta Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock) Marshall Islands Micronesian Martinique African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, East Indian and Chinese less than 5% Mauritania mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30% Mauritius Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2% Mayotte NA Mexico mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% Micronesia, Federated States of nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups Moldova Moldovan/Romanian 78.2%, Ukrainian 8.4%, Russian 5.8%, Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004 census) note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region Monaco French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% Mongolia Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000) Montenegro Montenegrin 43%, Serbian 32%, Bosniak 8%, Albanian 5%, other (Muslims, Croats, Roma) 12% Montserrat black, white Morocco Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2% Mozambique African 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08% Namibia black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5% note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups includes Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5% Nauru Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8% Nepal Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census) Netherlands Dutch 83%, other 17% (of which 9% are non-Western origin mainly Turks, Moroccans, Antilleans, Surinamese, and Indonesians) (1999 est.) Netherlands Antilles mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian New Caledonia Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3% New Zealand European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census) Nicaragua mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% Niger Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French expatriates Nigeria Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5% Niue Niuen 78.2%, Pacific islander 10.2%, European 4.5%, mixed 3.9%, Asian 0.2%, unspecified 3% (2001 census) Norfolk Island descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesian Northern Mariana Islands Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8% (2000 census) Norway Norwegian, Sami 20,000 Oman Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African Pakistan Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants) Palau Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 census) Panama mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6% Papua New Guinea Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian Paraguay mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% Peru Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% Philippines Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% (2000 census) Pitcairn Islands descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives Poland Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census) Portugal homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal Puerto Rico white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9% Qatar Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14% Reunion French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian Romania Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002 census) Russia Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census) Rwanda Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1% Saint Helena African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% Saint Kitts and Nevis predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese Saint Lucia black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% Saint Pierre and Miquelon Basques and Bretons (French fishermen) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 7% Samoa Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4% San Marino Sammarinese, Italian Sao Tome and Principe mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese) Saudi Arabia Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% Senegal Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4% Serbia Serb 66%, Albanian 17%, Hungarian 3.5%, other 13.5% (1991) Seychelles mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab Sierra Leone 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians Singapore Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census) Slovakia Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) Slovenia Slovene 83.1%, Serb 2%, Croat 1.8%, Bosniak 1.1%, other or unspecified 12% (2002 census) Solomon Islands Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census) Somalia Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000) South Africa black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census) Spain composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types Sri Lanka Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) Sudan black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% Suriname Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2% Svalbard Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3% (1998) Swaziland African 97%, European 3% Sweden indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks Switzerland German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% Syria Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% Taiwan Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2% Tajikistan Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6% (2000 census) Tanzania mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African Thailand Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% Togo African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1% Tokelau Polynesian Tonga Polynesian, Europeans Trinidad and Tobago Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census) Tunisia Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1% Turkey Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated) Turkmenistan Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003) Turks and Caicos Islands black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10% Tuvalu Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% Uganda Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%, Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi 2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8% Ukraine Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census) United Arab Emirates Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982) United Kingdom white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census) United States white 81.7%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% (2003 est.) note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.) Uruguay white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent) Uzbekistan Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.) Vanuatu Ni-Vanuatu 98.5%, other 1.5% (1999 Census) Venezuela Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people Vietnam Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census) Virgin Islands black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%, mixed 3.5% (2000 census) Wallis and Futuna Polynesian West Bank Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% Western Sahara Arab, Berber Yemen predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans Zambia African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2% Zimbabwe African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1% This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2076 Exchange rates Afghanistan afghanis per US dollar - 541 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003), 41 (2002), 66 (2001) note: in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency stabilized at about 50 afghanis to the dollar; before 2002, the market rate varied widely from the official rate Albania leke per US dollar - 102.649 (2005), 102.78 (2004), 121.863 (2003), 140.155 (2002), 143.485 (2001) Algeria Algerian dinars per US dollar - 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003), 79.682 (2002), 77.215 (2001) American Samoa the US dollar is used Andorra euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Angola kwanza per US dollar - 88.6 (2005), 83.541 (2004), 74.606 (2003), 43.53 (2002), 22.058 (2001) Anguilla East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) note: fixed rate since 1976 Antigua and Barbuda East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) note: fixed rate since 1976 Argentina Argentine pesos per US dollar - 2.9037 (2005), 2.9233 (2004), 2.9006 (2003), 3.0633 (2002), 0.9995 (2001) Armenia drams per US dollar - 457.69 (2005), 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003), 573.35 (2002), 555.08 (2001) Aruba Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001) Australia Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Austria euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Azerbaijan Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004), 4,910.73 (2003), 4,860.82 (2002), 4,656.58 (2001) note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000 old manats equal to 1 new manat Bahamas, The Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001) Bahrain Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003), 0.376 (2002), 0.376 (2001) Bangladesh taka per US dollar - 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.807 (2001) Barbados Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001) Belarus Belarusian rubles per US dollar - 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003), 1,790.92 (2002), 1,390 (2001) Belgium euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Belize Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001) Benin Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Bermuda Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) Bhutan ngultrum per US dollar - 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.186 (2001) Bolivia bolivianos per US dollar - 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002), 6.6069 (2001) Bosnia and Herzegovina marka per US dollar - 1.5727 (2005), 1.5752 (2004), 1.7329 (2003), 2.0782 (2002), 2.1857 (2001) note: the marka is pegged to the euro Botswana pulas per US dollar - 5.1104 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003), 6.3278 (2002), 5.8412 (2001) Brazil reals per US dollar - 2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003), 2.9208 (2002), 2.3577 (2001) British Virgin Islands the US dollar is used Brunei Bruneian dollars per US dollar - 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001) Bulgaria leva per US dollar - 1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001) Burkina Faso Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Burma kyats per US dollar - 5.761 (2005), 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003), 6.5734 (2002), 6.6841 (2001) note: these are official exchange rates; unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815 kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar, and by year-end 2005, the unofficial exchange rate was 1,075 kyat/US dollar Burundi Burundi francs per US dollar - 1,138 (2005), 1,100.91 (2004), 1,082.62 (2003), 930.75 (2002), 830.35 (2001) Cambodia riels per US dollar - 4,092.5 (2005), 4,016.25 (2004), 3,973.33 (2003), 3,912.08 (2002), 3,916.33 (2001) Cameroon Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Canada Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.2118 (2005), 1.301 (2004), 1.4011 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001) Cape Verde Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004), 97.703 (2003), 117.168 (2002), 123.228 (2001) Cayman Islands Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.82 (29 October 2001), 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993) Central African Republic Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Chad Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Chile Chilean pesos per US dollar - 560.09 (2005), 609.37 (2004), 691.43 (2003), 688.94 (2002), 634.94 (2001) China yuan per US dollar - 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001) Christmas Island Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Cocos (Keeling) Islands Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Colombia Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,320.75 (2005), 2,628.61 (2004), 2,877.65 (2003), 2,504.24 (2002), 2,299.63 (2001) Comoros Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 395.6 (2005), 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003), 522.74 (2002), 549.78 (2001) note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congolese francs per US dollar - 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003), 346.49 (2002), 206.62 (2001) Congo, Republic of the Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Cook Islands New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Costa Rica Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002), 328.87 (2001) Cote d'Ivoire Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Croatia kuna per US dollar - 5.9473 (2005), 6.0358 (2004), 6.7035 (2003), 7.8687 (2002), 8.34 (2001) Cuba Convertible pesos per US dollar - 0.93 note: Cuba has three currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP), the convertible peso (CUC), and the US dollar (USD), although the dollar is being withdrawn from circulation; in April 2005 the official exchange rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1), both for individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) for each CUC sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC bought; enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1 ratio. Cyprus Cypriot pounds per US dollar - 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003), 0.6107 (2002), 0.6431 (2001), Turkish lira per US dollar - 1.36 (2005), 1.426 million (2004), 1.501 million (2003), 1.507 million (2002), 1.226 million (2001) Czech Republic koruny per US dollar - 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002), 38.035 (2001) Denmark Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001) Djibouti Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004), 177.72 (2003), 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001) Dominica East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Dominican Republic Dominican pesos per US dollar - 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002), 16.952 (2001) East Timor the US dollar is used Ecuador 25,000 (2005), 25,000 (2004), 25,000 (2003), 25,000 (2002), 25,000 (2001) Egypt Egyptian pounds per US dollar - 5.78 (2005), 6.1962 (2004), 5.8509 (2003), 4.4997 (2002), 3.973 (2001) El Salvador the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001 Equatorial Guinea Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Eritrea nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 14.5 (2005), 13.788 (2004), 13.878 (2003), 13.958 (2002), 11.31 (2001) Estonia krooni per US dollar - 12.584 (2005), 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003), 16.612 (2002), 17.478 (2001), note - the krooni is pegged to the euro Ethiopia birr per US dollar - 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003), 8.5678 (2002), 8.4575 (2001) note: since 24 October 2001 exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank European Union euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound Faroe Islands Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001) Fiji Fijian dollars per US dollar - 1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003), 2.1869 (2002), 2.2766 (2001) Finland euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) France euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) French Guiana euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) French Polynesia Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001) note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro Gabon Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Gambia, The dalasi per US dollar - 30.38 (2005), 30.03 (2004), 27.306 (2004), 19.918 (2003), 15.687 (2002), 15.687 (2001) Gaza Strip new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001) Georgia lari per US dollar - 1.8127 (2005), 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003), 2.1957 (2002), 2.073 (2001) Germany euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Ghana cedis per US dollar - 9,072.5 (2005), 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003), 7,932.7 (2002), 7,170.8 (2001) Gibraltar Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound Greece euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Greenland Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001) Grenada East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Guadeloupe euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 j(2001) Guam the US dollar is used Guatemala quetzales per US dollar - 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003), 7.8217 (2002), 7.8586 (2001) Guernsey Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound Guinea Guinean francs per US dollar - 2,550 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003), 1,975.8 (2002), 1,950.6 (2001) Guinea-Bissau Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro Guyana Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003), 190.67 (2002), 187.32 (2001) Haiti gourdes per US dollar - 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003), 29.251 (2002), 24.429 (2001) Holy See (Vatican City) euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Honduras lempiras per US dollar - 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003), 16.433 (2002), 15.474 (2001) Hong Kong Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002), 7.7988 (2001) Hungary forints per US dollar - 199.58 (2005), 202.75 (2004), 224.31 (2003), 257.89 (2002), 286.49 (2001) Iceland Icelandic kronur per US dollar - 62.982 (2005), 70.192 (2004), 76.709 (2003), 91.662 (2002), 97.425 (2001) India Indian rupees per US dollar - 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.186 (2001) Indonesia Indonesian rupiahs per US dollar - 9,704.7 (2005), 8,938.9 (2004), 8,577.1 (2003), 9,311.2 (2002), 10,260.9 (2001) Iran rials per US dollar - 8,964 (2005), 8,614 (2004), 8,193.9 (2003), 6,907 (2002), 1,753.6 (2001) note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002 Iraq New Iraqi dinars per US dollar - 1,475 (2005), 1,890 (second half, 2003), 0.3109 (2001) Ireland euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Isle of Man Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) Israel new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001) Italy euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Jamaica Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003), 48.416 (2002), 45.996 (2001) Japan yen per US dollar - 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001) Jersey Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound Jordan Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2005), 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003), 0.709 (2002), 0.709 (2001) Kazakhstan tenge per US dollar - 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003), 153.28 (2002), 146.74 (2001) Kenya Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004), 75.936 (2003), 78.749 (2002), 78.563 (2001) Kiribati Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Korea, North official: North Korean won per US dollar - 170 (December 2004), 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002) Korea, South South Korean won per US dollar - 1,024.1 (2005), 1,145.3 (2004), 1,191.6 (2003), 1,251.1 (2002), 1,291 (2001) Kuwait Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039 (2002), 0.3067 (2001) Kyrgyzstan soms per US dollar - 41.012 (2005), 42.65 (2004), 43.648 (2003), 46.937 (2002), 48.378 (2001) Laos kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001) Latvia lati per US dollar - 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002), 0.6279 (2001) Lebanon Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001) Lesotho maloti per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) Liberia Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003), 61.754 (2002), 48.583 (2001) Libya Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.3084 (2005), 1.305 (2004), 1.2929 (2003), 1.2707 (2002), 0.6051 (2001) Liechtenstein Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001) Lithuania litai per US dollar - 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003), 3.677 (2002), 4 (2001) Luxembourg euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Macau patacas per US dollar - 8.011 (2005), 8.022 (2004), 8.021 (2003), 8.033 (2002), 8.034 (2001) Macedonia Macedonian denars per US dollar - 48.92 (2005), 49.41 (2004), 54.322 (2003), 64.35 (2002), 68.037 (2001) Madagascar Malagasy ariary per US dollar - 2,003 (2005), 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003), 1,366.4 (2002), 1,317.7 (2001) Malawi Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 108.894 (2005), 108.898 (2004), 97.433 (2003), 76.687 (2002), 72.197 (2001) Malaysia ringgits per US dollar - 3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004), 3.8 (2003), 3.8 (2002), 3.8 (2001) Maldives rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003), 12.8 (2002), 12.24 (2001) Mali Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Malta Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.34578 (2005), 0.34466 (2004), 0.37723 (2003), 0.43362 (2002), 0.45004 (2001) Marshall Islands the US dollar is used Martinique euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Mauritania ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2005), NA (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002), 255.63 (2001) Mauritius Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003), 29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001) Mayotte euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Mexico Mexican pesos per US dollar - 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003), 9.656 (2002), 9.342 (2001) Micronesia, Federated States of the US dollar is used Moldova lei per US dollar - 12.6 (2005), 12.33 (2004), 13.945 (2003), 13.571 (2002), 12.865 (2001) Monaco euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Mongolia togrogs/tugriks per US dollar - 1,187.17 (2005), 1,185.3 (2004), 1,146.5 (2003), 1,110.3 (2002), 1,097.7 (2001) Montenegro euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8089 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Montserrat East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) note: fixed rate since 1976 Morocco Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.574 (2003), 11.021 (2002), 11.303 (2001) Mozambique meticais per US dollar - 23,061 (2005), 22,581 (2004), 23,782 (2003), 23,678 (2002), 20,704 (2001) Namibia Namibian dollars per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) Nauru Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Nepal Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 71.368 (2005), 73.674 (2004), 76.141 (2003), 77.877 (2002), 74.949 (2001) Netherlands euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001) New Caledonia Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001) New Zealand New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Nicaragua gold cordobas per US dollar - 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001) Niger Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Nigeria nairas per US dollar - 132.59 (2005), 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003), 120.58 (2002), 111.23 (2001) Niue New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Norfolk Island Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Northern Mariana Islands the US dollar is used Norway Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003), 7.9838 (2002), 8.9917 (2001) Oman Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003), 0.3845 (2002), 0.3845 (2001) Pakistan Pakistani rupees per US dollar - 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004), 57.752 (2003), 59.724 (2002), 61.927 (2001) Palau the US dollar is used Panama balboas per US dollar - 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001) Papua New Guinea kina per US dollar - 3.08 (2005), 3.2225 (2004), 3.5635 (2003), 3.8952 (2002), 3.3887 (2001) Paraguay guarani per US dollar - 6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003), 5,716.3 (2002), 4,105.9 (2001) Peru nuevo sol per US dollar - 3.2958 (2005), 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003), 3.5165 (2002), 3.5068 (2001) Philippines Philippine pesos per US dollar - 55.086 (2005), 56.04 (2004), 54.203 (2003), 51.604 (2002), 50.993 (2001) Pitcairn Islands New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Poland zlotych per US dollar - 3.2355 (2005), 3.6576 (2004), 3.8891 (2003), 4.08 (2002), 4.0939 (2001) note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty Portugal euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Puerto Rico the US dollar is used Qatar Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.64 (2005), 3.64 (2004), 3.64 (2003), 3.64 (2002), 3.64 (2001) Reunion euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Romania lei per US dollar - 3 (2005), 3 (2004), 3 (2003), 3 (2002), 3 (2001) Russia Russian rubles per US dollar - 28.284 (2005), 28.814 (2004), 30.692 (2003), 31.349 (2002), 29.169 (2001) Rwanda Rwandan francs per US dollar - 610 (2005), 574.62 (2004), 537.66 (2003), 476.33 (2002), 442.8 (2001) Saint Helena Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound Saint Kitts and Nevis East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Saint Lucia East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Saint Pierre and Miquelon euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) Samoa tala per US dollar - 2.7103 (2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002), 3.478 (2001) San Marino euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Sao Tome and Principe dobras per US dollar - 9,900.4 (2005), (2004), 9,347.6 (2003), 9,088.3 (2002), 8,842.1 (2001) Saudi Arabia Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.747 (2005), 3.75 (2004), 3.75 (2003), 3.75 (2002), 3.75 (2001) Senegal Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Serbia new Yugoslav dinars per US dollar - 58.6925 (2005) Seychelles Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.5 (2005), 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003), 5.48 (2002), 5.8575 (2001) Sierra Leone leones per US dollar - 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003), 2,099 (2002), 1,986.2 (2001) Singapore Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001) Slovakia koruny per US dollar - 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002), 48.355 (2001) Slovenia tolars per US dollar - 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003), 240.25 (2002), 242.75 (2001) Solomon Islands Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001) Somalia Somali shillings per US dollar - 11,000 (November 2000), 2,620 (January 1999), 7,500 (November 1997 est.), 7,000 (January 1996 est.), 5,000 (1 January 1995) note: the Republic of Somaliland, a self-declared independent country not recognized by any foreign government, issues its own currency, the Somaliland shilling South Africa rand per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) Spain euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) Sri Lanka Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002), 89.383 (2001) Sudan Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 243.61 (2005), 257.91 (2004), 260.98 (2003), 263.31 (2002), 258.7 (2001) Suriname Surinamese dollars per US dollar - 2.7317 (2005), Surinamese guilders per US dollar - 2.7336 (2004), 2.6013 (2003), 2.3468 (2002), 2.1785 (2001) note: during 1998, the exchange rate splintered into four distinct rates; in January 1999 the government floated the guilder, but subsequently fixed it when the black-market rate plunged; in January 2004, the government introduced the Surinamese dollar as replacement for the guilder, tied to a US dollar-dominated currency basket Svalbard Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003), 7.9838 (2002), 8.9917 (2001) Swaziland emalangeni per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) Sweden Swedish kronor per US dollar - 7.4731 (2005), 7.3489 (2004), 8.0863 (2003), 9.7371 (2002), 10.3291 (2001) Switzerland Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001) Syria Syrian pounds per US dollar - (public sector rate): 11.225 (2005), 11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), (parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut): NA (2005), NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2001), (official rate for repaying loans): 11.25 (2004) Taiwan new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002), 33.09 (2001) Tajikistan Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004), 3.0614 (2003), 2.7641 (2002), 2.3722 (2001) Tanzania Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 1,128.93 (2005), 1,089.33 (2004), 1,038.42 (2003), 966.58 (2002), 876.41 (2001) Thailand baht per US dollar - 40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004), 41.485 (2003), 42.96 (2002), 44.432 (2001) Togo Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Tokelau New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) Tonga pa'anga per US dollar - 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003), 2.1952 (2002), 2.1236 (2001) Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001) Tunisia Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003), 1.4217 (2002), 1.4387 (2001) Turkey Turkish liras per US dollar - 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004), 1.5009 (2003), 1.5072 (2002), 1.2256 (2001) note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish Lira (TRL) was converted to new Turkish Lira (YTL) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish Lira Turkmenistan in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 24,000 to 25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar; the official rate has consistently been 5,200 manat to the dollar Turks and Caicos Islands the US dollar is used Tuvalu Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Uganda Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,780.7 (2005), 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002), 1,755.7 (2001) Ukraine hryvnia per US dollar - 5.1247 (2005), 5.3192 (2004), 5.3327 (2003), 5.3266 (2002), 5.3722 (2001) United Arab Emirates Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001) note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002 United Kingdom British pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) United States British pounds per US dollar - 0.5500 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001); Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.2118 (2005), 1.3010 (2004), 1.4011 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001); Japanese yen per US dollar - 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001); euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.8866 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001); Chinese yuan per US dollar - 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.2770 (2003), 8.2770 (2002), 8.2271 (2001) Uruguay Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 24.479 (2005), 28.704 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 21.257 (2002), 13.319 (2001) Uzbekistan Uzbekistani soum per US dollar - 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (2004), 771.029 (2002), 423.832 (2002), 236.61 (2001) Vanuatu vatu per US dollar - NA (2005), 111.79 (2004), 122.19 (2003), 139.2 (2002), 145.31 (2001) Venezuela bolivares per US dollar - 2,089.8 (2005), 1,891.3 (2004), 1,607 (2003), 1,161 (2002), 723.7 (2001) Vietnam dong per US dollar - 15,746 (2005), (2004), 15,510 (2003), 15,280 (2002), 14,725 (2001) Virgin Islands the US dollar is used Wallis and Futuna Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001) West Bank new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001) Western Sahara Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001) Yemen Yemeni rials per US dollar - 192.67 (2005), 184.78 (2004), 183.45 (2003), 175.63 (2002), 168.67 (2001) Zambia Zambian kwacha per US dollar - 4,463.5 (2005), 4,778.9 (2004), 4,733.3 (2003), 4,398.6 (2002), 3,610.9 (2001) Zimbabwe Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 4,303.28 (2005), 5,068.66 (2004), 697.424 (2003), 55.036 (2002), 55.052 (2001) note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2077 Executive branch Afghanistan chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; former King ZAHIR Shah holds the honorific, "Father of the Country," and presides symbolically over certain occasions, but lacks any governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government cabinet: 27 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a second round; a president can only be elected for two terms; election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote - Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANOONI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ 11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda JALAL 1.2% Akrotiri chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defence elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch Albania chief of state: President of the Republic Alfred MOISIU (since 24 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 24 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Alfred MOISIU elected president; People's Assembly vote by number - total votes 116, for 97, against 19 Algeria chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Abdelaziz BELKHADEM cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA reelected president for second term; percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA 85%, Ali BENFLIS 6.4%, Abdellah DJABALLAH 5% American Samoa chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 7 April 2003) cabinet: Cabinet made up of 12 department directors elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as American Samoa, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 and 16 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Togiola TULAFONO elected governor; percent of vote - Togiola TULAFONO 55.7%, Afoa Moega LUTU 44.3% Andorra chief of state: French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Philippe MASSONI (since 26 July 2002); Spanish Coprince Bishop Joan Enric VIVES i SICILIA (since 12 May 2003), represented by Nemesi MARQUES i OSTE (since NA) head of government: Executive Council President Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA (since 27 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive Council president elections: Executive Council president elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held April-May 2009) election results: Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA elected executive council president; percent of General Council vote - NA Angola chief of state: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Fernando de Piedade Dias DOS SANTOS was appointed Prime Minister on 6 December 2002 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by universal ballot for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive or discontinuous term) under the 1992 constitution; President DOS SANTOS originally elected (in 1979) without opposition under a one-party system and stood for reelection in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held September 2006 or 2007) election results: Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI 40.1%, making a run-off election necessary; the run-off was not held and SAVIMBI's National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) repudiated the results of the first election; the civil war resumed leaving DOS SANTOS in his current position as the president Anguilla chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew N. GEORGE (since 10 July 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March 2000) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the House of Assembly elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor Antigua and Barbuda chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir James B. CARLISLE (since 10 June 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general Argentina chief of state: President Nestor KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); Vice President Daniel SCIOLI (since 25 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Nestor KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); Vice President Daniel SCIOLI (since 25 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 27 April 2003 (next election to be held in 2007) election results: results of the presidential election of 27 April 2003: Carlos Saul MENEM 24.3%, Nestor KIRCHNER 22%, Ricardo Lopez MURPHY 16.4%, Adolfo Rodriguez SAA 14.4%, Elisa CARRIO 14.2%, other 8.7%; the subsequent runoff election slated for 25 May 2003 was awarded to KIRCHNER by default after MENEM withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the election Armenia chief of state: President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Andranik MARGARYAN (since 12 May 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February and 5 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed with the majority support of the National Assembly; the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program election results: Robert KOCHARIAN reelected president; percent of vote - Robert KOCHARIAN 67.5%, Stepan DEMIRCHYAN 32.5% Aruba chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last held 2005 (next to be held by 2009) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA Australia chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003) head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister Mark VAILE (since 6 July 2005) cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party Austria chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held April 2010); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6% note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe Azerbaijan chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since 10 November 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008); prime minister and first deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly election results: Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote - Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14% Bahamas, The chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister Bahrain chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969) head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa (since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch Bangladesh chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002); note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at presidential direction - to supervise the elections head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election to be held by 2007); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA Barbados chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 7 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May 2003) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister Belarus chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKIY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits allowing president to run in a third election held on 19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%, Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud Belgium chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit Belize chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister Benin chief of state: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011) election results: YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5% Bermuda chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir John VEREKER (since 11 April 2002) head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006); Deputy Premier Paula COX cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor Bhutan chief of state: King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sangay NGEDUP (since 5 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed, five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July 1998 grant the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote Bolivia chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7% Bosnia and Herzegovina chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Nebojsa RADMANOVIC (chairman since 6 November 2006; presidency member since 1 October 2006 - Serb); other members of the three-member presidency rotating (every eight months): Zeljko KOMSIC (since 1 October 2006 - Croat) and Haris SILAJDZIC (since 1 October 2006 - Bosniak) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adnan TERZIC (since 20 December 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman; approved by the National House of Representatives elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one Croat, one Serb) are elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term, but then ineligible for four years); the member with the most votes becomes the chairman unless he or she was the incumbent chairman at the time of the election, but the chairmanship rotates every eight months; election last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); the chairman of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the National House of Representatives election results: percent of vote - Nebojsa RADMANOVIC with 53.3% of the Serb vote; Zeljko KOMSIC received 39.6% of the Croat vote; Haris SILAJDZIC received 62.8% of the Bosniak vote note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Niko LOZANCIC (since 27 January 2003); Vice Presidents Sahbaz DZIHANOVIC (since in 2003) and Desnica RADIVOJEVIC (since in 2003); President of the Republika Srpska: Milan JELIC (since 9 November 2006) Botswana chief of state: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009); vice president appointed by the president election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52% Brazil chief of state: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 1 October 2006 with runoff 29 October 2006 (next to be held 3 October 2010 and, if necessary, 31 October 2010) election results: Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (PT) reelected president - 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17% British Indian Ocean Territory chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch British Virgin Islands chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Dr. Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor Brunei chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Cabinet Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarch; deals with executive matters; note - there is also a Religious Council (members appointed by the monarch) that advises on religious matters, a Privy Council (members appointed by the monarch) that deals with constitutional matters, and the Council of Succession (members appointed by the monarch) that determines the succession to the throne if the need arises elections: none; the monarch is hereditary Bulgaria chief of state: President Georgi PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August 2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivaylo KALFIN, Daniel VULCHEV, and Emel ETEM (since 16 August 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly election results: Georgi PURVANOV reelected president; percent of vote - Georgi PURVANOV 77.3%, Volen SIDEROV 22.7%; Sergei STANISHEV elected prime minister, result of legislative vote - 168 to 67 Burkina Faso chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Paramanga Ernest YONLI (since 6 November 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 November 2005 (next to be held in 2010); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005; prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president; percent of popular vote - Blaise COMPAORE 80.3%, Benewende Stanislas SANKARA 4.9% Burma chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992) head of government: Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October 2004) cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by the SPDC; military junta, so named 15 November 1997, assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) elections: none Burundi chief of state: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Martin NDUWIMANA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2005); Second Vice President Marina BARAMPAMA - Hutu (since 8 September 2006) head of government: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Martin NDUWIMANA - Tutsi (since 29 August 2005); Second Vice President Marina BARAMPAMA - Hutu (since 8 September 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president elections: the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament election results: Pierre NKURUNZIZA was elected president by the parliament by a vote of 151 to 9; note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the legislature Cambodia chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985) and Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since 3 February 1992); SOK AN, LU LAY SRENG, TEA BANH, HOR NAMHONG, NHEK BUNCHHAY (since 16 July 2004); KEV PUT REAKSMEI (since 24 October 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers in theory appointed by the monarch; in practice named by the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is chosen by a Royal Throne Council; following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the king Cameroon chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) head of government: Prime Minister Ephraim INONI (since 8 December 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 October 2004 (next to be held by October 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 70.9%, John FRU NDI 17.4%, Adamou Ndam NJOYA 4.5%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.7% Canada chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Michaelle JEAN (since 27 September 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Stephen HARPER (since 6 February 2006) cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Commons is automatically designated prime minister by the governor general Cape Verde chief of state: President Pedro Verona PIRES (since 22 March 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 12 February 2006 (next to be held February 2011); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president election results: Pedro PIRES reelected president; percent of vote - Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 51.2%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 48.8% Cayman Islands chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Governor Stuart JACK (since 23 November 2005) head of government: Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS (since 18 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor Leader of Government Business Central African Republic chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup) head of government: Prime Minister Elie DOTE (since 13 June 2005); note - Celestin GAOMBALET resigned 11 June 2005 cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: under the new constitution, the president elected to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 13 March and 8 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority election results: Francois BOZIZE elected president; percent of second round balloting - Francois BOZIZE (KNK) 64.6%, Martin ZIGUELE (MLPC) 35.4% Chad chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno (since 4 December 1990) head of government: Prime Minister Pascal YOADIMNADJI (since 3 February 2005) cabinet: Council of State, members appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year term; if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second round of voting; last held 3 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 64.7%, Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE 15.1%, Albert Pahimi PADACKE 7.8%, Mahamat ABDOULAYE 7.1%, Brahim KOULAMALLAH 5.3%; note - a June 2005 national referendum altered the constitution removing presidential term limits and permitting Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno to run for reelection Chile chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held 15 January 2006 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique 46.5% China chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Executive Vice Premier HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premiers WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003) cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC) elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress election results: HU Jintao elected president by the 10th National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (four delegates voted against him, four abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the 10th National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote); two seats were vacant Christmas Island chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia Cocos (Keeling) Islands chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia Colombia chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002) cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the two dominant parties - the PL and PSC - and independents elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez reelected president; percent of vote - Alvaro URIBE Velez 62%, Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz 22%, Horacio SERPA Uribe 12%, other 4% Comoros chief of state: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006); head of government: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006); cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three main islands in the Union; election last held 14 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2010); prime minister appointed by the president; note - the post of Prime Minister has been vacant since May 2002 election results: Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI elected president; percent of vote - Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI 58.0%, Ibrahim HALIDI 28.3%, Mohamed DJAANFAMI 13.7% Congo, Democratic Republic of the chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the president elections: under the new constitution the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 30 July 2006 with a second round held on 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: results of 29 October 2006 elections (second round); Joseph KABILA 58%, Jean-Pierre BEMBA Gombo 42% note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, following the latter's assassination in January 2001; negotiations with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free elections held on 30 July 2006 and 29 October 2006 where the poplar vote confirmed Joseph KABILA as president Congo, Republic of the chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7% Cook Islands chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since 6 September 2005), representative of New Zealand head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Terepai MAOATE (since 9 August 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister Coral Sea Islands administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories Costa Rica chief of state: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held February 2010) election results: Oscar ARIAS Sanchez elected president; percent of vote - Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (PLN) 40.9%; Otto SOLIS (PAC) 39.8%, Otto GUEVARA Guth (PML) 8%, Ricardo TOLEDO (PUSC) 3%; note - official results pending the resolution of election challenges Cote d'Ivoire chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Charles Konan BANNY (since 7 December 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held by October 2006, after the government postponed the election); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote - Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other 2.2% Croatia chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December 2003) and Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the parliamentary Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held January 2010); the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR (HDZ) 34% in the second round Cuba chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100% Cyprus chief of state: President Tassos PAPADOPOULOS (since 1 March 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; post of vice president is currently vacant; under the 1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot head of government: President Tassos PAPADOPOULOS (since 1 March 2003); note - post of vice president is currently vacant; under the 1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed jointly by the president and vice president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) election results: Tassos PAPADOPOULOS elected president; percent of vote - Tassos PAPADOPOULOS 51.5%, Glafkos KLIRIDIS 38.8%, Alekos MARKIDIS 6.6% note: Mehmet Ali TALAT became "president" of north Cyprus, 24 April 2005, after "presidential" elections on 17 April 2005; results - Mehmet Ali TALAT 55.6%, Dervis EROGLU 22.7%; Ferdi Sabit SOYER is "prime minister"; there is a Council of Ministers (cabinet) in north Cyprus, appointed by the "prime minister" Czech Republic chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003) note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years; parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two inconclusive elections in January 2003 head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 4 September 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 4 September 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive; next election to be held January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament) Denmark chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26 May 1968) head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001) cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch Dhekelia chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defence elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch Djibouti chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2005 (next to be held by April 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100% Dominica chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% Dominican Republic chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008) election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7% East Timor chief of state: President Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 20 May 2002); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections; he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre GUSMAO head of government: Prime Minister Jose RAMOS-HORTA (since 10 July 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Estanlislau Maria Alexio da SILVA (since 10 July 2006); Second Deputy Prime Minister Rui Maria do ARAUJO (since 10 July 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO elected president; percent of vote - Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO 82.7%, Francisco Xavier do AMARAL 17.3% Ecuador chief of state: President Alfredo PALACIO (since 20 April 2005); Vice President Nicanor Alejandro SERRANO Aguilar (since 5 May 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; former President Lucio GUTIERREZ was removed from office by congress effective 20 April 2005 head of government: President Alfredo PALACIO (since 20 April 2005); Vice President Nicanor Alejandro SERRANO Aguilar (since 5 May 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff election scheduled for 26 November 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: results of the 15 October 2006 election; percent of vote - Alvaro NOBOA 26.8%; Rafael CORREA 22.8%; Gilmar GUTIERREZ 17.4%; Leon ROLDOS Aguilera 14.8%; Cynthia VITERI 9.6%; note - a runoff election will be held 26 November 2006 between NOBOA and CORREA Egypt chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October 1981) head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF (since 9 July 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term (no term limits); note - a national referendum in May 2005 approved a constitutional amendment that changed the presidential election to a multicandidate popular vote; previously the president was nominated by the People's Assembly and the nomination was validated by a national, popular referendum; last referendum held 26 September 1999; first election under terms of constitutional amendment held 7 September 2005; next election scheduled for 2011 election results: Hosni MUBARAK reelected president; percent of vote - Hosni MUBARAK 88.6%, Ayman NOUR 7.6%, Noman GOMAA 2.9% El Salvador chief of state: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 21 March 2004 (next to be held March 2009) election results: Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected president; percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (ARENA) 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL (FMLN) 35.6%, Hector SILVA (CDU-PDC) 3.9%, other 2.8% Equatorial Guinea chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup) head of government: Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since 14 August 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud Eritrea chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated) election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95% Estonia chief of state: President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9 October 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 23 September 2006 (next to be held fall of 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament election results: Toomas Hendrik ILVES elected president on 23 September 2006 by a 345-member electoral assembly; ILVES received 174 votes to incumbent Arnold RUUTEL's 162; remaining 9 ballots left blank or invalid Ethiopia chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001) head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since NA August 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 October 2001 (next to be held October 2007); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 100% European Union chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004) cabinet: European Commission (composed of 25 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas) elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments; the president-designate then chooses the other Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; election last held 18 November 2004 (next to be held 2009) election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by an approval vote of 449 to 149 with 82 abstentions note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least twice a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since March 2003); Financial Secretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA) cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch Faroe Islands chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Birgit KLEIS, chief administrative officer (since 1 November 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Joannes EIDESGAARD (since 3 February 2004) cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) election results: Joannes EIDESGAARD elected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - NA Fiji chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since 18 July 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10 September 2000) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA Finland chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003) and Deputy Prime Minister Eero HEINALUOMA (since 24 September 2005) cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HOLONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2% note: government coalition - Kesk, SDP, and SFP France chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Dominique DE VILLEPIN (since 31 May 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (changed from seven-year term in October 2000); election last held 21 April and 5 May 2002 (next to be held, first round April 2007, second round May 2007); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed by the president election results: Jacques CHIRAC reelected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Jacques CHIRAC (RPR) 81.96%, Jean-Marie LE PEN (FN) 18.04% French Guiana chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Pierre LAFLAQUIERE (since 19 July 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Pierre DESERT (since 26 March 2004); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils French Polynesia chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Anne BOQUET (since September 2005) head of government: President of French Polynesia Oscar TEMARU (since 3 March 2005); President of the Territorial Assembly Antony GEROS (since 9 May 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the territorial government and the president of the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly for five-year terms (no term limits) French Southern and Antarctic Lands chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Senior Administrator Michel CHAMPON Gabon chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba (since 2 December 1967) head of government: Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe NDONG (since 20 January 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba reelected; percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba 79.2%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 13.6%, Zacharie MYBOTO 6.6% Gambia, The chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); note - from 1994 to 1996 he was chairman of the Junta); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); note - from 1994 to 1996 he was chairman of the Junta); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 22 September 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 67.3%, Ousainou DARBOE 26.6% Georgia chief of state: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and defense head of government: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); Prime Minister Zurab NOGHAIDELI (since 17 February 2005); note - the president is the chief of state and head of government for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and defense; the prime minister is head of the remaining ministries of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 January 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Mikheil SAAKASHVILI elected president; percent of vote - Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 96.3%, Temur SHASHIASHVILI 1.9% Germany chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor elections: president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) by a Federal Convention, including all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 22 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Angela MERKEL elected chancellor; vote by Federal Assembly 397 to 202 with 12 abstentions Ghana chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by Parliament elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 53.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.7% Gibraltar chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir Robert FULTON (since 27 October 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor Greece chief of state: President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Konstandinos (Kostas) KARAMANLIS (since 7 March 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held by February 2010); according to the Greek Constitution, presidents may only serve two terms; president appoints leader of the party securing plurality of vote in election to become prime minister and form a government election results: Karolos PAPOULIAS elected president; number of parlimentary votes, 279 out of 300 Greenland chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since April 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Hans ENOKSEN (since 14 December 2002) cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the parliament (Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; prime minister is elected by parliament (usually the leader of the majority party); election last held 3 December 2002 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Hans ENOKSEN elected prime minister note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit Grenada chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general Guadeloupe chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Jacques BROT (since 12 June 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Jacques GILLOT (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Victorin LUREL (since 2 April 2004) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils election results: NA Guam chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Felix P. CAMACHO (since 6 January 2003) and Lieutenant Governor Kaleo MOYLAN (since 6 January 2003) cabinet: heads of executive departments; appointed by the governor with the consent of the Guam legislature elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Guam, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term (can serve two consecutive terms, then must wait a full term before running again); election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: Felix P. CAMACHO reelected governor; Dr. Michael W. CRUZ elected lieutenant governor; percent of vote - NA Guatemala chief of state: President Oscar Jose Rafael BERGER Perdomo (since 14 January 2004); Vice President Eduardo STEIN Barillas (since 14 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Oscar Jose Rafael BERGER Perdomo (since 14 January 2004); Vice President Eduardo STEIN Barillas (since 14 January 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 9 November 2003; runoff held 28 December 2003 (next to be held September 2007) election results: Oscar BERGER Perdomo elected president; percent of vote - Oscar BERGER Perdomo (GANA) 54.1%, Alvarado COLOM (UNE) 45.9% Guernsey chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Fabian MALBON (since 28 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Laurie MORGAN (since 1 May 2004) cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Delibertion election results: Laurie MORGAN elected chief minister, percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA Guinea chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993) head of government: vacant; note - Prime Minister Cellou Dalein DIALLO was dismissed on 5 April 2006 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president; election last held 21 December 2003 (next to be held December 2010); the prime minister is appointed by the president election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE (PUP) 95.3%, Mamadou Boye BARRY (UPR) 4.6% Guinea-Bissau chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Aristides GOMES (since 2 November 2005) cabinet: NA elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malan Bacai SANHA 47.6% Guyana chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN and reelected in 2001, and again in 2006 head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992, except for a period as chief of state after the death of President Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6% Haiti chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since 30 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene PREVAL 51% Holy See (Vatican City) chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006) cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI Honduras chief of state: President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); First Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006); Second Vice President (vacant); Third Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); First Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006); Second Vice President (vacant); Third Vice President (vacant) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (PL) elected president - 49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa (PN) 46.1%, other 4.1% Hong Kong chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005) cabinet: Executive Council consists of 14 official members and 15 non-official members elections: previous chief executive TUNG Chee-hwa was elected to second five-year term in March 2002 by 800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing forces, resignation accepted 12 March 2005; Donald TSANG acted as chief executive between 12 March 2005 and 25 May 2005; Henry TANG acted as chief executive between 25 May 2005 and 24 June 2005; TSANG was elected on 16 June 2005 to fill final two years of TUNG's term (next election to be held in March 2007) Hungary chief of state: Laszlo SOLYOM (since 5 August 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29 September 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6-7 June 2005 (next to be held by June 2010); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004 election results: Laszlo SOLYOM elected president by a simple majority in the third round of voting, 185 to 182; Ferenc GYURCSANY elected prime minister; result of legislative vote - 197 to 12 note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round Iceland chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Geir H. HAARDE (since 7 June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: president, largely a ceremonial post, is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 June 2004 (next to be held June 2008); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON 85.6%, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9% Iles Eparses chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Senior Administrator Michel CHAMPON India chief of state: President A.P.J. Abdul KALAM (since 25 July 2002); Vice President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held July 2002 (next to be held 18 July 2007); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 12 August 2002 (next to be held August 2007); prime minister chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections; election last held April - May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: Abdul KALAM elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 89.6%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT elected vice president; percent of Parliament vote - 59.8% Indonesia chief of state: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004) and Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president were elected for five-year terms (eligible for a second term) by direct vote of the citizenry; last held 20 September 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO elected president receiving 60.6% of vote; MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri received 39.4% Iran chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) head of government: President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD (since 3 August 2005); First Vice President Parviz DAVUDI (since 11 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over appointments to the more sensitive ministries note: also considered part of the Executive branch of government are three oversight bodies: 1) Assembly of Experts, a popularly elected body of 86 religious scholars constitutionally charged with determining the succession of the Supreme Leader, reviewing his performance, and deposing him if deemed necessary; 2) Expediency Council or Council for the Discernment of Expediency is a policy advisory and implementation board consisting of permanent and temporary members representing all major government factions, some of whom are appointed by the Supreme Leader; the Council exerts supervisory authority over the executive, judicial, and legislative branches and resolves legislative issues on which the Majles and the Council of Guardians disagree; 3) Council of Guardians or Council of Guardians of the Constitution is a 12-member board of clerics and jurists serving six-year terms that determines whether proposed legislation is both constitutional and faithful to Islamic law; the Council also vets candidates for suitability and supervises national elections elections: Supreme Leader appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 17 June 2005 with a two-candidate runoff on 24 June 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD elected president; percent of vote - Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD 62%, Ali Akbar Hashemi RAFSANJANI 36% Iraq chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005); Vice Presidents Adil ABD AL-MAHDI and Tariq al-HASHIMI (since 22 April 2006); note - the president and vice presidents comprise the Presidency Council) head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI (since 20 May 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH and Salam al-ZUBAI (since 20 May 2006) cabinet: 37 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI, and Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH and Salam al-ZUBAI elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives Ireland chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 31 October 1997 (next scheduled for October 2011); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to a second term when no other candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election; prime minister (taoiseach) nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6% note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats Isle of Man chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2004 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004 Israel chief of state: President Moshe KATZAV (since 31 July 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT (since May 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI (since May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held mid-2007); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition election results: Moshe KATZAV elected president by the 120-member Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES, received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON continued as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January 2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the National Union; controversy surrounding SHARON's disengagement plan ultimately led to the formation of a Likud-Labor-United Torah Judaism (UTJ) coalition government in January 2005 Italy chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006) head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 17 May 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006 (next to be held May 2013); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth round of voting; electoral college vote - 543 Jamaica chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Portia SIMPSON-MILLER (since 30 March 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister Japan chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since 26 September 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch is hereditary election results: ABE was elected prime minister with 339 of 476 votes cast in the House of Representatives and 136 of 240 votes cast in the House of Councilors. Jersey chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor Andrew RIDGEWAY (since 14 June 2006); Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch Jordan chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH, is first in line to inherit the throne head of government: Prime Minister Marouf al-BAKHIT (since 24 November 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Ziad FARIZ (since 24 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch Kazakhstan chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Daniyal AKHMETOV (since 13 June 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 19 January 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A. TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6% note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that extended his term of office and expanded his presidential powers: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities Kenya chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held December 2007); vice president appointed by the president election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30% Kiribati chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 4 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2007); vice president appointed by the president election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA 9.1% Korea, North chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong Nam president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials; SPA appointed PAK Pong Ju premier head of government: Premier PAK Pong Ju (since 3 September 2003); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3 September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003) cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September 2008) election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed Korea, South chief of state: President ROH Moo-hyun (since 25 February 2003) head of government: Prime Minister HAN Myeong-sook (since 20 April 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Woo-sik (since 10 February 2006); KWON O-kyu (since 18 July 2006); KIM Shin-il (since 20 September 2006) cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held in December 2007); prime minister appointed by president with consent of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president on prime minister's recommendation election results: ROH Moo-hyun elected president; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5% Kuwait chief of state: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Sabah head of government: Prime Minister NASIR al-Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 7 February 2006) First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006) and Ismail al-SHATTI (since 10 July 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the amir elections: none; the amir is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the amir Kyrgyzstan chief of state: President Kurmanbek BAKIYEV (since 14 August 2005); note - former President Askar AKAYEV resigned effective 11 April 2005 following widespread protests that forced him to flee the country on 24 March 2005 head of government: Prime Minister Feliks KULOV (since 1 September 2005); First Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar USENOV (since 10 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister; note - the new constitution of November 2006 calls for the legislature to appoint the prime minister and members of the Cabinet after the elections of 2010 elections: Kurmanbek BAKIYEV elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 July 2005 (next scheduled for 2010); prime minister nominated by the president for approval by Parliament; note - the new constitution of November 2006 calls for the legislature to appoint the prime minister and members of the Cabinet after the elections of 2010 election results: Kurmanbek BAKIYEV elected president; percent of vote - Kurmanbek BAKIYEV 88.6%, Tursunbai BAKIR-UULU 3.9%, other candidates 7.5%; Feliks KULOV approved as prime minister 55-8 Laos chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006) and Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006) head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit [since 8 June 2006], Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 97% Latvia chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Aigars KALVITIS (since 2 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the Parliament elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 20 June 2003 (next to be held by June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA reelected president; parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 88 of 94 votes cast Lebanon chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-year extension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions Lesotho chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995, while his father was in exile head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998) cabinet: Cabinet elections: none - according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution, which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession, or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age Liberia chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (since 6 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005 (next to be held NA 2011) election results: Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF (UP) 59.6%, George WEAH (CDC) 40.4% note: a UN-brokered cease-fire among warring factions and the Liberian Government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of former president, Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement, Chairman Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as head of the National Transitional Government on 14 October 2003; free elections were held 11 October 2005, with a runoff election between the two leading candidates on 8 November 2005 Libya chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) al-Baghdadi Ali al-MAHMUDI (since 5 March 2006) cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held 2 March 2000 (next to be held NA) election results: NA Liechtenstein chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968); note - on 15 August 2004, HANS ADAM transferred the official duties of the ruling prince to ALOIS, but HANS ADAM retains status of chief of state head of government: Head of Government Ottmar HASLER (since 5 April 2001) and Deputy Head of Government Rita KIEBER-BECK (since 5 April 2001) cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of the largest minority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch Lithuania chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Gediminas KIRKILAS (since 4 July 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009); prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%; Gediminas KIRKILAS approved by Parliament 85-13, with 5 abstentions Luxembourg chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch, born 11 November 1981) head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Jean ASSELBORN (since 31 July 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following popular elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the monarch; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies note: government coalition - CSV and LSAP Macau chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20 December 1999) cabinet: Executive Council consists of one government secretary, three legislators, four businessmen, one pro-Beijing unionist, and one pro-Beijing educator elections: chief executive chosen by a 300-member Election Committee for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 29 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Edmund HO Hau-wah reelected received 296 votes; three members submitted blank ballots; one member was absent Macedonia chief of state: President Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 12 May 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 28 August 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the government coalition parties VMRO/DPMNE, NSDP, PDSH/DPA, and several small parties elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); two-round election last held 14 April and 28 April 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); prime minister elected by the Assembly following legislative elections election results: Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Branko CRVENKOVSKI 62.7%, Sasko KEDEV 37.3% Madagascar chief of state: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Jacques SYLLA (27 May 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006); prime minister appointed by the president election results: percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA (TIM) 50.5%, Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 37.7% Malawi chief of state: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: 46-member Cabinet named by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: Bingu wa MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (UDF) 35.9%, John TEMBO (MCP) 27.1%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MC) 25.7%, Brown MPINGANJIRA (NDA) 8.7%, Justin MALEWEZI (independent) 2.5% Malaysia chief of state: Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin (since 13 December 2006) head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (since 7 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler elections: paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held 3 November 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister election results: Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin elected paramount ruler Maldives chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president nominated by the Majlis and then the nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 17 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2008) election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected in referendum held 17 October 2003; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.3% Mali chief of state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufi MAIGA (since 30 April 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 12 May 2002 (next to be held April 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE elected president; percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 64.4%, Soumaila CISSE 35.6% Malta chief of state: President Edward FENECH ADAMI (since 4 April 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI (since 23 March 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 29 March 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister election results: Eddie FENECH ADAMI elected president; House of Representatives vote - 33 out of 65 votes Marshall Islands chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of the legislature elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007) election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% Martinique chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995); Prefect Yves DASSONVILLE (since 14 January 2004); note - took office 8 February 2004 head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE (since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Alfred MARIE-JEANNE (since NA March 1998) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils for six-year terms Mauritania chief of state: Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, whose Military Council for Justice and Democracy deposed longtime President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA in a coup on 3 August 2005 head of government: Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould BOUBAKAR (since 8 August 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); note - passage of a constitutional reform referendum in July 2006 limits president to two five-year terms; election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held 11 March 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected for a third term with 60.8% of the vote Mauritius chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October 2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 5 July 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%; note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003 Mayotte chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005) head of government: President of the General Council Said Omar OILI (since 8 April 2004) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term; next election to be held in 2010 Mexico chief of state: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012) election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON (PAN) 35.89%, Andres Manuel Lopez OBRADOR (PRD) 35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO (PRI) 22.26%, other 6.54% Micronesia, Federated States of chief of state: President Joseph J. URUSEMAL (since 11 May 2003); Vice President Redley KILLION (11 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Joseph J. URUSEMAL (since 11 May 2003); Vice President Redley KILLION (11 May 2003) cabinet: Cabinet includes the vice president and the heads of the eight executive departments elections: president and vice president elected by Congress from among the four senators at large for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 May 2003 (next to be held May 2007); note - a proposed constitutional amendment to establish popular elections for president and vice president failed election results: Joseph J. URUSEMAL elected president; percent of Congress vote - NA%; Redley KILLION elected vice president; percent of Congress vote - NA% Moldova chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida GRECIANII (since 10 October 2005) cabinet: Cabinet selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held in 2009); note - prime minister designated by the president, upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet; prime minister designated 15 April 2001, cabinet received a vote of confidence 19 April 2001 election results: Vladimir VORONIN reelected president; parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1; Vasile TARLEV designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of confidence - 75 of 101 Monaco chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005) head of government: Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government Mongolia chief of state: President Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 24 June 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Miegombyn ENKHBOLD (since 25 January 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Mendsaikhan ENKHSAIKHAN (since 28 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the president and confirmed by the State Great Hural (parliament) elections: presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 May 2005 (next to be held in May 2009); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by State Great Hural election results: Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected president; percent of vote - Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (MPRP) 53.44%, Mendsaikhanin ENKHSAIKHAN (DP) 20.05%, Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN (MRP) 13.92%, Badarchyn ERDENEBAT (M-MNSDP) 12.59%; Miegombyn ENKHBOLD elected prime minister by the State Great Hural 56 to 10 Montenegro chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 11 May 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Zeljko STURANOVIC (since 10 November 2006) cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 May 2003 (next to be held in 2008); prime minister proposed by president, accepted by Assembly election results: Filip VUJANOVIC elected on the third round; Filip VUJANOVIC 63.3%, Miodrag ZIVKOVIC 30.8% Montserrat chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Deborah BARNES-JONES (since 10 May 2004) head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister Morocco chief of state: King MOHAMED VI (since 30 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Driss JETTOU (since 9 October 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch following legislative elections Mozambique chief of state: President Armando GUEBUZA (since 2 February 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February 2004) cabinet: Cabinet elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Armando GUEBUZA elected president; percent of vote - Armando GUEBUZA 63.7%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 31.7% Namibia chief of state: President Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21 March 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Nahas ANGULA (since 21 March 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 November 2004 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Hifikepunye POHAMBA elected president; percent of vote - Hifikepunye POHAMBA 76.4%, Den ULENGA 7.3%, Katuutire KAURA 5.1%, Kuaima RIRUAKO 4.2%, Justus GAROEB 3.8%, other 3.2% Nauru chief of state: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 22 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 22 June 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 23 October 2004 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary elections for president Nepal chief of state: King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (since 4 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 30 April 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Khadga Prasad OLI (since 2 May 2006) and Amik SHERCHAN since June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet historically appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; note - the prime minister selected the Cabinet in May 2006 in consultation with the political parties elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; note - following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition historically has been appointed prime minister by the monarch Netherlands chief of state: Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch head of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002) and Deputy Prime Ministers Gerrit ZALM (since 27 May 2003) and Laurens Jan BRINKHORST (since 31 March 2005); note - Prime Minister BALKENENDE tendered his resignation on 30 June 2006 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; vice prime ministers appointed by the monarch note: there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors that provides consultations to the cabinet on legislative and administrative policy Netherlands Antilles chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature) elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the Staten; election last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2007) note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP St. Maarten, UP Bonaire, WIPM Saba, DP Statia New Caledonia chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner Michel MATHIEU (since 15 July 2005) head of government: President of the Government Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU (since 10 June 2004) cabinet: Consultative Committee consists of eight members chosen from leading figures on the island to advise the High Commissioner elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress for a five-year term (no term limits); note - last election held 29 June 2004 when Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU was elected on the third vote with 8 votes for and 3 abstentions New Zealand chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general Nicaragua chief of state: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo (since 10 October 2005); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo was elected Vice President by the deputies of the National Assembly after Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon resigned on 27 September 2005 head of government: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo (since 10 October 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE (ALN) 29%, Jose RIZO (PLC) 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN (MRS) 6.44%; note - ORTEGA will take office 10 January 2007 Niger chief of state: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Prime Minister Hama AMADOU (since 31 December 1999) was appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president cabinet: 26-member Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); second round last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5% Nigeria chief of state: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Olusegun OBASANJO (since 29 May 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Federal Executive Council elections: president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 April 2003 (next to be held April 2007) election results: Olusegun OBASANJO elected president; percent of vote - Olusegun OBASANJO (PDP) 61.9%, Muhammadu BUHARI (ANPP) 31.2%, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OJUKWU (APGA) 3.3%, other 3.6% Niue chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since NA May 2000) head of government: Premier Young VIVIAN (since 1 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet consists of the premier and three ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; premier elected by the Legislative Assembly for a three-year term; election last held 12 May 2005 (next to be held May 2008) election results: Young VIVIAN reelected premier; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - Young VIVIAN (NPP) 85%, O'Love JACOBSEN (independent) 15% Norfolk Island chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003) head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2% Northern Mariana Islands chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Benigno R. FITIAL (since 9 January 2006); Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. VILLAGOMEZ (since 9 January 2006) cabinet: the cabinet consists of the heads of the 10 principal departments under the executive branch who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate; other members include Special Assistants to the governor and office heads appointed by and reporting directly to the governor elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: Benigno R. FITIAL elected governor in a four-way race; percent of vote - Benigno R. FITIAL (Covenant Party) 28.07%, Heinz HOFSCHNEIDER (Independent) 27.34%, Juan BABAUTA (Republican) 26.6%, Froilan TENORIO (Democrat) 17.99% Norway chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973) head of government: Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 October 2005) cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament Oman chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary Pakistan note: following a military takeover on 12 October 1999, Chief of Army Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Pervez MUSHARRAF, suspended Pakistan's constitution and assumed the additional title of Chief Executive; on 12 May 2000, Pakistan's Supreme Court unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and granted MUSHARRAF executive and legislative authority for three years from the coup date; on 20 June 2001, MUSHARRAF named himself as president and was sworn in, replacing Mohammad Rafiq TARAR; in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF's presidency was extended by five more years; on 1 January 2004, MUSHARRAF won a vote of confidence in the Senate, National Assembly, and four provincial assemblies chief of state: President General Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Shaukat AZIZ (since 28 August 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the president is elected by Parliament for a five-year term; note - in a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF's presidency was extended by five more years (next to be held in 2007); the prime minister is selected by the National Assembly (next to be held in 2007) election results: AZIZ elected by the National Assembly on 27 August 2004 with 191 of the votes Palau chief of state: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005) cabinet: NA elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. reelected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. 64%, Polycarp BASILIUS 33%; Elias Camsek CHIN elected vice president; percent of vote - Elias Camsek CHIN 70%, Sandra PIERANTOZZI 29% Panama chief of state: President Martin TORRIJOS Espino (since 1 September 2004); First Vice President Samuel LEWIS Navarro (since 1 September 2004); Second Vice President Ruben AROSEMENA Valdes (since 1 September 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Martin TORRIJOS Espino (since 1 September 2004); First Vice President Samuel LEWIS Navarro (since 1 September 2004); Second Vice President Ruben AROSEMENA Valdes (since 1 September 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for two more terms); election last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held 3 May 2009); note - beginning in 2009, Panama will have only one vice president. election results: Martin TORRIJOS Espino elected president; percent of vote - Martin TORRIJOS Espino 47.5%, Guillermo ENDARA Galimany 30.6%, Jose Miguel ALEMAN 17%, Ricardo MARTINELLI 4.9% note: government coalition - PRD (Democratic Revolutionary Party), PP (Popular Party) Papua New Guinea chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by governor general Sir Paulius MATANE (since 29 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Sir Michael SOMARE (since 2 August 2002); deputy prime minister Don Polye (since 5 July 2006) cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the National Executive Council; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by the governor general Paraguay chief of state: President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI Joria (since 15 August 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI Joria (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008) election results: Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS elected president; percent of vote - Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS 37.1%, Julio Cesar Ramon FRANCO Gomez 23.9%, Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella 21.3%, Guillermo SANCHEZ Guffanti 13.5%, other 4.2% Peru chief of state: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006) note: Prime Minister Jorge DEL CASTILLO Galvez (since 28 August 2006) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential and congressional elections held 9 April 2006, with runoff election held 4 June 2006; next to be held April 2011 election results: Alan GARCIA elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alan GARCIA 52.5%, Ollanta HUMALA Tasso 47.5% Philippines chief of state: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001); note - president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001); note - president is both chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of Commission of Appointments elections: president and vice president (Manuel "Noli" DE CASTRO) elected on separate tickets by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: results of the election - Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO elected president; percent of vote - Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 40%, Fernando POE 37%, three others 23% Pitcairn Islands chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council head of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Jay WARREN (since 15 December 2004) cabinet: NA elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held December 2007) election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council Poland chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI (since 10 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Ludwik DORN (since 23 November 2005), Roman GIERTYCH (since 5 May 2006), Zyta GILOWSKA (since 22 September 2006), Andrzej LEPPER (since 16 October 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held October 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46% Portugal chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO Silva (since 9 March 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES (since 12 March 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held January 2011); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Anibal CAVACO Silva elected president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO Silva 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo de SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3% Puerto Rico chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Puerto Rico, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (PPD) elected governor; percent of vote - 48.4% Qatar chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad al-Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince TAMIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, fourth son of the monarch (selected Heir Apparent by the monarch on 5 August 2003); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa al-Thani, brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, brother of the monarch (since 20 January 1998); First Deputy Prime Minister HAMAD bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani (since 16 September 2003, also Foreign Minister since 1992); Second Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin Hamad al-ATIYAH (since 16 September 2003, also Electricity and Water Minister since 1999 and Energy and Industry Minister since 1992) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary note: in April 2003, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election for the CMC was held in March 1999 Reunion chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Pierre-Henry MACCIONI (since 28 August 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Nassimah DINDAR (since NA March 2004) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils Romania chief of state: President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Calin Popescu-TARICEANU (since 29 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 November 2004, with runoff between the top two candidates held 12 December 2004 (next to be held November-December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the Parliament election results: percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 51.23%, Adrian NASTASE 48.77% Russia chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (acting president 31 December 1999-6 May 2000, president since 7 May 2000) head of government: Premier Mikhail Yefimovich FRADKOV (since 5 March 2004); First Deputy Premier Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV (since 14 November 2005), Deputy Premiers Aleksandr Dmitriyevich ZHUKOV (since 9 March 2004) and Sergey Borisovich IVANOV (since 14 November 2005) cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the president note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma election results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN reelected president; percent of vote - Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN 71.2%, Nikolay KHARITONOV 13.7%, other (no candidate above 5%) 15.1% Rwanda chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 25 August 2003 (next to be held NA 2008) election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33% Saint Helena chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch Saint Kitts and Nevis chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Cuthbert Montraville SEBASTIAN (since 1 January 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general in consultation with the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general Saint Lucia chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Sir John COMPTON (since 15 December 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general Saint Pierre and Miquelon chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Yves FAUQUEUR (since 28 August 2006) head of government: President of the General Council Marc PLANTAGENEST (since NA) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held, 21 April 2002 (first round) and 5 May 2002 (second round) (next to be held in 2007); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council is elected by the members of the council Saint Vincent and the Grenadines chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister Samoa chief of state: Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA (cochief of state from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963) head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister from 1992 and assumed the duties of acting prime minister in 1996, when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; TUILA'EPA was confirmed as prime minister (November 1998) after TOFILAU died; Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice elections: upon the death of Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA, a new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly San Marino chief of state: Cochiefs of State Captain Regent Antonio CARATTONI and Captain Regent Roberto GIORGETTI (for the period 1 October 2006-31 March 2007) head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Fiorenzo STOLFI (since 27 July 2006) cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term elections: cochiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Great and General Council for a six-month term; election last held in September 2006 (next to be held March 2007); secretary of state for foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term; election last held 13 December 2003 (next to be held NA) election results: Antonio CARATTONI and Roberto GIORGETTI elected captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA; Fabio BERARDI elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs; percent of legislative vote - NA note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council) selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent (cochiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which has 10 other members, all selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are 10 secretaries of state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed some of the prerogatives of a prime minister Sao Tome and Principe chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Tome Soares da VERA CRUZ (since 21 April 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held July 2011); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president; percent of vote - Fradique DE MENEZES 60%, Patrice TROVOADA 38.5% Saudi Arabia chief of state: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928) note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928) note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and includes many royal family members elections: none; the monarch is hereditary Senegal chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Macky SALL (since 21 April 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last held under prior constitution (seven-year terms) 27 February and 19 March 2000 (next to be held 27 February 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 58.49%, Abdou DIOUF (PS) 41.51% Serbia chief of state: President Boris TADIC (since 11 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Vojislav KOSTUNICA (since 3 March 2004) cabinet: Federal Ministries act as cabinet elections: president elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009); prime minister elected by the Assembly election results: Boris TADIC elected president in the second round of voting; Boris TADIC received 53% of the vote Seychelles chief of state: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 28-30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: President James MICHEL elected president; percent of vote - James MICHEL (SPPF) 53.73%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (SNP) 45.71%, Philippe BOULLE 0.56%; note - this was the first election in which President James MICHEL participated; he was originally sworn in as president after former president France Albert RENE stepped down in April 2004 Sierra Leone chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held 28 July 2007) election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4% Singapore chief of state: President S. R. NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) note: uses S. R. NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Shunmugan JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Minister WONG Kan Seng (since 1 September 2005); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004); Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004) cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; last appointed 17 August 2005 - see note (next election to be held by August 2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president election results: Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN appointed president in August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held Slovakia chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC, Robert KALINAK, Stefan HARABIN, Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1% Slovenia chief of state: President Janez DRNOVSEK (since 22 December 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Janez JANSA (since 9 November 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 November and 1 December 2002 (next to be held in the fall of 2007); following National Assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually nominated to become prime minister by the president and elected by the National Assembly; election last held 9 November 2004 (next National Assembly elections to be held October 2008) election results: Janez DRNOVSEK elected president; percent of vote - Janez DRNOVSEK 56.5%, Barbara BREZIGAR 43.5%; Janez JANSA elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - 57 to 27 Solomon Islands chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE (since 4 May 2006); note - Prime Minister Snyder RINI, elected on 18 April 2006 and sworn in on 20 April 2006, resigned on 26 April prior to no confidence vote in parliament; SOGAVARE elected on 4 May cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament Somalia chief of state: Transitional Federal President Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed (since 14 October 2004); note - a transitional governing entity with a five-year mandate, known as the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), was established in October 2004; the TFI relocated to Somalia in June 2004, but its members remain divided between Mogadishu and Jowhar inside Somalia, and the government continues to struggle to establish effective governance in the country head of government: Prime Minister Ali Mohamed GEDI (since 24 December 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Transitional Federal Assembly election results: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed, the former leader of the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia, was elected president by the Transitional Federal Assembly South Africa chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 24 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009) election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation) Spain chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968 head of government: President of the Government and Prime Minister Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004); First Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister of the Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (PSOE) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52.29% Sri Lanka chief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 19 November 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the ceremonial title of prime minister head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 19 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held 2011) election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSE elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3% Sudan chief of state: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet elections: election last held 13-23 December 2000; next to be held no later than July 2009 under terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement election results: Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election note: al-BASHIR assumed power as chairman of Sudan's Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC) in June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until mid-October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; he was elected president by popular vote for the first time in March 1996 Suriname chief of state: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ram SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ram SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly or, if no presidential or vice presidential candidate receives a two-thirds constitutional majority in the National Assembly after two votes, by a simple majority in the larger United People's Assembly (893 representatives from the national, local, and regional councils), for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN reelected president; percent of vote - Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN 62.9%, Rabin PARMESSAR 35.4%, other 1.7%; note - after two votes in the parliament failed to secure a two-thirds majority for a candidate, the vote then went to a special session of the United People's Assembly on 3 August 2005 Svalbard chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991) head of government: Governor Odd Olsen INGERO (since 8 June 2001) and Assistant Governor Rune Baard HANSEN (since NA) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice Swaziland chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986) head of government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003) cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch Sweden chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977) head of government: Prime Minister Fredrik REINFELDT (since 5 October 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by the parliament; election last held 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010) election results: Fredrik REINFELDT elected prime minister with 175 out of 349 votes Switzerland chief of state: President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 8 January 2006); Vice President Micheline CALMY-REY (since 8 January 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 8 January 2006); Vice President Micheline CALMY-REY (since 8 January 2006) cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly usually from among its own members for a four-year term elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for a one-year term (they may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Moritz LUENBERGER elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - NA; Micheline CALMY-REY elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - NA Syria chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president approved by popular referendum for a seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held 10 July 2000 - after the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held 2007); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29% note: Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June, the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council on 25 June; he was approved by a popular referendum on 10 July Taiwan chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000) and Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000) head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) SU Tseng-chang (since 25 January 2006) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) TSAI Ing-wen (since 25 January 2006) cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier election results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent of vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9% Tajikistan chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992) head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006 (next to be held November 2013); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Emomali RAHMONOV reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 76.4%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 7.2%, other 16.4% Tanzania chief of state: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was reelected to that office on 30 October 2005 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 December 2005(next to be held in December 2010); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Jakaya KIKWETE elected president; percent of vote - Jakaya KIKWETE 80.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 11.7%, Freeman MBOWE 5.9% Thailand chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946) head of government: Interim Prime Minister SURAYUT Chulanon (since 1 October 2006); Interim Deputy Prime Ministers KHOSIT Panpiamrat (since 9 October 2006); PRIDIYATHON Thewakun (since 9 October 2006) note: Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat was overthrown on 19 September 2006 in a coup led by General SONTHI Boonyaratglin cabinet: Council of Ministers note: there is also a Privy Council elections: none; monarch is hereditary; according to 1997 constitution, prime minister was designated from among members of House of Representatives; following national elections for House of Representatives, leader of party that could organize a majority coalition usually was appointed prime minister by king Togo chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 6 February 2005); note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE; popular elections in April 2005 validated the succession head of government: Prime Minister Yawovi AGBOYIBO (since 16 September 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held NA); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas LAWSON 1%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.5% Tokelau chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); New Zealand is represented by Administrator David PAYTON (since 17 October 2006) head of government: Kolouei O'BRIEN (2006); note - position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders) cabinet: the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau, consisting of three Faipule (village leaders) and three Pulenuku (village mayors), functions as a cabinet elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the head of government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves a one-year term Tonga chief of state: King George TUPOU V (since 11 September 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Feleti SEVELE (since 11 February 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Viliami TANGI (since 16 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet currently consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch for life; 4 appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly, including 2 each from the nobles and peoples representatives serving three year terms note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the cabinet, and two governors elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the monarch Trinidad and Tobago chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 February 2003 (next to be held in 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 43% Tunisia chief of state: President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a fourth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 94.5%, Mohamed BOUCHIHA 3.8%, Mohamed Ali HALOUANI 1% Turkey chief of state: President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a single seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held May 2007); prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60% note: president must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot Turkmenistan chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty); in November 2005, the People's Council voted down NIYAZOV's suggestion to hold presidential elections in 2009 elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992; note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the People's Council on 28 December 1999; deputy chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers are appointed by the president election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5% Turks and Caicos Islands chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Richard TAUWHARE (since 11 July 2005) head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003); note - the office of premier was created in the new constitution cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council, and the attorney general elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor Tuvalu chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA (since 14 August 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last held 14 August 2006 (next to be held following parliamentary elections in 2010) election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected Prime Minister in a Parliamentary election on 14 August 2006 Uganda chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3% Ukraine chief of state: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 4 August 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister - Mykola AZAROV (since 5 August 2006) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers selected by the prime minister; the only exceptions are the foreign and defense ministers, who are chosen by the president note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Secretariat helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - a special repeat runoff presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21 November 2004 contest - won by Mr. YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant violations; under constitutional reforms that went into effect 1 January 2006, the majority in parliament takes the lead in naming the prime minister election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 51.99%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2% United Arab Emirates chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006) head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum unanimously reaffirmed vice president United Kingdom chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister United States chief of state: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held 4 November 2008) election results: George W. BUSH reelected president; percent of popular vote - George W. BUSH (Republican Party) 50.9%, John KERRY (Democratic Party) 48.1%, other 1.0% Uruguay chief of state: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%; other 4.1% Uzbekistan chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet) head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYAYEV (since 11 December 2003) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term; previously was a five-year term, extended by constitutional amendment in 2002); election last held 9 January 2000 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister, ministers, and deputy ministers appointed by the president election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 91.9%, Abdulkhafiz JALALOV 4.2% Vanuatu chief of state: President Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16 August 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 11 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Sato KILMAN (since 11 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held 16 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 29 July 2004 (next to be held following general elections in 2008) election results: Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected president, with 49 votes out of 56, after several ballots on 16 August 2004 Venezuela chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL Vale (since 28 April 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL Vale (since 28 April 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held December 2012) note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of this new constitution election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 63%, Manuel ROSALES 37% Vietnam chief of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006); Vice President Truong My HOA (since 25 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh HUNG (since 28 June 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia KHIEM (since 28 June 2006), and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh TRONG (since 28 June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president based on proposal of prime minister and confirmed by National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its members for five-year term; election last held 27 June 2006; prime minister appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister; appointment of prime minister and deputy prime ministers confirmed by National Assembly election results: Nguyen Minh TRIET elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 94%; Nguyen Tan DUNG elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 92% Virgin Islands chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: under the US Consitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Virgin Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 and 21 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: John DeJONGH elected governor and takes office in January 2007; percent of vote - John DeJONGH 57.3%, Kenneth MAPP 42.7% Wallis and Futuna chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Administrator Richard DIDIER (since 19 July 2006) head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Patalione KANIMOA (since January 2001) cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly Western Sahara none Yemen chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL; Deputy Prime Ministers Rashid Muhammad al-ALIMI, Alawi Salah al-SALAMI, Ahmad Muhammad Abdallah al-SUFAN cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 20 September 2006 (next to be held September 2013); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 77.2%, Faisal bin SHAMLAN 21.8% Zambia chief of state: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Rupiah BANDA (since 9 October 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Rupiah BANDA (since 9 October 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 September 2006 (next to be held 2011); vice president appointed by the president election results: Levy MWANAWASA reelected president; percent of vote - Levy MWANAWASA 43.0%, Michael SATA 29.4%, Hakainde HICHILEMA 25.3%, Godfrey MIYANDA 1.6%, Winright NGONDO 0.8% Zimbabwe chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote for a six-year term (no term limits); election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held March 2008); co-vice presidents appointed by the president election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9% This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2078 Exports Afghanistan $471 million; note - not including illicit exports or reexports (2005 est.) Albania $650.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Algeria $49.59 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) American Samoa $445.6 million (FY04 est.) Andorra $145 million f.o.b. (2004) Angola $26.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Anguilla $14.56 million (2005 est.) Antigua and Barbuda $46.81 million (2004 est.) Argentina $40 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Armenia $800 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Aruba $80 million f.o.b.; note - includes oil reexports (2004 est.) Australia $103 billion (2005 est.) Austria $122.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Azerbaijan $6.117 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Bahamas, The $469.3 million (2004 est.) Bahrain $11.17 billion (2005 est.) Bangladesh $9.372 billion (2005 est.) Barbados $209 million (2004 est.) Belarus $16.14 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Belgium $269.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Belize $349.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Benin $826.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Bermuda $1.469 billion (2004 est.) Bhutan $154 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) Bolivia $2.371 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $2.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Botswana $3.68 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Brazil $115.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands $25.3 million (2002) Brunei $4.514 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Bulgaria $11.67 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Burkina Faso $395 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Burma $3.111 billion f.o.b. note: official export figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of timber, gems, narcotics, rice, and other products smuggled to Thailand, China, and Bangladesh (2004) Burundi $52 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cambodia $2.663 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cameroon $3.236 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Canada $364.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cape Verde $73.35 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cayman Islands $2.52 million (2004) Central African Republic $131 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Chad $3.016 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Chile $38.03 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) China $752.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Christmas Island $NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands $NA Colombia $19.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Comoros $34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the $1.108 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Congo, Republic of the $2.209 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cook Islands $5.222 million (2005) Costa Rica $7.005 billion (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $6.49 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Croatia $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cuba $2.388 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: $1.237 billion f.o.b.; north Cyprus: $69 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Czech Republic $78.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Denmark $84.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Djibouti $250 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Dominica $74 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Dominican Republic $5.818 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) East Timor $10 million; note - excludes oil (2005 est.) Ecuador $9.224 billion (2005 est.) Egypt $14.33 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) El Salvador $3.586 billion (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $6.727 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Eritrea $33.58 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Estonia $7.439 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Ethiopia $612 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) European Union $1.318 trillion; note - external exports, excluding intra-EU trade (2004) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $125 million (2004 est.) Faroe Islands $533 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Fiji $719.6 million f.o.b. (2005) Finland $67.88 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) France $443.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) French Guiana $137.5 million f.o.b. (2003) French Polynesia $211 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Gabon $5.813 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Gambia, The $140.3 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Gaza Strip $270 million f.o.b.; note - includes West Bank (2003) Georgia $1.4 billion (2005 est.) Germany $1.016 trillion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Ghana $2.911 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Gibraltar $271 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Greece $18.54 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Greenland $480 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Grenada $40 million (2004 est.) Guadeloupe $147.8 million f.o.b. (2002) Guam $45 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Guatemala $3.94 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Guernsey $NA Guinea $612.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau $116 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Guyana $587.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Haiti $390.7 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Honduras $1.726 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Hong Kong $286.3 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2005 est.) Hungary $61.75 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Iceland $3.215 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) India $76.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Indonesia $83.64 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Iran $55.42 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Iraq $17.78 billion f.o.b. (2004) Ireland $102 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Isle of Man $NA Israel $40.14 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Italy $371.9 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Jamaica $1.608 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Japan $550.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Jersey $NA Jordan $4.226 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $30.09 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kenya $3.173 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kiribati $17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Korea, North $1.275 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Korea, South $288.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kuwait $44.43 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $759 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Laos $379 million (2005 est.) Latvia $4.86 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Lebanon $1.782 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Lesotho $602.8 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Liberia $910 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Libya $30.79 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Liechtenstein $2.47 billion (1996) Lithuania $11.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Luxembourg $13.39 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Macau $3.465 billion f.o.b.; note - includes reexports (2004) Macedonia $2.047 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Madagascar $951 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Malawi $364 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Malaysia $147.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Maldives $123 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Mali $323 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Malta $2.744 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Marshall Islands $9.1 million f.o.b. (2000) Martinique $404.2 million f.o.b. (2002) Mauritania $784 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Mauritius $1.949 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Mayotte $4.85 million f.o.b. (2004) Mexico $213.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of $14 million (f.o.b.) (2004 est.) Moldova $1.04 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Monaco $656.5 million $NA note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France Mongolia $852 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Montenegro $171.3 million (2003) Montserrat $700,000 (2001) Morocco $9.472 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Mozambique $1.69 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Namibia $2.04 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Nauru $64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.) Nepal $822 million f.o.b.; note - does not include unrecorded border trade with India (2005 est.) Netherlands $365.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles $2.076 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) New Caledonia $999 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) New Zealand $22.21 billion (2005 est.) Nicaragua $1.55 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2005 est.) Niger $222 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Nigeria $52.16 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Niue $201,400 (2004) Norfolk Island $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY91/92) Northern Mariana Islands $NA Norway $111.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Oman $19.01 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Pakistan $14.85 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Palau $5.882 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Panama $7.481 billion f.o.b.; note - includes the Colon Free Zone (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $2.833 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Paraguay $3.13 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Peru $15.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Philippines $41.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Pitcairn Islands $NA Poland $92.72 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Portugal $38.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Puerto Rico $46.9 billion f.o.b. (2001) Qatar $24.9 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Reunion $248.5 million f.o.b. (2002) Romania $31.2 billion f.o.b. (2005) Russia $245 billion (2005 est.) Rwanda $98 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Saint Helena $19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis $70 million (2004 est.) Saint Lucia $82 million (2004 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon $7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $37 million (2004 est.) Samoa $94 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) San Marino trade data are included with the statistics for Italy Sao Tome and Principe $8 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia $165 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Senegal $1.526 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Serbia $4.553 billion (excluding Kosovo and Montenegro) (2005 est.) Seychelles $312.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Sierra Leone $185 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Singapore $204.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Slovakia $30.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Slovenia $18.53 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Solomon Islands $171 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Somalia $241 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) South Africa $50.91 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Spain $194.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Sri Lanka $6.442 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Sudan $6.989 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Suriname $881 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Svalbard $NA Swaziland $1.991 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Sweden $126.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Switzerland $148.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Syria $6.344 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Taiwan $189.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Tajikistan $950 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Tanzania $1.581 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Thailand $105.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Togo $768 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Tokelau $0 f.o.b. (2002) Tonga $34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Trinidad and Tobago $9.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Tunisia $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Turkey $72.49 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Turkmenistan $4.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands $169.2 million (2000) Tuvalu $1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Uganda $768 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Ukraine $38.22 billion (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates $103.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) United Kingdom $372.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) United States $927.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Uruguay $3.55 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Vanuatu $34.11 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Venezuela $52.73 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Vietnam $32.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Virgin Islands $4.234 billion $NA Wallis and Futuna $47,450 f.o.b. (2004) West Bank $270 million f.o.b.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) Western Sahara $NA World $10.33 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Yemen $6.387 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Zambia $1.947 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $1.644 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2079 Debt - external Afghanistan $8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has $500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004) Albania $1.55 billion (2004) Algeria $19.45 billion (2005 est.) American Samoa $NA Andorra $NA Angola $9.401 billion (2005 est.) Anguilla $8.8 million (1998) Antigua and Barbuda $427.3 million; note - data are for public external debt, not total external debt (2000) Argentina $118.2 billion (2005 est.) Armenia $1.819 billion (20 September 2005) Aruba $478.6 million (2005 est.) Australia $323.4 billion (2005 est.) Austria $510.6 billion (30 June 2005 est.) Azerbaijan $1.873 billion (2005 est.) Bahamas, The $342.6 million (2004 est.) Bahrain $6.814 billion (2005 est.) Bangladesh $20.63 billion (2005 est.) Barbados $668 million (2003) Belarus $4.662 billion (30 June 2005 est.) Belgium $980.1 billion (30 June 2005 est.) Belize $1.362 billion (June 2004 est.) Benin $1.6 billion (2000) Bermuda $160 million (FY99/00) Bhutan $593 million (2004) Bolivia $6.309 billion (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $3.116 billion (2005 est.) Botswana $519 million (2005 est.) Brazil $188 billion (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands $36.1 million (1997) Brunei $0 $NA Bulgaria $15.32 billion (2005 est.) Burkina Faso $1.85 billion (2003) Burma $6.99 billion (2005 est.) Burundi $1.2 billion (2003) Cambodia $800 million (2003 est.) Cameroon $9.168 billion (2005 est.) Canada $439.8 billion (30 November 2005) Cape Verde $325 million (2002) Cayman Islands $70 million (1996) Central African Republic $1.06 billion (2002 est.) Chad $1.5 billion (2003 est.) Chile $47.45 billion (2005 est.) China $252.8 billion (2005 est.) Colombia $32.35 billion (2005 est.) Comoros $232 million (2000 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the $10.6 billion (2003 est.) Congo, Republic of the $5 billion (2000 est.) Cook Islands $141 million (1996 est.) Costa Rica $5.049 billion (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $13.43 billion (2005 est.) Croatia $30.62 billion (2005 est.) Cuba $12.56 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20 billion owed to Russia (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: $10.53 billion; north Cyprus: $NA (2005 est.) Czech Republic $49.14 billion (2005 est.) Denmark $352.9 billion (30 June 2005) Djibouti $394 million (2004 est.) Dominica $213 million (2004) Dominican Republic $7.687 billion (2005 est.) East Timor $0 Ecuador $18.09 billion (2005 est.) Egypt $35.26 billion (2005 est.) El Salvador $8.087 billion (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $353 million (2005 est.) Eritrea $311 million (2000 est.) Estonia $11.03 billion (2005 est.) Ethiopia $5.101 billion (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $NA Faroe Islands $64 million (1999) Fiji $127 million (2004 est.) Finland $211.7 billion (30 June 2005) France $2.826 trillion (30 June 2005) French Guiana $800.3 million (2003) French Polynesia $NA Gabon $3.903 billion (2005 est.) Gambia, The $628.8 million (2003 est.) Gaza Strip $0; note - includes West Bank (2002) Georgia $2.04 billion (2004) Germany $3.626 trillion (30 June 2005) Ghana $6.999 billion (2005 est.) Gibraltar $NA (2000 est.) Greece $75.18 billion (2005 est.) Greenland $25 million (1999) Grenada $347 million (2004) Guadeloupe $NA Guam $NA Guatemala $5.503 billion (2005 est.) Guernsey $NA Guinea $3.46 billion (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau $941.5 million (2000 est.) Guyana $1.2 billion (2002) Haiti $1.313 billion (2005 est.) Honduras $5.795 billion (2005 est.) Hong Kong $72.04 billion (2005 est.) Hungary $66.22 billion (2005 est.) Iceland $3.073 billion (2002) India $125.5 billion (2005 est.) Indonesia $135 billion (2005 est.) Iran $19.06 billion (2005 est.) Iraq $92.33 billion (2005 est.) Ireland $1.049 trillion (30 June 2005) Isle of Man $NA Israel $75.55 billion (2005 est.) Italy $922.5 billion (2005 est.) Jamaica $7.162 billion (2005 est.) Japan $1.545 trillion (31 December 2004) Jersey $NA Jordan $8.528 billion (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $41.66 billion (2005 est.) Kenya $7.391 billion (2005 est.) Kiribati $10 million (1999 est.) Korea, North $12 billion (1996 est.) Korea, South $153.9 billion (2005 est.) Kuwait $16.12 billion (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $2.428 billion (31 December 2004 est.) Laos $2.49 billion (2001) Latvia $10.8 billion (1 January 2006) Lebanon $26 billion (2005 est.) Lesotho $735 million (2002) Liberia $3.2 billion (2005 est.) Libya $4.267 billion (2005 est.) Liechtenstein $0 (2001) Lithuania $11.7 billion (2 February 2006) Luxembourg $NA Macau $3.1 billion (2004) Macedonia $2.19 billion (2005 est.) Madagascar $4.6 billion (2002) Malawi $3.287 billion (2005 est.) Malaysia $52 billion (2005 est.) Maldives $304 million (2004 est.) Mali $2.8 billion (2002) Malta $188.8 million (2005) Marshall Islands $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.) Martinique $180 million (1994) Mauritania $2.5 billion (2000) Mauritius $3.246 billion (2005 est.) Mayotte $NA Mexico $137.2 billion (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of $60.8 million (FY05 est.) Moldova $1.986 billion (2005 est.) Monaco $18 billion (2000 est.) Mongolia $1.36 billion (2004) Montenegro NA Montserrat $8.9 million (1997) Morocco $15.61 billion (2005 est.) Mozambique $5.456 billion (2005 est.) Namibia $712.9 million (2005 est.) Nauru $33.3 million (2002) Nepal $3.34 billion (March 2005) Netherlands $1.645 trillion (30 June 2005) Netherlands Antilles $2.68 billion (2004) New Caledonia $79 million (1998 est.) New Zealand $42.84 billion (2005 est.) Nicaragua $3.188 billion (2005 est.) Niger $2.1 billion (2003 est.) Nigeria $32.45 billion (2005 est.) Niue $418,000 (2002 est.) Norfolk Island $NA Northern Mariana Islands $NA Norway $281 billion; note - Norway is a net external creditor (30 June 2005) Oman $4.361 billion (2005 est.) Pakistan $38.8 billion (2005 est.) Palau $0 (FY99/00) Panama $9.758 billion (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $1.882 billion (2005 est.) Paraguay $3.45 billion (2005 est.) Peru $30.94 billion (2005 est.) Philippines $65.71 billion (2005 est.) Poland $101.5 billion (2005 est.) Portugal $287.8 billion (2005 est.) Puerto Rico $NA Qatar $21.13 billion (2005 est.) Reunion $NA Romania $35.68 billion (2005 est.) Russia $215.3 billion (2005 est.) Rwanda $1.4 billion (2004 est.) Saint Helena $NA Saint Kitts and Nevis $314 million (2004) Saint Lucia $257 million (2004) Saint Pierre and Miquelon $NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $223 million (2004) Samoa $177 million (2004) San Marino $NA Sao Tome and Principe $318 million (2002) Saudi Arabia $36.78 billion (2005 est.) Senegal $3.529 billion (2005 est.) Serbia $15.43 billion (including Montenegro) (2005 est.) Seychelles $508 million (2005 est.) Sierra Leone $1.61 billion (2003 est.) Singapore $23.76 billion (2005 est.) Slovakia $26.94 billion (2005 est.) Slovenia $18.97 billion (2005 est.) Solomon Islands $166 million (2004) Somalia $3 billion (2001 est.) South Africa $29.97 billion (2005 est.) Spain $970.7 billion (2005 est.) Sri Lanka $11.05 billion (2005 est.) Sudan $27.34 billion (2005 est.) Suriname $504.3 million (2005 est.) Swaziland $357 million (2003 est.) Sweden $516.1 billion (30 June 2005) Switzerland $856 billion (30 June 2005) Syria $8.566 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia (2005 est.) Taiwan $87.5 billion (2005 est.) Tajikistan $888 million (2004 est.) Tanzania $8.178 billion (2005 est.) Thailand $52.46 billion (2005 est.) Togo $2 billion (2005) Tokelau $0 Tonga $80.7 million (2004) Trinidad and Tobago $2.767 billion (2005 est.) Tunisia $16.09 billion (2005 est.) Turkey $170.1 billion (2005 est.) Turkmenistan $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands $NA Tuvalu $NA Uganda $4.973 billion (2005 est.) Ukraine $23.93 billion (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates $34.47 billion (2005 est.) United Kingdom $7.107 trillion (30 June 2005) United States $8.837 trillion (30 June 2005 est.) Uruguay $13.24 billion (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $5.032 billion (2005 est.) Vanuatu $81.2 million (2004) Venezuela $41.51 billion (2005 est.) Vietnam $20.16 billion (2005 est.) Virgin Islands $NA Wallis and Futuna $3.67 million $NA West Bank $0; note - includes Gaza Strip (2002) Western Sahara $NA World $36.89 trillion note: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt, both public and private (2004 est.) Yemen $5.347 billion (2005 est.) Zambia $4.641 billion (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $5.216 billion (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2080 Fiscal year Afghanistan 21 March - 20 March Albania calendar year Algeria calendar year American Samoa 1 October - 30 September Andorra calendar year Angola calendar year Anguilla 1 April - 31 March Antigua and Barbuda 1 April - 31 March Argentina calendar year Armenia calendar year Aruba calendar year Australia 1 July - 30 June Austria calendar year Azerbaijan calendar year Bahamas, The 1 July - 30 June Bahrain calendar year Bangladesh 1 July - 30 June Barbados 1 April - 31 March Belarus calendar year Belgium calendar year Belize 1 April - 31 March Benin calendar year Bermuda 1 April - 31 March Bhutan 1 July - 30 June Bolivia calendar year Bosnia and Herzegovina calendar year Botswana 1 April - 31 March Brazil calendar year British Virgin Islands 1 April - 31 March Brunei calendar year Bulgaria calendar year Burkina Faso calendar year Burma 1 April - 31 March Burundi calendar year Cambodia calendar year Cameroon 1 July - 30 June Canada 1 April - 31 March Cape Verde calendar year Cayman Islands 1 April - 31 March Central African Republic calendar year Chad calendar year Chile calendar year China calendar year Christmas Island 1 July - 30 June Cocos (Keeling) Islands 1 July - 30 June Colombia calendar year Comoros calendar year Congo, Democratic Republic of the calendar year Congo, Republic of the calendar year Cook Islands 1 April - 31 March Costa Rica calendar year Cote d'Ivoire calendar year Croatia calendar year Cuba calendar year Cyprus calendar year Czech Republic calendar year Denmark calendar year Djibouti calendar year Dominica 1 July - 30 June Dominican Republic calendar year East Timor 1 July - 30 June Ecuador calendar year Egypt 1 July - 30 June El Salvador calendar year Equatorial Guinea calendar year Eritrea calendar year Estonia calendar year Ethiopia 8 July - 7 July European Union NA Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1 April - 31 March Faroe Islands calendar year Fiji calendar year Finland calendar year France calendar year French Guiana calendar year French Polynesia calendar year Gabon calendar year Gambia, The calendar year Gaza Strip calendar year Georgia calendar year Germany calendar year Ghana calendar year Gibraltar 1 July - 30 June Greece calendar year Greenland calendar year Grenada calendar year Guadeloupe calendar year Guam 1 October - 30 September Guatemala calendar year Guernsey calendar year Guinea calendar year Guinea-Bissau calendar year Guyana calendar year Haiti 1 October - 30 September Holy See (Vatican City) calendar year Honduras calendar year Hong Kong 1 April - 31 March Hungary calendar year Iceland calendar year India 1 April - 31 March Indonesia calendar year; note - previously was 1 April - 31 March, but starting with 2001, has been changed to calendar year Iran 21 March - 20 March Iraq calendar year Ireland calendar year Isle of Man 1 April - 31 March Israel calendar year Italy calendar year Jamaica 1 April - 31 March Japan 1 April - 31 March Jersey 1 April - 31 March Jordan calendar year Kazakhstan calendar year Kenya 1 July - 30 June Kiribati NA Korea, North calendar year Korea, South calendar year Kuwait 1 April - 31 March Kyrgyzstan calendar year Laos 1 October - 30 September Latvia calendar year Lebanon calendar year Lesotho 1 April - 31 March Liberia calendar year Libya calendar year Liechtenstein calendar year Lithuania calendar year Luxembourg calendar year Macau calendar year Macedonia calendar year Madagascar calendar year Malawi 1 July - 30 June Malaysia calendar year Maldives calendar year Mali calendar year Malta calendar year Marshall Islands 1 October - 30 September Martinique calendar year Mauritania calendar year Mauritius 1 July - 30 June Mayotte calendar year Mexico calendar year Micronesia, Federated States of 1 October - 30 September Moldova calendar year Monaco calendar year Mongolia calendar year Montenegro calendar year Montserrat 1 April - 31 March Morocco calendar year Mozambique calendar year Namibia 1 April - 31 March Nauru 1 July - 30 June Nepal 16 July - 15 July Netherlands calendar year Netherlands Antilles calendar year New Caledonia calendar year New Zealand 1 July - 30 June Nicaragua calendar year Niger calendar year Nigeria calendar year Niue 1 April - 31 March Norfolk Island 1 July - 30 June Northern Mariana Islands 1 October - 30 September Norway calendar year Oman calendar year Pakistan 1 July - 30 June Palau 1 October - 30 September Panama calendar year Papua New Guinea calendar year Paraguay calendar year Peru calendar year Philippines calendar year Pitcairn Islands 1 April - 31 March Poland calendar year Portugal calendar year Puerto Rico 1 July - 30 June Qatar 1 April - 31 March Reunion calendar year Romania calendar year Russia calendar year Rwanda calendar year Saint Helena 1 April - 31 March Saint Kitts and Nevis calendar year Saint Lucia 1 April - 31 March Saint Pierre and Miquelon calendar year Saint Vincent and the Grenadines calendar year Samoa June 1 - May 31 San Marino calendar year Sao Tome and Principe calendar year Saudi Arabia 1 March - 28 February Senegal calendar year Seychelles calendar year Sierra Leone calendar year Singapore 1 April - 31 March Slovakia calendar year Slovenia calendar year Solomon Islands calendar year Somalia NA South Africa 1 April - 31 March Spain calendar year Sri Lanka calendar year Sudan calendar year Suriname calendar year Swaziland 1 April - 31 March Sweden calendar year Switzerland calendar year Syria calendar year Taiwan 1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000 for FY00; calendar year (after FY00) Tajikistan calendar year Tanzania 1 July - 30 June Thailand 1 October - 30 September Togo calendar year Tokelau 1 April - 31 March Tonga 1 July - 30 June Trinidad and Tobago 1 October - 30 September Tunisia calendar year Turkey calendar year Turkmenistan calendar year Turks and Caicos Islands calendar year Tuvalu calendar year Uganda 1 July - 30 June Ukraine calendar year United Arab Emirates calendar year United Kingdom 6 April - 5 April United States 1 October - 30 September Uruguay calendar year Uzbekistan calendar year Vanuatu calendar year Venezuela calendar year Vietnam calendar year Virgin Islands 1 October - 30 September Wallis and Futuna calendar year West Bank calendar year Western Sahara calendar year Yemen calendar year Zambia calendar year Zimbabwe calendar year This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2081 Flag description Afghanistan three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and green, with a gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bold Islamic inscription above Akrotiri the flag of the UK is used Albania red with a black two-headed eagle in the center Algeria two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion) American Samoa blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the outer side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club Andorra three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem Angola two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle) Anguilla blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background with blue wavy water below Antigua and Barbuda red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band Argentina three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May Armenia three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange Aruba blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner Ashmore and Cartier Islands the flag of Australia is used Australia blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories; on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars Austria three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red Azerbaijan three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band Bahamas, The three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side Bahrain red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam Baker Island the flag of the US is used Bangladesh green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh Barbados three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident) Bassas da India the flag of France is used Belarus red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red Belgium three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France Belize blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland Benin two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side Bermuda red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag Bhutan divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side Bolivia three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band Bosnia and Herzegovina a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle Botswana light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center Bouvet Island the flag of Norway is used Brazil green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress) British Indian Ocean Territory white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag British Virgin Islands blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) Brunei yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side; the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands Bulgaria three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; note - the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed Burkina Faso two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Burma red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, 14 white five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the seven administrative divisions and seven states Burundi divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below) Cambodia three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band; only national flag to incorporate an actual building in its design Cameroon three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Canada two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width), with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square; the official colors of Canada are red and white Cape Verde three horizontal bands of light blue (top, double width), white (with a horizontal red stripe in the middle third), and light blue; a circle of 10 yellow five-pointed stars is centered on the hoist end of the red stripe and extends into the upper and lower blue bands Cayman Islands blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS Central African Republic four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band Chad three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France Chile two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled to achieve independence; design was influenced by the US flag China red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner Christmas Island territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island; the flag of Australia is used for official purposes Clipperton Island the flag of France is used Cocos (Keeling) Islands the flag of Australia is used Colombia three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center Comoros four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros); the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam Congo, Democratic Republic of the sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner Congo, Republic of the divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Cook Islands blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag Coral Sea Islands the flag of Australia is used Costa Rica five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just below it near the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA Cote d'Ivoire three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white, and red; design was based on the flag of France Croatia three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered) Cuba five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center Cyprus white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities note: the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" flag has a horizontal red stripe at the top and bottom between which is a red crescent and red star on a white field Czech Republic two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia) Denmark red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden Dhekelia the flag of the UK is used Djibouti two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center Dominica green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes) Dominican Republic a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon East Timor red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the black triangle Ecuador three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms Egypt three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; design is based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band El Salvador three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band Equatorial Guinea three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice) Eritrea red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle Estonia pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white Ethiopia three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors Europa Island the flag of France is used European Union on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT Faroe Islands white with a red cross outlined in blue extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted toward the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Fiji light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove Finland white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) France three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution; the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, Luxembourg, and Netherlands; the official flag for all French dependent areas French Guiana the flag of France is used French Polynesia two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions French Southern and Antarctic Lands the flag of France is used Gabon three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue Gambia, The three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green Georgia white rectangle, in its central portion a red cross connecting all four sides of the flag; in each of the four corners is a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross; the five-cross flag appears to date back to the 14th century Germany three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold Ghana three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band Gibraltar two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band Glorioso Islands the flag of France is used Greece nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country Greenland two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white Grenada a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag; there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars represent the seven administrative divisions Guadeloupe unofficial, local flag based upon the arms of the city of Pointe-a-Pitre; the field is divided horizontally with a narrow, blue stripe along the top edge charged with three gold fleurs-de-lis; the wider, lower portion of the field is black and charged with green sugar cane leaves - representing one of Guadeloupe's main crops - surmounted by a gold radiant sun representing the tropical climate; the only official flag is the national flag of France Guam territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all four sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse containing a beach scene, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the national flag Guatemala three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed by a wreath Guernsey white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross Guinea three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Guinea-Bissau two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Guyana green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green Haiti two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength) Heard Island and McDonald Islands the flag of Australia is used Holy See (Vatican City) two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band Honduras three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with five blue, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band; the stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a triangle encircled by the word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band Hong Kong red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center Howland Island the flag of the US is used Hungary three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green Iceland blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Iles Eparses the flag of France is used India three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band Indonesia two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of Poland, which is white (top) and red Iran three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band Iraq three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star - was added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two stars but no script, Yemen, which has a plain white band, and that of Egypt which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; design is based upon the Arab Liberation colors Ireland three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red Isle of Man red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used Israel white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag Italy three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green note: inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797 Jamaica diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side) Jan Mayen the flag of Norway is used Japan white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center Jarvis Island the flag of the US is used Jersey white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow Johnston Atoll the flag of the US is used Jordan three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I Juan de Nova Island the flag of France is used Kazakhstan sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold Kenya three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center Kingman Reef the flag of the US is used Kiribati the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean Korea, North three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star Korea, South white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field Kuwait three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side; design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I Kyrgyzstan red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays representing the 40 Kyrgyz tribes; on the obverse side the rays run counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise; in the center of the sun is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized representation of the roof of the traditional Kyrgyz yurt Laos three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band Latvia three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon Lebanon three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band Lesotho three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence Liberia 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag Libya plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion) Liechtenstein two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band Lithuania three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red Luxembourg three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France Macau light green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large in center of arc and four smaller Macedonia a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field Madagascar two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side Malawi three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band Malaysia 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US Maldives red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag Mali three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Malta two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross, edged in red Marshall Islands blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes Martinique unofficial flag, derives from the civil ensign flown by French merchant ships and dates to 1766; a blue field quartered by a white cross; in the center of each rectangle is a white, coiled snake representing the venomous Fer-de-lance; the flag of France is used for official occasions Mauritania green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam Mauritius four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green Mayotte unofficial, local flag with the coat of arms of Mayotte centered on a white field, above which the name of the island appears in red capital letters; the main elements of the coat of arms, flanked on either side by a seahorse, appear above a scroll with the motto RA HACHIRI (We are Vigilant); the only official flag is the national flag of France Mexico three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band Micronesia, Federated States of light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered; the stars are arranged in a diamond pattern Midway Islands the flag of the US is used Moldova same color scheme as Romania - three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow Monaco two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red Mongolia three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol) Montenegro a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered Montserrat blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross Morocco red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Sulayman's (Solomon's) seal in the center of the flag; red and green are traditional colors in Arab flags, although the use of red is more commonly associated with the Arab states of the Persian gulf; design dates to 1912 Mozambique three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book Namibia a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left section and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe that is contrasted by two narrow white-edge borders Nauru blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru Navassa Island the flag of the US is used Nepal red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun Netherlands three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; one of the oldest flags in constant use, originating with WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, in the latter half of the 16th century Netherlands Antilles white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten New Caledonia the flag of France is used New Zealand blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation Nicaragua three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band Niger three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band Nigeria three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green Niue yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large one on a blue disk in the center and a smaller one on each arm of the bold red cross Norfolk Island three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band Northern Mariana Islands blue, with a white, five-pointed star superimposed on the gray silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional foundation stone used in building) in the center, surrounded by a wreath Norway red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Oman three horizontal bands of white, red, and green of equal width with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered near the top of the vertical band Pakistan green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam Palau light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side Palmyra Atoll the flag of the US is used Panama divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white (hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and plain red; the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center Papua New Guinea divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered Paraguay three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles) Peru three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath Philippines two equal horizontal bands of blue (top; representing peace and justice) and red (representing courage); a white equilateral triangle based on the hoist side represents equality; the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing one of the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain; each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star representing the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; the design of the flag dates to 1897; in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top Pitcairn Islands blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a shield featuring a yellow anchor Poland two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white Portugal two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line Puerto Rico five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed Qatar maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side Reunion unofficial, local flag designed to emphasize solidarity among the people of Reunion; the field is divided vertically with three narrow stripes of blue, white, and red along the hoist edge representing the French national flag; the remainder of the field is divided diagonally into four triangles colored (clockwise from the hoist side) blue, golden yellow, red, and green; in the center, the apexes of the triangles are surmounted by a white disk; the only official flag is the national flag of France Romania three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova Russia three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red Rwanda three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width), yellow, and green, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blue band Saint Helena blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship Saint Kitts and Nevis divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a broad black band bearing two white, five-pointed stars; the black band is edged in yellow; the upper triangle is green, the lower triangle is red Saint Lucia blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border Saint Pierre and Miquelon a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with yellow wavy lines under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the rectangle into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one above the other; these three heraldic arms represent settlement by colonists from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy; the flag of France is used for official occasions Saint Vincent and the Grenadines three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern Samoa red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation San Marino two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty) Sao Tome and Principe three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Saudi Arabia green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (translated as "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God") above a white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); design dates to the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932 Senegal three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Serbia three equal horizontal stripes of red (top), blue, and white; charged with the coat of arms of Serbia shifted slightly to the hoist side Seychelles five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side Sierra Leone three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue Singapore two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle Slovakia three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the coat of arms of Slovakia (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white Cross of Lorraine surmounting three blue hills); the coat of arms is centered vertically and offset slightly to the hoist side Slovenia three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the center; beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an inverted triangle, which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries); the seal is located in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue bands Solomon Islands divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green Somalia light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; blue field influenced by the flag of the UN South Africa two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land) Spain three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar Sri Lanka yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels Sudan three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side Suriname five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band Svalbard the flag of Norway is used Swaziland three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally Sweden blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) Switzerland red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag Syria three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980 Taiwan red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays Tajikistan three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe Tanzania divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue Thailand five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red Togo five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia Tokelau the flag of New Zealand is used Tonga red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner Trinidad and Tobago red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side Tromelin Island the flag of France is used Tunisia red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam Turkey red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening Turkmenistan green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or velayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe Turks and Caicos Islands blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus Tuvalu light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands Uganda six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side Ukraine two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grain fields under a blue sky United Arab Emirates three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side United Kingdom blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British overseas territories United States 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges the flag of the US is used Uruguay nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May with 16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy Uzbekistan three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and 12 white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant Vanuatu two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow Venezuela three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band Vietnam red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center Virgin Islands white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel Wake Island the flag of the US is used Wallis and Futuna unofficial, local flag has a red field with four white isosceles triangles in the middle, representing the three native kings of the islands and the French administrator; the apexes of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each other; the flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is the only official flag Yemen three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars, and of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription), in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band Zambia green with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag Zimbabwe seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace; green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red - blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2085 Roadways (km) Afghanistan total: 34,789 km paved: 8,231 km unpaved: 26,558 km (2003) Albania total: 18,000 km paved: 7,020 km unpaved: 10,980 km (2002) Algeria total: 104,000 km paved: 71,656 km unpaved: 32,344 km (1999) American Samoa total: 185 km (2004) Andorra total: 269 km paved: 198 km unpaved: 71 km Angola total: 51,429 km paved: 5,349 km unpaved: 46,080 km (2001) Anguilla total: 105 km paved: 65 km unpaved: 40 km (2002) Antigua and Barbuda total: 1,165 km paved: 384 km unpaved: 781 km (2002) Argentina total: 229,144 km paved: 68,809 km (including 734 km of expressways) unpaved: 160,335 km (2004) Armenia total: 7,633 km paved: 7,633 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways) (2003) Aruba total: 800 km paved: 513 km unpaved: 287 km Australia total: 810,641 km paved: 336,962 km unpaved: 473,679 km (2004) Austria total: 133,718 km paved: 133,718 km (including 1,677 km of expressways) (2003) Azerbaijan total: 27,016 km paved: 12,698 km (including 128 km of expressways) unpaved: 14,318 km (2003) Bahamas, The total: 2,693 km paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999) Bahrain total: 3,498 km paved: 2,768 km unpaved: 730 km (2003) Bangladesh total: 239,226 km paved: 22,726 km unpaved: 216,500 km (2003) Barbados total: 1,600 km paved: 1,600 km (2003) Belarus total: 93,055 km paved: 93,055 km (2003) Belgium total: 149,757 km paved: 117,110 km (including 1,747 km of expressways) unpaved: 32,647 km (2003) Belize total: 2,872 km paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1999) Benin total: 16,000 km paved: 1,400 km unpaved: 14,600 km (2005) Bermuda total: 447 km paved: 447 km note: public roads - 225 km; private roads - 222 km (2002) Bhutan total: 8,050 km paved: 4,991 km unpaved: 3,059 km (2003) Bolivia total: 60,762 km paved: 4,314 km (including 11 km of expressways) unpaved: 56,448 km (2003) Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 21,846 km paved: 11,425 km (4,686 km of interurban roads) unpaved: 10,421 km (2005) Botswana total: 25,233 km paved: 8,867 km unpaved: 16,366 km (2003) Brazil total: 1,724,929 km paved: 94,871 km unpaved: 1,630,058 km (2000) British Indian Ocean Territory total: NA paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia British Virgin Islands total: 177 km paved: 177 km (2002) Brunei total: 2,525 km paved: 2,338 km unpaved: 187 km (2000) Bulgaria total: 102,016 km paved: 93,855 km (including 328 km of expressways) unpaved: 8,161 km (2003) Burkina Faso total: 12,506 km paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1999) Burma total: 27,000 km paved: 3,200 km unpaved: 23,800 km (2005) Burundi total: 14,480 km paved: 1,028 km unpaved: 13,452 km (1999) Cambodia total: 12,323 km paved: 1,996 km unpaved: 10,327 km (2000) Cameroon total: 80,932 km paved: 5,398 km unpaved: 75,534 km (2002) Canada total: 1,042,300 km paved: 415,600 km (including 17,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 626,700 km (2005) Cape Verde total: 1,350 km paved: 932 km unpaved: 418 km (2000) Cayman Islands total: 785 km paved: 785 km (2002) Central African Republic total: 23,810 km (1999) Chad total: 33,400 km paved: 267 km unpaved: 33,133 km (1999) Chile total: 79,605 km paved: 16,080 km (including 407 km of expressways) unpaved: 63,525 km (2001) China total: 1,809,829 km paved: 1,447,682 km (with at least 29,745 km of expressways) unpaved: 362,147 km (2003) Christmas Island total: 142 km paved: 32 km unpaved: 110 km (2006) Cocos (Keeling) Islands total: 22 km paved: 10 km unpaved: 12 km (2006) Colombia total: 110,000 km paved: 26,000 km unpaved: 84,000 km (2000) Comoros total: 880 km paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999) Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways) (1999) Congo, Republic of the total: 12,800 km paved: 1,242 km unpaved: 11,558 km (1999) Cook Islands total: 320 km paved: 33 km unpaved: 287 km (2003) Costa Rica total: 35,889 km paved: 8,075 km unpaved: 27,814 km (2003) Cote d'Ivoire total: 80,000 km paved: 6,500 km unpaved: 73,500 km note: includes intercity and urban roads; another 20,000 km of dirt roads are in poor condition and 150,000 km of dirt roads are impassable (2006) Croatia total: 28,344 km paved: 24,186 km (including 742 km of expressways) unpaved: 4,158 km (2004) Cuba total: 60,858 km paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway) unpaved: 31,038 km (1999) Cyprus total: 14,496 km (Republic of Cyprus: 12,146 km; north Cyprus: 2,350 km) paved: Republic of Cyprus: 7,845 km (including 276 km of expressways); north Cyprus: 1,370 km unpaved: Republic of Cyprus: 4,301 km; north Cyprus: 980 km (2005/1996 est.) Czech Republic total: 127,747 km paved: 127,747 km (including 518 km of expressways) (2003) Denmark total: 72,257 km paved: 72,257 km (including 1,032 km of expressways) (2005) Djibouti total: 2,890 km paved: 364 km unpaved: 2,526 km (1999) Dominica total: 780 km paved: 393 km unpaved: 387 km (1999) Dominican Republic total: 12,600 km paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1999) East Timor total: 5,000 km paved: 2,500 km unpaved: 2,500 km (2005) Ecuador total: 43,197 km paved: 7,287 km unpaved: 35,910 km (2003) Egypt total: 64,000 km paved: 49,984 km unpaved: 14,016 km (1999) El Salvador total: 10,029 km paved: 1,986 km unpaved: 8,043 km (1999) Equatorial Guinea total: 2,880 km (1999) Eritrea total: 4,010 km paved: 874 km unpaved: 3,136 km (1999) Estonia total: 56,849 km paved: 13,303 km (including 99 km of expressways) unpaved: 45,546 km (2003) Ethiopia total: 33,856 km paved: 4,367 km unpaved: 29,489 km (2003) European Union total: 4,634,810 km (including 56,704 km of expressways) paved: 4,161,318 km unpaved: 473,492 km (1999-2000) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total: 440 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 390 km (2003) Faroe Islands total: 458 km note: no roads between towns (2003) Fiji total: 3,440 km paved: 1,692 km unpaved: 1,748 km (1999) Finland total: 78,189 km paved: 50,633 km (including 653 km of expressways) unpaved: 27,556 km (2006) France total: 891,290 km paved: 891,290 km (including 10,390 km of expressways) (2003) French Guiana total: 817 km (1998) French Polynesia total: 2,590 km paved: 1,735 km unpaved: 855 km (1999) Gabon total: 32,333 km paved: 6,247 km unpaved: 26,086 km (2003) Gambia, The total: 3,742 km paved: 723 km unpaved: 3,019 km (2003) Gaza Strip note: see entry for West Bank Georgia total: 20,247 km paved: 7,973 km unpaved: 12,274 km (2003) Germany total: 231,581 km paved: 231,581 km (including 12,200 km of expressways) (2005) Ghana total: 42,623 km paved: 3,267 km unpaved: 39,356 km (2004) Gibraltar total: 29 km paved: 29 km (2002) Greece total: 116,470 km paved: 106,920 km (including 880 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,550 km (1999) Greenland total: NA note: while there are short roads in towns, there are no roads between towns; inter-town transport takes place either by sea or air (2005) Grenada total: 1,127 km paved: 687 km unpaved: 440 km (1999) Guadeloupe total: 947 km (2002) Guam total: 977 km (2004) Guatemala total: 14,095 km paved: 4,863 km (including 75 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,232 km (1999) Guernsey total: NA Guinea total: 44,348 km paved: 4,342 km unpaved: 40,006 km (2003) Guinea-Bissau total: 4,400 km paved: 453 km unpaved: 3,947 km (1999) Guyana total: 7,970 km paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (1999) Haiti total: 4,160 km paved: 1,011 km unpaved: 3,149 km (1999) Honduras total: 13,603 km paved: 2,775 km unpaved: 10,828 km (1999) Hong Kong total: 1,955 km paved: 1,955 km (2005) Hungary total: 159,568 km paved: 70,050 km (30,874 km of interurban roads including 626 km of expressways) unpaved: 89,518 km (2005) Iceland total: 13,028 km paved/oiled gravel: 4,241 km (does not include urban roads) unpaved: 8,787 km (2005) India total: 3,851,440 km paved: 2,411,001 km unpaved: 1,440,439 km (2002) Indonesia total: 368,360 km paved: 213,649 km unpaved: 154,711 km (2002) Iran total: 178,152 km paved: 118,115 km (including 751 km of expressways) unpaved: 60,037 km (2002) Iraq total: 45,550 km paved: 38,399 km unpaved: 7,151 km (1999) Ireland total: 95,736 km paved: 95,736 km (including 125 km of expressways) (2002) Isle of Man total: 800 km paved: 800 km (1999) Israel total: 17,364 km paved: 17,364 km (including 126 km of expressways) (2004) Italy total: 479,688 km paved: 479,688 km (including 6,478 km of expressways) (2004) Jamaica total: 18,700 km paved: 13,009 km unpaved: 5,610 km (1999) Japan total: 1.183 million km paved: 925,000 km (including 6,946 km of expressways) unpaved: 258,000 km (2003) Jersey total: 577 km Jordan total: 7,364 km paved: 7,364 km (2003) Kazakhstan total: 258,029 km paved: 247,347 km unpaved: 10,682 km (2003) Kenya total: 63,000 km (interurban roads) paved: 7,623 km unpaved: 55,377 km note: there also are 100,000 km of rural roads and 14,500 km of urban roads for a national total of 177,500 km (2004) Kiribati total: 670 km (1999) Korea, North total: 31,200 km paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.) Korea, South total: 97,252 km paved: 74,641 km (including 3,060 km of expressways) unpaved: 22,611 km (2004) Kuwait total: 4,450 km paved: 3,587 km unpaved: 863 km (1999) Kyrgyzstan total: 18,500 km paved: 16,854 km unpaved: 1,646 km (1999) Laos total: 32,620 km paved: 4,590 km unpaved: 28,030 km (2002) Latvia total: 69,919 km paved: 69,919 km (2003) Lebanon total: 7,300 km paved: 6,198 km unpaved: 1,102 km (1999) Lesotho total: 5,940 km paved: 1,087 km unpaved: 4,853 km (1999) Liberia total: 10,600 km paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (1999) Libya total: 83,200 km paved: 47,590 km unpaved: 35,610 km (1999) Liechtenstein total: 380 km paved: 380 km (2006) Lithuania total: 79,497 km paved: 70,549 km (including 417 km of expressways) unpaved: 8,948 km (2005) Luxembourg total: 5,210 km paved: 5,210 km (including 147 km of expressways) (2002) Macau total: 368 km paved: 368 km (2005) Macedonia total: 8,684 km paved: 5,540 km unpaved: 3,144 km (1999) Madagascar total: 49,827 km paved: 5,780 km unpaved: 44,047 km (1999) Malawi total: 28,400 km paved: 5,254 km unpaved: 23,146 km (1999) Malaysia total: 71,814 km paved: 55,943 km unpaved: 15,871 km (2001) Maldives total: 88 km paved roads: 88 km - 60 km in Male; 14 km on Addu Atolis; 14 km on Laamu note: village roads are mainly compacted coral (2006) Mali total: 15,100 km paved: 1,827 km unpaved: 13,273 km (1999) Malta total: 2,227 km paved: 2,014 km unpaved: 213 km (2004) Marshall Islands total: 64.5 km paved: 64.5 km note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002) Martinique total: 2,105 km (including 261 km of expressways) (2000) Mauritania total: 7,660 km paved: 866 km unpaved: 6,794 km (1999) Mauritius total: 2,020 km paved: 2,020 km (including 75 km of expressways) (2005) Mayotte total: 93 km paved: 72 km unpaved: 21 km Mexico total: 349,038 km paved: 116,928 km (including 6,979 km of expressways) unpaved: 232,110 km (2003) Micronesia, Federated States of total: 240 km paved: 42 km unpaved: 198 km (1999) Midway Islands total: NA Moldova total: 12,730 km paved: 10,973 km unpaved: 1,757 km (2003) Monaco total: 50 km paved: 50 km (1999) Mongolia total: 49,250 km paved: 1,724 km unpaved: 47,526 km (2002) Montenegro total: 7,353 km paved: 4,274 km unpaved: 3,079 km (2005) Montserrat total: 227 km note: volcanic eruptions that began in 1995 destroyed most of the road system (2003) Morocco total: 57,694 km paved: 32,551 km (including 417 km of expressways) unpaved: 25,143 km (2002) Mozambique total: 30,400 km paved: 5,685 km unpaved: 24,715 km (1999) Namibia total: 42,237 km paved: 5,406 km unpaved: 36,831 km (2002) Nauru total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.) Nepal total: 15,905 km paved: 8,573 km unpaved: 7,332 km (2003) Netherlands total: 134,000 km (including 3,270 km of expressways) (2004) New Caledonia total: 5,432 km (2000) New Zealand total: 92,662 km paved: 59,109 km (including 169 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,553 km (2003) Nicaragua total: 19,036 km paved: 2,299 km unpaved: 16,737 km (2005) Niger total: 10,100 km paved: 798 km unpaved: 9,302 km (1999) Nigeria total: 194,394 km paved: 60,068 km unpaved: 134,326 km (1999) Niue total: 234 km paved: 86 km unpaved: 148 km (2001) Norfolk Island total: 80 km paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2002) Northern Mariana Islands total: 536 km (2004) Norway total: 92,513 km paved: 71,832 km (including 664 km of expressways) unpaved: 20,681 km (2005) Oman total: 34,965 km paved: 9,673 km (including 550 km of expressways) unpaved: 25,292 km (2001) Pakistan total: 255,856 km paved: 157,975 km (including 367 km of expressways) unpaved: 97,881 km (2004) Palau total: 61 km paved: 36 km unpaved: 25 km Panama total: 11,643 km paved: 4,028 km unpaved: 7,615 km (2000) Papua New Guinea total: 19,600 km paved: 686 km unpaved: 18,914 km (1999) Paraguay total: 29,500 km paved: 14,986 km unpaved: 14,514 km (1999) Peru total: 78,672 km paved: 10,314 km (including 276 km of expressways) unpaved: 68,358 km (2003) Philippines total: 200,037 km paved: 19,804 km unpaved: 180,233 km (2003) Pitcairn Islands total: 6 km unpaved: 6 km (dirt roads) Poland total: 423,997 km paved: 295,356 km (including 405 km of expressways) unpaved: 128,641 km (2004) Portugal total: 72,600 km paved: 62,436 km (including 1,700 km of expressways) unpaved: 10,164 km (2002) Puerto Rico total: 25,645 km paved: 24,363 km (including 426 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,282 km (2004) Qatar total: 1,230 km paved: 1,107 km unpaved: 123 km (1999) Reunion total: 1,214 km (including 88 km of four-lane roads) (2001) Romania total: 198,817 km paved: 60,043 km (including 228 km of expressways) unpaved: 138,774 km (2003) Russia total: 871,000 km paved: 738,000 km (including 29,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 133,000 km note: includes public and departmental roads (2004) Rwanda total: 12,000 km paved: 996 km unpaved: 11,004 km (1999) Saint Helena total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km) paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2002) Saint Kitts and Nevis total: 320 km paved: 138 km unpaved: 182 km (1999 est) Saint Lucia total: 910 km paved: 48 km unpaved: 862 km (2000) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines total: 829 km paved: 580 km unpaved: 249 km (2003) Samoa total: 790 km paved: 332 km unpaved: 458 km (1999) San Marino total: 104 km paved: 104 km (2003) Sao Tome and Principe total: 320 km paved: 218 km unpaved: 102 km (1999) Saudi Arabia total: 152,044 km paved: 45,461 km unpaved: 106,583 km (2000) Senegal total: 13,576 km paved: 3,972 km (including 7 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,604 km (2003) Serbia total: 37,887 km paved: 23,937 km unpaved: 13,950 km (2002) Seychelles total: 458 km paved: 440 km unpaved: 18 km (2003) Sierra Leone total: 11,300 km paved: 904 km unpaved: 10,396 km (2002) Singapore total: 3,234 km paved: 3,234 km (including 150 km of expressways) (2005) Slovakia total: 42,993 km paved: 37,533 km (including 316 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,460 km (2003) Slovenia total: 38,400 km paved: 38,400 km (including 477 km of expressways) (2003) Solomon Islands total: 1,360 km paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 km (1999) Somalia total: 22,100 km paved: 2,608 km unpaved: 19,492 km (1999) South Africa total: 362,099 km paved: 73,506 km unpaved: 288,593 km (2002) Spain total: 666,292 km paved: 659,629 km (including 12,009 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,663 km (2003) Sri Lanka total: 97,287 km paved: 78,802 km unpaved: 18,485 km (2003) Sudan total: 11,900 km paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (1999) Suriname total: 4,492 km paved: 1,168 km unpaved: 3,324 km (2002) Swaziland total: 3,594 km paved: 1,078 km unpaved: 2,516 km (2002) Sweden total: 424,981 km paved: 132,339 km (including 1,544 km of expressways) unpaved: 292,642 km (2003) Switzerland total: 71,297 km paved: 71,297 km (including 1,726 of expressways) (2004) Syria total: 91,795 km paved: 18,451 km unpaved: 73,344 km (2003) Taiwan total: 37,299 km paved: 35,621 km (including 1,789 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,678 km (2002) Tajikistan total: 27,767 km (2000) Tanzania total: 78,891 km paved: 6,808 km unpaved: 72,083 km (2003) Thailand total: 57,403 km paved: 56,542 km unpaved: 861 km (2000) Togo total: 7,520 km paved: 2,376 km unpaved: 5,144 km (1999) Tonga total: 680 km paved: 184 km unpaved: 496 km (1999) Trinidad and Tobago total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1999) Tunisia total: 18,997 km paved: 12,424 km (including 142 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,573 km (2001) Turkey total: 347,553 km paved: 154,807 km (including 1,886 km of expressways) unpaved: 192,747 km (2004) Turkmenistan total: 24,000 km paved: 19,488 km unpaved: 4,512 km (1999) Turks and Caicos Islands total: 121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2003) Tuvalu total: 8 km paved: 8 km (2002) Uganda total: 70,746 km paved: 16,272 km unpaved: 54,474 km (2003) Ukraine total: 169,447 km paved: 164,772 km (including 15 km of expressways) unpaved: 4,675 km (2004) United Arab Emirates total: 1,088 km paved: 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways) (1999) United Kingdom total: 387,674 km paved: 387,674 km (including 3,523 km of expressways) (2004) United States total: 6,407,637 km paved: 4,164,964 km (including 74,950 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,242,673 km (2004) Uruguay total: 77,732 km paved: 7,743 km unpaved: 69,989 km (2004) Uzbekistan total: 81,600 km paved: 71,237 km unpaved: 10,363 km (1999) Vanuatu total: 1,070 km paved: 256 km unpaved: 814 km (1999) Venezuela total: 96,155 km paved: 32,308 km unpaved: 63,847 km (1999) Vietnam total: 222,179 km paved: 42,167 km unpaved: 180,012 km (2004) Virgin Islands total: 1,257 km (2004) West Bank total: 4,158 km paved: 4,158 km note: includes Gaza Strip (2003) World total: 32,345,165 km paved: 19,403,061 km unpaved: 12,942,104 km (2002) Yemen total: 71,300 km paved: 6,200 km unpaved: 65,100 km (2005) Zambia total: 91,440 km paved: 20,117 km unpaved: 71,323 km (2001) Zimbabwe total: 97,440 km paved: 18,514 km unpaved: 78,926 km (2002) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2086 Illicit drugs Afghanistan world's largest producer of opium; cultivation dropped 48% to 107,400 hectares in 2005; better weather and lack of widespread disease returned opium yields to normal levels, meaning potential opium production declined by only 10% to 4,475 metric tons; if the entire poppy crop were processed, it is estimated that 526 metric tons of heroin could be processed; source of hashish; many narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source of instability and some antigovernment groups profit from the trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through informal financial networks Albania increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens Angola used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for Western Europe and other African states Anguilla transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe Antigua and Barbuda considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center Argentina used as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing Armenia illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe Aruba transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity Australia Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate Austria transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe Azerbaijan limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe Bahamas, The transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center Bangladesh transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries Barbados one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center Belarus limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities Belgium growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a strengthening of legislation, the country remains vulnerable to money laundering related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco Belize transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector Benin transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly regulated financial infrastructure Bolivia world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 26,500 hectares under cultivation in August 2005, an 8% increase from 2004; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported mostly to or through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to European drug markets; cultivation steadily increasing despite eradication and alternative crop programs; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay Bosnia and Herzegovina minor transit point for marijuana and opiate trafficking routes to Western Europe; remains highly vulnerable to money-laundering activity given a primarily cash-based and unregulated economy, weak law enforcement, and instances of corruption Brazil illicit producer of cannabis; trace amounts of coca cultivation in the Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for Europe; also used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area British Virgin Islands transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering Brunei drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory death penalty Bulgaria major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions Burma remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium (estimated production in 2004 - 292 metric tons, down 40% from 2003 due to eradication efforts and drought; cultivation in 2004 - 30,900 hectares, a 34% decline from 2003); lack of government will to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption; currently under Financial Action Task Force countermeasures due to continued failure to address its inadequate money-laundering controls (2005) Cambodia narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving some in the government, military, and police; possible small-scale heroin and methamphetamine production; vulnerable to money laundering due to its cash-based economy and porous borders Canada illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; transit point for ecstasy entering the US market; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial services sector Cape Verde used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs moving from Latin America and Asia destined for Western Europe; the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center Cayman Islands offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe Chile important transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe; economic prosperity and increasing trade have made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits, especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone, but a new anti-money-laundering law improves controls; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising China major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine Colombia illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator (cultivation of coca in 2004 was 114,100 hectares, virtually unchanged from 2003, but down one-third from its peak of 169,800 ha); producing a potential of 430 mt of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca derivatives; supplying most of the US market and the great majority of cocaine to other international drug markets; important supplier of heroin to the US market; opium poppy cultivation fell 50% between 2003 and 2004 to 2,100 hectares yielding a potential 3.8 metric tons of pure heroin, mostly for the US market; in 2004, aerial eradication treated over 130,000 hectares of coca but aggressive replanting on the part of growers means Colombia remains a key producer; a significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market peso exchange Congo, Democratic Republic of the illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center Costa Rica transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising Cote d'Ivoire illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption; transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin to Europe and occasionally to the US, and for Latin American cocaine destined for Europe and South Africa; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center Croatia transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe Cuba territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 Cyprus minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey; some cocaine transits as well; despite a strengthening of anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in offshore sector remains weak Czech Republic transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime Dominica transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering Dominican Republic transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions East Timor NA Ecuador significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents Egypt transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian heroin and opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; transit stop for Nigerian couriers; concern as money-laundering site due to lax enforcement of financial regulations El Salvador transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise Estonia transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds Ethiopia transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe and North America, as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center France transshipment point for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics French Guiana small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe Georgia limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia Germany source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic drugs; major financial center Ghana illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US; widespread crime and money laundering problem, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center Greece a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime Grenada small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US Guatemala major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2004, reemerged as a potential source of opium, growing 330 hectares of opium poppy, with potential pure heroin production of 1.4 metric tons; 76% of opium poppy cultivation in western highlands along Mexican border; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem Guyana transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling Haiti Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption Honduras transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering activity Hong Kong makes strenuous law enforcement efforts, but faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people Hungary transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; improving, but remains vulnerable to money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking India world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries; illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system Indonesia illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; producer of methamphetamine and ecstasy Iran despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to official Iranian statistics there are at least 2 million drug users in the country; lacks anti-money-laundering laws Ireland transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern Israel increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center Italy important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling Jamaica transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions Kazakhstan significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe Kenya widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities Korea, North for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of them diplomatic employees of the government, were apprehended abroad while trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December 2004; police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003 Kyrgyzstan limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy for CIS markets; limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe Laos estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005) Latvia transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin American cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; despite improved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds Lebanon cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption Liberia transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center Liechtenstein has strengthened money-laundering controls, but money laundering remains a concern due to Liechtenstein's sophisticated offshore financial services sector Lithuania transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to Western Europe and Scandinavia; limited production of methamphetamine and ecstasy; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation Macedonia major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe; although not a financial center and most criminal activity is thought to be domestic, money laundering is a problem due to a mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement (no arrests or prosecutions for money laundering to date) Madagascar illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point for heroin Malaysia regional transit point for some illicit drugs; drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe penalties Malta minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe Martinique transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe Mauritius minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry Mexico major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2004 amounted to 3,500 hectares, but opium cultivation stayed within the range - between 3,500 and 5,500 hectares - observed in nine of the last 12 years; potential production of 9 metric tons of pure heroin, or 23 metric tons of "black tar" heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation decreased 23% to 5,800 hectares in 2004 after decade-high cultivation peak in 2003; potential production of 10,400 metric tons of marijuana in 2004; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, accounting for about 90% of estimated annual cocaine movement to the US; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center Moldova limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity Montserrat transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe Morocco illicit producer of hashish; shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe Mozambique Southern African transit point for South Asian hashish and heroin, and South American cocaine probably destined for the European and South African markets; producer of cannabis (for local consumption) and methaqualone (for export to South Africa); corruption and poor regulatory capability makes the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center Nepal illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West Netherlands major European producer of ecstasy, illicit amphetamines, and other synthetic drugs; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering Netherlands Antilles transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center Nicaragua transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing Nigeria a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets; safehaven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity; Nigeria has improved some anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in June 2006; Nigeria's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF Pakistan opium poppy cultivation declined 58% to 3,147 hectares in 2005; federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that force eradication - fines and arrests will take place if the ban on poppy cultivation is not observed; key transit point for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Western markets, the Gulf States, and Africa; financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems Panama major cocaine transshipment point and primary money-laundering center for narcotics revenue; money-laundering activity is especially heavy in the Colon Free Zone; offshore financial center; negligible signs of coca cultivation; monitoring of financial transactions is improving; official corruption remains a major problem Paraguay major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, and Europe; corruption and some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; weak anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement Peru until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer; cultivation of coca in Peru fell 15% to 31,150 hectares between 2002 and the end of 2003; much of the cocaine base is shipped to neighboring Colombia for processing into cocaine, while finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market; increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil and Bolivia for use in the Southern Cone or transshipped to Europe and Africa Philippines domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in recent years; longstanding marijuana producer Poland major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe Portugal gateway country for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market (especially from Brazil); transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin Romania major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe; although not a significant financial center, role as a narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering which occurs via the banking system, currency exchange houses, and casinos Russia limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active illicit crop eradication program; used as transshipment point for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin American cocaine bound for growing domestic markets, to a lesser extent Western and Central Europe, and occasionally to the US; major source of heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime are key concerns; heroin increasingly popular in domestic market Saint Kitts and Nevis transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity Saint Lucia transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe Saint Vincent and the Grenadines transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation Saudi Arabia death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin, cocaine, and hashish; improving anti-money-laundering legislation and enforcement Senegal transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis Serbia transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western Europe on the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money laundering Singapore as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for money laundering Slovakia transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market Slovenia minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals South Africa transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region Spain key European gateway country and consumer for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market; destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and organized crime Suriname growing transshipment point for South American drugs destined for Europe via the Netherlands and Brazil; transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing Switzerland a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin Syria a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering Taiwan regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; renewal of domestic methamphetamine production is a problem Tajikistan major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan seizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium) Tanzania growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African, European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem Thailand a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; illicit transit point for heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption; major consumer of methamphetamine since the 1990s Togo transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem Trinidad and Tobago transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis Turkey key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and - to a far lesser extent the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls Turkmenistan transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan Turks and Caicos Islands transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe Ukraine limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF United Arab Emirates the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving, but informal banking remains unregulated United Kingdom producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs; money-laundering center United States world's largest consumer of cocaine, shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean; consumer of heroin, marijuana, and increasingly methamphetamine from Mexico; consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center Uzbekistan transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for domestic consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by government crop eradication program; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan Venezuela small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the processing of opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia bound for US and Europe; significant narcotics-related money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia and on Margarita Island; active eradication program primarily targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on border Vietnam minor producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin; government continues to face domestic opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems despite longstanding crackdowns World cocaine: worldwide coca cultivation in 2004 amounted to 166,200 hectares; Colombia produced slightly more than two-thirds of the worldwide crop, followed by Peru and Bolivia; potential pure cocaine production of 645 metric tons in 2004 marked the lowest level of Andean cocaine production in the past 10 years; Colombia conducts aggressive coca eradication campaign, but both Peruvian and Bolivian Governments are hesitant to eradicate coca in key growing areas; 376 metric tons of export-quality cocaine are documented to have been seized in 2003, and 26 metric tons disrupted (jettisoned or destroyed); consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated to have been 800 metric tons opiates: worldwide illicit opium poppy cultivation reached 258,630 hectares in 2004; potential opium production of 5,444 metric tons was highest total recorded since estimates began in mid-1980s; Afghanistan is world's primary opium producer, accounting for 91% of the global supply; Southeast Asia - responsible for 7% of global opium - continued to diminish in importance in the world opium market; Latin America produced 2% of global opium, but most refined into heroin destined for United States; if all opium processed into pure heroin, the potential global production would be 632 metric tons of heroin in 2004 Zambia transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for Southern Africa and possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it an unattractive venue for money launderers Zimbabwe transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2087 Imports Afghanistan $3.87 billion (2005 est.) Albania $2.473 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Algeria $22.53 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) American Samoa $308.8 million (FY04 est.) Andorra $1.077 billion (1998) Angola $8.165 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Anguilla $129.9 million (2005 est.) Antigua and Barbuda $378 million (2004 est.) Argentina $28.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Armenia $1.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Aruba $875 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Australia $119.6 billion (2005 est.) Austria $118.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Azerbaijan $4.656 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Bahamas, The $1.82 billion (2004 est.) Bahrain $7.83 billion (2005 est.) Bangladesh $12.97 billion (2005 est.) Barbados $1.476 billion (2004 est.) Belarus $16.94 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Belgium $264.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Belize $622.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Benin $1.043 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Bermuda $982 million (2004 est.) Bhutan $196 million c.i.f. (2000 est.) Bolivia $1.845 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $6.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Botswana $3.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Brazil $78.02 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands $187 million (2002 est.) Brunei $1.641 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) Bulgaria $16.78 billion f.o.b. (2005) Burkina Faso $992 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Burma $3.454 billion f.o.b. note: import figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of consumer goods, diesel fuel, and other products smuggled in from Thailand, China, Malaysia, and India (2004) Burundi $200 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cambodia $3.538 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cameroon $2.514 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Canada $317.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cape Verde $500 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cayman Islands $866.9 million (2004) Central African Republic $203 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Chad $749.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Chile $30.09 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) China $631.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Christmas Island $NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands $NA Colombia $18 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Comoros $115 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the $1.319 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Congo, Republic of the $806.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cook Islands $81.04 million (2005) Costa Rica $9.69 billion (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $4.759 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Croatia $18.93 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cuba $6.916 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: $5.552 billion f.o.b.;; north Cyprus: $415.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Czech Republic $76.59 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Denmark $74.69 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Djibouti $987 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Dominica $234 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Dominican Republic $9.747 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) East Timor $202 million (2004 est.) Ecuador $8.436 billion (2005 est.) Egypt $24.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) El Salvador $6.678 billion (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $1.864 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Eritrea $676.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Estonia $9.189 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Ethiopia $2.722 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) European Union $1.402 trillion; note - external imports, excluding intra-EU trade (2004) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $90 million (2004 est.) Faroe Islands $639 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Fiji $1.462 billion c.i.f. (2005) Finland $56.45 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) France $473.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) French Guiana $625 million c.i.f. (2002 est.) French Polynesia $1.706 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Gabon $1.533 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Gambia, The $197 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Gaza Strip $1.952 billion c.i.f.; note - includes West Bank (2003) Georgia $2.5 billion (2005 est.) Germany $801 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Ghana $4.273 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Gibraltar $2.967 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) Greece $48.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Greenland $601 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Grenada $276 million (2004 est.) Guadeloupe $1.766 billion c.i.f. (2002) Guam $701 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Guatemala $7.744 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Guernsey $NA Guinea $680 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau $176 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Guyana $681.6 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Haiti $1.471 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Honduras $4.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Hong Kong $291.6 billion (2005 est.) Hungary $64.83 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Iceland $4.582 billion (2005 est.) India $113.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Indonesia $62.02 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Iran $42.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Iraq $19.57 billion f.o.b. (2004) Ireland $65.47 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Isle of Man $NA Israel $43.19 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Italy $369.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Jamaica $4.093 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Japan $451.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Jersey $NA Jordan $8.681 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $17.51 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kenya $5.126 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kiribati $62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Korea, North $2.819 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) Korea, South $256 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kuwait $12.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $937.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Laos $541 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Latvia $8.19 billion f.o.b. (2005) Lebanon $8.855 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Lesotho $1.166 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Liberia $4.839 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Libya $10.82 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Liechtenstein $917.3 million (1996) Lithuania $15.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Luxembourg $18.74 billion c.i.f. (2005 est.) Macau $3.478 billion c.i.f. (2004) Macedonia $3.196 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Madagascar $1.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Malawi $645 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Malaysia $118.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Maldives $567 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Mali $1.858 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Malta $3.859 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Marshall Islands $54.7 million f.o.b. (2000) Martinique $2.307 billion c.i.f. (2002) Mauritania $1.124 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Mauritius $2.507 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Mayotte $256.7 million f.o.b. (2004) Mexico $223.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of $132.7 million f.o.b. (2004) Moldova $2.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Monaco $636.6 million $NA note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France Mongolia $1.011 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) Montenegro $601.7 million (2003) Montserrat $17 million (2001) Morocco $18.15 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Mozambique $2.041 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Namibia $2.35 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Nauru $20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Nepal $2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Netherlands $326.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles $4.383 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) New Caledonia $1.636 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) New Zealand $24.57 billion (2005 est.) Nicaragua $2.865 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Niger $588 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Nigeria $25.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Niue $9.038 million (2004) Norfolk Island $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) Northern Mariana Islands $214.4 million $NA Norway $58.12 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Oman $8.709 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Pakistan $21.26 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Palau $107.3 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Panama $8.734 billion f.o.b. (includes the Colon Free Zone) (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $1.651 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Paraguay $3.832 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Peru $12.15 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Philippines $42.66 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Pitcairn Islands $NA Poland $95.67 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Portugal $60.35 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Puerto Rico $29.1 billion c.i.f. (2001) Qatar $6.706 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Reunion $3.306 billion c.i.f. (2002) Romania $41 billion f.o.b. (2005) Russia $125 billion (2005 est.) Rwanda $243 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Saint Helena $45 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis $405 million (2004 est.) Saint Lucia $410 million (2004 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon $70 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $225 million (2004 est.) Samoa $285 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) San Marino trade data are included with the statistics for Italy Sao Tome and Principe $38 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia $44.93 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Senegal $2.405 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Serbia $10.58 billion (excluding Kosovo and Montenegro) (2005 est.) Seychelles $459.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) Sierra Leone $531 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Singapore $188.3 billion (2005 est.) Slovakia $32.9 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Slovenia $19.62 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Solomon Islands $159 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Somalia $576 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) South Africa $52.97 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Spain $271.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Sri Lanka $8.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Sudan $5.028 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Suriname $750 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Svalbard $NA Swaziland $2.149 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Sweden $104.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Switzerland $135 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Syria $5.973 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Taiwan $181.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Tajikistan $1.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Tanzania $2.391 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Thailand $107 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Togo $1.047 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Tokelau $969,200 c.i.f. (2002) Tonga $122 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) Trinidad and Tobago $6.011 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Tunisia $12.86 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Turkey $101.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Turkmenistan $4.175 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands $175.6 million (2000) Tuvalu $9.186 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Uganda $1.608 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Ukraine $37.18 billion (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates $60.15 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) United Kingdom $483.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) United States $1.727 trillion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Uruguay $3.54 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $3.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Vanuatu $117.1 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) Venezuela $24.63 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Vietnam $36.88 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Virgin Islands $4.609 billion $NA Wallis and Futuna $61.17 million f.o.b. (2004) West Bank $1.952 billion c.i.f.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) Western Sahara $NA World $10.3 trillion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Yemen $4.19 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Zambia $1.934 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $2.059 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2088 Independence Afghanistan 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs) Albania 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire) Algeria 5 July 1962 (from France) American Samoa none (territory of the US) Andorra 1278 (formed under the joint suzerainty of the French count of Foix and the Spanish bishop of Urgel) Angola 11 November 1975 (from Portugal) Anguilla none (overseas territory of the UK) Antigua and Barbuda 1 November 1981 (from UK) Argentina 9 July 1816 (from Spain) Armenia 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) Aruba none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Australia 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) Austria 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed) Azerbaijan 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) Bahamas, The 10 July 1973 (from UK) Bahrain 15 August 1971 (from UK) Bangladesh 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh Barbados 30 November 1966 (from UK) Belarus 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) Belgium 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declares independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to the throne) Belize 21 September 1981 (from UK) Benin 1 August 1960 (from France) Bermuda none (overseas territory of the UK) Bhutan 8 August 1949 (from India) Bolivia 6 August 1825 (from Spain) Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence was completed 1 March 1992; independence was declared 3 March 1992) Botswana 30 September 1966 (from UK) Brazil 7 September 1822 (from Portugal) British Virgin Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Brunei 1 January 1984 (from UK) Bulgaria 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire) Burkina Faso 5 August 1960 (from France) Burma 4 January 1948 (from UK) Burundi 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration) Cambodia 9 November 1953 (from France) Cameroon 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) Canada 1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (independence recognized) Cape Verde 5 July 1975 (from Portugal) Cayman Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Central African Republic 13 August 1960 (from France) Chad 11 August 1960 (from France) Chile 18 September 1810 (from Spain) China 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic established) Christmas Island none (territory of Australia) Cocos (Keeling) Islands none (territory of Australia) Colombia 20 July 1810 (from Spain) Comoros 6 July 1975 (from France) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 30 June 1960 (from Belgium) Congo, Republic of the 15 August 1960 (from France) Cook Islands none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action) Costa Rica 15 September 1821 (from Spain) Cote d'Ivoire 7 August 1960 (from France) Croatia 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) Cuba 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902) Cyprus 16 August 1960 (from UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these proclamations are only recognized by Turkey Czech Republic 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) Denmark first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy Djibouti 27 June 1977 (from France) Dominica 3 November 1978 (from UK) Dominican Republic 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) East Timor 28 November 1975 (date of proclamation of independence from Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of East Timor's independence from Indonesia Ecuador 24 May 1822 (from Spain) Egypt 28 February 1922 (from UK) El Salvador 15 September 1821 (from Spain) Equatorial Guinea 12 October 1968 (from Spain) Eritrea 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia) Estonia 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) Ethiopia oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years European Union 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) Faroe Islands none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Fiji 10 October 1970 (from UK) Finland 6 December 1917 (from Russia) France 486 (unified by Clovis) French Guiana none (overseas department of France) French Polynesia none (overseas lands of France) Gabon 17 August 1960 (from France) Gambia, The 18 February 1965 (from UK) Georgia 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union) Germany 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991 Ghana 6 March 1957 (from UK) Gibraltar none (overseas territory of the UK) Greece 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire) Greenland none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland) Grenada 7 February 1974 (from UK) Guadeloupe none (overseas department of France) Guam none (territory of the US) Guatemala 15 September 1821 (from Spain) Guernsey none (British crown dependency) Guinea 2 October 1958 (from France) Guinea-Bissau 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal) Guyana 26 May 1966 (from UK) Haiti 1 January 1804 (from France) Holy See (Vatican City) 11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century Honduras 15 September 1821 (from Spain) Hong Kong none (special administrative region of China) Hungary 1001 (unification by King Stephen I) Iceland 1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark) India 15 August 1947 (from UK) Indonesia 17 August 1945 (independence proclaimed); 27 December 1949 (Netherlands recognizes Indonesian independence) Iran 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed) Iraq 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government Ireland 6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty) Isle of Man none (British crown dependency) Israel 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) Italy 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870) Jamaica 6 August 1962 (from UK) Japan 660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU) Jersey none (British crown dependency) Jordan 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) Kazakhstan 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) Kenya 12 December 1963 (from UK) Kiribati 12 July 1979 (from UK) Korea, North 15 August 1945 (from Japan) Korea, South 15 August 1945 (from Japan) Kuwait 19 June 1961 (from UK) Kyrgyzstan 31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) Laos 19 July 1949 (from France) Latvia 21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) Lebanon 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) Lesotho 4 October 1966 (from UK) Liberia 26 July 1847 Libya 24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship) Liechtenstein 23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire) Lithuania 11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence) Luxembourg 1839 (from the Netherlands) Macau none (special administrative region of China) Macedonia 8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsing independence from Yugoslavia) Madagascar 26 June 1960 (from France) Malawi 6 July 1964 (from UK) Malaysia 31 August 1957 (from UK) Maldives 26 July 1965 (from UK) Mali 22 September 1960 (from France) Malta 21 September 1964 (from UK) Marshall Islands 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) Martinique none (overseas department of France) Mauritania 28 November 1960 (from France) Mauritius 12 March 1968 (from UK) Mayotte none (territorial collectivity of France) Mexico 16 September 1810 (from Spain) Micronesia, Federated States of 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) Moldova 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) Monaco 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi) Mongolia 11 July 1921 (from China) Montenegro 3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro); note - a referendum on independence was held 21 May 2006 Montserrat none (overseas territory of the UK) Morocco 2 March 1956 (from France) Mozambique 25 June 1975 (from Portugal) Namibia 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate) Nauru 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship) Nepal 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah) Netherlands 23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence) Netherlands Antilles none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) New Caledonia none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014 New Zealand 26 September 1907 (from UK) Nicaragua 15 September 1821 (from Spain) Niger 3 August 1960 (from France) Nigeria 1 October 1960 (from UK) Niue on 19 October 1974, Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand Norfolk Island none (territory of Australia) Northern Mariana Islands none (commonwealth in political union with the US) Norway 7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union) Oman 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese) Pakistan 14 August 1947 (from UK) Palau 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) Panama 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821) Papua New Guinea 16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) Paraguay 14 May 1811 (from Spain) Peru 28 July 1821 (from Spain) Philippines 12 June 1898 (from Spain) Pitcairn Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Poland 11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed) Portugal 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (independent republic proclaimed) Puerto Rico none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) Qatar 3 September 1971 (from UK) Reunion none (overseas department of France) Romania 9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin; kingdom proclaimed 26 March 1881); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed) Russia 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) Rwanda 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship) Saint Helena none (overseas territory of the UK) Saint Kitts and Nevis 19 September 1983 (from UK) Saint Lucia 22 February 1979 (from UK) Saint Pierre and Miquelon none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 27 October 1979 (from UK) Samoa 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) San Marino 3 September A.D. 301 Sao Tome and Principe 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) Saudi Arabia 23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom) Senegal 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 Serbia 5 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro) Seychelles 29 June 1976 (from UK) Sierra Leone 27 April 1961 (from UK) Singapore 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation) Slovakia 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) Slovenia 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) Solomon Islands 7 July 1978 (from UK) Somalia 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic) South Africa 31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum Spain the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century AD and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain Sri Lanka 4 February 1948 (from UK) Sudan 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK) Suriname 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands) Svalbard none (territory of Norway) Swaziland 6 September 1968 (from UK) Sweden 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king) Switzerland 1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation) Syria 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) Tajikistan 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) Tanzania 26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964 Thailand 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized) Togo 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) Tokelau none (territory of New Zealand) Tonga 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate) Trinidad and Tobago 31 August 1962 (from UK) Tunisia 20 March 1956 (from France) Turkey 29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire) Turkmenistan 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) Turks and Caicos Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Tuvalu 1 October 1978 (from UK) Uganda 9 October 1962 (from UK) Ukraine 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) United Arab Emirates 2 December 1971 (from UK) United Kingdom England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927 United States 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain) Uruguay 25 August 1825 (from Brazil) Uzbekistan 1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) Vanuatu 30 July 1980 (from France and UK) Venezuela 5 July 1811 (from Spain) Vietnam 2 September 1945 (from France) Wallis and Futuna none (overseas territory of France) Yemen 22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen had become independent in November of 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK) Zambia 24 October 1964 (from UK) Zimbabwe 18 April 1980 (from UK) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2089 Industrial production growth rate (%) Afghanistan NA% Albania 3.1% (2004 est.) Algeria 8% (2005 est.) American Samoa NA% Andorra NA% Angola 13.5% (2004) Anguilla 3.1% (1997 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 6% (1997 est.) Argentina 7.7% (2005 est.) Armenia 7.5% (2005 est.) Aruba NA% Australia 1.1% (2005 est.) Austria 4.7% (2005 est.) Azerbaijan 40% (2005 est.) Bahamas, The NA% Bahrain 2% (2000 est.) Bangladesh 6.7% (2005 est.) Barbados -3.2% (2000 est.) Belarus 15.6% (2005 est.) Belgium -0.2% (2005 est.) Belize 4.6% (1999) Benin 8.3% (2001 est.) Bermuda NA% Bhutan 9.3% (1996 est.) Bolivia 5.7% (2004 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.5% (2003 est.) Botswana 7.5% (2005 est.) Brazil 3.4% (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands NA% Brunei 7.3% (2003 est.) Bulgaria 7.9% (2005) Burkina Faso 14% (2001 est.) Burma NA% Burundi 18% (2001) Cambodia 22% (2002 est.) Cameroon 4.2% (1999 est.) Canada 2.6% (2005 est.) Cape Verde NA% Cayman Islands NA% Central African Republic 3% (2002) Chad 5% (1995) Chile 3.4% (2005 est.) China 29.5% (2005 est.) Colombia 3.7% (2005 est.) Comoros -2% (1999 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the NA% Congo, Republic of the 0% (2002 est.) Cook Islands 1% (2002) Costa Rica 5.7% (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 15% (1998 est.) Croatia 5.1% (2005 est.) Cuba 5.1% (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 0.4% (2005 est.); north Cyprus: -0.3% (2002 est.) Czech Republic 5.7% (2005) Denmark 1.6% (2005 est.) Djibouti 3% (1996 est.) Dominica -10% (1997 est.) Dominican Republic 2% (2001 est.) East Timor 8.5% Ecuador 2.1% (2005 est.) Egypt 5% (2005 est.) El Salvador 1.5% (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea 30% (2002 est.) Eritrea NA% Estonia 9.7% (2005 est.) Ethiopia 6.7% (2001 est.) European Union 1.3% (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA% Faroe Islands 8% (1999 est.) Fiji NA% Finland -2% (2005 est.) France 0.2% (2005 est.) French Guiana NA% French Polynesia NA% Gabon 1.6% (2002 est.) Gambia, The NA% Gaza Strip NA% Georgia 3% (2000) Germany 2.9% (2005 est.) Ghana 3.8% (2000 est.) Gibraltar NA% Greece -0.3% (2005 est.) Greenland NA% Grenada 0.7% (1997 est.) Guadeloupe NA% Guam NA% Guatemala 4.1% (1999) Guernsey NA% Guinea NA Guinea-Bissau 4.7% (2003 est.) Guyana NA% Haiti NA% Honduras 7.7% (2003 est.) Hong Kong -0.6% (2005 est.) Hungary 7.3% (2005 est.) Iceland 14.2% (2005 est.) India 7.9% (2005 est.) Indonesia 4.8% (2005 est.) Iran 3% excluding oil (2005 est.) Iraq NA% Ireland 3% (2005 est.) Isle of Man 3.2% (FY96/97) Israel 2.8% (2005 est.) Italy -1% (2005 est.) Jamaica -2% (2000 est.) Japan 1.5% (2005 est.) Jersey NA% Jordan 7.5% (2005 est.) Kazakhstan 4.6% (2005 est.) Kenya 4.6% (2005 est.) Kiribati 0.7% (1991 est.) Korea, North NA% Korea, South 5.9% (2005 est.) Kuwait 13.1% (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan 7.1% (2004 est.) Laos 13% (2005 est.) Latvia 5.6% (2005 est.) Lebanon NA% Lesotho 15.5% (1999) Liberia NA% Libya NA% Liechtenstein NA% Lithuania 7.3% (2005 est.) Luxembourg 4.5% (2005 est.) Macau NA% Macedonia 6.8% (2005 est.) Madagascar 3% (2000 est.) Malawi 7.9% (2005 est.) Malaysia 4.1% (2005 est.) Maldives -0.9% (2004 est.) Mali NA% Malta NA% Marshall Islands NA% Martinique NA% Mauritania 2% (2000 est.) Mauritius 8% (2000 est.) Mayotte NA% Mexico 1.9% (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of NA% Moldova 17% (2003 est.) Monaco NA% Mongolia 4.1% (2002 est.) Montserrat NA% Morocco 4% NA% Mozambique 3.4% (2000) Namibia NA% Nauru NA% Nepal 3.8% (FY04/05) Netherlands -1.4% (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles NA% New Caledonia -0.6% (1996) New Zealand -2.5% (2005 est.) Nicaragua 2.4% (2005 est.) Niger 5.1% (2003 est.) Nigeria 3.8% (2005 est.) Niue NA% Northern Mariana Islands NA% Norway -0.5% (2005 est.) Oman 4.1% (2005 est.) Pakistan 10.7% (2005 est.) Palau NA% Panama 1.7% (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea NA% Paraguay 0% (2000 est.) Peru 6.9% (2005 est.) Philippines 2.2% (2005 est.) Poland 3.7% (2005 est.) Portugal 0% (2005 est.) Puerto Rico NA% Qatar 10% (2003 est.) Reunion NA% Romania 1.9% (2005 est.) Russia 4% (2005 est.) Rwanda 7% (2001 est.) Saint Helena NA% Saint Kitts and Nevis NA% Saint Lucia -8.9% (1997 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA% Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -0.9% (1997 est.) Samoa 2.8% (2000) San Marino 6% (1997 est.) Sao Tome and Principe NA% Saudi Arabia 5.3% (2005 est.) Senegal 3.1% (2005 est.) Serbia 1.4% (2006 est.) Seychelles NA% Sierra Leone NA% Singapore 9.5% (2005 est.) Slovakia 3.8% (2005 est.) Slovenia 3.1% (2005 est.) Solomon Islands NA% Somalia NA% South Africa 3.6% (2005 est.) Spain 0.7% (2005 est.) Sri Lanka 8.2% (2005 est.) Sudan 8.5% (1999 est.) Suriname 6.5% (1994 est.) Swaziland 3.7% (FY95/96) Sweden 1.6% (2005 est.) Switzerland 3% (2005 est.) Syria 7% (2002 est.) Taiwan 4.1% (2005 est.) Tajikistan 8.2% (2002 est.) Tanzania 8.4% (1999 est.) Thailand 9.1% (2005 est.) Togo NA% Tonga 1% (2003 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 9% (2005 est.) Tunisia 0.9% (2005 est.) Turkey 5.9% (2005 est.) Turkmenistan 22% (2003 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands NA% Tuvalu NA% Uganda 9% (2005 est.) Ukraine 3.2% (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates 4% (2000) United Kingdom -1.9% (2005 est.) United States 3.2% (2005 est.) Uruguay 8.5% (2005 est.) Uzbekistan 7.7% (2005 est.) Vanuatu 1% (1997 est.) Venezuela 7.2% (2005 est.) Vietnam 17.2% (2005 est.) Virgin Islands NA% Wallis and Futuna NA% West Bank NA% Western Sahara NA% World 3% (2003 est.) Yemen 3% (2003 est.) Zambia 7.9% (2005 est.) Zimbabwe 3.6% (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2090 Industries Afghanistan small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper Albania food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower Algeria petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing American Samoa tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts Andorra tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking Angola petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite, uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing; food processing, brewing, tobacco products, sugar; textiles; ship repair Anguilla tourism, boat building, offshore financial services Antigua and Barbuda tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) Argentina food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel Armenia diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy Aruba tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining Australia mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel Austria construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism Azerbaijan petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles Bahamas, The tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe Bahrain petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, ship repairing, tourism Bangladesh cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar Barbados tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export Belarus metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators Belgium engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum Belize garment production, food processing, tourism, construction Benin textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement Bermuda international business, tourism, light manufacturing Bhutan cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide Bolivia mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing Bosnia and Herzegovina steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining Botswana diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles Brazil textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment British Virgin Islands tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center Brunei petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction Bulgaria electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel Burkina Faso cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold Burma agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; cement; natural gas Burundi light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing Cambodia tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles Cameroon petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair Canada transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum and natural gas Cape Verde food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair Cayman Islands tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture Central African Republic gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles Chad oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials Chile copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles China mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites Christmas Island tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) Cocos (Keeling) Islands copra products and tourism Colombia textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds Comoros tourism, perfume distillation Congo, Democratic Republic of the mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair Congo, Republic of the petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes Cook Islands fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts Costa Rica microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products Cote d'Ivoire foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair Croatia chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism Cuba sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals Cyprus tourism, food and beverage processing, cement and gypsum production, ship repair and refurbishment, textiles, light chemicals, metal products, wood, paper, stone, and clay products Czech Republic metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments Denmark iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment Dhekelia none Djibouti construction, agricultural processing, salt Dominica soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes Dominican Republic tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco East Timor printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth Ecuador petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals Egypt textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures El Salvador food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals Equatorial Guinea petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas Eritrea food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, salt, cement, commercial ship repair Estonia engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications Ethiopia food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement European Union among the world's largest and most technologically advanced, the European Union industrial base includes: ferrous and non-ferrous metal production and processing, metal products, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, construction equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools and automated manufacturing systems, electronics and telecommunications equipment, fishing, food and beverage processing, furniture, paper, textiles, tourism Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) fish and wool processing; tourism Faroe Islands fishing, fish processing, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts Fiji tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries Finland metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing France machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism French Guiana construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining French Polynesia tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates Gabon petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement Gambia, The processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism, beverages, agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking, clothing Gaza Strip generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center, but operations ceased prior to Israel's evacuation of Gaza Strip settlements Georgia steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine Germany among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles Ghana mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building Gibraltar tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco Greece tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum Greenland fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut); gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining; handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards Grenada food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction Guadeloupe construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism Guam US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles Guatemala sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism Guernsey tourism, banking Guinea bauxite, gold, diamonds; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing industries Guinea-Bissau agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks Guyana bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining Haiti sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly industries based on imported parts Holy See (Vatican City) printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities Honduras sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products Hong Kong textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks Hungary mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles Iceland fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production; geothermal power, tourism India textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software Indonesia petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism Iran petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, armaments Iraq petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing Ireland steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, ship construction and refurbishment; glass and crystal; software, tourism Isle of Man financial services, light manufacturing, tourism Israel high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles, footwear Italy tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics Jamaica tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications Japan among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods Jersey tourism, banking and finance, dairy Jordan textiles, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism Kazakhstan oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials Kenya small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism Kiribati fishing, handicrafts Korea, North military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism Korea, South electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel Kuwait petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, desalination, food processing, construction materials Kyrgyzstan small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals Laos copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement Latvia buses, vans, street and railroad cars; synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note - dependent on imports for energy and raw materials Lebanon banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating Lesotho food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism Liberia rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds Libya petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement Liechtenstein electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments Lithuania metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry Luxembourg banking and financial services, iron and steel, information technology, telecommunications, cargo transportation, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum, tourism Macau tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys Macedonia food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals Madagascar meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism Malawi tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging Maldives fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining Mali food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining Malta tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing, tobacco Marshall Islands copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from seashells, wood, and pearls Martinique construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism Mauritania fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum Mauritius food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism Mayotte newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction Mexico food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism Micronesia, Federated States of tourism, construction; fish processing, specialized aquaculture; craft items from shell, wood, and pearls Moldova sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles Monaco tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products Mongolia construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing Montenegro steelmaking, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism Montserrat tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances Morocco phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism Mozambique food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco Namibia meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper) Nauru phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products Nepal tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production Netherlands agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing Netherlands Antilles tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao) New Caledonia nickel mining and smelting New Zealand food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining Nicaragua food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood Niger uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses Nigeria crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood; hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair Niue tourism, handicrafts, food processing Norfolk Island tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete Northern Mariana Islands tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts Norway petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing Oman crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber Pakistan textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp Palau tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making Panama construction, brewing, cement and other construction materials, sugar milling Papua New Guinea copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production, petroleum refining; construction, tourism Paraguay sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power Peru mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing Philippines electronics assembly, garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing, petroleum refining, fishing Pitcairn Islands postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey Poland machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles Portugal textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metals and metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; rubber and plastic products; ceramics; electronics and communications equipment; rail transportation equipment; aerospace equipment; ship construction and refurbishment; wine; tourism Puerto Rico pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, tourism Qatar crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship repair Reunion sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction Romania textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining Russia complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; defense industries including radar, missile production, and advanced electronic components, shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts Rwanda cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes Saint Helena construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales Saint Kitts and Nevis sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages Saint Lucia clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing Saint Pierre and Miquelon fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism Saint Vincent and the Grenadines food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch Samoa food processing, building materials, auto parts San Marino tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine Sao Tome and Principe light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber Saudi Arabia crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals; ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics; metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, construction Senegal agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials, ship construction and repair Serbia sugar, agricultural machinery, electrical and communication equipment, paper and pulp, lead, transportation equipment Seychelles fishing, tourism, processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages Sierra Leone diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair Singapore electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade Slovakia metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products Slovenia ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools Solomon Islands fish (tuna), mining, timber Somalia a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication South Africa mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair Spain textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment Sri Lanka processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining Sudan oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly Suriname bauxite and gold mining, alumina production; oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing Swaziland mining (coal, raw asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel Sweden iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles Switzerland machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments Syria petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining Taiwan electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals Tajikistan aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers Tanzania agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); diamond, gold, and iron mining, salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer Thailand tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer Togo phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages Tokelau small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing Tonga tourism, fishing Trinidad and Tobago petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles Tunisia petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages Turkey textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper Turkmenistan natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing Turks and Caicos Islands tourism, offshore financial services Tuvalu fishing, tourism, copra Uganda sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production Ukraine coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar) United Arab Emirates petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles United Kingdom machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods United States leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining Uruguay food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages Uzbekistan textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, gold petroleum, natural gas, chemicals Vanuatu food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning Venezuela petroleum, construction materials, food processing, textiles; iron ore mining, steel, aluminum; motor vehicle assembly Vietnam food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper Virgin Islands tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics Wallis and Futuna copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber West Bank generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers Western Sahara phosphate mining, handicrafts World dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems Yemen crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement; commercial ship repair Zambia copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture Zimbabwe mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2091 Infant mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births) Afghanistan total: 160.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 164.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 155.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Albania total: 20.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Algeria total: 29.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 33.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) American Samoa total: 9.07 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Andorra total: 4.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Angola total: 185.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 197.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 172.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Anguilla total: 20.32 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda total: 18.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Argentina total: 14.73 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Armenia total: 22.47 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Aruba total: 5.79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Australia total: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Austria total: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Azerbaijan total: 79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 81.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 76.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Bahamas, The total: 24.68 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Bahrain total: 16.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Bangladesh total: 60.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Barbados total: 11.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Belarus total: 13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Belgium total: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Belize total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Benin total: 79.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 84.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 74.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Bermuda total: 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Bhutan total: 98.41 deaths/1,000 live births male: 96.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 100.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Bolivia total: 51.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 55.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 9.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Botswana total: 53.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 52.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Brazil total: 28.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands total: 16.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Brunei total: 12.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Bulgaria total: 19.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Burkina Faso total: 91.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 99.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Burma total: 61.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 72.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Burundi total: 63.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 70.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Cambodia total: 68.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 77.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Cameroon total: 63.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 67.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Canada total: 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Cape Verde total: 46.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Cayman Islands total: 8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Central African Republic total: 85.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 92.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 78.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Chad total: 91.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 100.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 82.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Chile total: 8.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) China total: 23.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Christmas Island total: NA male: NA female: NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands total: NA male: NA female: NA Colombia total: 20.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Comoros total: 72.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 81.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 88.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 96.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the total: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Cook Islands total: NA male: NA female: NA Costa Rica total: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire total: 89.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 105.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 71.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Croatia total: 6.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Cuba total: 6.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Cyprus total: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Czech Republic total: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.24 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Denmark total: 4.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Djibouti total: 102.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 110.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 94.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Dominica total: 13.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Dominican Republic total: 28.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) East Timor total: 45.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Ecuador total: 22.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Egypt total: 31.33 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) El Salvador total: 24.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea total: 89.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 95.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Eritrea total: 46.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Estonia total: 7.73 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Ethiopia total: 93.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 103.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) European Union total: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total: NA male: NA female: NA Faroe Islands total: 6.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Fiji total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Finland total: 3.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) France total: 4.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) French Guiana total: 11.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) French Polynesia total: 8.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Gabon total: 54.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 63.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 45.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Gambia, The total: 71.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 78.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Gaza Strip total: 22.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Georgia total: 17.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Germany total: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Ghana total: 55.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 59.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Gibraltar total: 5.06 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Greece total: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Greenland total: 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Grenada total: 14.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Guadeloupe total: 8.41 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Guam total: 6.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Guatemala total: 30.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 33.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Guernsey total: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Guinea total: 90 deaths/1,000 live births male: 95.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 84.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau total: 105.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 115.53 deaths/1,000 live births female: 94.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Guyana total: 32.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 35.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Haiti total: 71.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 78.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 65.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Honduras total: 25.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Hong Kong total: 2.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.13 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Hungary total: 8.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Iceland total: 3.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) India total: 54.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 55.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Indonesia total: 34.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 39.36 deaths/1,000 live births female: 29.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Iran total: 40.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 40.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Iraq total: 48.64 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 42.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Ireland total: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Isle of Man total: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Israel total: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Italy total: 5.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Jamaica total: 15.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Japan total: 3.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Jersey total: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Jordan total: 16.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Kazakhstan total: 28.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Kenya total: 59.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Kiribati total: 47.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Korea, North total: 23.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Korea, South total: 6.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Kuwait total: 9.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan total: 34.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 39.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Laos total: 83.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 92.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Latvia total: 9.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Lebanon total: 23.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Lesotho total: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 92.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 82.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Liberia total: 155.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 171.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 139.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Libya total: 23.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Liechtenstein total: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Lithuania total: 6.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Luxembourg total: 4.74 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Macau total: 4.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Macedonia total: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Madagascar total: 75.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 83.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Malawi total: 94.37 deaths/1,000 live births male: 98.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 89.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Malaysia total: 17.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Maldives total: 54.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Mali total: 107.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 117.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 97.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Malta total: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Marshall Islands total: 28.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Martinique total: 6.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Mauritania total: 69.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 72.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Mauritius total: 14.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Mayotte total: 60.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 66.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Mexico total: 20.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of total: 29.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Moldova total: 38.38 deaths/1,000 live births male: 41.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 35.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Monaco total: 5.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Mongolia total: 52.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 55.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Montserrat total: 7.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Morocco total: 40.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 43.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 36.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Mozambique total: 129.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 134.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 124.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Namibia total: 48.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Nauru total: 9.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Nepal total: 65.32 deaths/1,000 live births male: 63.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 67.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Netherlands total: 4.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles total: 9.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) New Caledonia total: 7.57 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) New Zealand total: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Nicaragua total: 28.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Niger total: 118.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 122.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 114.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Nigeria total: 97.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 104.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 90.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Niue total: NA male: NA female: NA Norfolk Island total: NA male: NA female: NA Northern Mariana Islands total: 6.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Norway total: 3.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Oman total: 18.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Pakistan total: 70.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 70.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 70.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Palau total: 14.46 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Panama total: 16.37 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea total: 49.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 45.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Paraguay total: 24.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Peru total: 30.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 33.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Philippines total: 22.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands total: NA male: NA female: NA Poland total: 7.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Portugal total: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Puerto Rico total: 9.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Qatar total: 18.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Reunion total: 7.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.37 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Romania total: 25.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Russia total: 15.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Rwanda total: 89.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 94.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 84.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Saint Helena total: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis total: 14.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Saint Lucia total: 13.17 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon total: 7.38 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines total: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Samoa total: 26.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) San Marino total: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe total: 41.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 43.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Senegal total: 52.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 49.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Seychelles total: 15.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Sierra Leone total: 160.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 177.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 142.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Singapore total: 2.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Slovakia total: 7.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Slovenia total: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Solomon Islands total: 20.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Somalia total: 114.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 124.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 105.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) South Africa total: 60.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 64.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Spain total: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Sri Lanka total: 13.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Sudan total: 61.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 60.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Suriname total: 23.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Svalbard total: NA male: NA female: NA Swaziland total: 71.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 75.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Sweden total: 2.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Switzerland total: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Syria total: 28.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Taiwan total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Tajikistan total: 106.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 117.83 deaths/1,000 live births female: 94.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Tanzania total: 96.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 105.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 87.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Thailand total: 19.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Togo total: 60.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 52.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Tokelau total: NA male: NA female: NA Tonga total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago total: 25.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Tunisia total: 23.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Turkey total: 39.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 43.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 35.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Turkmenistan total: 72.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands total: 15.18 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Tuvalu total: 19.47 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Uganda total: 66.15 deaths/1,000 live births male: 69.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Ukraine total: 9.9 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates total: 14.09 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.57 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) United Kingdom total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) United States total: 6.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Uruguay total: 11.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Uzbekistan total: 69.99 deaths/1,000 live births male: 74.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 65.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Vanuatu total: 53.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 51.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Venezuela total: 21.54 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Vietnam total: 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Virgin Islands total: 7.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna total: NA male: NA female: NA West Bank total: 19.15 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Western Sahara total: NA male: NA female: NA World total: 48.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 50.98 deaths/1,000 live births female: 46.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Yemen total: 59.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 64.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Zambia total: 86.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 94.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Zimbabwe total: 51.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2092 Inflation rate (consumer prices) (%) Afghanistan 16.3% (2005 est.) Albania 2.4% (2005 est.) Algeria 1.9% (2005 est.) American Samoa NA% Andorra 3.4% (2004) Angola 23% (2005 est.) Anguilla 5.3% Antigua and Barbuda 0.9% (2005 est.) Argentina 9.6% (2005 est.) Armenia 0.6% (2005 est.) Aruba 3.4% (2005) Australia 2.7% (2005 est.) Austria 2.3% (2005 est.) Azerbaijan 9.6% (2005 est.) Bahamas, The 1.2% ( 2004) Bahrain 2.7% (2005 est.) Bangladesh 7% (2005 est.) Barbados -0.5% (2003 est.) Belarus 10.3% (2005 est.) Belgium 2.8% (2005 est.) Belize 3% (2005 est.) Benin 3.5% (2005 est.) Bermuda 2.8% (November 2005) Bhutan 7% (2005 est.) Bolivia 5.4% (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.4% (2005 est.) Botswana 8.6% (2005 est.) Brazil 6.9% (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands 2% (2005) Brunei 0.9% (2004) Bulgaria 5% (2005) Burkina Faso 6.4% (2005 est.) Burma 20.2% (2005 est.) Burundi 16% (2005 est.) Cambodia 5.8% (2005 est.) Cameroon 2% (2005 est.) Canada 2.2% (2005 est.) Cape Verde 0.4% (2005 est.) Cayman Islands 4.4% (2004) Central African Republic 3.6% (2001 est.) Chad 3% (2005 est.) Chile 3.1% (2005 est.) China 1.8% (2005 est.) Colombia 5% (2005 est.) Comoros 3% (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 9% (2004 est.) Congo, Republic of the 2.2% (2005 est.) Cook Islands 2.1% (2005 est.) Costa Rica 13.8% (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 3.9% (2005 est.) Croatia 3.3% (2005 est.) Cuba 7% (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 2.6% (2005 est.); north Cyprus: 9.1% (2004 est.) Czech Republic 1.9% (2005 est.) Denmark 1.8% (2005 est.) Djibouti 3% (2005 est.) Dominica -0.1% (2005 est.) Dominican Republic 4.2% (2005 est.) East Timor 1.4% (2005) Ecuador 2.1% (2005 est.) Egypt 4.9% (2005 est.) El Salvador 4.7% (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea 5% (2005 est.) Eritrea 15% (2005 est.) Estonia 4.1% (2005 est.) Ethiopia 11.6% (2005 est.) European Union 2.2% (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3.6% (1998) Faroe Islands 5.1% (1999) Fiji 3% (2005) Finland 0.9% (2005 est.) France 1.7% (2005 est.) French Guiana 1% (2003) French Polynesia 1.1% (2006 est.) Gabon -0.1% (2005 est.) Gambia, The 8.8% (2005 est.) Gaza Strip 7% (includes West Bank) (2003) Georgia 8.2% (2005 est.) Germany 2% (2005 est.) Ghana 15.1% (2005 est.) Gibraltar 1.5% (1998) Greece 3.5% (2005 est.) Greenland 1.6% (1999 est.) Grenada 3% (2005 est.) Guadeloupe NA% Guam 2.5% (2005 est.) Guatemala 9.1% (2005 est.) Guernsey 4.9% (2004 est.) Guinea 25% (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau 4% (2002 est.) Guyana 6.9% (2005 est.) Haiti 15.7% (2005 est.) Honduras 8.8% (2005 est.) Hong Kong 0.9% (2005 est.) Hungary 3.6% (2005 est.) Iceland 4% (2005 est.) India 4.2% (2005 est.) Indonesia 10.5% (2005 est.) Iran 13.5% (2005 est.) Iraq 33% (2005 est.) Ireland 2.4% (2005 est.) Isle of Man 2.7% (2003 est.) Israel 1.3% (2005 est.) Italy 2% (2005 est.) Jamaica 15.3% (2005 est.) Japan -0.3% (2005 est.) Jersey 5.3% (2004) Jordan 4.5% (2005 est.) Kazakhstan 7.6% (2005 est.) Kenya 10.3% (2005 est.) Kiribati 0.5% (2005 est.) Korea, North NA% Korea, South 2.8% (2005 est.) Kuwait 4.1% (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan 5.2% (2005 est.) Laos 7% (2005 est.) Latvia 6.8% (2005 est.) Lebanon 2.4% (2005 est.) Lesotho 4.7% (2005 est.) Liberia 15% (2003 est.) Libya 3.4% (2005 est.) Liechtenstein 1% (2001) Lithuania 2.7% (2005) Luxembourg 2.5% (2005 est.) Macau 3.8% (2nd quarter, 2005) Macedonia 0% (2005 est.) Madagascar 15% (2005 est.) Malawi 15.4% (2005 est.) Malaysia 3% (2005 est.) Maldives 6% (2005 est.) Mali 4.5% (2002 est.) Malta 3% (2005 est.) Marshall Islands 3% (2005 est.) Martinique NA Mauritania 7% (2003 est.) Mauritius 5% (2005 est.) Mayotte NA% Mexico 4% (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 2.2% (2005) Moldova 11.9% (2005 est.) Monaco 1.9% (2000) Mongolia 9.5% (2005 est.) Montenegro 3.4% (2004) Montserrat 2.6% (2002 est.) Morocco 1% (2005 est.) Mozambique 6.5% (2005 est.) Namibia 2.3% (2005 est.) Nauru -3.6% (1993) Nepal 7.8% (October 2005 est.) Netherlands 1.7% (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles 2.1% (2003 est.) New Caledonia -0.6% (2000 est.) New Zealand 3% (2005 est.) Nicaragua 9.6% (2005 est.) Niger 0.2% (2004 est.) Nigeria 13.5% (2005 est.) Niue 4% (2005) Northern Mariana Islands -0.8% (2000) Norway 1.6% (2005 est.) Oman 1.2% (2005 est.) Pakistan 9.1% (2005 est.) Palau 2.7% (2005 est.) Panama 2.9% (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea 1.7% (2005 est.) Paraguay 6.8% (2005 est.) Peru 1.6% (2005 est.) Philippines 7.6% (2005 est.) Poland 2.2% (2005 est.) Portugal 2.3% (2005 est.) Puerto Rico 6.5% (2003 est.) Qatar 8.8% (2005 est.) Reunion NA% Romania 9% (2005) Russia 12.7% (2005 est.) Rwanda 8% (2005 est.) Saint Helena 3.2% (1997 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.7% (2005 est.) Saint Lucia 2.9% (2005 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2.1% (1991-96 average) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1% (2005 est.) Samoa 3.3% (2005) San Marino -1.7% (2001) Sao Tome and Principe 15.2% (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia 0.4% (2005 est.) Senegal 1.7% (2005 est.) Serbia 15.5% (2005 est.) Seychelles 1.6% (2005 est.) Sierra Leone 1% (2002 est.) Singapore 0.4% (2005 est.) Slovakia 2.7% (2005 est.) Slovenia 2.5% (2005 est.) Solomon Islands 6.6% (2005 est.) Somalia NA%; note - businesses print their own money, so inflation rates cannot be easily determined South Africa 4% (2005 est.) Spain 3.4% (2005 est.) Sri Lanka 11.6% (2005 est.) Sudan 9% (2005 est.) Suriname 9.5% (2005 est.) Swaziland 4% (2005 est.) Sweden 0.5% (2005 est.) Switzerland 1.2% (2005 est.) Syria 5% (2005 est.) Taiwan 2.3% (2005 est.) Tajikistan 7.1% (2005 est.) Tanzania 4.3% (2005 est.) Thailand 4.5% (2005 est.) Togo 6% (2005 est.) Tokelau NA% Tonga 11.1% (2005 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 6.9% (2005 est.) Tunisia 2.1% (2005 est.) Turkey 8.2% (2005 est.) Turkmenistan 10.5% (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 4% (1995) Tuvalu 3.7% (2003 est.) Uganda 8.1% (2005 est.) Ukraine 13.5% (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates 10.5% (2005 est.) United Kingdom 2.1% (2005 est.) United States 3.2% (2005 est.) Uruguay 4.7% (2005 est.) Uzbekistan 6.9% (2005 est.) Vanuatu -1.6% (2005 est.) Venezuela 16% (2005 est.) Vietnam 8.3% (2005 est.) Virgin Islands 2.2% (2003) Wallis and Futuna 2.8% NA% West Bank 7% (includes Gaza Strip) (2003 est.) Western Sahara NA% World developed countries 1% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to 20% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from declining prices in Japan to hyperinflation in one Third World countries (Zimbabwe); inflation rates have declined for most countries for the last several years, held in check by increasing international competition from several low wage countries (2005 est.) Yemen 11.8% (2005 est.) Zambia 18.3% (2005 est.) Zimbabwe 266.8% official data; private sector estimates are much higher (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2093 Waterways (km) Afghanistan 1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2005) Albania 43 km (2006) Angola 1,300 km (2005) Argentina 11,000 km (2005) Australia 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2002) Austria 358 km (2003) Bangladesh 8,372 km note: includes 5,635 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2005) Belarus 2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003) Belgium 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003) Belize 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2005) Benin 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005) Bolivia 10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use limited (2006) Brazil 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2005) Brunei 209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2005) Bulgaria 470 km (2006) Burma 12,800 km (2005) Burundi mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2003) Cambodia 2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2005) Cameroon navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2005) Canada 631 km note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2003) Central African Republic 2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2005) Chad Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2002) China 123,964 km (2003) Colombia 18,000 km (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 15,000 km (2005) Congo, Republic of the 4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2005) Costa Rica 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2005) Cote d'Ivoire 980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2005) Croatia 785 km (2006) Cuba 240 km (2005) Czech Republic 664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers) (2005) Denmark 400 km (2001) Ecuador 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2005) Egypt 3,500 km note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m (2005) El Salvador Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004) Estonia 500 km (2005) European Union 53,512 km Fiji 203 km note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2004) Finland 7,842 km note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2005) France 8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) (2000) French Guiana 3,760 km note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2003) Gabon 1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2005) Gambia, The 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2004) Germany 7,467 km note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2005) Ghana 1,293 km note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2005) Greece 6 km note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2006) Guatemala 990 km note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2004) Guinea 1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005) Guinea-Bissau four largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2006) Guyana Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2005) Honduras 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2005) Hungary 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2006) India 14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2005) Indonesia 21,579 km (2005) Iran 850 km (850 km on Karun River; additional service on Lake Urmia) (2006) Iraq 5,279 km note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2004) Ireland 753 km (pleasure craft only) (2005) Italy 2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2004) Japan 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2006) Kazakhstan 4,000 km (on the Ertis (Irtysh) (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) rivers) (2005) Kenya part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2003) Kiribati 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003) Korea, North 2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2006) Korea, South 1,608 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2006) Kyrgyzstan 600 km (2006) Laos 4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2005) Latvia 300 km (2005) Liechtenstein 28 km (2005) Lithuania 425 km (2005) Luxembourg 37 km (on Moselle River) (2003) Madagascar 600 km (2005) Malawi 700 km (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River) (2006) Malaysia 7,200 km note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km, Sabah 1,500 km, Sarawak 2,500 km (2005) Mali 1,815 km (2005) Mexico 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2005) Moldova 424 km (on Dniester River) (2005) Mongolia 580 km note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2004) Mozambique 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2002) Netherlands 6,183 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2005) Nicaragua 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2005) Niger 300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005) Nigeria 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2005) Norway 1,577 km (2002) Panama 800 km (includes 82 km Panama Canal) (2005) Papua New Guinea 10,940 km (2003) Paraguay 3,100 km (2005) Peru 8,808 km note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2005) Philippines 3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2005) Poland 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2005) Portugal 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2003) Romania 1,731 km note: includes 1,075 km on Danube River, 524 km on secondary branches, and 132 km on canals (2005) Russia 102,000 km (including 33,000 km with guaranteed depth) note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2005) Rwanda Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2005) Senegal 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005) Serbia 587 km - primarily on Danube and Sava rivers (2005) Sierra Leone 800 km (600 km year round) (2005) Slovakia 172 km (on Danube River) (2005) Spain 1,000 km (2003) Sri Lanka 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2005) Sudan 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2005) Suriname 1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2005) Sweden 2,052 km (2005) Switzerland 65 km (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2003) Syria 900 km (not economically significant) (2005) Tajikistan 200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006) Tanzania Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2005) Thailand 4,000 km note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2005) Togo 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005) Turkey 1,200 km (2005) Turkmenistan 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006) Uganda on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile (2005) Ukraine 2,253 km (most on Dnieper River) (2006) United Kingdom 3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2003) United States 41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce) note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2004) Uruguay 1,600 km (2005) Uzbekistan 1,100 km (2006) Venezuela 7,100 km note: Orinoco River and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels, Orinoco for 400 km (2005) Vietnam 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2005) World 671,886 km (2004) Zambia 2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers) (2005) Zimbabwe on Lake Kariba, length small (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2094 Judicial branch Afghanistan the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts (note - nine supreme court justices were appointed in the interim in January 2005 pending National Assembly selection of the constitutionally mandated justices); there is also a minister of justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes Albania Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and district courts Algeria Supreme Court American Samoa High Court (chief justice and associate justices are appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior) Andorra Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional Angola Supreme Court and separate provincial courts (judges are appointed by the president) Anguilla High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court) Antigua and Barbuda Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); member Caribbean Court of Justice Argentina Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval by the Senate) Armenia Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court) Aruba Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch) Australia High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) Austria Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof Azerbaijan Supreme Court Bahamas, The Privy Council (London); Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; magistrates courts Bahrain High Civil Appeals Court Bangladesh Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) Barbados Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services) Belarus Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives) Belgium Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice Council) Belize Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) Benin Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Bermuda Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts Bhutan Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch) Bolivia Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases) Bosnia and Herzegovina BH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members: four members are selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the president of the European Court of Human Rights); BH State Court (consists of nine judges and three divisions - Administrative, Appellate and Criminal - having jurisdiction over cases related to state-level law and appellate jurisdiction over cases initiated in the entities); note - a War Crimes Chamber opened in March 2005 note: the entities each have a Supreme Court; each entity also has a number of lower courts; there are 10 cantonal courts in the Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has five municipal courts Botswana High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district) Brazil Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70 British Virgin Islands Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction Brunei Supreme Court - chief justice and judges are sworn in by monarch for three-year terms; Judicial Committee of Privy Council in London is final court of appeal for civil cases; Shariah courts deal with Islamic laws (2006) Bulgaria Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary) Burkina Faso Supreme Court; Appeals Court Burma remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive Burundi Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal (there are three in separate locations); Tribunals of First Instance (17 at the province level and 123 small local tribunals) Cambodia Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority Cameroon Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High Court of Justice (consists of nine judges and six substitute judges, elected by the National Assembly) Canada Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Justice) Cape Verde Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia Cayman Islands Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal Central African Republic Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (3 judges appointed by the president, 3 by the president of the National Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts Chad Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts Chile Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal China Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts) Christmas Island Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court Cocos (Keeling) Islands Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court Colombia four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of criminal law; judges are selected by their peers from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of administrative law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the constitution; rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the constitution, and international treaties); Superior Judicial Council (administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms) Comoros Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of the republic) Congo, Democratic Republic of the Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Congo, Republic of the Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Cook Islands High Court Costa Rica Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly) Cote d'Ivoire Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: Judicial Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number of members Croatia Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the Assembly Cuba People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly) Cyprus Supreme Court (judges are appointed jointly by the president and vice president) note: there is also a Supreme Court in north Cyprus Czech Republic Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term Denmark Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life) Djibouti Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Dominica Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) Dominican Republic Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and an additional non-governing party congressional representative) East Timor Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established, Court of Appeals is highest court Ecuador Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a simple-majority resolution) Egypt Supreme Constitutional Court El Salvador Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly) Equatorial Guinea Supreme Tribunal Eritrea High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts Estonia National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life) Ethiopia Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council) European Union Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied correctly) - 25 justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 11 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 25 justices appointed for a six-year term Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction Faroe Islands none Fiji Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts Finland Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president) France Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat French Guiana Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) French Polynesia Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif Gabon Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts Gambia, The Supreme Court Georgia Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the president's or chairman of the Supreme Court's recommendation); Constitutional Court; first and second instance courts Germany Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat) Ghana Supreme Court Gibraltar Supreme Court; Court of Appeal Greece Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council Greenland High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen) Grenada Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned to and resides in Grenada) Guadeloupe Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique Guam Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president); Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by the governor) Guatemala Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms by Congress, each serving one year as president of the Constitutional Court; one is elected by Congress, one elected by the Supreme Court of Justice, one appointed by the president, one elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, and one by Colegio de Abogados); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a president of the Court each year from among their number; the president of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial judges around the country, who are named to five-year terms) Guernsey Royal Court Guinea Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel Guinea-Bissau Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases) Guyana Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice Haiti Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation Holy See (Vatican City) there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946 Honduras Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress) Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Hungary Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms) Iceland Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice) India Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior") Indonesia Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the president from a list of candidates approved by the legislature); a separate Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi was invested by the president on 16 August 2003; in March 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Labor Court under supervision of Supreme Court began functioning in January 2006 Iran Supreme Court - above a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special administrative court Iraq Supreme Court appointed by the Prime Minister, confirmed by the Presidency Council Ireland Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet) Isle of Man High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) Israel Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection Committee - made up of all three branches of the government; mandatory retirement age is 70) Italy Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts) Jamaica Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal Japan Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet) Jersey Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) Jordan Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal) Kazakhstan Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members) Kenya Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court Kiribati Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president Korea, North Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly) Korea, South Supreme Court (justices appointed by president with consent of National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief Justice of the court) Kuwait High Court of Appeal Kyrgyzstan Supreme Court (judges are appointed for 10-year terms by the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the president); Constitutional Court; Higher Court of Arbitration Laos People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National Assembly Standing Committee) Latvia Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament) Lebanon four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed) Lesotho High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court Liberia Supreme Court Libya Supreme Court Liechtenstein Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal or Obergericht Lithuania Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President Luxembourg judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2 district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch Macau Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region Macedonia Supreme Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Constitutional Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Republican Judicial Council - the Assembly appoints the judges Madagascar Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts Malaysia Federal Court (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister) Maldives High Court Mali Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Malta Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister Marshall Islands Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court Martinique Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel Mauritania Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts Mauritius Supreme Court Mayotte Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel Mexico Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia Nacional (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate) Micronesia, Federated States of Supreme Court Moldova Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature) Monaco Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) Mongolia Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved by the president) Montenegro Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms); Supreme Court (judges have life tenure) Montserrat Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court) Morocco Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch) Mozambique Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its professional judges are appointed by the president and some are elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts note: although the constitution provides for a separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases Namibia Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission) Nauru Supreme Court Nepal Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council) Netherlands Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch) Netherlands Antilles Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch) New Caledonia Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court New Zealand Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - Judges appointed by the Governor-General Nicaragua Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) Niger State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel Nigeria Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee) Niue Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue Norfolk Island Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court Norway Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch) Oman Supreme Court note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Shari'a law Pakistan Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or Shari'a Court Palau Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas Panama Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine judges appointed for 10-year terms); five superior courts; three courts of appeal Papua New Guinea Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission) Paraguay Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura) Peru Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary) Philippines Supreme Court (15 justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and serve until 70 years of age); Court of Appeals; Sandigan-bayan (special court for hearing corruption cases of government officials) Pitcairn Islands Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Judicial Officers are appointed by the Governor Poland Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms) Portugal Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura) Puerto Rico Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate) Qatar Court of Appeal note: under a judiciary law issued in 2003, the former two court systems, civil and Islamic law, were merged under a higher court, the Court of Cassation, established for appeals Reunion Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel Romania Supreme Court of Justice (comprised of 11 judges appointed for three-year terms by the president in consultation with the Superior Council of Magistrates, which is comprised of the minister of justice, the prosecutor general, two civil society representatives appointed by the Senate, and 14 judges and prosecutors elected by their peers); a separate body, the Constitutional Court, validates elections and makes decisions regarding the constitutionality of laws, treaties, ordinances, and internal rules of the Parliament; it is comprised of nine members serving nine-year terms, with three members each appointed by the president, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies Russia Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Supreme Arbitration Court; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the president Rwanda Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts; District Courts; mediation committees Saint Helena Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal Saint Kitts and Nevis Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis) Saint Lucia Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Samoa Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles Court San Marino Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII Sao Tome and Principe Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly) Saudi Arabia Supreme Council of Justice Senegal Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals Serbia Constitutional Court (nine justices with life tenure) Seychelles Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the president Sierra Leone Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court Singapore Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals Slovakia Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council); Special Court (judges elected by a council of judges and appointed by president) Slovenia Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the Judicial Council); Constitutional Court (judges elected for nine-year terms by the National Assembly and nominated by the president) Solomon Islands Court of Appeal Somalia following the breakdown of the central government, most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or Shari'a (Islamic) law with a provision for appeal of all sentences South Africa Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts Spain Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Sri Lanka Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president Sudan Constitutional Court of nine justices; National Supreme Court; National Courts of Appeal; other national courts; National Judicial Service Commission will undertake overall management of the National Judiciary Suriname Cantonal Courts and a Court of Justice as an appellate court (justices are nominated for life) Swaziland High Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch Sweden Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet) Switzerland Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly) Syria Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the President); High Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by the President); Court of Cassation (national level); State Security Courts (hear cases related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to marriage and divorce); Courts of First Instance (local level; include magistrate, summary, and peace courts) Taiwan Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan) Tajikistan Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) Tanzania Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court (consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts; Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the higher courts) Thailand Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch) Togo Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Tokelau Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau Tonga Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (Chief Justice and high court justices from overseas chosen and approved by Privy Council) Trinidad and Tobago Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London Tunisia Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation Turkey Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court Turkmenistan Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court; Court of Appeal Tuvalu High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction) Uganda Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president) Ukraine Supreme Court; Constitutional Court United Arab Emirates Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) United Kingdom House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary United States Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts Uruguay Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly) Uzbekistan Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly) Vanuatu Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission) Venezuela Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia (magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single 12-year term) Vietnam Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president) Virgin Islands US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) Wallis and Futuna none; justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu Yemen Supreme Court Zambia Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases) Zimbabwe Supreme Court; High Court This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2095 Labor force Afghanistan 15 million (2004 est.) Albania 1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2004 est.) Algeria 10.15 million (2005 est.) American Samoa 17,630 (2005) Andorra 48,740 (2004) Angola 5.58 million (2005 est.) Anguilla 6,049 (2001) Antigua and Barbuda 30,000 Argentina 15.34 million (2005 est.) Armenia 1.2 million (2005) Aruba 41,500 (2004 est.) Australia 10.42 million (2005 est.) Austria 3.49 million (2005 est.) Azerbaijan 5.45 million (2005 est.) Bahamas, The 176,300 (2004) Bahrain 380,000 note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2005 est.) Bangladesh 66.6 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (2005 est.) Barbados 128,500 (2001 est.) Belarus 4.3 million (31 December 2005) Belgium 4.77 million (2005 est.) Belize 90,000 note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.) Benin 3.211 million Bermuda 38,360 (2004) Bhutan NA note: major shortage of skilled labor Bolivia 4.22 million (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.026 million (2001) Botswana 288,400 formal sector employees (2004) Brazil 90.41 million (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands 12,770 (2004) Brunei 146,300 note: includes foreign workers and military personnel; temporary residents make up about 40% of labor force (2003 est.) Bulgaria 3.34 million (2005 est.) Burkina Faso 5 million note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003) Burma 27.75 million (2005 est.) Burundi 2.99 million (2002) Cambodia 7 million (2003 est.) Cameroon 6.86 million (2005 est.) Canada 16.3 million (December 2005) Cape Verde 120,600 Cayman Islands 23,450 (2004) Central African Republic NA Chad 2.719 million Chile 6.3 million (2005 est.) China 791.4 million (2005 est.) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 20.52 million (2005) Comoros 144,500 (1996 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 14.51 million Congo, Republic of the NA Cook Islands 6,820 (2001) Costa Rica 1.82 million (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 6.95 million (68% agricultural) (2005 est.) Croatia 1.71 million (2005 est.) Cuba 4.6 million note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 370,000, north Cyprus: 95,025 (2005 est.) Czech Republic 5.27 million (2005 est.) Denmark 2.9 million (2005 est.) Djibouti 282,000 (2000) Dominica 25,000 (1999 est.) Dominican Republic 2.3 million-2.6 million (2000 est.) East Timor NA Ecuador 4.6 million (urban) (2005 est.) Egypt 21.34 million (2005 est.) El Salvador 2.81 million (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea NA Eritrea NA Estonia 670,000 (2005 est.) Ethiopia 27.27 million European Union 218.5 million (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1,724 (est.) Faroe Islands 24,250 (October 2000) Fiji 137,000 (1999) Finland 2.61 million (2005 est.) France 27.72 million (2005 est.) French Guiana 62,630 (1999) French Polynesia 65,870 (December 2005) Gabon 640,000 (2005 est.) Gambia, The 400,000 (1996) Gaza Strip 278,000 (April-June 2005) Georgia 2.04 million (2004 est.) Germany 43.32 million (2005 est.) Ghana 10.62 million (2005 est.) Gibraltar 12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001) Greece 4.72 million (2005 est.) Greenland 24,500 (1999 est.) Grenada 42,300 (1996) Guadeloupe 191,400 (1999) Guam 62,050 (2002 est.) Guatemala 3.76 million (2005 est.) Guernsey 32,290 (2001) Guinea 3 million (1999) Guinea-Bissau 480,000 (1999) Guyana 418,000 (2001 est.) Haiti 3.6 million note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995) Holy See (Vatican City) NA Honduras 2.54 million (2005 est.) Hong Kong 3.61 million (October 2005) Hungary 4.18 million (2005 est.) Iceland 165,900 (2005 est.) India 496.4 million (2005 est.) Indonesia 94.2 million (2005 est.) Iran 23.68 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2005 est.) Iraq 7.4 million (2004 est.) Ireland 2.03 million (2005 est.) Isle of Man 39,690 (2001) Israel 2.42 million (2005 est.) Italy 24.49 million (2005 est.) Jamaica 1.2 million (2005 est.) Japan 66.4 million (2005 est.) Jersey 52,790 (2004) Jordan 1.46 million (2005 est.) Kazakhstan 7.85 million (2005 est.) Kenya 11.85 million (2005 est.) Kiribati 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.) Korea, North 9.6 million Korea, South 23.53 million (2005 est.) Kuwait 1.67 million note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan 2.7 million (2000) Laos 2.8 million (2002 est.) Latvia 1.11 million (2005 est.) Lebanon 2.6 million note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.) Lesotho 838,000 (2000) Libya 1.64 million (2005 est.) Liechtenstein 29,500 of whom 13,900 commute from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany to work each day (31 December 2001) Lithuania 1.61 million (2005 est.) Luxembourg 316,500 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany (2005 est.) Macau 251,200 (3rd Quarter, 2005) Macedonia 855,000 (2004 est.) Madagascar 7.3 million (2000) Malawi 4.5 million (2001 est.) Malaysia 10.67 million (2005 est.) Maldives 88,000 (2000) Mali 3.93 million (2001 est.) Malta 160,000 (2005 est.) Marshall Islands 14,680 (2000) Martinique 165,900 (1998) Mauritania 786,000 (2001) Mauritius 570,000 (2005 est.) Mayotte 44,560 (2002) Mexico 43.4 million (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 37,410 Moldova 1.34 million (2005 est.) Monaco 41,110 note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2004) Mongolia 1.488 million (2003) Montenegro 259,100 (2004) Montserrat 4,521 note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.) Morocco 11.19 million (2005 est.) Mozambique 9.2 million (2000 est.) Namibia 820,000 (2005 est.) Nepal 10.4 million note: severe lack of skilled labor (2004 est.) Netherlands 7.53 million (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles 83,600 (2005) New Caledonia 78,990 (including 11,300 unemployed) (2004) New Zealand 2.13 million (2005 est.) Nicaragua 2.01 million (2005 est.) Niger 70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (2002 est.) Nigeria 57.21 million (2005 est.) Niue NA 663 Norfolk Island 1,345 Northern Mariana Islands 44,470 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers (2000) Norway 2.4 million (2005 est.) Oman 920,000 (2002 est.) Pakistan 46.84 million note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2005 est.) Palau 9,777 (2005) Panama 1.39 million note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea 2.413 million (2004) Paraguay 2.68 million (2005 est.) Peru 9.06 million (2005 est.) Philippines 36.73 million (2005 est.) Pitcairn Islands 15 able-bodied men (2004) Poland 17.1 million (2005 est.) Portugal 5.52 million (2005 est.) Puerto Rico 1.3 million (2000) Qatar 440,000 (2005 est.) Reunion 299,000 (2002) Romania 9.31 million (2005 est.) Russia 74.22 million (2005 est.) Rwanda 4.6 million (2000) Saint Helena 2,486 note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 18,170 (June 1995) Saint Lucia 43,800 (2001 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 3,261 (1999) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 41,680 (1991 est.) Samoa 90,000 (2000 est.) San Marino 19,970 (2003) Sao Tome and Principe 35,050 Saudi Arabia 6.76 million note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2005 est.) Senegal 4.82 million (2005 est.) Serbia 2.961 million for Serbia (including Kosovo) (2002 est.) Seychelles 30,900 (1996) Sierra Leone 1.369 million (1981 est.) Singapore 2.28 million (September 2005 est.) Slovakia 2.24 million (30 September 2005 est.) Slovenia 920,000 (2005 est.) Solomon Islands 249,200 (1999) Somalia 3.7 million (very few skilled laborers) South Africa 15.23 million economically active (2005 est.) Spain 20.67 million (2005 est.) Sri Lanka 8.08 million (2005 est.) Sudan 7.415 million (1996 est.) Suriname 156,700 (2004) Svalbard NA Swaziland 155,700 (2003) Sweden 4.49 million (2005 est.) Switzerland 3.8 million (2005 est.) Syria 5.12 million (2004 est.) Taiwan 10.6 million (2005 est.) Tajikistan 3.7 million (2003) Tanzania 19.22 million (2005 est.) Thailand 35.36 million (2005 est.) Togo 1.302 million (1998) Tokelau 440 Tonga 33,910 (2003) Trinidad and Tobago 620,000 (2005 est.) Tunisia 3.41 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2005 est.) Turkey 24.7 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2005 est.) Turkmenistan 2.32 million (2003 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 4,848 (1990 est.) Tuvalu 3,615 (2004 est.) Uganda 13.17 million (2005 est.) Ukraine 22.67 million (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates 2.8 million (2005 est.) United Kingdom 30.07 million (2005 est.) United States 149.3 million (includes unemployed) (2005 est.) Uruguay 1.52 million (2005 est.) Uzbekistan 14.26 million (2005 est.) Vanuatu 76,410 Venezuela 12.31 million (2005 est.) Vietnam 44.39 million (2005 est.) Virgin Islands 43,980 (2004 est.) Wallis and Futuna NA 3,104 West Bank 614,000 (April-June 2005) Western Sahara 12,000 World 3.001 billion (2005 est.) Yemen 5.83 million (2005 est.) Zambia 4.8 million (2005 est.) Zimbabwe 3.94 million (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2096 Land boundaries (km) Afghanistan total: 5,529 km border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km Akrotiri total: 47.4 km border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km Albania total: 720 km border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172 km, Serbia 115 km Algeria total: 6,343 km border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km American Samoa 0 km Andorra total: 120.3 km border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km Angola total: 5,198 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province), Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km Anguilla 0 km Antarctica 0 km note: see entry on Disputes - international Antigua and Barbuda 0 km Argentina total: 9,665 km border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km Armenia total: 1,254 km border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km Aruba 0 km Ashmore and Cartier Islands 0 km Australia 0 km Austria total: 2,562 km border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km Azerbaijan total: 2,013 km border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km Bahamas, The 0 km Bahrain 0 km Baker Island 0 km Bangladesh total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km Barbados 0 km Bassas da India 0 km Belarus total: 2,900 km border countries: Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 407 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km Belgium total: 1,385 km border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km Belize total: 516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km Benin total: 1,989 km border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km Bermuda 0 km Bhutan total: 1,075 km border countries: China 470 km, India 605 km Bolivia total: 6,743 km border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 1,459 km border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 225 km, Serbia 302 km Botswana total: 4,013 km border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km Bouvet Island 0 km Brazil total: 16,884.4 km border countries: Argentina 1,261 km, Bolivia 3,423 km, Colombia 1,644 km, French Guiana 730.4 km, Guyana 1,606 km, Paraguay 1,365 km, Peru 2,995 km, Suriname 593 km, Uruguay 1,068 km, Venezuela 2,199 km British Indian Ocean Territory 0 km British Virgin Islands 0 km Brunei total: 381 km border countries: Malaysia 381 km Bulgaria total: 1,808 km border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km Burkina Faso total: 3,193 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km Burma total: 5,876 km border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km Burundi total: 974 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km Cambodia total: 2,572 km border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km Cameroon total: 4,591 km border countries: Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km Canada total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska) Cape Verde 0 km Cayman Islands 0 km Central African Republic total: 5,203 km border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km Chad total: 5,968 km border countries: Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197 km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km Chile total: 6,339 km border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km China total: 22,117 km border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km Christmas Island 0 km Clipperton Island 0 km Cocos (Keeling) Islands 0 km Colombia total: 6,004 km border countries: Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 1,496 km (est.), Venezuela 2,050 km Comoros 0 km Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 10,730 km border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km Congo, Republic of the total: 5,504 km border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km Cook Islands 0 km Coral Sea Islands 0 km Costa Rica total: 639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km Cote d'Ivoire total: 3,110 km border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km Croatia total: 2,197 km border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 670 km Cuba total: 29 km border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba Cyprus total: NA; note - boundary with Dhekelia is being resurveyed border countries: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia NA Czech Republic total: 2,290.2 km border countries: Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km, Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km Denmark total: 68 km border countries: Germany 68 km Dhekelia total: NA; note - boundary with Cyprus is being resurveyed Djibouti total: 516 km border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km Dominica 0 km Dominican Republic total: 360 km border countries: Haiti 360 km East Timor total: 228 km border countries: Indonesia 228 km Ecuador total: 2,010 km border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km Egypt total: 2,665 km border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km El Salvador total: 545 km border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km Equatorial Guinea total: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km Eritrea total: 1,626 km border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km Estonia total: 633 km border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km Ethiopia total: 5,328 km border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km Europa Island 0 km European Union total: 11,214.8 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 246 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Romania 443 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 151 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 206 km, Ukraine 726 km note: data for European Continent only Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 km Faroe Islands 0 km Fiji 0 km Finland total: 2,681 km border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,340 km France total: 2,889 km border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km French Guiana total: 1,240.4 km border countries: Brazil 730.4 km, Suriname 510 km French Polynesia 0 km French Southern and Antarctic Lands 0 km Gabon total: 2,551 km border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km Gambia, The total: 740 km border countries: Senegal 740 km Gaza Strip total: 62 km border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km Georgia total: 1,461 km border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km Germany total: 3,621 km border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km Ghana total: 2,094 km border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km Gibraltar total: 1.2 km border countries: Spain 1.2 km Glorioso Islands 0 km Greece total: 1,228 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km Greenland 0 km Grenada 0 km Guadeloupe total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km Guam 0 km Guatemala total: 1,687 km border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km Guernsey 0 km Guinea total: 3,399 km border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km Guinea-Bissau total: 724 km border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km Guyana total: 2,462 km border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km Haiti total: 360 km border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km Heard Island and McDonald Islands 0 km Holy See (Vatican City) total: 3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km Honduras total: 1,520 km border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km Hong Kong total: 30 km regional border: China 30 km Howland Island 0 km Hungary total: 2,171 km border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km Iceland 0 km Iles Eparses none India total: 14,103 km border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km Indonesia total: 2,830 km border countries: East Timor 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km Iran total: 5,440 km border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km Iraq total: 3,650 km border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km Ireland total: 360 km border countries: UK 360 km Isle of Man 0 km Israel total: 1,017 km border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km Italy total: 1,932.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km Jamaica 0 km Jan Mayen 0 km Japan 0 km Jarvis Island 0 km Jersey 0 km Johnston Atoll 0 km Jordan total: 1,635 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km Juan de Nova Island 0 km Kazakhstan total: 12,012 km border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km Kenya total: 3,477 km border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km Kingman Reef 0 km Kiribati 0 km Korea, North total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km Korea, South total: 238 km border countries: North Korea 238 km Kuwait total: 462 km border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km Kyrgyzstan total: 3,878 km border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km Laos total: 5,083 km border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km Latvia total: 1,368 km border countries: Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 282 km Lebanon total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km Lesotho total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km Liberia total: 1,585 km border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km Libya total: 4,348 km border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km Liechtenstein total: 76 km border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km Lithuania total: 1,613 km border countries: Belarus 653.5 km, Latvia 588 km, Poland 103.7 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 267.8 km Luxembourg total: 359 km border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km Macau total: 0.34 km regional border: China 0.34 km Macedonia total: 766 km border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km, Serbia 221 km Madagascar 0 km Malawi total: 2,881 km border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km Malaysia total: 2,669 km border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km Maldives 0 km Mali total: 7,243 km border countries: Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km Malta 0 km Marshall Islands 0 km Martinique 0 km Mauritania total: 5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km Mauritius 0 km Mayotte 0 km Mexico total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km Micronesia, Federated States of 0 km Midway Islands 0 km Moldova total: 1,389 km border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km Monaco total: 4.4 km border countries: France 4.4 km Mongolia total: 8,220 km border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km Montenegro total: 625 km border countries: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km, Croatia 25 km, Serbia 203 km Montserrat 0 km Morocco total: 2,017.9 km border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km Mozambique total: 4,571 km border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km Namibia total: 3,936 km border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km Nauru 0 km Navassa Island 0 km Nepal total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km Netherlands total: 1,027 km border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km Netherlands Antilles total: 15 km border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint-Martin) 15 km New Caledonia 0 km New Zealand 0 km Nicaragua total: 1,231 km border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km Niger total: 5,697 km border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km Nigeria total: 4,047 km border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km Niue 0 km Norfolk Island 0 km Northern Mariana Islands 0 km Norway total: 2,542 km border countries: Finland 727 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km Oman total: 1,374 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km Pakistan total: 6,774 km border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km Palau 0 km Palmyra Atoll 0 km Panama total: 555 km border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km Papua New Guinea total: 820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km Paracel Islands 0 km Paraguay total: 3,920 km border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km Peru total: 5,536 km border countries: Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 1,496 km (est.), Ecuador 1,420 km Philippines 0 km Pitcairn Islands 0 km Poland total: 3,056 km border countries: Belarus 416 km, Czech Republic 790 km, Germany 467 km, Lithuania 103 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 210 km, Slovakia 541 km, Ukraine 529 km Portugal total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km Puerto Rico 0 km Qatar total: 60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km Reunion 0 km Romania total: 2,508 km border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km Russia total: 20,096.5 km border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,340 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 280.5 km, Mongolia 3,485 km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 232 km, Ukraine 1,576 km Rwanda total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km Saint Helena 0 km Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 km Saint Lucia 0 km Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 km Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 km Samoa 0 km San Marino total: 39 km border countries: Italy 39 km Sao Tome and Principe 0 km Saudi Arabia total: 4,431 km border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km Senegal total: 2,640 km border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km Serbia total: 2,027 km border countries: Albania 115 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 302 km, Bulgaria 318 km, Croatia 241 km, Hungary 151 km, Macedonia 221 km, Montenegro 203 km, Romania 476 km Seychelles 0 km Sierra Leone total: 958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km Singapore 0 km Slovakia total: 1,524 km border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km Slovenia total: 1,382 km border countries: Austria 330 km, Croatia 670 km, Hungary 102 km, Italy 280 km Solomon Islands 0 km Somalia total: 2,340 km border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km South Africa total: 4,862 km border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 0 km Spain total: 1,917.8 km border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km Spratly Islands 0 km Sri Lanka 0 km Sudan total: 7,687 km border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km Suriname total: 1,707 km border countries: Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km Svalbard 0 km Swaziland total: 535 km border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km Sweden total: 2,233 km border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km Switzerland total: 1,852 km border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km Syria total: 2,253 km border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km Taiwan 0 km Tajikistan total: 3,651 km border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km Tanzania total: 3,861 km border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km Thailand total: 4,863 km border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km Togo total: 1,647 km border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km Tokelau 0 km Tonga 0 km Trinidad and Tobago 0 km Tromelin Island 0 km Tunisia total: 1,424 km border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km Turkey total: 2,648 km border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km Turkmenistan total: 3,736 km border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km Turks and Caicos Islands 0 km Tuvalu 0 km Uganda total: 2,698 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km Ukraine total: 4,663 km border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km United Arab Emirates total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km United Kingdom total: 360 km border countries: Ireland 360 km United States total: 12,034 km border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges none Uruguay total: 1,564 km border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km Uzbekistan total: 6,221 km border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km Vanuatu 0 km Venezuela total: 4,993 km border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km Vietnam total: 4,639 km border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km Virgin Islands 0 km Wake Island 0 km Wallis and Futuna 0 km West Bank total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km Western Sahara total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km World the land boundaries in the world total 250,708 km (not counting shared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia, each border 14 other countries note: 44 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doubly landlocked Yemen total: 1,746 km border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km Zambia total: 5,664 km border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km Zimbabwe total: 3,066 km border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2097 Land use (%) Afghanistan arable land: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 87.66% (2005) Albania arable land: 20.1% permanent crops: 4.21% other: 75.69% (2005) Algeria arable land: 3.17% permanent crops: 0.28% other: 96.55% (2005) American Samoa arable land: 10% permanent crops: 15% other: 75% (2005) Andorra arable land: 2.13% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.87% (2005) Angola arable land: 2.65% permanent crops: 0.23% other: 97.12% (2005) Anguilla arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (2005) Antarctica arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%) (2005) Antigua and Barbuda arable land: 18.18% permanent crops: 4.55% other: 77.27% (2005) Argentina arable land: 10.03% permanent crops: 0.36% other: 89.61% (2005) Armenia arable land: 16.78% permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.21% (2005) Aruba arable land: 10.53% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005) Ashmore and Cartier Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2005) Australia arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland) permanent crops: 0.04% other: 93.81% (2005) Austria arable land: 16.59% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 82.56% (2005) Azerbaijan arable land: 20.62% permanent crops: 2.61% other: 76.77% (2005) Bahamas, The arable land: 0.58% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 99.13% (2005) Bahrain arable land: 2.82% permanent crops: 5.63% other: 91.55% (2005) Baker Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Bangladesh arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005) Barbados arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2005) Bassas da India arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all rock) (2005) Belarus arable land: 26.77% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 72.63% (2005) Belgium arable land: 27.42% permanent crops: 0.69% other: 71.89% note: includes Luxembourg (2005) Belize arable land: 3.05% permanent crops: 1.39% other: 95.56% (2005) Benin arable land: 23.53% permanent crops: 2.37% other: 74.1% (2005) Bermuda arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005) Bhutan arable land: 2.3% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 97.27% (2005) Bolivia arable land: 2.78% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.03% (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina arable land: 19.61% permanent crops: 1.89% other: 78.5% (2005) Botswana arable land: 0.65% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.34% (2005) Bouvet Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (93% ice) (2005) Brazil arable land: 6.93% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.18% (2005) British Indian Ocean Territory arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) British Virgin Islands arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005) Brunei arable land: 2.08% permanent crops: 0.87% other: 97.05% (2005) Bulgaria arable land: 29.94% permanent crops: 1.9% other: 68.16% (2005) Burkina Faso arable land: 17.66% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 82.12% (2005) Burma arable land: 14.92% permanent crops: 1.31% other: 83.77% (2005) Burundi arable land: 35.57% permanent crops: 13.12% other: 51.31% (2005) Cambodia arable land: 20.44% permanent crops: 0.59% other: 78.97% (2005) Cameroon arable land: 12.54% permanent crops: 2.52% other: 84.94% (2005) Canada arable land: 4.57% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 94.78% (2005) Cape Verde arable land: 11.41% permanent crops: 0.74% other: 87.85% (2005) Cayman Islands arable land: 3.85% permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2005) Central African Republic arable land: 3.1% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 96.75% (2005) Chad arable land: 2.8% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 97.18% (2005) Chile arable land: 2.62% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 96.95% (2005) China arable land: 14.86% permanent crops: 1.27% other: 83.87% (2005) Christmas Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005) Clipperton Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all coral) (2005) Cocos (Keeling) Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Colombia arable land: 2.01% permanent crops: 1.37% other: 96.62% (2005) Comoros arable land: 35.87% permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the arable land: 2.86% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.67% (2005) Congo, Republic of the arable land: 1.45% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 98.4% (2005) Cook Islands arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 8.33% other: 75% (2005) Coral Sea Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2005) Costa Rica arable land: 4.4% permanent crops: 5.87% other: 89.73% (2005) Cote d'Ivoire arable land: 10.23% permanent crops: 11.16% other: 78.61% (2005) Croatia arable land: 25.82% permanent crops: 2.19% other: 71.99% (2005) Cuba arable land: 27.63% permanent crops: 6.54% other: 65.83% (2005) Cyprus arable land: 10.81% permanent crops: 4.32% other: 84.87% (2005) Czech Republic arable land: 38.82% permanent crops: 3% other: 58.18% (2005) Denmark arable land: 52.59% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 47.22% (2005) Djibouti arable land: 0.04% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.96% (2005) Dominica arable land: 6.67% permanent crops: 21.33% other: 72% (2005) Dominican Republic arable land: 22.49% permanent crops: 10.26% other: 67.25% (2005) East Timor arable land: 8.2% permanent crops: 4.57% other: 87.23% (2005) Ecuador arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 4.81% other: 89.48% (2005) Egypt arable land: 2.92% permanent crops: 0.5% other: 96.58% (2005) El Salvador arable land: 31.37% permanent crops: 11.88% other: 56.75% (2005) Equatorial Guinea arable land: 4.63% permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2005) Eritrea arable land: 4.78% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 95.19% (2005) Estonia arable land: 12.05% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 87.6% (2005) Ethiopia arable land: 10.01% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 89.34% (2005) Europa Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mangrove forests and woodlands) (2005) European Union arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005) Faroe Islands arable land: 2.14% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.86% (2005) Fiji arable land: 10.95% permanent crops: 4.65% other: 84.4% (2005) Finland arable land: 6.54% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 93.44% (2005) France arable land: 33.46% permanent crops: 2.03% other: 64.51% (2005) French Guiana arable land: 0.13% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other) (2005) French Polynesia arable land: 0.75% permanent crops: 5.5% other: 93.75% (2005) French Southern and Antarctic Lands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Gabon arable land: 1.21% permanent crops: 0.64% other: 98.15% (2005) Gambia, The arable land: 27.88% permanent crops: 0.44% other: 71.68% (2005) Gaza Strip arable land: 29% permanent crops: 21% other: 50% (2002) Georgia arable land: 11.51% permanent crops: 3.79% other: 84.7% (2005) Germany arable land: 33.13% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 66.27% (2005) Ghana arable land: 17.54% permanent crops: 9.22% other: 73.24% (2005) Gibraltar arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Glorioso Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all lush vegetation and coconut palms) (2005) Greece arable land: 20.45% permanent crops: 8.59% other: 70.96% (2005) Greenland arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Grenada arable land: 5.88% permanent crops: 29.41% other: 64.71% (2005) Guadeloupe arable land: 11.7% permanent crops: 2.92% other: 85.38% (2005) Guam arable land: 3.64% permanent crops: 18.18% other: 78.18% (2005) Guatemala arable land: 13.22% permanent crops: 5.6% other: 81.18% (2005) Guernsey arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% Guinea arable land: 4.47% permanent crops: 2.64% other: 92.89% (2005) Guinea-Bissau arable land: 8.31% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 84.77% (2005) Guyana arable land: 2.23% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 97.63% (2005) Haiti arable land: 28.11% permanent crops: 11.53% other: 60.36% (2005) Heard Island and McDonald Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Holy See (Vatican City) arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005) Honduras arable land: 9.53% permanent crops: 3.21% other: 87.26% (2005) Hong Kong arable land: 5.05% permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (2001) Howland Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) Hungary arable land: 49.58% permanent crops: 2.06% other: 48.36% (2005) Iceland arable land: 0.07% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.93% (2005) Iles Eparses Bassas da India - 100% rock, coral reef, and sand; Europa Island - 100% mangrove swamp and dry woodlands; Glorioso Islands - 100% lush vegetation and coconut palms; Juan de Nova Island - 90% forest, 10% other; Tromelin Island - 100% grasses and scattered brush India arable land: 48.83% permanent crops: 2.8% other: 48.37% (2005) Indonesia arable land: 11.03% permanent crops: 7.04% other: 81.93% (2005) Iran arable land: 9.78% permanent crops: 1.29% other: 88.93% (2005) Iraq arable land: 13.12% permanent crops: 0.61% other: 86.27% (2005) Ireland arable land: 16.82% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 83.15% (2005) Isle of Man arable land: 9% permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002) Israel arable land: 15.45% permanent crops: 3.88% other: 80.67% (2005) Italy arable land: 26.41% permanent crops: 9.09% other: 64.5% (2005) Jamaica arable land: 15.83% permanent crops: 10.01% other: 74.16% (2005) Jan Mayen arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Japan arable land: 11.64% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 87.46% (2005) Jarvis Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Jersey arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Johnston Atoll arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Jordan arable land: 3.32% permanent crops: 1.18% other: 95.5% (2005) Juan de Nova Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (90% forest) (2005) Kazakhstan arable land: 8.28% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 91.67% (2005) Kenya arable land: 8.01% permanent crops: 0.97% other: 91.02% (2005) Kingman Reef arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Kiribati arable land: 2.74% permanent crops: 47.95% other: 49.31% (2005) Korea, North arable land: 22.4% permanent crops: 1.66% other: 75.94% (2005) Korea, South arable land: 16.58% permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.41% (2005) Kuwait arable land: 0.84% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 98.99% (2005) Kyrgyzstan arable land: 6.55% permanent crops: 0.28% other: 93.17% note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural growth walnut forest (2005) Laos arable land: 4.01% permanent crops: 0.34% other: 95.65% (2005) Latvia arable land: 28.19% permanent crops: 0.45% other: 71.36% (2005) Lebanon arable land: 16.35% permanent crops: 13.75% other: 69.9% (2005) Lesotho arable land: 10.87% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2005) Liberia arable land: 3.43% permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005) Libya arable land: 1.03% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 98.78% (2005) Liechtenstein arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (2005) Lithuania arable land: 44.81% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 54.29% (2005) Luxembourg arable land: 23.94% permanent crops: 0.39% other: 75.67% (includes Belgium) (2005) Macau arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Macedonia arable land: 22.01% permanent crops: 1.79% other: 76.2% (2005) Madagascar arable land: 5.03% permanent crops: 1.02% other: 93.95% (2005) Malawi arable land: 20.68% permanent crops: 1.18% other: 78.14% (2005) Malaysia arable land: 5.46% permanent crops: 17.54% other: 77% (2005) Maldives arable land: 13.33% permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005) Mali arable land: 3.76% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 96.21% (2005) Malta arable land: 31.25% permanent crops: 3.13% other: 65.62% (2005) Marshall Islands arable land: 11.11% permanent crops: 44.44% other: 44.45% (2005) Martinique arable land: 9.09% permanent crops: 10% other: 80.91% (2005) Mauritania arable land: 0.2% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.79% (2005) Mauritius arable land: 49.02% permanent crops: 2.94% other: 48.04% (2005) Mayotte arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% Mexico arable land: 12.66% permanent crops: 1.28% other: 86.06% (2005) Micronesia, Federated States of arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 45.71% other: 48.58% (2005) Midway Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Moldova arable land: 54.52% permanent crops: 8.81% other: 36.67% (2005) Monaco arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005) Mongolia arable land: 0.76% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.24% (2005) Montenegro arable land: 13.7% permanent crops: 1% other: 85.3% Montserrat arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005) Morocco arable land: 19% permanent crops: 2% other: 79% (2005) Mozambique arable land: 5.43% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 94.28% (2005) Namibia arable land: 0.99% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99% (2005) Nauru arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Navassa Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Nepal arable land: 16.07% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 83.08% (2005) Netherlands arable land: 21.96% permanent crops: 0.77% other: 77.27% (2005) Netherlands Antilles arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (2005) New Caledonia arable land: 0.32% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 99.46% (2005) New Zealand arable land: 5.54% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 87.54% (2005) Nicaragua arable land: 14.81% permanent crops: 1.82% other: 83.37% (2005) Niger arable land: 11.43% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 88.56% (2005) Nigeria arable land: 33.02% permanent crops: 3.14% other: 63.84% (2005) Niue arable land: 11.54% permanent crops: 15.38% other: 73.08% (2005) Norfolk Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Northern Mariana Islands arable land: 13.04% permanent crops: 4.35% other: 82.61% (2005) Norway arable land: 2.7% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.3% (2005) Oman arable land: 0.12% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 99.74% (2005) Pakistan arable land: 24.44% permanent crops: 0.84% other: 74.72% (2005) Palau arable land: 8.7% permanent crops: 4.35% other: 86.95% (2005) Palmyra Atoll arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (forests and woodlands) (2005) Panama arable land: 7.26% permanent crops: 1.95% other: 90.79% (2005) Papua New Guinea arable land: 0.49% permanent crops: 1.4% other: 98.11% (2005) Paracel Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Paraguay arable land: 7.47% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 92.29% (2005) Peru arable land: 2.88% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.65% (2005) Philippines arable land: 19% permanent crops: 16.67% other: 64.33% (2005) Pitcairn Islands arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% Poland arable land: 40.25% permanent crops: 1% other: 58.75% (2005) Portugal arable land: 17.29% permanent crops: 7.84% other: 74.87% (2005) Puerto Rico arable land: 3.69% permanent crops: 5.59% other: 90.72% (2005) Qatar arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.27% other: 98.09% (2005) Reunion arable land: 13.94% permanent crops: 1.59% other: 84.47% (2005) Romania arable land: 39.49% permanent crops: 1.92% other: 58.59% (2005) Russia arable land: 7.17% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 92.72% (2005) Rwanda arable land: 45.56% permanent crops: 10.25% other: 44.19% (2005) Saint Helena arable land: 12.9% permanent crops: 0% other: 87.1% (2005) Saint Kitts and Nevis arable land: 19.44% permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2005) Saint Lucia arable land: 6.45% permanent crops: 22.58% other: 70.97% (2005) Saint Pierre and Miquelon arable land: 12.5% permanent crops: 0% other: 87.5% (2005) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines arable land: 17.95% permanent crops: 17.95% other: 64.1% (2005) Samoa arable land: 21.13% permanent crops: 24.3% other: 54.57% (2005) San Marino arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 0% other: 83.33% (2005) Sao Tome and Principe arable land: 8.33% permanent crops: 48.96% other: 42.71% (2005) Saudi Arabia arable land: 1.67% permanent crops: 0.09% other: 98.24% (2005) Senegal arable land: 12.51% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005) Serbia arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA Seychelles arable land: 2.17% permanent crops: 13.04% other: 84.79% (2005) Sierra Leone arable land: 7.95% permanent crops: 1.05% other: 91% (2005) Singapore arable land: 1.47% permanent crops: 1.47% other: 97.06% (2005) Slovakia arable land: 29.23% permanent crops: 2.67% other: 68.1% (2005) Slovenia arable land: 8.53% permanent crops: 1.43% other: 90.04% (2005) Solomon Islands arable land: 0.62% permanent crops: 2.04% other: 97.34% (2005) Somalia arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 98.32% (2005) South Africa arable land: 12.1% permanent crops: 0.79% other: 87.11% (2005) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005) Spain arable land: 27.18% permanent crops: 9.85% other: 62.97% (2005) Spratly Islands arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Sri Lanka arable land: 13.96% permanent crops: 15.24% other: 70.8% (2005) Sudan arable land: 6.78% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 93.05% (2005) Suriname arable land: 0.36% permanent crops: 0.06% other: 99.58% (2005) Svalbard arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry) (2005) Swaziland arable land: 10.25% permanent crops: 0.81% other: 88.94% (2005) Sweden arable land: 5.93% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 94.06% (2005) Switzerland arable land: 9.91% permanent crops: 0.58% other: 89.51% (2005) Syria arable land: 24.8% permanent crops: 4.47% other: 70.73% (2005) Taiwan arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% other: 75% (2001) Tajikistan arable land: 6.52% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.59% (2005) Tanzania arable land: 4.23% permanent crops: 1.16% other: 94.61% (2005) Thailand arable land: 27.54% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 65.53% (2005) Togo arable land: 44.2% permanent crops: 2.11% other: 53.69% (2005) Tokelau arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile) permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Tonga arable land: 20% permanent crops: 14.67% other: 65.33% (2005) Trinidad and Tobago arable land: 14.62% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (2005) Tromelin Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (grasses; scattered bushes) (2005) Tunisia arable land: 17.05% permanent crops: 13.08% other: 69.87% (2005) Turkey arable land: 29.81% permanent crops: 3.39% other: 66.8% (2005) Turkmenistan arable land: 4.51% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 95.35% (2005) Turks and Caicos Islands arable land: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2005) Tuvalu arable land: 0% permanent crops: 66.67% other: 33.33% (2005) Uganda arable land: 21.57% permanent crops: 8.92% other: 69.51% (2005) Ukraine arable land: 53.8% permanent crops: 1.5% other: 44.7% (2005) United Arab Emirates arable land: 0.77% permanent crops: 2.27% other: 96.96% (2005) United Kingdom arable land: 23.23% permanent crops: 0.2% other: 76.57% (2005) United States arable land: 18.01% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 81.78% (2005) United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Uruguay arable land: 7.77% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 91.99% (2005) Uzbekistan arable land: 10.51% permanent crops: 0.76% other: 88.73% (2005) Vanuatu arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 6.97% other: 91.39% (2005) Venezuela arable land: 2.85% permanent crops: 0.88% other: 96.27% (2005) Vietnam arable land: 20.14% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 72.93% (2005) Virgin Islands arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 2.86% other: 91.43% (2005) Wake Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) Wallis and Futuna arable land: 7.14% permanent crops: 35.71% other: 57.15% (2005) West Bank arable land: 16.9% permanent crops: 18.97% other: 64.13% (2001) Western Sahara arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) World arable land: 13.31% permanent crops: 4.71% other: 81.98% (2005) Yemen arable land: 2.91% permanent crops: 0.25% other: 96.84% (2005) Zambia arable land: 6.99% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 92.97% (2005) Zimbabwe arable land: 8.24% permanent crops: 0.33% other: 91.43% (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2098 Languages (%) Afghanistan Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism Akrotiri English, Greek Albania Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects Algeria Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects American Samoa Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific islander 2.1%, other 2% note: most people are bilingual (2000 census) Andorra Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese Angola Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages Anguilla English (official) Antigua and Barbuda English (official), local dialects Argentina Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French Armenia Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census) Aruba Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish Australia English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census) Austria German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland) Azerbaijan Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.) Bahamas, The English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) Bahrain Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu Bangladesh Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English Barbados English Belarus Belarusian, Russian, other Belgium Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) Belize English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole Benin French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Bermuda English (official), Portuguese Bhutan Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects Bolivia Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official) Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Botswana Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census) Brazil Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French British Virgin Islands English (official) Brunei Malay (official), English, Chinese Bulgaria Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) Burkina Faso French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population Burma Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages Burundi Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area) Cambodia Khmer (official) 95%, French, English Cameroon 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official) Canada English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5% Cape Verde Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words) Cayman Islands English Central African Republic French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages Chad French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects Chile Spanish China Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry) Christmas Island English (official), Chinese, Malay Cocos (Keeling) Islands Malay (Cocos dialect), English Colombia Spanish Comoros Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic) Congo, Democratic Republic of the French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba Congo, Republic of the French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread) Cook Islands English (official), Maori Costa Rica Spanish (official), English Cote d'Ivoire French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken Croatia Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census) Cuba Spanish Cyprus Greek, Turkish, English Czech Republic Czech Denmark Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) note: English is the predominant second language Dhekelia English, Greek Djibouti French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar Dominica English (official), French patois Dominican Republic Spanish East Timor Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people Ecuador Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) Egypt Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes El Salvador Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians) Equatorial Guinea Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo Eritrea Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages Estonia Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census) Ethiopia Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools) European Union Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed; Irish (Gaelic) will become the 21st language on 1 January 2007 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) English Faroe Islands Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish Fiji English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani Finland Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003) France French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) French Guiana French French Polynesia French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census) Gabon French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi Gambia, The English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars Gaza Strip Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Georgia Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7% note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia Germany German Ghana English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga) Gibraltar English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese Greece Greek 99% (official), English, French Greenland Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English Grenada English (official), French patois Guadeloupe French (official) 99%, Creole patois Guam English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%, other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other languages 3.5% (2000 census) Guatemala Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) Guernsey English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts Guinea French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language Guinea-Bissau Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages Guyana English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu Haiti French (official), Creole (official) Holy See (Vatican City) Italian, Latin, French, various other languages Honduras Spanish, Amerindian dialects Hong Kong Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official Hungary Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census) Iceland Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken India English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language Indonesia Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese Iran Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2% Iraq Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian Ireland English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (official) (Gaelic or Gaeilge) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard Isle of Man English, Manx Gaelic Israel Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language Italy Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area) Jamaica English, patois English Japan Japanese Jersey English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) Jordan Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes Kazakhstan Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.) Kenya English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages Kiribati I-Kiribati, English (official) Korea, North Korean Korea, South Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school Kuwait Arabic (official), English widely spoken Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz (official), Russian (official) Laos Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Latvia Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census) Lebanon Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian Lesotho Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa Liberia English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence Libya Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities Liechtenstein German (official), Alemannic dialect Lithuania Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census) Luxembourg Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) Macau Cantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census) Macedonia Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census) Madagascar French (official), Malagasy (official) Malawi Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998 census) Malaysia Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan Maldives Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials Mali French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages Malta Maltese (official), English (official) Marshall Islands Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages Martinique French, Creole patois Mauritania Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof Mauritius Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census) Mayotte Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population Mexico Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages Micronesia, Federated States of English (official and common language), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi Moldova Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect) Monaco French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque Mongolia Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999) Montenegro Serbian (Ijekavian dialect - official), Bosnian, Albanian, Croatian Montserrat English Morocco Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy Mozambique Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census) Namibia English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages (Oshivambo, Herero, Nama) Nauru Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes Nepal Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census) note: many in government and business also speak English Netherlands Dutch (official), Frisian (official) Netherlands Antilles Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) New Caledonia French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects New Zealand English (official), Maori (official) Nicaragua Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast Niger French (official), Hausa, Djerma Nigeria English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani Niue Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan; English Norfolk Island English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian Northern Mariana Islands Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6% (2000 census) Norway Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities Oman Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects Pakistan Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8% Palau Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census) Panama Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians bilingual Papua New Guinea Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total) Paraguay Spanish (official), Guarani (official) Peru Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages Philippines two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan Pitcairn Islands English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect) Poland Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census) Portugal Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used) Puerto Rico Spanish, English Qatar Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language Reunion French (official), Creole widely used Romania Romanian (official), Hungarian, German Russia Russian, many minority languages Rwanda Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers Saint Helena English Saint Kitts and Nevis English Saint Lucia English (official), French patois Saint Pierre and Miquelon French (official) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines English, French patois Samoa Samoan (Polynesian), English San Marino Italian Sao Tome and Principe Portuguese (official) Saudi Arabia Arabic Senegal French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka Serbia Serbian (official nationwide); Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian (all official in Vojvodina); Albanian (official in Kosovo) Seychelles Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2002 census) Sierra Leone English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) Singapore Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census) Slovakia Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census) Slovenia Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census) Solomon Islands Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population note: 120 indigenous languages Somalia Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English South Africa IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census) Spain Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%; note - Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages are official regionally Sri Lanka Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population Sudan Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English note: program of "Arabization" in process Suriname Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese Svalbard Norwegian, Russian Swaziland English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official) Sweden Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities Switzerland German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national languages, but only the first three are official languages Syria Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood Taiwan Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects Tajikistan Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business Tanzania Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages Thailand Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects Togo French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north) Tokelau Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English Tonga Tongan, English Trinidad and Tobago English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese Tunisia Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce) Turkey Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the Europe part of Turkey Turkmenistan Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% Turks and Caicos Islands English (official) Tuvalu Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) Uganda English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic Ukraine Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities United Arab Emirates Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu United Kingdom English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) United States English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) Uruguay Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) Uzbekistan Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1% Vanuatu local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census) Venezuela Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects Vietnam Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) Virgin Islands English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census) Wallis and Futuna Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language), Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census) West Bank Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Western Sahara Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic World Mandarin Chinese 13.69%, Spanish 5.05%, English 4.84%, Hindi 2.82%, Portuguese 2.77%, Bengali 2.68%, Russian 2.27%, Japanese 1.99%, Standard German 1.49%, Wu Chinese 1.21% (2004 est.) note: percents are for "first language" speakers only Yemen Arabic Zambia English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages Zimbabwe English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2100 Legal system Afghanistan according to the new constitution, no law should be "contrary to Islam"; the state is obliged to create a prosperous and progressive society based on social justice, protection of human dignity, protection of human rights, realization of democracy, and to ensure national unity and equality among all ethnic groups and tribes; the state shall abide by the UN charter, international treaties, international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Akrotiri the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply Albania has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens Algeria socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction American Samoa NA Andorra based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Angola based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; recently modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets Anguilla based on English common law Antarctica Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, may apply extraterritorially; some US laws directly apply to Antarctica; for example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute: the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation into the US of certain items from Antarctica; violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in fines and one year in prison; the National Science Foundation and Department of Justice share enforcement responsibilities; Public Law 95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in 1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty; for more information, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone: (703) 292-8030, or visit their website at www.nsf.gov; more generally, access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees south latitude, is subject to a number of relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by the states party to the Antarctic Treaty Antigua and Barbuda based on English common law Argentina mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Armenia based on civil law system Aruba based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence Ashmore and Cartier Islands the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply Australia based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Austria civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Azerbaijan based on civil law system Bahamas, The based on English common law Bahrain based on Islamic law and English common law Baker Island the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Bangladesh based on English common law Barbados English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Bassas da India the laws of France, where applicable, apply Belarus based on civil law system Belgium civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Belize English law Benin based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Bermuda English law Bhutan based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Bolivia based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Bosnia and Herzegovina based on civil law system Botswana based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Bouvet Island the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply Brazil based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction British Indian Ocean Territory the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply British Virgin Islands English law Brunei based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas Bulgaria civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Burkina Faso based on French civil law system and customary law Burma has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Burundi based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Cambodia primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing influence of common law in recent years; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Cameroon based on French civil law system, with common law influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Canada based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Cape Verde derived from the legal system of Portugal Cayman Islands British common law and local statutes Central African Republic based on French law Chad based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Chile based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system China based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Christmas Island under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law Clipperton Island the laws of France, where applicable, apply Cocos (Keeling) Islands based upon the laws of Australia and local laws Colombia based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and is gradually being implemented; judicial review of executive and legislative acts Comoros French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code Congo, Democratic Republic of the a new constitution was adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Congo, Republic of the based on French civil law system and customary law Cook Islands based on New Zealand law and English common law Coral Sea Islands the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply Costa Rica based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Cote d'Ivoire based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Croatia based on civil law system Cuba based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Cyprus based on common law, with civil law modifications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Czech Republic civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory Denmark civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Dhekelia the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply Djibouti based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law Dominica based on English common law Dominican Republic based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction East Timor UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains in place but will be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese law; these have passed and are expected to be promulgated in early 2006 Ecuador based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Egypt based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations El Salvador based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court Equatorial Guinea partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom Eritrea primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law Estonia based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Ethiopia currently transitional mix of national and regional courts Europa Island the laws of France, where applicable, apply Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) English common law Faroe Islands Danish Fiji based on British system Finland civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations France civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts French Guiana French legal system French Polynesia based on French system French Southern and Antarctic Lands the laws of France, where applicable, apply Gabon based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Gambia, The based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Georgia based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Germany civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Ghana based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Gibraltar English law Glorioso Islands the laws of France, where applicable, apply Greece based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Greenland Danish Grenada based on English common law Guadeloupe French legal system Guam modeled on US; US federal laws apply Guatemala civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Guernsey English law and local statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court Guinea based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; legal codes currently being revised; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Guinea-Bissau accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Guyana based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Haiti based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Heard Island and McDonald Islands the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply Holy See (Vatican City) based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it Honduras rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Hong Kong based on English common law Howland Island the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Hungary rule of law based on Western model; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Iceland civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Iles Eparses the laws of France, where applicable, apply India based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus Indonesia based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Iran the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government Iraq based on European civil and Islamic law under the framework outlined in the Iraqi Constitution Ireland based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Isle of Man English common law and Manx statute Israel mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Italy based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Jamaica based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Jan Mayen the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply Japan modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Jarvis Island the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Jersey English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court Johnston Atoll the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Jordan based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Juan de Nova Island the laws of France, where applicable, apply Kazakhstan based on civil law system Kenya based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991 Kingman Reef the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Kiribati NA Korea, North based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Korea, South combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought Kuwait civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Kyrgyzstan based on civil law system Laos based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice Latvia based on civil law system Lebanon mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Lesotho based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Liberia dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Libya based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Liechtenstein local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Lithuania based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court Luxembourg based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Macau based on Portuguese civil law system Macedonia based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts Madagascar based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Malawi based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Malaysia based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of family law Maldives based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Mali based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court (which was formally established on 9 March 1994); has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Malta based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Marshall Islands based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws Martinique French legal system Mauritania a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law Mauritius based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Mayotte French law Mexico mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Micronesia, Federated States of based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws Midway Islands the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Moldova based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents Monaco based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Mongolia blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine "continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Montenegro based on civil law system Montserrat English common law and statutory law Morocco based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court Mozambique based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law Namibia based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution Nauru acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Navassa Island the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Nepal based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Netherlands civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Netherlands Antilles based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence New Caledonia the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands; formerly under French law New Zealand based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Nicaragua civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Niger based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Nigeria based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Niue English common law; note - Niue is self-governing, with the power to make its own laws Norfolk Island based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law Northern Mariana Islands based on US system, except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation Norway mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Oman based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Pakistan based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Palau based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws Palmyra Atoll the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Panama based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Papua New Guinea based on English common law Paraguay based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Peru based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Philippines based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Pitcairn Islands local island by-laws Poland mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Portugal civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Puerto Rico based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of justice Qatar discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Shari'a law dominates family and personal matters Reunion French law Romania former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic Russia based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts Rwanda based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Saint Helena British common law and statutes, supplemented by local statutes Saint Kitts and Nevis based on English common law Saint Lucia based on English common law Saint Pierre and Miquelon French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and taxation Saint Vincent and the Grenadines based on English common law Samoa based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction San Marino based on civil law system with Italian law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Sao Tome and Principe based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Saudi Arabia based on Shari'a law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Senegal based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Serbia based on civil law system Seychelles based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law Sierra Leone based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Singapore based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Slovakia civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory Slovenia based on civil law system Solomon Islands English common law, which is widely disregarded Somalia no national system; Shari'a (Islamic) and secular courts based on Somali customary law (xeer) are present in some localities; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations South Africa based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court Spain civil law system, with regional applications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Sri Lanka a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Sudan based on English common law and Shari'a law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Shari'a law in the northern states; Shari'a law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under the CPA following the civil war; Shari'a law will not apply to the southern states Suriname based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Svalbard NA Swaziland based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Sweden civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Switzerland civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Syria based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; religious law is used in the family court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Taiwan based on civil law system Tajikistan based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts Tanzania based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Thailand based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Togo French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Tokelau New Zealand and local statutes Tonga based on English law Trinidad and Tobago based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Tromelin Island the laws of France, where applicable, apply Tunisia based on French civil law system and Shari'a law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session Turkey civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights Turkmenistan based on civil law system Turks and Caicos Islands based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas Tuvalu NA Uganda in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Ukraine based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts United Arab Emirates federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah, which are not fully integrated into the federal judicial system; all emirates have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes United Kingdom common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations United States federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana's) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Uruguay based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Uzbekistan evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system Vanuatu unified system being created from former dual French and British systems Venezuela open, adversarial court system Vietnam based on communist legal theory and French civil law system Virgin Islands based on US laws Wake Island the laws of the US, where applicable, apply Wallis and Futuna French legal system World all members of the UN are parties to the statute that established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court Yemen based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Zambia based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Zimbabwe mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2101 Legislative branch Afghanistan the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for five-year terms, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third elected from provincial councils for four-year terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year terms - provincial councils elected temporary members to fill these seats until district councils are formed, and one-third presidential appointees for five-year terms; the presidential appointees will include 2 representatives of Kuchis and 2 representatives of the disabled; half of the presidential appointees will be women) note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held for the Wolesi Jirga by September 2009; next to be held for the provincial councils to the Meshrano Jirga by September 2008) election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system used in the election did not make use of political party slates; most candidates ran as independents Albania unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote for four-year terms) elections: last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD 56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19 Algeria bicameral Parliament consisting of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats - formerly 380 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Council of Nations (Senate) (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve six-year terms; the constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three years) elections: National People's Assembly - last held 30 May 2002 (next to be held in 2007); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 30 December 2003 (next to be held in 2006) election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 199, RND 47, Islah 43, MSP 38, PT 21, FNA 8, EnNahda 1, PRA 1, MEN 1, independents 30; Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party NA American Samoa bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected by popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats; members are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 18 note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA (Democrat) reelected as delegate Andorra unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each of the seven parishes; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held March-April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 41.2%, PS 38.1%, CDA-S21 11%, other 9.7%; seats by party - PLA 14, PS 12, CDA-S21 2 Angola unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220 seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held September 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 54%, UNITA 34%, other 12%; seats by party - MPLA 129, UNITA 70, PRS 6, FNLA 5, PLD 3, other 7 Anguilla unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7 elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, ANSA 19.2%, AUM 19.4%, APP 9.5%, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA 2, AUM 1 Antigua and Barbuda bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13 Argentina bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently one-third of the members elected every two years to a six-year term) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to a four-year term) elections: Senate - last held 23 October 2005 (next to be held in 2007); Chamber of Deputies - last held last held 23 October 2005 (next to be held in 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - FV 45.1%, FJ 17.2%, UCR 7.5%, other 30.2%; seats by bloc or party - FV 14, FJ 3, UCR 2, other 5; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - FV 29.9%, UCR 8.9%, ARI 7.2%, PJ 6.7%, PRO 6.2%, FJ 3.9%, other 37.2%; seats by bloc or party - FV 50, UCR 10, ARI 8, PJ 9, PRO 9, FJ 7, other 34 Armenia unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; 90 members elected by party list, 41 by direct vote) elections: last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held in the spring of 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Republican Party 23.5%, Justice Bloc 13.6%, Rule of Law 12.3%, ARF (Dashnak) 11.4%, National Unity Party 8.8%, United Labor Party 5.7%; seats by faction - Republican Party 39, Rule of Law 20, Justice Bloc 14, ARF (Dashnak) 11, National Unity 7, United Labor 6, People's Deputy Group 16, independent (not in faction or group) 18; note - as of 10 March 2006; voting blocs in the legislature are more properly termed factions and can be composed of members of several parties; seats by faction change frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves independent Aruba unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held by in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 1 Australia bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all territory members are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential voting to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives) elections: Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held no later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be called no later than November 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 39, Australian Labor Party 28, Democrats 4, Australian Greens 4, Family First Party 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 87, Australian Labor Party 60, independents 3 Austria bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least 3 representatives; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: National Council - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2010) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 35.3%, OeVP 34.3%, Greens 11.1%, FPOe 11.0%, BZOe 4.1%; seats by party - SPOe 68, OeVP 66, Greens 21, FPOe 21, BZOe 7 Azerbaijan unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, YES 2, Motherland 2, other parties with single seats 7, independents 42, undetermined 4 Bahamas, The bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the Parliament and call elections at any time elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4 Bahrain bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members directly elected to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next election to be held in September 2006) election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Sunni Islamists 12, Shia grouping 7, other groupings and independents 21 note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14 February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25 December 2002 Bangladesh unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve five-year terms elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held no later than January 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur) Barbados bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2008) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7 Belarus bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and 8 members appointed by the president, all for four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by universal adult suffrage to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 and 31 October 2004; international observers widely denounced the elections as flawed and undemocratic, based on massive government falsification; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat, after many opposition candidates were disqualified for technical reasons election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA Belgium bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003 (next to be held no later than May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit 15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH 5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5, VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR 11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit 23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8, Ecolo 4, other 2 note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its own legislative assembly Belize bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1 each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; members are appointed for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held March 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8 Benin unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD, AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31 Bermuda bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms) elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14 Bhutan unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three-year terms) elections: local elections last held August 2005 (next to be held in 2008) election results: NA Bolivia bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 69 are directly elected from their districts and 61 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MAS 73, PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6 Bosnia and Herzegovina bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the national House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats - elected by proportional representation, 28 seats allocated from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats from the Republika Srpska; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve four-year terms); note - Bosnia's election law specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order administrative division entity legislatures elections: national House of Representatives - elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); House of Peoples - last constituted in January 2003 (next to be constituted in 2007) election results: national House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDA 9, SBiH 8, SNSD 7, SDP 5, SDS 3, HDZ-BH 3, other 7; House of Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - NA note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that consists of a House of Representatives (98 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDA 28, SBiH 24, SDP 17, HDZ-BH 8, HDZ100 7, other 14; and a House of Peoples (60 seats - 30 Bosniak, 30 Croat); last constituted December 2002; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2010); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SNSD 41, SDS 17, PDP 8, DNS 4, SBH 4, SPRS 3, SDA 3, other 3; as a result of the 2002 constitutional reform process, a 28-member Republika Srpska Council of Peoples (COP) was established in the Republika Srpska National Assembly including eight Croats, eight Bosniaks, eight Serbs, and four members of the smaller communities Botswana bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 permanent members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 are appointed by the majority party, and 2, the President and Attorney-General, serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 51.7%, BNF 26.1%, BCP 16.6%, other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1 Brazil bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each state and federal district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held October 2010 for two-thirds of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PFL 1, PDT 1, PSB 1, PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; total seats following election - PFL 18, PMDB 15, PSDB 15, PT 11, PDT 5, PTB 4, PSB 3, PL 3, PCdoB 2, PRB 2, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB 65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13, PSC 9, other 17 British Virgin Islands unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5 Brunei Legislative Council met on 25 September 2004 for first time in 20 years with 21 members appointed by the Sultan; passed constitutional amendments calling for a 45-seat council with 15 elected members; Sultan dissolved council on 1 September 2005 and appointed a new council with 29 members as of 2 September 2005 elections: last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA) Bulgaria unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held June 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%; seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, UDF 20, ATAKA 17, DSB 17, BPU 13, independents 4 Burkina Faso unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDP 57, RDA-ADF 17, PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, other 17 Burma unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by junta to convene election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government), other 60 Burundi bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100 seats - 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi with at least 30% being women; additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (54 seats; 34 by indirect vote to serve five year terms, with remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state) elections: National Assembly - last held 4 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); Senate - last held 29 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD-FDD 58.6%, FRODEBU 21.7%, UPRONA 7.2%, CNDD 4.1%, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2.1%, others 6.2%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 59, FRODEBU 25, UPRONA 10, CNDD 4, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 30, FRODEBU 3, CNDD 1 Cambodia bicameral, consists of the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch, 2 elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by parliamentarians and commune councils; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 27 July 2003 (next to be held in July 2008); Senate - last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 47%, SRP 22%, FUNCINPEC 21%, other 10%; seats by party - CPP 73, FUNCINPEC 26, SRP 24; Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 69%, FUNCINPEC 21%, SRP 10%; seats by party - CPP 45, FUNCINPEC 10, SRP 2 (January 2006) Cameroon unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - the president can either lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature elections: last held 23 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RDCP 133, SDF 21, UDC 5, other 21 note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established Canada bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (members appointed by the governor general with the advice of the prime minister and serve until reaching 75 years of age; its normal limit is 105 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (308 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve for up to five-year terms) elections: House of Commons - last held 23 January 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative Party 36.3%, Liberal Party 30.2%, New Democratic Party 17.5%, Bloc Quebecois 10.5%, Greens 4.5%, other 1%; seats by party - Conservative Party 124, Liberal Party 103, New Democratic Party 29, Bloc Quebecois 51, other 1 Cape Verde unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 52.3%, MPD 44%, UCID 2.7%; seats by party - PAICV 41, MPD 29, ADM 2 Cayman Islands unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1 Central African Republic unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 13 March 2005 and 8 May 2005 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD 9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%, independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7, PSD 6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7 Chad bicameral according to constitution, consists of a National Assembly (155 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate (not yet created and size unspecified, members to serve six-year terms, one-third of membership renewable every two years) elections: National Assembly - last held 21 April 2002 (next to be held by April 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, URD 5, UNDR 3, other 11 Chile bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats elected by popular vote; members serve eight-year terms - one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8), independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI 34, RN 20), independent 1 China unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms) elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be held late 2007-February 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA Christmas Island unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9 Cocos (Keeling) Islands unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) Colombia bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010); House of Representatives - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSUN 20, PC 18, PL 17, CR 15, PDI 11, other parties 21; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 36, PSUN 30, PC 29, CR 20, PDA 42, other parties 42 Comoros unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the 18 by universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years); elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CdIA 12, CRC 6; note - 15 additional seats are filled by deputies from local island assemblies Congo, Democratic Republic of the bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly (500 seats; 60 elected by majority vote and 440 by open list proportional representation; members serve 5-year terms) and a Senate (120 seats; members elected by indirect vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: NA; members of the National Assembly were appointed by leaders in the factions integrated into the new government; elections scheduled for 30 July 2006 will establish a new legislature under the February 2006 constitution Congo, Republic of the bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45 Cook Islands bicameral Parliament consisting of a lower house or Legislative Assembly with 25 seats (24 seats representing districts of the Cook Islands and one seat representing Cook Islanders living overseas; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and an upper house or House of Ariki made up of traditional leaders elections: last held 26 September 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Demo 51.9%, CIP 45.5%, independent 2.7%; seats by party - Demo 15, CIP 8, independent 1 note: the House of Ariki advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers Costa Rica unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held February 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLN 25, PAC 18, PML 6, PUSC 4, other 4 Cote d'Ivoire unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on 14 January 2001 (next to be held by 31 October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2 note: a Senate is scheduled to be created in the next full election in 2006 Croatia unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat was added in the November 2003 parliamentary elections; members elected from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 23 November 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34, HSS 10, HNS 10, HSP 8, IDS 4, Libra 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3, other 11 note: minority government coalition - HDZ, DC, HSLS, HSU, SDSS Cuba unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609 Cyprus unicameral - Republic of Cyprus: House of Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to the Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); north Cyprus: Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Republic of Cyprus: last held 27 May 2001 (next to be held 21 May 2006); north Cyprus: last held 14 December 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Republic of Cyprus: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - AKEL 34.71%, DISY 34%, DIKO 14.84%, KISOS 6.51%, others 9.94%; seats by party - AKEL (Communist) 20, DISY 19, DIKO 9, KISOS 4, other 4; north Cyprus: Assembly of the Republic - percent of vote by party - CTP 35.8%, UBP 32.3%, Peace and Democratic Movement 13.4%, DP 12.3%; seats by party - CTP 19, UBP 18, Peace and Democratic Movement 6, DP 7 Czech Republic bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 20-21 and 27-28 October 2006 (next to be held October 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 10, others 15, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6 Denmark unicameral People's Assembly or Folketinget (179 seats, including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 29%, Social Democrats 25.9%, Danish People's Party 13.2%, Conservative Party 10.3%, Social Liberal Party 9.2%, Socialist People's Party 6%, Unity List 3.4%; seats by party - Liberal Party 52, Social Democrats 47, Danish People's Party 24, Conservative Party 18, Social Liberal Party 17, Socialist People's Party 11, Unity List 6; note - does not include the 2 seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe Islands Djibouti unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held January 2008) election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats - RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election Dominica unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010); note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace period election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.07%, UWP 43.6%, DFP 3.15%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1 Dominican Republic bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36 East Timor unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary, minimum requirement of 52 and a maximum of 65 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - for its first term of office, the National Parliament is comprised of 88 members on an exceptional basis elections: (next to be held in May 2007); direct elections for national parliament were never held; elected delegates to the national convention adopted a constitution and named themselves legislators instead of having elections; hence the exceptional numbers for this term of the national parliament election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 57.37%, PD 8.72%, PSD 8.18%, ASDT 7.84%, UDT 2.36%, PNT 2.21%, KOTA 2.13%, PPT 2.01%, PDC 1.98%, PST 1.78%, independents/other 5.42%; seats by party - FRETILIN 55, PD 7, PSD 6, ASDT 6, PDC 2, UDT 2, KOTA 2, PNT 2, PPT 2, UDC/PDC 1, PST 1, PL 1, independent 1 Ecuador unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are popularly elected by province to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 October 2002 (next to be held October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSC 25, ID 16, PRE 15, PRIAN 10, PSP 9, Pachakutik Movement 6, MPD 5, DP 4, PS-FA 3, independents 7; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties Egypt bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term elections for half of the elected members) elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 7 and 20 November, 1 December 2005;(next to be held November-December 2010); Advisory Council - last held May-June 2004 (next to be held May-June 2007) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 311, NWP 6, Tagammu 2, Tomorrow Party 1, independents 112 (12 seats to be determined by rerun elections, 10 seats appointed by President); Advisory Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA El Salvador unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ARENA 34, FMLN 32, PCN 10, PDC 6, CD 2 Equatorial Guinea unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, CPDS 2 note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president Eritrea unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established) elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly, that had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinitely Estonia unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party of Estonia 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Estonian Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%; seats by party - Res Publica 26, Center Party 20, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, Social Democrats (formerly People's Party Moodukad) 6, non-affiliated (Social Liberals and independents) 10 Ethiopia bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or upper chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or lower chamber (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPRDF 327, CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1, others 6, undeclared 2 note: irregularities at some polling stations necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies European Union Council of the European Union (25 member-state ministers having 321 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population); note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU; European Parliament (732 seats; seats allocated among member states by proportion to population); members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED 268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27, independents 28 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - two ex officio, eight elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8 Faroe Islands unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis from the seven constituencies to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 23.7%, Social Democratic Party 21.8%, Republican Party 21.7%, People's Party 20.6%, Center Party 5.2%, Independence Party 4.6%; seats by party - Union Party 7, Social Democratic Party 7, Republican Party 8, People's Party 7, Center Party 2, Independence Party 1 note: election of two seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, People's Party 1 Fiji bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open seats; members serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 25 August through 1 September and 19 September 2001 (next to be held 6-13 May 2006) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - SDL 27.5%, FLP 26.5%, MV 4.2%, NLUP 1.3%, NFP 1.2%, independents 1.4%, UGP .3%; seats by party - SDL 32, FLP 27, MV 6, NLUP 2, NFP 1, independents 2, UGP 1 Finland unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 24.7%, SDP 24.5%, Kok 18.5%, VAS 9.9%, VIHR 8%, KD 5.3%, SFP 4.6%; seats by party - Kesk 55, SDP 53, Kok 40, VAS 19, VIHR 14, KD 7, SFP 8, other 4 France bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years); note - between 2004 and 2010, 25 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total of 346 seats - 326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 3 for overseas territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; starting in 2008, members will be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms, with one-half the seats being renewed every three years; and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held September 2008); National Assembly - last held 8-16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 156, PS 97, UDF 33, PCF 23, RDSE 15, other 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 355, PS 140, UDF 29, PCF 21, Left Radical Party 7, Greens 3, other 22 French Guiana unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held in March 2000 (next to be held March 2006); Regional Council - last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional Council - (second election results) percent of vote by party - PS 37.24%, UMP 31.58%, FDG/Walwari 31.18%; seats by party - PS 17, UMP 7, FDG/Walwari 7 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1 French Polynesia unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (57 seats - changed from 49 seats for May 2004 election; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 28, Union for Democracy 27, New Star 1, This Country is Yours 1; after by-elections of 13 February 2005 seating was as follows: People's Rally for the Republic 27, Union for Democracy 27, and Alliance for a New Democracy 3 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1 Gabon bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats; members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 26 January and 9 February 2003 (next to be held by January 2009); National Assembly - last held 9 and 23 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1, independents 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 86, RNB-RPG 8, PGP 3, ADERE 3, CLR 2, PUP 1, PSD 1, independents 13, others 3 Gambia, The unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 elected by popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 17 January 2002 (next to be held 25 January 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APRC 45, PDOIS 2, NRP 1, Georgia unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats - 150 elected by party lists); members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held spring 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 67.6%, Rightist Opposition 7.6%, all other parties received less than 7% each; seats by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 135, Rightist Opposition 15 Germany bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (613 seats; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has three to six votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block) elections: Federal Assembly - last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held September 2009); note - there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 54, Greens 51 Ghana unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200 seats in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 92, other 10 Gibraltar unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, 1 appointed for the Speaker, and 2 ex officio members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held not later than February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7 Greece unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: elections last held 7 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - ND 45.4%, PASOK 40.6%, KKE 5.9%, Synaspismos 3.3%; seats by party - ND 165, PASOK 117, KKE 12, Synaspismos 6 Greenland unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 15 November 2005 (next to be held by December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 30.7%, Demokratiit 22.8%, Inuit Ataqatigiit 22.6%, Atassut Party 19.1%; Katusseqatigiit 4.1%, other 0.7%; seats by party - Siumut 10, Demokratiit 7, Inuit Ataqatigiit 7, Atassut 6, Katusseqatigiit 1 note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit Ataqatigiit 1 Grenada bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 27 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NNP 46.65%, NDC 44.12%; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 7 Guadeloupe unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held March 2004 (next to be held by in 2010); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008 to elect half of the body) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PS 58.4%, UMP 41.6%; seats by party - PS 29, UMP 12 note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2013); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA, Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1, different right parties 1 Guam unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 8, Democratic Party 7 note: Guam elects one nonvoting delegate to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); results - Madeleine BORDALLO (Democratic Party) was reelected as delegate; percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 1 Guatemala unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 November 2003 (next to be held September 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GANA 49, FRG 41, UNE 33, PAN 17, other 18 note: for the 9 November 2003 election, the number of congressional seats increased from 113 to 158 Guernsey unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote for four years); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents Guinea unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9 Guinea-Bissau unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a maximum of four years) elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%, PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%; seats by party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1 Guyana unicameral National Assembly (65 members elected by popular vote, also not more than four non-elected non-voting ministers and two non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%, AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other 2 Haiti bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two years elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be determined (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be determined (next regular election to be held in 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, OPL 4, FL 3, FUSION 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, ALYANS 1, PONT 1, 3 seats subject to run-off election; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 19, FUSION 15, ALYANS 10, OPL 8, FL 6, UNCRH 6, MPH 4, RDNP 4, LAAA 3,KONBA 3, FRN 1, MOCHRENHA 1, MRN 1, Tet-Ansanm 1, MIRN 1, JPDN 1, UNITE 1, PLH 1, 13 seats subject to run-off election Holy See (Vatican City) unicameral Pontifical Commission Honduras unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 62, PN 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU 2 Hong Kong unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004 30 seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy group 62%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10, independents 11, FTU 1; (pro-democracy 25) independents 11, Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1; non-voting LEGCO president 1 Hungary unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 and 23 April 2006 (next to be held April 2010) election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - MSzP 43.2%, Fidesz-KDNP 42%, SzDSz 6.5%, MDF 5%, other 3.3%; seats by party - MSzP 190, Fidesz 141, KDNP 23, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 1 Iceland unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 10 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 33.7%, Social Democratic Alliance 31%, Progressive Party 17.7%, Left-Green Movement 8.8%, Liberal Party 7.4%; seats by party - Independence Party 22, Social Democratic Alliance 20, Progressive Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 5, Liberal Party 4 India bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members, up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through 10 May 2004 (next must be held before May 2009) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - INC 145, BJP 138, CPI(M) 43, SP 36, RJD 24, BSP 19, DMK 16, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 9, JDU 8, SAD 8, PMK 6, TDP 5, TRS 5, JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, independents 5, other 30 Indonesia House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) (550 seats; members elected to serve five-year terms); House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), constitutionally mandated role includes providing legislative input to DPR on issues affecting regions; People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and impeaching president and in amending constitution; consists of popularly-elected members in DPR and DPD; MPR does not formulate national policy elections: last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P 18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others 19.9%; seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN 53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50 note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not always follow the percentage of votes received by parties Iran unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats - formerly 270 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 February 2004 with a runoff held 7 May 2004 (by-elections next to be held in December 2006; general election to be held in February 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - conservatives/Islamists 190, reformers 50, independents 43, religious minorities 5, and 2 seats unaccounted for Iraq unicameral Council of Representatives or Mejlis Watani (consisting of 275 members elected by a closed-list, proportional-representation system) elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives that will finalize a permanent constitution election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - NA Ireland bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive Democrats 4, independents and other 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party 3.8%, other 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Sinn Fein 5, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, other 14 Isle of Man bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (an 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and eight others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Keys - last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held November 2006) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Man Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive Government 14.6%; seats by party - Man Labor Party 2, Alliance for Progressive Government 3, independents 19 Israel unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP 9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab List 4, Balad 3, HADASH 3 Italy bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members serve five-year terms); note - electoral vote reform passed in December 2005 elections: Senate - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 April 2006 (next to be held May 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Union 158 (DS 62, DL 39, RC 27, Together with the Union 11, other 19), House of Freedoms 154 (FI 79, AN 41, UDC 21, LEGA 13), other 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Union 348 (DS 220, RC 41, Rose in the Fist 18, Italy of Values 17, PdCI 16, Greens Federation 15, UDEUR 10, other 11), House of Freedoms 276 (FI 140, AN 71, Union of Christian and Center Democrats 39, LEGA 26), other 6 Jamaica bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held no later than October 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26 Japan bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs) elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009) election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7; distribution of seats as of January 2006 - LDP 112, DPJ 83, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 8 House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24; distribution of seats as of January 2006 - LDP 294, DPJ 112, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 27 (2006) Jersey unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for six-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for three-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for three-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and three non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch) elections: last held NA (next to be held NA); note - on 23 November 2005, 29 deputies, independents, were elected election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 55 Jordan bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables (Majlis al-Ayan) (55 seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives, also called the House of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab) (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); note - six seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special electoral panel if no women are elected elections: House of Representatives - last held 17 June 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - independents and other 89.6%, IAF 10.4%; seats by party - independents and other 92, IAF 18; note - one of the six quota seats was given to a female IAF candidate note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989, the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held; political parties were not legalized until 1992; King ABDALLAH delayed the 2001 elections until 2003 Kazakhstan bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (39 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local government bodies, 2 from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of Astana, and the city of Almaty, to serve six-year terms; note - formerly composed of 47 seats) and the Mazhilis (77 seats; 10 out of the 77 Mazhilis members are elected from the winning party's lists; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - (indirect) last held December 2005; next to be held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 19 September and 3 October 2004 (next to be held in September 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; candidates nominated by local councils; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Otan 42, AIST 11, ASAR (All Together) 4, Aq Zhol (Bright Path) 1, Democratic Party 1 (party refused to take the seat due to criticism of the election and seat remained unoccupied), independent 18; note - most independent candidates are affiliated with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions Kenya unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called "nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members) elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1 Kiribati unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorney general, 1 appointed to represent Banaba, and 1 other; members serve four-year terms) elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003 (next to be held by November 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general) Korea, North unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties Korea, South unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat constituencies, 56 by proportional representation) elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2008; byelections held on 30 April 2005 and on 26 October 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP 3%, DP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 144, GNP 127, DP 11, DLP 9, ULD 3, independents 5 note: percent of vote is for 2004 general election; seats by party reflect results of April and October 2005 byelections involving six and four seats respectively; MDP became DP in May 2005; United Liberal Democrats (ULD) merged with GNP in February 2006. (2006) Kuwait unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly Kyrgyzstan unicameral Supreme Council or Jorgorku Kenesh (75 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five year terms) elections: elections for the new unicameral body or Jorgorku Kenesh were held 27 February 2005, but the vast majority of positions remained undecided and were contested in a runoff election on 13 March 2005; election irregularities caused widespread protests that resulted in the president being forced to flee the country election results: Supreme Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA Laos unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP 113, independents 2 Latvia unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - TP 19.5%, ZZS 16.7%, JL 16.4%, SC 14.4%; LPP/LC 8.6%; TB/LNNK 7%; PCTVL 6%; seats by party - TP 23, ZZS 18, JL 18, SC 17, LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 8, PCTVL 6 Lebanon unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005 (next to be held 2009) election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5 Lesotho bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120 in the May 2002 election elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC 7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18 Liberia bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2014); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held NA 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDC 15, LP 9, UP 8, COTOL 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15 note: the current six-year term for junior senators - those who received the second most votes in the election - is mandated by the Liberian constitution to stagger Senate elections and ensure continuity of government Libya unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees) Liechtenstein unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote under proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 and 13 March 2005 (next to be held by NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 48.7%, VU 38.2%, FL 13%; seats by party - FBP 12, VU 10, FL 3 Lithuania unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are directly elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, TS 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Farmers and New Democracy Union 6.6%, other 9%; seats by faction - Labor 29, Homeland Union 26, Social Democrats 23, Civil Democracy (split from Labor) 11, Liberal Movement (formerly Liberal Political Group) 11, National Farmer's Union (formerly Farmers and New Democracy Union) 11, Social Liberal 10, Liberal Democrats 9, Liberal and Center Political Group 8, independents 3 (as of late-July 2006) Luxembourg unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%, DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%; seats by party - CSV 24, LSAP 14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5 note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister Macau unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats; 12 elected by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 September 2005 (next in September 2009) election results: percent of vote - Development Union 12.8%, Macau Development Alliance 9%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16%, New Democratic Macau Association 18.2%, others NA; seats by political group - Development Union 2, Macau Development Alliance 1, Macau United Citizens' Association 2, New Democratic Macau Association 2, New Hope 1, United Forces 2, others 2; 10 seats filled by professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief executive Macedonia unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats - members elected by popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of the overall vote the parties gain in each of six electoral districts; all serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 July 2006 (next to be held by July 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - VMRO-DPMNE 32.5%, SDSM 23.3%, DUI 12.2%, PDSH/DPA 7.5%; seats by party - VMRO-DPMNE 44, SDSM 32, DUI 28, PDSH/DPA 11, other 5 Madagascar bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (160 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100 seats; two-thirds of the seats filled by regional assemblies whose members will be elected by popular vote; the remaining one-third of the seats appointed by the president; all members will serve four-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2006) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - TIM 103, FP 22, AREMA 3, LEADER/Fanilo 2, RPSD 5, others 3, independents 22 Malawi unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UDF 74, MCP 60, Independents 24, RP 16, others 18, vacancies 1 Malaysia bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 appointed by the state legislatures) and the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (219 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 21 March 2004 (next must be held by 2009) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - BN 91%, DAP 5%, PAS 3%, other 1%; seats by party - BN 199, DAP 12, PAS 6, PKR 1, independent 1 Maldives unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50 Mali unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 and 28 July 2002 (next to be held July 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Hope 2002 coalition 66, ADEMA 51, other 30 Malta unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; note - additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held by August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.7%, MLP 47.6%, AD 0.7%; seats by party - PN 34, MLP 31 Marshall Islands unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice Martinique unicameral General Council or Conseil General (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held March 2000 (next to be held in 2006); Regional Council - last held on 28 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 13, PPM 11, RPR 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCM 3, UDF 3, PMS 2, independents 2; note - the PPM won a plurality; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - MIM 53.8%, PPM 30.6%; seats by party - MIM 28, PPM 9, other 4 note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2008); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 1, left-wing candidate 1; Martinique also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PMS 1, MIM 1, left-wing candidate 1 (candidacy of the left-wing candidate was found invalid by the Constitutional Council; new elections will be called) Mauritania bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; a portion of seats up for election every two years; members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (95 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 9 and 16 April 2004 (next to be held 21 January 2007); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3 December 2006 election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA Mauritius unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 62 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the election commission to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AS 38, MSM/MMM 22, OPR 2; appointed seats - AS 4, MSM/MMM 2, OPR 2 Mayotte unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%, PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%; seats by party - MDM 6, UMP 9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1 note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF 44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1 Mexico bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote, also for three-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 5 July 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 29, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 2, PNA 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PAN 206, PRD 127, PRI 103, PVEM 18, CD 17, PT 16, other 13; note - election results pending certification Micronesia, Federated States of unicameral Congress (14 seats; 4 - one elected from each state to serve four-year terms and 10 - elected from single-member districts delineated by population to serve two-year terms; members elected by popular vote) elections: elections for four-year term seats last held 4 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007); elections for two-year term seats last held 8 March 2005 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14 Moldova unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic Moldova Bloc 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%; seats by party - PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc 34, PPCD 11 Monaco unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3 Mongolia unicameral State Great Hural 76 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms elections: last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - MPRP 48.78%, MDC 44.8%, independents 3.5%, Republican Party 1.5%, others 1.42%; seats by party - MPRP 36, MDC 34, others 4; note - following June 2004 election MDC collapsed; as of 1 December 2005 composition of legislature was MPRP 38, DP 25, M-MNSDP 6, CWRP 2, MRP 1, PP 1, independents 3 Montenegro unicameral Assembly (81 seats, elected by direct vote for four-year terms; changed from 74 seats at the time of the elections) elections: last held 10 September 2006 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Coalition for a European Montenegro 41, SNS 12, Coalition SPP/NS/DSS 11, PZP 11, Liberals and Bosniaks 3, Democratic League-Democratic Prosperity 1, Democratic Union of Albanians 1, Albanian Alternative 1 Montserrat unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council Morocco bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats; 295 by multi-seat constituencies and 30 from national lists of women; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 6 October 2003 (next to be held in 2006); Chamber of Representatives - last held 27 September 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RNI 42, MDS 33, UC 28, MP 27, PND 21, PI 21, USFP 16, MNP 15, PA 13, FFD 12, other 42; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - USFP 50, PI 48, PJD 42, RNI 41, MP 27, MNP 18, UC 16, PND 12, PPS 11, UD 10, other 50 Mozambique unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on a secret ballot to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - FRELIMO 62%, RENAMO 29.7%; seats by party - FRELIMO 160, RENAMO 90 Namibia bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; 2 members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Council - elections for regional councils, to determine members of the National Council, held 29-30 November 2004 (next to be held November 2010); National Assembly - last held 15-16 November 2004 (next to be held November 2009) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 89.7%, UDF 4.7%, NUDO 2.8%, DTA 1.9%; seats by party - SWAPO 24, UDF 1, DTA 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 75.1%, COD 7.2%, DTA 5%, NUDO 4.1%, UDF 3.5%, RP 1.9%, MAG 0.8%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4, NUDO 3, UDF 3, RP 1, MAG 1 note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body Nauru unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 23 October 2004 (next to be held not later than 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Nauru First Party 3, independents 15 note: the president dissolved parliament on 30 September 2004 and set new elections for 23 October 2004 Nepal bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held in May 1999; note - Parliament was dissolved in May 2002 but was finally reconvened in April 2006 with most of the members that were elected in 1999 election results: House of Representatives (for 1999 parliament) - percent of vote by party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP (RPP) 10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%; seats by party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69, NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana Morcha 5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP 1; note - NC, NSP, and NDP have since each split into two parties Netherlands bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: First Chamber - last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held May 2007); Second Chamber - last held 22 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 23, PvdA 19, VVD 15, Green Party 5, Socialist Party 4, D66 3, other 6; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 26.5, PvdA 21.2%, Socialist Party 16.6%, VVD 14.6%, Party for Freedom 5.9%, Green Party 4.6%, Christian Union 4.0%; seats by party - CDA 41, PvdA 33, Socialist Party 25, VVD 22, Party for Freedom 9, Green Party 7, Christian Union 6, other 7 Netherlands Antilles unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP St. E 1, DP St. M 1, BDP 1, WIPM 1 note: the government of Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE is a coalition of several parties New Caledonia unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial (54 seats; members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3 note: New Caledonia currently holds 1 seat in the French Senate; by 2010, New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; New Caledonia also elects 2 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 and 16 June 2002 (next to be held by June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2 New Zealand unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including seven Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later than 15 November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%, NZFP 5.72%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.12%, UF 2.67%, ACT New Zealand 1.51%, Progressive 1.16%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7, Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1 note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat than its entitlement under the party vote Nicaragua unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; members are elected by proportional representation and party lists to serve five-year terms; 1 seat for the previous president, 1 seat for the runner-up in previous presidential election) elections: last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FSLN 38, PLC 25, ALN 23 (22 plus one for presidential candidate Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election), MRS 5, APRE 1 (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS) Niger unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; note - expanded from 83 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNSD 47, CDS 22, PNDS 25, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1 Nigeria bicameral National Assembly consists of Senate (109 seats - 3 from each state plus 1 from Abuja, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, other 9.3%; seats by party - PDP 223, ANPP 96, AD 34, other 6; note - one seat is vacant Niue unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; 6 elected from a common roll and 14 are village representatives) elections: last held 30 April 2005 (next to be held April 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA Norfolk Island unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms) elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) Northern Mariana Islands bicameral Legislature consists of the Senate (9 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year staggered terms) and the House of Representatives (18 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009); House of Representatives - last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held November 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Covenant Party 3, Republican Party 3, Democratic Party 2, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Covenant Party 7, Republican Party 7, Democratic Party 2, independent 2 note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or "resident representative" located in Washington, DC; seats by party - Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO) Norway modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 September 2005 (next to be held September 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 32.7%, Progress Party 22.1%, Conservative Party 14.1%, Socialist Left Party 8.8%, Christian People's Party 6.8%, Center Party 6.5%, Liberal Party 5.9%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%, other 1.9%; seats by party - Labor Party 61, Progress Party 38, Conservative Party 23, Socialist Left Party 15, Christian People's Party 11, Center Party 11, Liberal Party 10 note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting Oman bicameral Majlis Oman consists of an upper chamber or Majlis al-Dawla (58 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and a lower chamber or Majlis al-Shura (83 seats; members elected by popular vote for four-year terms; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers) elections: last held 4 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: NA Pakistan bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats - formerly 87; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve six-year terms and the National Assembly (342 seats - formerly 217; 60 seats represent women; 10 seats represent minorities; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009); National Assembly - last held 10 October 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PML 47, PPPP 9, MMA 20, MQM/A 6, PML/N 4, PML/F 1, PkMAP 3, ANP 2, PPP 3, JWP 1, BNP-Awami 1, BNP-Mengal 1, BNP/H 1, independents 1; National Assembly results - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party - PML/Q 126, PPPP 81, MMA 63, PML/N 19, MQM/A 17, NA 16, PML/F 5, PML/J 3, PPP/S 2, BNP 1, JWP 1, PAT 1, PML/Z 1, PTI 1, MQM/H 1, PkMAP 1, independents 3 Palau bicameral Parliament or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (four new members elected); House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 16 (one new member elected) Panama unicameral National Assembly (formerly called Legislative Assembly) or Asamblea Nacional (78 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in 2009, the number of seats will change to 71 elections: last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held 3 May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 40, PA 17, PS 8, MOLIRENA 3, CD 2, PP 2, PLN 1, other 5 note: legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based formula Papua New Guinea unicameral National Parliament - sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly (109 seats, 89 elected from open electorates and 20 from provincial electorates; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 15-29 June 2002 and April and May 2003; completed in May 2003 (voting in the Southern Highlands was not completed during the June 2002 election period); next to be held not later than June 2007 election results: percent of vote by party - National Alliance 18%, URP 13%, PDM 12%, PPP 8%, Pangu 6%, PAP 5%, PLP 4%, others 34%; seats by party - National Alliance 19, URP 14, PDM 13, PPP 8, PANGU 6, PAP 5, PLP 4, others 40; as of January 2006 - National Alliance 25, URP 10, PNGP 9, PPP 9, PANGU 6, PAP 12, PLP 4, others 34 note: association with political parties is fluid (2005) Paraguay bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANR 16, PLRA 12, UNACE 7, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANR 37, PLRA 21, UNACE 10, PQ 10, PPS 2 note: as of January 2006, changes in party affiliation has led to the composition of the legislature as follows: Chamber of Senators - seats by party - ANR 18, PLRA 12, UNACE 5, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - ANR 39, PLRA 21, UNACE 8, PQ 10, PPS 2 Peru unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 April 2006 (next to be held April 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UPP 21.2%, PAP 20.6%, UN 15.3%, AF 13.1%, FC 7.1%, PP 4.1%, RN 4.0%; seats by party - UPP 45, PAP 36, UN 17, AF 13, FC 5, PP 2, RN 2 Philippines bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or Senado (24 seats - one-half elected every three years; members elected at large by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (212 members representing districts plus 24 sectoral party-list members; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; note - the Constitution prohibits the House of Representatives from having more than 250 members) elections: Senate - last held 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2007); House of Representatives - elections last held 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - Lakas 30%, LP 13%, KNP 13%, independents 17%, others 27%; seats by party - Lakas 7, LP 3, KNP (coalition) 3, independents 4, others 6; note - there are 23 rather than 24 sitting senators because one senator was elected vice president; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Lakas 93, NPC 53, LP 34, LDP 11, others 20; party-listers 24 (2004) Pitcairn Islands unicameral Island Council (10 seats - 5 elected by popular vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor including 1 seat for the Island Secretary, the Island Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor and council; elected members serve one-year terms) elections: last held in 24 December 2005 (next to be held December 2006) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents Poland bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly elections: Senate - last held 25 September 2005 (next to be held by September 2009); Sejm elections last held 25 September 2005 (next to be held by September 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PiS 49, PO 34, LPR 7, SO 3, PSL 2, independents 5; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PiS 27%, PO 24.1%, SO 11.4%, SLD 11.3%, LPR 8%, PSL 7%, other 11.2%; seats by party - PiS 155, PO 133, SO 56, SLD 55, LPR 34, PSL 25, German minorities 2 note: two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm only Portugal unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%, CDU 7.6%, PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%; seats by party - PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14, PP 12, BE 8 Puerto Rico bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (at least 27 seats - currently 29; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PNP 43.4%, PPD 40.3%, PIP 9.4%; seats by party - PNP 17, PPD 9, PIP 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PNP 46.3%, PPD 43.1%, PIP 9.7%; seats by party - PNP 32, PPD 18, PIP 1 note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); Luis FORTUNO elected resident commissioner; results - percent of vote by party - PNP 48.6%; seats by party - PNP 1 Qatar unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed) note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their terms extended every four years since; the new constitution, which came into force on 9 June 2005, provides for a 45-member Consultative Council, or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the amir would appoint the remaining members; preparations are underway to conduct elections to the Majlis al-Shura in early 2007 Reunion unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held in 2001 (next to be held in 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRC 1, UDF 1, UMP 1; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 3, PS 1, independent 1 Romania bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (137 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera Deputatilor (332 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 28 November 2004 (next expected to be held in November 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 28 November 2004 (next expected to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 37.1%, PNL-PD 31.8%, PRM 13.6%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 44, PNL 30, PD 20, PRM 20, PC 11, UDMR 10, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 36.8%, PNL-PD 31.5%, PRM 13%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 111, PNL 66, PD 45, PRM 34, ex-PRM (Ciontu Group) 12, UDMR 22, PC 20, PIN (GUSA Group) 3, independent 1, ethnic minorities 18 Russia bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 88 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; currently elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at least 7% of the vote; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: State Duma - last held 7 December 2003 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of the 225 party list seats - United Russia 37.1%, CPRF 12.7%, LDPR 11.6%, Motherland 9.1%; seats by party - United Russia 222, CPRF 53, LDPR 38, Motherland 37, People's Party 19, Yabloko 4, SPS 2, other 7, independents 65, repeat election required 3; composition as of 1 July 2006 - United Russia 309, CPRF 45, LDPR 35, Motherland 29, People's Party 12, independents 18, vacant 2 Rwanda bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 by the Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning, to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80 seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women elected by local bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations, to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held NA, members appointed as part of the transitional government (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: seats by party under the 2003 Constitution - RPF 40, PSD 7, PL 6, additional 27 members indirectly elected Saint Helena unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 12 Saint Kitts and Nevis unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3 appointed and 11 popularly elected from single-member constituencies; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 October 2004 (next to be held by 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SKNLP 7, CCM 2, NRP 1, PAM 1 Saint Lucia bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; 6 members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6 Saint Pierre and Miquelon unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: elections last held 19 and 26 March 2000 (next to be held in April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PS 12, PRG 2, UDF-RPR 5 note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2013); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.26%, NDP 44.68%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 Samoa unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve five-year terms) elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be held not later than March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4 San Marino unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 4 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PDCS 32.9%, Party of Socialists and Democrats 31.9%, APDS 11.9%, United Left 8.7%, New Socialist Party 5.4%; seats by party - PDCS 21, Party of Socialists and Democrats 20, APDS 7, United Left 5, New Socialist Party 3, other 4 Sao Tome and Principe unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 26 March 2006 (next to be held March 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - MDFM-PCD 37.2%, MLSTP 28.9%, ADI 20.0%, NR 4.7%, other 9.2%; seats by party - MDFM-PCD 23, MLSTP 19, ADI 12, NR 1 Saudi Arabia Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms); note - in October 2003, Council of Ministers announced its intent to introduce elections for half of the members of local and provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period of four to five years; in November 2004, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs initiated voter registration for partial municipal council elections held nationwide from February through April 2005 Senegal unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) note: the former National Assembly, dissolved in the spring of 2001, had 140 seats elections: last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held 27 February 2007) note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006, they will now coincide with presidential elections in 2007 election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 89, AFP 11, PS 10, other 10 Serbia unicameral National Assembly (250 deputies elected by direct vote for a four-year term) elections: last held 28 December 2003 (next to be held December 2007) election results: SRS 83, DSS 53, DS 37, G17 Plus 34, SPO-NS 22, SPS 22 Seychelles unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%, DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11 Sierra Leone unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2 Singapore unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine nominated members; the losing opposition candidate who came closest to winning a seat may be appointed as a "nonconstituency" member elections: last held 6 May 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%, SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 1 Slovakia unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 June 2006 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%, SNS 11.7%, SMK 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%; seats by party - Smer 50, SDKU 31, SNS 20, SMK 20, LS-HZDS 15, KDH 14 Slovenia bicameral Parliament consisting of a National Assembly or Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 40 are directly elected and 50 are selected on a proportional basis; note - the numbers of directly elected and proportionally elected seats varies with each election; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Drzavni Svet (40 seats; this is primarily an advisory body with limited legislative powers; it may propose laws, ask to review any National Assembly decisions, and call national referenda; members - representing social, economic, professional, and local interests - are indirectly elected to five-year terms by an electoral college) elections: National Assembly - last held 3 October 2004 (next to be held October 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - SDS 29.1%, LDS 22.8%, ZLSD 10.2%, NSi 9%, SLS 6.8%, SNS 6.3%, DeSUS 4.1%, other 11.7%; seats by party - SDS 29, LDS 23, ZLSD 10, NSi 9, SLS 7, SNS 6, DeSUS 4, Hungarian and Italian minorities 1 each Solomon Islands unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%, SIPRA 6.3%, Democratic 4.9%, PAP 6.3%, LAFARI 2.8%, Liberal 5%, SOCRED 4.3%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4, SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2, independents 30 Somalia unicameral National Assembly note: fledgling parliament; a 275-member Transitional Federal Assembly; the new parliament consists of 61 seats assigned to each of four large clan groups (Darod, Digil-Mirifle, Dir, and Hawiye) with the remaining 31 seats divided between minority clans South Africa bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February 1997, the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held 14 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%; seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other 21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA Spain bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE 38.9%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC 1.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%, CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU 2, CC 3, other 8 Sri Lanka unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010) election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.83%, TNA 6.84%, JHU 5.97%, SLMC 2.02%, UPF 0.54%, EPDP 0.27%, others 0.93%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, UNP dissident 1, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, JHU dissidents 2, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1 Sudan bi-cameral body comprising the National Assembly and Council of States (replaced unicameral National Assembly of 360 seats); pending elections and National Election Law, the Presidency appointed 450 members to the National Assembly according to the provisions of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement: 52% NCP; 28% SPLM; 14% other Northerners; 6% other Southerners; 2 representatives from every state constitute the Council of States; terms in each chamber are five years following the first elections elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held 2008-2009 timeframe) election results: NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement Suriname unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NF 39.73%, NDP 22.2%, VVV 13.79%, A-Com 7.21%, A-1 5.86%, other 7.42%; seats by party - NF 23, NDP 15, VVV 5, A-Com 5, A-1 3 Swaziland bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory body, consists of the Senate (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats - 10 appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 18 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008) election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round Sweden unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 September 2006 (next to be held September 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 37.2%, Moderates 27.8%, Center Party 8.3%, People's Party 8.0%, Christian Democrats 6.9%, Left Party 6.3%, Greens 5.4%; seats by party - Social Democrats 130, Moderates 97, Center Party 29, People's Party 28, Christian Democrats 24, Left Party 22, Greens 19 Switzerland bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats - consists of two representatives from each canton and one from each half canton; members serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats - members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons 19 October 2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 19 October 2003 (next to be held October 2007) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CVP 15, FDP 14, SVP 8, SPS 6, other 3; National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 26.6%, SPS 23.3%, FDP 17.3%, CVP 14.4%, Greens 7.4%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SVP 55, SPS 54, FDP 36, CVP 28, Green Party 13, other small parties 14 Syria unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, independents 33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receives one-half of the seats Taiwan Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on basis of proportion of island-wide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms); National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body; delegates nominated by parties and elected by proportional representation six to nine months after Legislative Yuan calls to amend Constitution, impeach president, or change national borders) - see note note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by National Assembly in June 2005, number of seats in legislature will be reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with election in 2007; amendments also eliminated National Assembly thus giving Taiwan a unicameral legislature elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005; dissolved in June 2005 election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP 38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%; seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7, independents 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP 42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU 7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP 127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP 18, others 17 (2005) Tajikistan bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the former president; all serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 February and 13 March 2005 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held February 2010) and 25 March 2005 for the National Assembly (next to be held February 2010) election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other 2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3 Tanzania unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, 5 to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2010) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, women appointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to take place soon Thailand bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consisted of the Senate or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); after coup in September 2006, junta appointed an interim National Assembly with 250 members to act as Senate and House of Representatives; body has no vote on government matters elections: Senate - last held 19 April 2006; House of Representatives - last held 6 February 2005; junta scheduled next general election by October 2007 election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - (2005 election) percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TRT 376, DP 97, TNP 25, PP 2 Togo unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 October 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPT 72, RSDD 3, UDPS 2, Juvento 2, MOCEP 1, independents 1 note: two opposition parties boycotted the election, the Union of the Forces for Change and the Action Committee for Renewal Tokelau unicameral General Fono (21 seats; based upon proportional representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; Nukunonu has 6 seats, Fakaofo has 7 seats, Atafu has 8 seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono elections: last held January 2005 (next to be held January 2008) Tonga unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, 9 for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and 9 elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms) elections: last held 21 March 2005 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7, independents 2 Trinidad and Tobago bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the opposition party for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1 Tunisia bicameral system consists of the Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Advisors (126 seats; 85 members elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, and professional associations and trade unions; 41 members are presidential appointees; members serve six-year terms) elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Advisors - last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held July 2011) election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3, PSL 2; Chamber of Advisors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 71 (14 trade union seats vacant (boycotted)) Turkey unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held in 2007); note - a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister, on 14 March 2003 election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%, DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, Anavatan 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and other; seats by party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; seats by party as of 1 December 2005 - AKP 357, CHP 154, ANAVATAN 22, DYP 4, SHP 4, HYP 1, independents 4, vacant 4 Turkmenistan under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); membership is scheduled to be increased to 65 seats elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government Turks and Caicos Islands unicameral Legislative Council (21 seats of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5 Tuvalu unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15 Uganda unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex officio members; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - election results had not been posted as of March 2006 Ukraine unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the national electoral vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 26 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party/bloc in 2002 - Party of Regions 32.1%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 22.3%, Our Ukraine 13.9%, SPU 5.7%, CPU 3.7%; seats by party/bloc - Party of Regions 186, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 129, Our Ukraine 81, SPU 33, CPU 21 United Arab Emirates unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms) elections: President KHALIFA in December 2005 announced that indirect elections would be held in early 2006 for half of the seats in the FNC; the other half would be filled by appointment note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto United Kingdom bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (646 seats since 2005 elections; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier) elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by May 2010) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 35.2%, Conservative 32.3%, Liberal Democrats 22%, other 10.5%; seats by party - Labor 356, Conservative 197, Liberal Democrat 62, other 31; note - as of 10 February 2006 party by seat in the House of Commons: Labor 353, Conservative 196, Liberal Democrat 63, Scottish National Party/Plaid Cymru 9, Democratic Unionist 9, Sinn Fein 5 (but cannot vote), other 11 note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and has been suspended four times the latest occurring in October 2002); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly United States bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed every two years; 2 members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held on November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held on November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 49, Republican Party 49, independent 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 232, Republican Party 203 Uruguay bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; vice president has one vote in the Senate) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1 Uzbekistan bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of an Upper House or Senate (100 seats; 84 members are elected by regional governing councils to serve five-year terms and 16 are appointed by the president) and a Lower House or Legislative Chamber (120 seats; elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 26 December 2004 and 9 January 2005 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LDPU 41, NDP 32, Fidokorlar 17, MTP 11, Adolat 9, unaffiliated 10 note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV Vanuatu unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 July 2004 (next to be held 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NUP 10, UMP 8, VP 8, VRP 4, MPP 3, VGP 3, other and independent 16; note - political party associations are fluid note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language Venezuela unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela) elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25), opposition 0 Vietnam unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (498 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 May 2002 (next to be held 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - CPV 90%, other 10% (the 10% are not CPV members but are approved by the CPV to stand for election); seats by party - CPV 447, CPV-approved 51 Virgin Islands unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 8, ICM 4, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); results - Donna M. CHRISTENSEN (Democrat) reelected Wallis and Futuna unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 11 March 2002 (next to be held March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR and affiliates 13, Socialists and affiliates 7 note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (now UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held by in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (UMP) 1 Yemen a new constitutional amendment ratified on 20 February 2001 created a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held in April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14 Zambia unicameral National Assembly (158 seats; 150 members are elected by popular vote, eight members are appointed by the president, to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - MMD 45.9%, UPND 32.4%, UNIP 8.8%, FDD 8.1%, HP 2.7%, PF 0.7%, ZRP 0.7%, independents 0.7%; seats by party - MMD 68, UPND 48, UNIP 13, FDD 12, HP 4, PF 1, ZRP 1, independents 1; seats not determined 2 Zimbabwe bicameral Parliament consists of a House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and eight occupied by provincial governors appointed by the president) and a Senate (66 seats - 50 elected by popular vote for a five-year term, six nominated by the president, 10 nominated by the Council of Chiefs) elections: House of Assembly last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held in 2010), Senate last held 26 November 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 59.6%, MDC 39.5%, other 0.9%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 78, MDC 41, independents 1; Senate - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 73.7%, MDC 20.3%, other 4.4%, independents 1.6%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 43, MDC 7 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2102 Life expectancy at birth (years) Afghanistan total population: 43.34 years male: 43.16 years female: 43.53 years (2006 est.) Albania total population: 77.43 years male: 74.78 years female: 80.34 years (2006 est.) Algeria total population: 73.26 years male: 71.68 years female: 74.92 years (2006 est.) American Samoa total population: 76.05 years male: 72.48 years female: 79.82 years (2006 est.) Andorra total population: 83.51 years male: 80.61 years female: 86.61 years (2006 est.) Angola total population: 38.62 years male: 37.47 years female: 39.83 years (2006 est.) Anguilla total population: 77.28 years male: 74.35 years female: 80.3 years (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda total population: 72.16 years male: 69.78 years female: 74.66 years (2006 est.) Argentina total population: 76.12 years male: 72.38 years female: 80.05 years (2006 est.) Armenia total population: 71.84 years male: 68.25 years female: 76.02 years (2006 est.) Aruba total population: 79.28 years male: 75.95 years female: 82.78 years (2006 est.) Australia total population: 80.5 years male: 77.64 years female: 83.52 years (2006 est.) Austria total population: 79.07 years male: 76.17 years female: 82.11 years (2006 est.) Azerbaijan total population: 63.85 years male: 59.78 years female: 68.13 years (2006 est.) Bahamas, The total population: 65.6 years male: 62.24 years female: 69.03 years (2006 est.) Bahrain total population: 74.45 years male: 71.97 years female: 77 years (2006 est.) Bangladesh total population: 62.46 years male: 62.47 years female: 62.45 years (2006 est.) Barbados total population: 72.79 years male: 70.79 years female: 74.82 years (2006 est.) Belarus total population: 69.08 years male: 63.47 years female: 74.98 years (2006 est.) Belgium total population: 78.77 years male: 75.59 years female: 82.09 years (2006 est.) Belize total population: 68.3 years male: 66.43 years female: 70.26 years (2006 est.) Benin total population: 53.04 years male: 51.9 years female: 54.22 years (2006 est.) Bermuda total population: 77.96 years male: 75.85 years female: 80.1 years (2006 est.) Bhutan total population: 54.78 years male: 55.02 years female: 54.53 years (2006 est.) Bolivia total population: 65.84 years male: 63.21 years female: 68.61 years (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina total population: 78 years male: 74.39 years female: 81.88 years (2006 est.) Botswana total population: 33.74 years male: 33.9 years female: 33.56 years (2006 est.) Brazil total population: 71.97 years male: 68.02 years female: 76.12 years (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands total population: 76.68 years male: 75.56 years female: 77.84 years (2006 est.) Brunei total population: 75.01 years male: 72.57 years female: 77.59 years (2006 est.) Bulgaria total population: 72.3 years male: 68.68 years female: 76.13 years (2006 est.) Burkina Faso total population: 48.85 years male: 47.33 years female: 50.42 years (2006 est.) Burma total population: 60.97 years male: 58.07 years female: 64.03 years (2006 est.) Burundi total population: 50.81 years male: 50.07 years female: 51.58 years (2006 est.) Cambodia total population: 59.29 years male: 57.35 years female: 61.32 years (2006 est.) Cameroon total population: 51.16 years male: 50.98 years female: 51.34 years (2006 est.) Canada total population: 80.22 years male: 76.86 years female: 83.74 years (2006 est.) Cape Verde total population: 70.73 years male: 67.41 years female: 74.15 years (2006 est.) Cayman Islands total population: 80.07 years male: 77.45 years female: 82.74 years (2006 est.) Central African Republic total population: 43.54 years male: 43.46 years female: 43.62 years (2006 est.) Chad total population: 47.52 years male: 45.88 years female: 49.21 years (2006 est.) Chile total population: 76.77 years male: 73.49 years female: 80.21 years (2006 est.) China total population: 72.58 years male: 70.89 years female: 74.46 years (2006 est.) Christmas Island total population: NA male: NA female: NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands total population: NA male: NA female: NA Colombia total population: 71.99 years male: 68.15 years female: 75.96 years (2006 est.) Comoros total population: 62.33 years male: 60 years female: 64.72 years (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the total population: 51.46 years male: 50.01 years female: 52.94 years (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the total population: 52.8 years male: 51.65 years female: 53.98 years (2006 est.) Cook Islands total population: NA male: NA female: NA Costa Rica total population: 77.02 years male: 74.43 years female: 79.74 years (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire total population: 48.82 years male: 46.24 years female: 51.48 years (2006 est.) Croatia total population: 74.68 years male: 71.03 years female: 78.53 years (2006 est.) Cuba total population: 77.41 years male: 75.11 years female: 79.85 years (2006 est.) Cyprus total population: 77.82 years male: 75.44 years female: 80.31 years (2006 est.) Czech Republic total population: 76.22 years male: 72.94 years female: 79.69 years (2006 est.) Denmark total population: 77.79 years male: 75.49 years female: 80.22 years (2006 est.) Djibouti total population: 43.17 years male: 41.86 years female: 44.52 years (2006 est.) Dominica total population: 74.87 years male: 71.95 years female: 77.93 years (2006 est.) Dominican Republic total population: 71.73 years male: 70.21 years female: 73.33 years (2006 est.) East Timor total population: 66.26 years male: 63.96 years female: 68.67 years (2006 est.) Ecuador total population: 76.42 years male: 73.55 years female: 79.43 years (2006 est.) Egypt total population: 71.29 years male: 68.77 years female: 73.93 years (2006 est.) El Salvador total population: 71.49 years male: 67.88 years female: 75.28 years (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea total population: 49.54 years male: 48 years female: 51.13 years (2006 est.) Eritrea total population: 59.03 years male: 57.44 years female: 60.66 years (2006 est.) Estonia total population: 72.04 years male: 66.58 years female: 77.83 years (2006 est.) Ethiopia total population: 49.03 years male: 47.86 years female: 50.24 years (2006 est.) European Union total population: 78.3 years male: 75.1 years female: 81.6 years (2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total population: NA male: NA female: NA Faroe Islands total population: 79.35 years male: 75.91 years female: 82.8 years (2006 est.) Fiji total population: 69.82 years male: 67.32 years female: 72.45 years (2006 est.) Finland total population: 78.5 years male: 74.99 years female: 82.17 years (2006 est.) France total population: 79.73 years male: 76.1 years female: 83.54 years (2006 est.) French Guiana total population: 77.27 years male: 73.95 years female: 80.75 years (2006 est.) French Polynesia total population: 76.1 years male: 73.69 years female: 78.63 years (2006 est.) Gabon total population: 54.49 years male: 53.21 years female: 55.81 years (2006 est.) Gambia, The total population: 54.14 years male: 52.3 years female: 56.03 years (2006 est.) Gaza Strip total population: 71.97 years male: 70.67 years female: 73.34 years (2006 est.) Georgia total population: 76.09 years male: 72.8 years female: 79.87 years (2006 est.) Germany total population: 78.8 years male: 75.81 years female: 81.96 years (2006 est.) Ghana total population: 58.87 years male: 58.07 years female: 59.69 years (2006 est.) Gibraltar total population: 79.8 years male: 76.92 years female: 82.83 years (2006 est.) Greece total population: 79.24 years male: 76.72 years female: 81.91 years (2006 est.) Greenland total population: 69.94 years male: 66.36 years female: 73.6 years (2006 est.) Grenada total population: 64.87 years male: 63.06 years female: 66.68 years (2006 est.) Guadeloupe total population: 78.06 years male: 74.91 years female: 81.37 years (2006 est.) Guam total population: 78.58 years male: 75.52 years female: 81.83 years (2006 est.) Guatemala total population: 69.38 years male: 67.65 years female: 71.18 years (2006 est.) Guernsey total population: 80.42 years male: 77.41 years female: 83.53 years (2006 est.) Guinea total population: 49.5 years male: 48.34 years female: 50.7 years (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau total population: 46.87 years male: 45.05 years female: 48.75 years (2006 est.) Guyana total population: 65.86 years male: 63.21 years female: 68.65 years (2006 est.) Haiti total population: 53.23 years male: 51.89 years female: 54.6 years (2006 est.) Honduras total population: 69.33 years male: 67.75 years female: 70.98 years (2006 est.) Hong Kong total population: 81.59 years male: 78.9 years female: 84.5 years (2006 est.) Hungary total population: 72.66 years male: 68.45 years female: 77.14 years (2006 est.) Iceland total population: 80.31 years male: 78.23 years female: 82.48 years (2006 est.) India total population: 64.71 years male: 63.9 years female: 65.57 years (2006 est.) Indonesia total population: 69.87 years male: 67.42 years female: 72.45 years (2006 est.) Iran total population: 70.26 years male: 68.86 years female: 71.74 years (2006 est.) Iraq total population: 69.01 years male: 67.76 years female: 70.31 years (2006 est.) Ireland total population: 77.73 years male: 75.11 years female: 80.52 years (2006 est.) Isle of Man total population: 78.49 years male: 75.14 years female: 82.02 years (2006 est.) Israel total population: 79.46 years male: 77.33 years female: 81.7 years (2006 est.) Italy total population: 79.81 years male: 76.88 years female: 82.94 years (2006 est.) Jamaica total population: 73.24 years male: 71.54 years female: 75.03 years (2006 est.) Japan total population: 81.25 years male: 77.96 years female: 84.7 years (2006 est.) Jersey total population: 79.38 years male: 76.89 years female: 82.05 years (2006 est.) Jordan total population: 78.4 years male: 75.9 years female: 81.05 years (2006 est.) Kazakhstan total population: 66.89 years male: 61.56 years female: 72.52 years (2006 est.) Kenya total population: 48.93 years male: 49.78 years female: 48.07 years (2006 est.) Kiribati total population: 62.08 years male: 59.06 years female: 65.24 years (2006 est.) Korea, North total population: 71.65 years male: 68.92 years female: 74.51 years (2006 est.) Korea, South total population: 77.04 years male: 73.61 years female: 80.75 years (2006 est.) Kuwait total population: 77.2 years male: 76.13 years female: 78.31 years (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan total population: 68.49 years male: 64.48 years female: 72.7 years (2006 est.) Laos total population: 55.49 years male: 53.45 years female: 57.61 years (2006 est.) Latvia total population: 71.33 years male: 66.08 years female: 76.85 years (2006 est.) Lebanon total population: 72.88 years male: 70.41 years female: 75.48 years (2006 est.) Lesotho total population: 34.4 years male: 35.55 years female: 33.21 years (2006 est.) Liberia total population: 39.65 years male: 37.99 years female: 41.35 years (2006 est.) Libya total population: 76.69 years male: 74.46 years female: 79.02 years (2006 est.) Liechtenstein total population: 79.68 years male: 76.1 years female: 83.28 years (2006 est.) Lithuania total population: 74.2 years male: 69.2 years female: 79.49 years (2006 est.) Luxembourg total population: 78.89 years male: 75.6 years female: 82.38 years (2006 est.) Macau total population: 82.19 years male: 79.36 years female: 85.17 years (2006 est.) Macedonia total population: 73.97 years male: 71.51 years female: 76.62 years (2006 est.) Madagascar total population: 57.34 years male: 54.93 years female: 59.82 years (2006 est.) Malawi total population: 41.7 years male: 41.93 years female: 41.45 years (2006 est.) Malaysia total population: 72.5 years male: 69.8 years female: 75.38 years (2006 est.) Maldives total population: 64.41 years male: 63.08 years female: 65.8 years (2006 est.) Mali total population: 49 years male: 47.05 years female: 51.01 years (2006 est.) Malta total population: 79.01 years male: 76.83 years female: 81.31 years (2006 est.) Marshall Islands total population: 70.31 years male: 68.33 years female: 72.39 years (2006 est.) Martinique total population: 79.18 years male: 79.5 years female: 78.85 years (2006 est.) Mauritania total population: 53.12 years male: 50.88 years female: 55.42 years (2006 est.) Mauritius total population: 72.63 years male: 68.66 years female: 76.66 years (2006 est.) Mayotte total population: 61.76 years male: 59.57 years female: 64.02 years (2006 est.) Mexico total population: 75.41 years male: 72.63 years female: 78.33 years (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of total population: 70.05 years male: 68.24 years female: 71.95 years (2006 est.) Moldova total population: 65.65 years male: 61.61 years female: 69.88 years (2006 est.) Monaco total population: 79.69 years male: 75.85 years female: 83.74 years (2006 est.) Mongolia total population: 64.89 years male: 62.64 years female: 67.25 years (2006 est.) Montserrat total population: 78.85 years male: 76.67 years female: 81.14 years (2006 est.) Morocco total population: 70.94 years male: 68.62 years female: 73.37 years (2006 est.) Mozambique total population: 39.82 years male: 39.53 years female: 40.13 years (2006 est.) Namibia total population: 43.39 years male: 44.46 years female: 42.29 years (2006 est.) Nauru total population: 63.08 years male: 59.5 years female: 66.84 years (2006 est.) Nepal total population: 60.18 years male: 60.43 years female: 59.91 years (2006 est.) Netherlands total population: 78.96 years male: 76.39 years female: 81.67 years (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles total population: 76.03 years male: 73.76 years female: 78.41 years (2006 est.) New Caledonia total population: 74.27 years male: 71.29 years female: 77.39 years (2006 est.) New Zealand total population: 78.81 years male: 75.82 years female: 81.93 years (2006 est.) Nicaragua total population: 70.63 years male: 68.55 years female: 72.81 years (2006 est.) Niger total population: 43.76 years male: 43.8 years female: 43.73 years (2006 est.) Nigeria total population: 47.08 years male: 46.52 years female: 47.66 years (2006 est.) Niue total population: NA male: NA female: NA Norfolk Island total population: NA male: NA female: NA Northern Mariana Islands total population: 76.09 years male: 73.5 years female: 78.83 years (2006 est.) Norway total population: 79.54 years male: 76.91 years female: 82.31 years (2006 est.) Oman total population: 73.37 years male: 71.14 years female: 75.72 years (2006 est.) Pakistan total population: 63.39 years male: 62.4 years female: 64.44 years (2006 est.) Palau total population: 70.42 years male: 67.26 years female: 73.77 years (2006 est.) Panama total population: 75.22 years male: 72.68 years female: 77.87 years (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea total population: 65.28 years male: 63.08 years female: 67.58 years (2006 est.) Paraguay total population: 75.1 years male: 72.56 years female: 77.78 years (2006 est.) Peru total population: 69.84 years male: 68.05 years female: 71.71 years (2006 est.) Philippines total population: 70.21 years male: 67.32 years female: 73.24 years (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands total population: NA male: NA female: NA Poland total population: 74.97 years male: 70.95 years female: 79.23 years (2006 est.) Portugal total population: 77.7 years male: 74.43 years female: 81.2 years (2006 est.) Puerto Rico total population: 78.4 years male: 74.46 years female: 82.54 years (2006 est.) Qatar total population: 73.9 years male: 71.37 years female: 76.57 years (2006 est.) Reunion total population: 74.18 years male: 70.78 years female: 77.75 years (2006 est.) Romania total population: 71.63 years male: 68.14 years female: 75.34 years (2006 est.) Russia total population: 67.08 years male: 60.45 years female: 74.1 years (2006 est.) Rwanda total population: 47.3 years male: 46.26 years female: 48.38 years (2006 est.) Saint Helena total population: 77.93 years male: 75.02 years female: 80.98 years (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis total population: 72.4 years male: 69.56 years female: 75.42 years (2006 est.) Saint Lucia total population: 73.84 years male: 70.29 years female: 77.65 years (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon total population: 78.61 years male: 76.27 years female: 81.06 years (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines total population: 73.85 years male: 71.99 years female: 75.77 years (2006 est.) Samoa total population: 71 years male: 68.2 years female: 73.94 years (2006 est.) San Marino total population: 81.71 years male: 78.23 years female: 85.5 years (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe total population: 67.31 years male: 65.73 years female: 68.95 years (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia total population: 75.67 years male: 73.66 years female: 77.78 years (2006 est.) Senegal total population: 59.25 years male: 57.7 years female: 60.85 years (2006 est.) Serbia total population: 74 years male: 71 years female: 76 years Seychelles total population: 72.08 years male: 66.69 years female: 77.63 years (2006 est.) Sierra Leone total population: 40.22 years male: 38.05 years female: 42.46 years (2006 est.) Singapore total population: 81.71 years male: 79.13 years female: 84.49 years (2006 est.) Slovakia total population: 74.73 years male: 70.76 years female: 78.89 years (2006 est.) Slovenia total population: 76.33 years male: 72.63 years female: 80.29 years (2006 est.) Solomon Islands total population: 72.91 years male: 70.4 years female: 75.55 years (2006 est.) Somalia total population: 48.47 years male: 46.71 years female: 50.28 years (2006 est.) South Africa total population: 42.73 years male: 43.25 years female: 42.19 years (2006 est.) Spain total population: 79.65 years male: 76.32 years female: 83.2 years (2006 est.) Sri Lanka total population: 73.41 years male: 70.83 years female: 76.12 years (2006 est.) Sudan total population: 58.92 years male: 57.69 years female: 60.21 years (2006 est.) Suriname total population: 69.01 years male: 66.66 years female: 71.47 years (2006 est.) Svalbard total population: NA male: NA female: NA Swaziland total population: 32.62 years male: 32.1 years female: 33.17 years (2006 est.) Sweden total population: 80.51 years male: 78.29 years female: 82.87 years (2006 est.) Switzerland total population: 80.51 years male: 77.69 years female: 83.48 years (2006 est.) Syria total population: 70.32 years male: 69.01 years female: 71.7 years (2006 est.) Taiwan total population: 77.43 years male: 74.67 years female: 80.47 years (2006 est.) Tajikistan total population: 64.94 years male: 62.03 years female: 68 years (2006 est.) Tanzania total population: 45.64 years male: 44.93 years female: 46.37 years (2006 est.) Thailand total population: 72.25 years male: 69.95 years female: 74.68 years (2006 est.) Togo total population: 57.42 years male: 55.41 years female: 59.49 years (2006 est.) Tokelau total population: NA male: NA female: NA Tonga total population: 69.82 years male: 67.32 years female: 72.45 years (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago total population: 66.76 years male: 65.71 years female: 67.86 years (2006 est.) Tunisia total population: 75.12 years male: 73.4 years female: 76.96 years (2006 est.) Turkey total population: 72.62 years male: 70.18 years female: 75.18 years (2006 est.) Turkmenistan total population: 61.83 years male: 58.43 years female: 65.41 years (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands total population: 74.73 years male: 72.48 years female: 77.08 years (2006 est.) Tuvalu total population: 68.32 years male: 66.08 years female: 70.66 years (2006 est.) Uganda total population: 52.67 years male: 51.68 years female: 53.69 years (2006 est.) Ukraine total population: 69.98 years male: 64.71 years female: 75.59 years (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates total population: 75.44 years male: 72.92 years female: 78.08 years (2006 est.) United Kingdom total population: 78.54 years male: 76.09 years female: 81.13 years (2006 est.) United States total population: 77.85 years male: 75.02 years female: 80.82 years (2006 est.) Uruguay total population: 76.33 years male: 73.12 years female: 79.65 years (2006 est.) Uzbekistan total population: 64.58 years male: 61.19 years female: 68.14 years (2006 est.) Vanuatu total population: 62.85 years male: 61.34 years female: 64.44 years (2006 est.) Venezuela total population: 74.54 years male: 71.49 years female: 77.81 years (2006 est.) Vietnam total population: 70.85 years male: 68.05 years female: 73.85 years (2006 est.) Virgin Islands total population: 79.05 years male: 75.24 years female: 83.09 years (2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years West Bank total population: 73.27 years male: 71.5 years female: 75.15 years (2006 est.) Western Sahara total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years World total population: 64.77 years male: 63.16 years female: 66.47 years (2006 est.) Yemen total population: 62.12 years male: 60.23 years female: 64.11 years (2006 est.) Zambia total population: 40.03 years male: 39.76 years female: 40.31 years (2006 est.) Zimbabwe total population: 39.29 years male: 40.39 years female: 38.16 years (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2103 Literacy (%) Afghanistan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 36% male: 51% female: 21% (1999 est.) Albania definition: age 9 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 93.3% female: 79.5% (2003 est.) Algeria definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70% male: 78.8% female: 61% (2003 est.) American Samoa definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 97% (1980 est.) Andorra definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Angola definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.8% male: 82.1% female: 53.8% (2001 est.) Anguilla definition: age 12 and over can read and write total population: 95% male: 95% female: 95% (1984 est.) Antigua and Barbuda definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 85.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) Argentina definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.1% male: 97.1% female: 97.1% (2003 est.) Armenia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.4% female: 98% (2003 est.) Aruba definition: NA total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA% Australia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Austria definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA Azerbaijan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.5% female: 98.2% (2003 est.) Bahamas, The definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) Bahrain definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.1% male: 91.9% female: 85% (2003 est.) Bangladesh definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.) Barbados definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.) Belarus definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.8% female: 99.5% (2003 est.) Belgium definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Belize definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.1% male: 94.1% female: 94.1% (2003 est.) Benin definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 33.6% male: 46.4% female: 22.6% (2002 est.) Bermuda definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (2005 est.) Bhutan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47% male: 60% female: 34% (2003 est.) Bolivia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.2% male: 93.1% female: 81.6% (2003 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.6% male: 98.4% female: 91.1% (2000 est.) Botswana definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.8% male: 76.9% female: 82.4% (2003 est.) Brazil definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 86.1% female: 86.6% (2003 est.) British Virgin Islands definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% Brunei definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.9% male: 96.3% female: 91.4% (2002) Bulgaria definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98.2% (2003 est.) Burkina Faso definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 26.6% male: 36.9% female: 16.6% (2003 est.) Burma definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.3% male: 89.2% female: 81.4% (2002) Burundi definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51.6% male: 58.5% female: 45.2% (2003 est.) Cambodia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 73.6% male: 84.7% female: 64.1% (2004 est.) Cameroon definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79% male: 84.7% female: 73.4% (2003 est.) Canada definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Cape Verde definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.6% male: 85.8% female: 69.2% (2003 est.) Cayman Islands definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.) Central African Republic definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51% male: 63.3% female: 39.9% (2003 est.) Chad definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic total population: 47.5% male: 56% female: 39.3% (2003 est.) Chile definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.2% male: 96.4% female: 96.1% (2003 est.) China definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.9% male: 95.1% female: 86.5% (2002) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 92.4% female: 92.6% (2003 est.) Comoros definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba total population: 65.5% male: 76.2% female: 55.1% (2003 est.) Congo, Republic of the definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.8% male: 89.6% female: 78.4% (2003 est.) Cook Islands definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA% Costa Rica definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 95.9% female: 96.1% (2003 est.) Cote d'Ivoire definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50.9% male: 57.9% female: 43.6% (2003 est.) Croatia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.5% male: 99.4% female: 97.8% (2003 est.) Cuba definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97.2% female: 96.9% (2003 est.) Cyprus definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.6% male: 98.9% female: 96.3% (2003 est.) Czech Republic definition: NA total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Denmark definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Djibouti definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.9% male: 78% female: 58.4% (2003 est.) Dominica definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 94% male: 94% female: 94% (2003 est.) Dominican Republic definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.7% male: 84.6% female: 84.8% (2003 est.) East Timor definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58.6% male: NA% female: NA% (2002) Ecuador definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 94% female: 91% (2003 est.) Egypt definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.7% male: 68.3% female: 46.9% (2003 est.) El Salvador definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 80.2% male: 82.8% female: 77.7% (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.7% male: 93.3% female: 78.4% (2003 est.) Eritrea definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58.6% male: 69.9% female: 47.6% (2003 est.) Estonia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.) Ethiopia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.7% male: 50.3% female: 35.1% (2003 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% note: probably 100%, the same as Denmark proper Fiji definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 95.5% female: 91.9% (2003 est.) Finland definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) France definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) French Guiana definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.) French Polynesia definition: age 14 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1977 est.) Gabon definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.) Gambia, The definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.1% male: 47.8% female: 32.8% (2003 est.) Gaza Strip definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.9% male: 96.3% female: 87.4% (2003 est.) Georgia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2004 est.) Germany definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Ghana definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.8% male: 82.7% female: 67.1% (2003 est.) Gibraltar definition: NA total population: above 80% male: NA female: NA Greece definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.5% male: 98.6% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) Greenland definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2001 est.) Grenada definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) Guadeloupe definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90% male: 90% female: 90% (1982 est.) Guam definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1990 est.) Guatemala definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.6% male: 78% female: 63.3% (2003 est.) Guernsey definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Guinea definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 35.9% male: 49.9% female: 21.9% (1995 est.) Guinea-Bissau definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.4% male: 58.1% female: 27.4% (2003 est.) Guyana definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98.8% male: 99.1% female: 98.5% (2003 est.) Haiti definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.9% male: 54.8% female: 51.2% (2003 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Honduras definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.2% male: 76.1% female: 76.3% (2003 est.) Hong Kong definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002) Hungary definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.) Iceland definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) India definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 59.5% male: 70.2% female: 48.3% (2003 est.) Indonesia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.9% male: 92.5% female: 83.4% (2002 est.) Iran definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.4% male: 85.6% female: 73% (2003 est.) Iraq definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.4% male: 55.9% female: 24.4% (2003 est.) Ireland definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Isle of Man definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Israel definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.4% male: 97.3% female: 93.6% (2003 est.) Italy definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99% female: 98.3% (2003 est.) Jamaica definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.) Japan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2002) Jersey definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Jordan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.3% male: 95.9% female: 86.3% (2003 est.) Kazakhstan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 99.1% female: 97.7% (1999 est.) Kenya definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.1% male: 90.6% female: 79.7% (2003 est.) Kiribati definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA Korea, North definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% Korea, South definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 99.2% female: 96.6% (2002) Kuwait definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.5% male: 85.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) Kyrgyzstan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.7% male: 99.3% female: 98.1% (1999 est.) Laos definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.4% male: 77.4% female: 55.5% (2002) Latvia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.) Lebanon definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 93.1% female: 82.2% (2003 est.) Lesotho definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.) Liberia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.5% male: 73.3% female: 41.6% (2003 est.) Libya definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.6% male: 92.4% female: 72% (2003 est.) Liechtenstein definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Lithuania definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2003 est.) Luxembourg definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) Macau definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.5% male: 97.2% female: 92% (2003 est.) Macedonia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: 98.2% female: 94.1% (2002 est.) Madagascar definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68.9% male: 75.5% female: 62.5% (2003 est.) Malawi definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 62.7% male: 76.1% female: 49.8% (2003 est.) Malaysia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.7% male: 92% female: 85.4% (2002) Maldives definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.2% male: 97.1% female: 97.3% (2003 est.) Mali definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.4% male: 53.5% female: 39.6% (2003 est.) Malta definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92% female: 93.6% (2003 est.) Marshall Islands definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 93.6% female: 93.7% (1999) Martinique definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.7% male: 97.4% female: 98.1% (2003 est.) Mauritania definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 41.7% male: 51.8% female: 31.9% (2003 est.) Mauritius definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.6% male: 88.6% female: 82.7% (2003 est.) Mayotte definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA Mexico definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.2% male: 94% female: 90.5% (2003 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 91% female: 88% (1980 est.) Moldova definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.1% male: 99.6% female: 98.7% (2003 est.) Monaco definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Mongolia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% male: 98% female: 97.5% (2002) Montserrat definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.) Morocco definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51.7% male: 64.1% female: 39.4% (2003 est.) Mozambique definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.8% male: 63.5% female: 32.7% (2003 est.) Namibia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84% male: 84.4% female: 83.7% (2003 est.) Nauru definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA Nepal definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.6% male: 62.7% female: 34.9% (2000-2004 est.) Netherlands definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Netherlands Antilles definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.7% male: 96.7% female: 96.8% (2003 est.) New Caledonia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91% male: 92% female: 90% (1976 est.) New Zealand definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Nicaragua definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.5% male: 67.2% female: 67.8% (2003 est.) Niger definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 17.6% male: 25.8% female: 9.7% (2003 est.) Nigeria definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68% male: 75.7% female: 60.6% (2003 est.) Niue definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA female: NA Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 96% (1980 est.) Norway definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Oman definition: NA total population: 75.8% male: 83.1% female: 67.2% Pakistan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.7% male: 61.7% female: 35.2% (2004 est.) Palau definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92% male: 93% female: 90% (1980 est.) Panama definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 93.2% female: 91.9% (2003 est.) Papua New Guinea definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 64.6% male: 71.1% female: 57.7% (2002) Paraguay definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94% male: 94.9% female: 93% (2003 est.) Peru definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.7% male: 93.5% female: 82.1% (2004 est.) Philippines definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 92.5% female: 92.7% (2002) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2003 est.) Portugal definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.3% male: 95.5% female: 91.3% (2003 est.) Puerto Rico definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.1% male: 93.9% female: 94.4% (2002 est.) Qatar definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 89.1% female: 88.6% (2004 est.) Reunion definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.) Romania definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 99.1% female: 97.7% (2003 est.) Russia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.5% (2003 est.) Rwanda definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.4% male: 76.3% female: 64.7% (2003 est.) Saint Helena definition: age 20 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) Saint Lucia definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 90.1% male: 89.5% female: 90.6% (2001 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1982 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96% (1970 est.) Samoa definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.6% female: 99.7% (2003 est.) San Marino definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 97% female: 95% (1976 est.) Sao Tome and Principe definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.3% male: 85% female: 62% (1991 est.) Saudi Arabia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 78.8% male: 84.7% female: 70.8% (2003 est.) Senegal definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.2% male: 50% female: 30.7% (2003 est.) Serbia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.4% male: 98.9% female: 94.1% (2002 est.) Seychelles definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.9% male: 91.4% female: 92.3% (2003 est.) Sierra Leone definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 29.6% male: 39.8% female: 20.5% (2000 est.) Singapore definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 96.6% female: 88.6% (2002) Slovakia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2001 est.) Slovenia definition: NA total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% Solomon Islands definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA Somalia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 37.8% male: 49.7% female: 25.8% (2001 est.) South Africa definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.) Spain definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 98.7% female: 97.2% (2003 est.) Sri Lanka definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.3% male: 94.8% female: 90% (2003 est.) Sudan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61.1% male: 71.8% female: 50.5% (2003 est.) Suriname definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88% male: 92.3% female: 84.1% (2000 est.) Svalbard NA Swaziland definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.6% male: 82.6% female: 80.8% (2003 est.) Sweden definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Switzerland definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Syria definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.9% male: 89.7% female: 64% (2003 est.) Taiwan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: NA% female: NA% (2003) Tajikistan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.6% female: 99.1% (2003 est.) Tanzania definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic total population: 78.2% male: 85.9% female: 70.7% (2003 est.) Thailand definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 94.9% female: 90.5% (2002) Togo definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60.9% male: 75.4% female: 46.9% (2003 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English total population: 98.9% male: 98.8% female: 99% (1999 est.) Trinidad and Tobago definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98% (2003 est.) Tunisia definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.3% male: 83.4% female: 65.3% (2004 est.) Turkey definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 94.3% female: 78.7% (2003 est.) Turkmenistan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.3% female: 98.3% (1999 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) Tuvalu NA Uganda definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 69.9% male: 79.5% female: 60.4% (2003 est.) Ukraine definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.8% female: 99.6% (2003 est.) United Arab Emirates definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 77.9% male: 76.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) United Kingdom definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) United States definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) Uruguay definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 97.6% female: 98.4% (2003 est.) Uzbekistan definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.3% male: 99.6% female: 99% (2003 est.) Vanuatu definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74% male: NA female: NA Venezuela definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.4% male: 93.8% female: 93.1% (2003 est.) Vietnam definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.3% male: 93.9% female: 86.9% (2002) Virgin Islands definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90-95% est. male: NA% female: NA% (2005 est.) Wallis and Futuna definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50% male: 50% female: 50% (1969 est.) West Bank definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.9% male: 96.3% female: 87.4% (2003 est.) Western Sahara NA World definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82% male: 87% female: 77% note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, South and West Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.) Yemen definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50.2% male: 70.5% female: 30% (2003 est.) Zambia definition: age 15 and over can read and write English total population: 80.6% male: 86.8% female: 74.8% (2003 est.) Zimbabwe definition: age 15 and over can read and write English total population: 90.7% male: 94.2% female: 87.2% (2003 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2105 Manpower available for military service Afghanistan males age 22-49: 4,952,812 females age 22-49: 4,663,963 (2005 est.) Albania males age 19-49: 809,524 females age 19-49: 784,199 (2005 est.) Algeria males age 19-49: 8,033,049 females age 19-49: 7,926,351 (2005 est.) Andorra males age 18-49: 18,418 (2005 est.) Angola males age 17-49: 2,548,455 females age 17-49: 2,462,601 (2005 est.) Anguilla males age 18-49: 3,614 (2005 est.) Antigua and Barbuda males age 18-49: 18,952 females age 18-49: 18,360 (2005 est.) Argentina males age 18-49: 8,981,886 females age 18-49: 8,883,756 (2005 est.) Armenia males age 18-49: 722,836 females age 18-49: 795,084 (2005 est.) Aruba males age 18-49: 16,278 (2005 est.) Australia males age 18-49: 4,943,676 females age 18-49: 4,821,264 Austria males age 18-49: 1,914,800 females age 18-49: 1,870,134 (2005 est.) Azerbaijan males age 18-49: 1,961,973 females age 18-49: 2,033,186 (2005 est.) Bahamas, The males age 18-49: 73,121 (2005 est.) Bahrain males age 18-49: 202,126 females age 18-49: 151,734 (2005 est.) Bangladesh males age 18-49: 35,170,019 (2005 est.) Barbados males age 18-49: 71,524 females age 18-49: 72,302 (2005 est.) Belarus males age 18-49: 2,520,644 females age 18-49: 2,564,696 (2005 est.) Belgium males age 16-49: 2,436,736 females age 16-49: 2,369,463 (2005 est.) Belize males age 18-49: 61,201 females age 18-49: 60,048 (2005 est.) Benin males age 21-49: 1,295,230 females age 21-49: 1,301,936 (2005 est.) Bermuda males age 18-49: 15,151 (2005 est.) Bhutan males age 18-49: 483,860 females age 18-49: 453,683 (2005 est.) Bolivia males age 18-49: 1,923,234 females age 18-49: 2,007,315 (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina males age 18-49: 1,119,508 females age 18-49: 1,079,435 (2005 est.) Botswana males age 18-49: 350,649 females age 18-49: 361,642 (2005 est.) Brazil males age 19-49: 45,586,036 females age 19-49: 45,728,704 (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands males age 18-49: 6,410 (2005 est.) Brunei males age 18-49: 103,885 females age 18-49: 93,024 (2005 est.) Bulgaria males age 18-49: 1,661,211 females age 18-49: 1,660,982 (2005 est.) Burkina Faso males age 18-49: 2,651,687 (2005 est.) Burma males age 18-49: 12,268,850 females age 18-49: 12,469,771 (2005 est.) Burundi males age 16-49: 1,676,855 females age 16-49: 1,656,366 (2005 est.) Cambodia males age 18-49: 3,002,718 females age 18-49: 3,108,254 (2005 est.) Cameroon males age 18-49: 3,525,307 females age 18-49: 3,461,406 (2005 est.) Canada males age 16-49: 8,216,510 females age 16-49: 8,034,939 (2005 est.) Cape Verde males age 18-49: 84,641 females age 18-49: 87,310 (2005 est.) Cayman Islands males age 18-49: 10,703 (2005 est.) Central African Republic males age 18-49: 853,760 females age 18-49: 835,426 (2005 est.) Chad males age 20-49: 1,527,580 females age 20-49: 1,629,510 (2005 est.) Chile males age 18-49: 3,815,761 females age 18-49: 3,780,864 (2005 est.) China males age 18-49: 342,956,265 females age 18-49: 324,701,244 (2005 est.) Colombia males age 18-49: 10,212,456 females age 18-49: 10,561,562 (2005 est.) Comoros males age 18-49: 138,940 females age 18-49: 139,491 (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the males age 18-49: 11,365,610 (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the males age 18-49: 688,628 females age 18-49: 685,388 (2005 est.) Costa Rica males age 18-49: 997,690 females age 18-49: 968,290 (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire males age 18-49: 3,696,106 females age 18-49: 3,569,967 (2005 est.) Croatia males age 18-49: 1,005,058 females age 18-49: 1,008,511 (2005 est.) Cuba males age 17-49: 2,967,865 females age 17-49: 2,913,559 (2005 est.) Cyprus Greek Cyriot National Guard (GCNG): males age 18-49: 184,352 females age 18-49: 175,567 (2005 est.) Czech Republic males age 18-49: 2,414,728 females age 18-49: 2,329,412 (2005 est.) Denmark males age 18-49: 1,175,108 females age 18-49: 1,150,627 (2005 est.) Djibouti males age 18-49: 95,328 females age 18-49: 87,795 (2005 est.) Dominica males age 18-49: 18,227 (2005 est.) Dominican Republic males age 18-49: 2,133,142 females age 18-49: 2,032,840 (2005 est.) East Timor males age 18-49: 235,198 females age 18-49: 223,069 (2005 est.) Ecuador males age 20-49: 2,792,770 females age 20-49: 2,849,519 (2005 est.) Egypt males age 18-49: 18,347,560 females age 18-49: 17,683,904 (2005 est.) El Salvador males age 18-49: 1,391,278 females age 18-49: 1,542,323 (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea males age 18-49: 104,563 females age 18-49: 109,923 (2005 est.) Eritrea males age 18-49: 893,361 females age 18-49: 891,662 (2005 est.) Estonia males age 18-49: 291,696 females age 18-49: 304,961 (2005 est.) Ethiopia males age 18-49: 14,568,277 females age 18-49: 14,482,885 (2005 est.) Faroe Islands males age 18-49: 10,695 (2005 est.) Fiji males age 18-49: 215,104 females age 18-49: 212,739 (2005 est.) Finland males age 18-49: 1,121,275 females age 18-49: 1,076,684 (2005 est.) France males age 17-49: 13,676,509 females age 17-49: 13,504,539 (2005 est.) French Guiana males age 18-49: 47,809 (2005 est.) French Polynesia males age 18-49: 69,679 (2005 est.) Gabon males age 18-49: 278,826 females age 18-49: 279,865 (2005 est.) Gambia, The males age 18-49: 311,025 females age 18-49: 316,214 (2005 est.) Gaza Strip males age 18-49: 260,855 (2005 est.) Georgia males age 18-49: 1,038,736 females age 18-49: 1,105,910 (2005 est.) Germany males age 18-49: 18,917,537 females age 18-49: 17,913,113 (2005 est.) Ghana males age 18-49: 4,808,451 females age 18-49: 4,762,459 (2005 est.) Gibraltar males age 18-49: 5,959 (2005 est.) Greece males age 18-49: 2,459,988 females age 18-49: 2,442,818 (2005 est.) Greenland males age 18-49: 14,653 (2005 est.) Grenada males age 18-49: 24,031 (2005 est.) Guadeloupe males age 18-49: 112,551 (2005 est.) Guatemala males age 18-49: 2,429,033 females age 18-49: 2,503,482 (2005 est.) Guinea males age 18-49: 1,852,534 females age 18-49: 1,827,560 (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau males age 18-49: 287,542 females age 18-49: 297,295 (2005 est.) Guyana males age 18-49: 206,098 (2005 est.) Haiti males age 18-49: 1,626,491 females age 18-49: 1,637,657 (2005 est.) Honduras males age 18-49: 1,537,232 females age 18-49: 1,515,120 (2005 est.) Hong Kong males age 18-49: 1,743,972 females age 18-49: 1,904,967 (2005 est.) Hungary males age 18-49: 2,303,116 females age 18-49: 2,265,463 (2005 est.) Iceland males age 18-49: 69,038 (2005 est.) India males age 16-49: 287,551,111 females age 16-49: 268,524,835 (2005 est.) Indonesia males age 18-49: 60,543,028 females age 18-49: 59,981,730 (2005 est.) Iran males age 18-49: 18,319,545 females age 18-49: 17,541,037 (2005 est.) Iraq males age 18-49: 5,870,640 females age 18-49: 5,642,073 (2005 est.) Ireland males age 17-49: 977,092 females age 17-49: 978,465 (2005 est.) Israel males age 17-49: 1,492,125 females age 17-49: 1,443,916 (2005 est.) Italy males age 18-49: 13,491,260 females age 18-49: 12,886,033 (2005 est.) Jamaica males age 18-49: 592,018 females age 18-49: 616,500 (2005 est.) Japan males age 18-49: 27,003,112 females age 18-49: 26,153,482 (2005 est.) Jordan males age 17-49: 1,573,995 females age 17-49: 1,346,642 (2005 est.) Kazakhstan males age 18-49: 3,758,255 females age 18-49: 3,822,845 (2005 est.) Kenya males age 18-49: 7,303,153 females age 18-49: 7,083,726 (2005 est.) Kiribati males age 18-49: 21,938 (2005 est.) Korea, North males age 17-49: 5,851,801 females age 17-49: 5,850,733 (2005 est.) Korea, South males age 20-49: 12,483,677 females age 20-49: 12,014,462 (2005 est.) Kuwait males age 18-49: 864,745 females age 18-49: 467,120 (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan males age 18-49: 1,193,529 females age 18-49: 1,219,080 (2005 est.) Laos males age 15-49: 1,500,625 females age 15-49: 1,521,116 (2005 est.) Latvia males age 19-49: 517,713 females age 19-49: 519,631 (2005 est.) Lebanon males age 18-49: 974,363 females age 18-49: 1,024,273 (2005 est.) Lesotho males age 18-49: 428,982 females age 18-49: 440,102 (2005 est.) Liberia males age 18-49: 575,384 females age 18-49: 588,780 (2005 est.) Libya males age 17-49: 1,505,675 females age 17-49: 1,429,152 (2005 est.) Liechtenstein males age 18-49: 7,736 (2005 est.) Lithuania males age 19-49: 830,368 females age 19-49: 830,524 (2005 est.) Luxembourg males age 17-49: 110,867 females age 17-49: 108,758 (2005 est.) Macau males age 18-49: 112,744 (2005 est.) Macedonia males age 18-49: 498,259 females age 18-49: 481,317 (2005 est.) Madagascar males age 18-49: 3,542,797 females age 18-49: 3,551,447 (2005 est.) Malawi males age 18-49: 2,430,514 (2005 est.) Malaysia males age 18-49: 5,584,231 females age 18-49: 5,510,345 (2005 est.) Maldives males age 18-49: 71,774 females age 18-49: 69,229 (2005 est.) Mali males age 18-49: 2,094,432 females age 18-49: 2,027,352 (2005 est.) Malta males age 18-49: 90,651 females age 18-49: 87,047 (2005 est.) Marshall Islands males age 18-49: 13,465 (2005 est.) Martinique males age 18-49: 110,536 (2005 est.) Mauritania males age 18-49: 606,463 females age 18-49: 607,955 (2005 est.) Mauritius males age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.) Mexico males age 18-49: 24,488,008 females age 18-49: 26,128,046 (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of males age 18-49: 23,816 (2005 est.) Moldova males age 18-49: 1,066,459 females age 18-49: 1,117,070 (2005 est.) Monaco males age 18-49: 6,256 (2005 est.) Mongolia males age 18-49: 736,182 females age 18-49: 734,679 (2005 est.) Montserrat males age 18-49: 2,298 (2005 est.) Morocco males age 18-49: 7,908,864 females age 18-49: 7,882,879 (2005 est.) Mozambique males age 18-49: 3,793,373 (2005 est.) Namibia males age 18-49: 441,293 (2005 est.) Nauru males age 18-49: 2,874 (2005 est.) Nepal males age 18-49: 6,107,091 females age 18-49: 5,744,989 (2005 est.) Netherlands males age 20-49: 3,557,918 females age 20-49: 3,470,377 (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles males age 16-49: 54,200 females age 16-49: 56,868 (2005 est.) New Caledonia males age 18-49: 50,874 (2005 est.) New Zealand males age 17-49: 984,700 females age 17-49: 965,170 (2005 est.) Nicaragua males age 17-49: 1,309,970 females age 17-49: 1,315,186 (2005 est.) Niger males age 18-49: 2,367,828 females age 18-49: 2,217,568 (2005 est.) Nigeria males age 18-49: 26,802,678 females age 18-49: 25,668,446 (2005 est.) Norway males age 18-49: 1,014,592 females age 18-49: 982,734 (2005 est.) Oman males age 18-49: 719,871 females age 18-49: 508,621 (2005 est.) Pakistan males age 16-49: 39,028,014 females age 16-49: 36,779,584 (2005 est.) Palau males age 18-49: 5,694 (2005 est.) Panama males age 18-49: 751,065 (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea males age 18-49: 1,264,728 females age 18-49: 1,167,188 (2005 est.) Paraguay males age 18-49: 1,345,022 females age 18-49: 1,342,725 (2005 est.) Peru males age 18-49: 6,647,874 females age 18-49: 6,544,408 (2005 est.) Philippines males age 18-49: 20,131,179 females age 18-49: 20,009,526 (2005 est.) Poland males age 17-49: 9,681,703 females age 17-49: 9,480,641 (2005 est.) Portugal males age 18-49: 2,435,042 females age 18-49: 2,405,816 (2005 est.) Qatar males age 18-49: 302,873 females age 18-49: 137,856 (2005 est.) Reunion males age 18-49: 183,421 females age 18-49: 185,606 (2005 est.) Romania males age 20-49: 5,061,984 females age 20-49: 4,975,427 (2005 est.) Russia males age 18-49: 35,247,049 females age 18-49: 35,986,426 (2005 est.) Rwanda males age 16-49: 2,004,750 females age 16-49: 1,990,935 (2005 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis males age 18-49: 9,196 females age 18-49: 9,236 (2005 est.) Saint Lucia males age 18-49: 42,742 (2005 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines males age 18-49: 31,489 (2005 est.) Samoa males age 18-49: 58,722 (2005 est.) San Marino males age 18-49: 6,331 (2005 est.) Sao Tome and Principe males age 18-49: 33,438 females age 18-49: 35,279 (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia males age 18-49: 7,648,999 females age 18-49: 5,417,922 (2005 est.) Senegal males age 18-49: 2,443,840 females age 18-49: 2,461,939 (2005 est.) Seychelles males age 18-49: 21,612 females age 18-49: 22,459 (2005 est.) Sierra Leone males age 18-49: 1,086,091 (2005 est.) Singapore males age 18-49: 1,215,568 (2005 est.) Slovakia males age 18-49: 1,351,848 females age 18-49: 1,322,647 (2005 est.) Slovenia males age 17-49: 496,929 females age 17-49: 483,959 (2005 est.) Solomon Islands males age 18-49: 114,253 (2005 est.) Somalia males age 18-49: 1,787,727 females age 18-49: 1,714,792 (2005 est.) South Africa males age 18-49: 10,354,769 females age 18-49: 10,626,550 (2005 est.) Spain males age 20-49: 9,366,588 females age 20-49: 9,155,057 (2005 est.) Sri Lanka males age 18-49: 4,933,217 females age 18-49: 5,153,597 (2005 est.) Sudan males age 18-49: 8,291,695 females age 18-49: 8,135,683 (2005 est.) Suriname males age 18-49: 111,582 females age 18-49: 103,769 (2005 est.) Swaziland males age 18-49: 227,617 (2005 est.) Sweden males age 19-49: 1,838,427 females age 19-49: 1,774,659 (2005 est.) Switzerland males age 19-49: 1,707,694 females age 19-49: 1,662,099 (2005 est.) Syria males age 18-49: 4,356,413 females age 18-49: 4,123,339 (2005 est.) Taiwan males age 19-49: 5,883,828 females age 19-49: 5,680,773 (2005 est.) Tajikistan males age 18-49: 1,556,415 females age 18-49: 1,568,780 (2005 est.) Tanzania males age 18-49: 7,422,869 (2005 est.) Thailand males age 21-49: 14,903,855 females age 21-49: 15,265,854 (2005 est.) Togo males age 18-49: 1,102,661 females age 18-49: 1,124,463 (2005 est.) Tonga males age 18-49: 25,420 females ag3 18-49: 24,827 (2005 est.) Trinidad and Tobago males age 18-49: 290,715 females age 18-49: 258,410 (2005 est.) Tunisia males age 20-49: 2,441,741 females age 20-49: 2,406,362 (2005 est.) Turkey males age 20-49: 16,756,323 females age 20-49: 16,051,706 (2005 est.) Turkmenistan males age 18-49: 1,132,833 females age 18-49: 1,162,569 (2005 est.) Uganda males age 18-49: 5,012,620 females age 18-49: 4,855,858 (2005 est.) Ukraine males age 18-49: 11,020,222 females age 18-49: 11,370,687 (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates males age 18-49: 653,181 females age 18-49: 497,394 (includes non-nationals; 2005 est.) United Kingdom males age 16-49: 14,607,724 females age 16-49: 14,028,738 (2005 est.) United States males age 18-49: 67,742,879 females age 18-49: 67,070,144 (2005 est.) Uruguay males age 18-49: 764,408 females age 18-49: 760,341 (2005 est.) Uzbekistan males age 18-49: 6,340,220 females age 18-49: 6,432,072 (2005 est.) Vanuatu males age 18-49: 50,221 (2005 est.) Venezuela males age 18-49: 6,236,012 females age 18-49: 6,137,622 (2005 est.) Vietnam males age 18-49: 21,341,813 females age 18-49: 21,430,808 (2005 est.) Yemen males age 18-49: 4,058,223 females age 18-49: 3,868,112 (2005 est.) Zambia males age 18-49: 2,219,739 females age 18-49: 2,159,688 (2005 est.) Zimbabwe males age 18-49: 2,778,404 females age 18-49: 2,681,531 (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2106 Maritime claims Afghanistan none (landlocked) Albania territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Algeria territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm American Samoa territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Andorra none (landlocked) Angola territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Anguilla territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Antarctica Australia, Chile, and Argentina claim Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rights or similar over 200 nm extensions seaward from their continental claims, but like the claims themselves, these zones are not accepted by other countries; 21 of 28 Antarctic consultative nations have made no claims to Antarctic territory (although Russia and the US have reserved the right to do so) and do not recognize the claims of the other nations; also see the Disputes - international entry Antigua and Barbuda territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Argentina territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Armenia none (landlocked) Aruba territorial sea: 12 nm Ashmore and Cartier Islands territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Australia territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Austria none (landlocked) Azerbaijan none (landlocked) Bahamas, The territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Bahrain territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined Baker Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Bangladesh territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin Barbados territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Bassas da India territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Belarus none (landlocked) Belgium territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit continental shelf: median line with neighbors Belize territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Benin territorial sea: 200 nm Bermuda territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Bhutan none (landlocked) Bolivia none (landlocked) Bosnia and Herzegovina no data available Botswana none (landlocked) Bouvet Island territorial sea: 4 nm Brazil territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin British Indian Ocean Territory territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm British Virgin Islands territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Brunei territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line Bulgaria territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Burkina Faso none (landlocked) Burma territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Burundi none (landlocked) Cambodia territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Cameroon territorial sea: 50 nm Canada territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Cape Verde measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Cayman Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Central African Republic none (landlocked) Chad none (landlocked) Chile territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200/350 nm China territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Christmas Island territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Clipperton Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Cocos (Keeling) Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Colombia territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Comoros territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Congo, Democratic Republic of the territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors Congo, Republic of the territorial sea: 200 nm Cook Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Coral Sea Islands territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Costa Rica territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Cote d'Ivoire territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Croatia territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Cuba territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Cyprus territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Czech Republic none (landlocked) Denmark territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Djibouti territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Dominica territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Dominican Republic territorial sea: 6 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin East Timor territorial sea: NA exclusive economic zone: NA continental shelf: NA exclusive fishing zone: NA Ecuador territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath Egypt territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation El Salvador territorial sea: 200 nm Equatorial Guinea territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Eritrea territorial sea: 12 nm Estonia territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states Ethiopia none (landlocked) Europa Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm European Union NA Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Faroe Islands territorial sea: 3 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line Fiji measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added Finland territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm) continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden France territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean) continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation French Guiana territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm French Polynesia territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm French Southern and Antarctic Lands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen (does not include the rest of French Southern and Antarctic Lands) Gabon territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Gambia, The territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Gaza Strip Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation Georgia NA Germany territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Ghana territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Gibraltar territorial sea: 3 nm Glorioso Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Greece territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Greenland territorial sea: 3 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line Grenada territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Guadeloupe territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Guam territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Guatemala territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Guernsey territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Guinea territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Guinea-Bissau territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Guyana territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin Haiti territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation Heard Island and McDonald Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Holy See (Vatican City) none (landlocked) Honduras territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm Hong Kong territorial sea: 3 nm Howland Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Hungary none (landlocked) Iceland territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Iles Eparses territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; note - Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island claim a continental shelf of 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation India territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Indonesia measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Iran territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf continental shelf: natural prolongation Iraq territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: not specified Ireland territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Isle of Man territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Israel territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation Italy territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Jamaica measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin Jan Mayen territorial sea: 4 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Japan territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Jarvis Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Jersey territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Johnston Atoll territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Jordan territorial sea: 3 nm Juan de Nova Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Kazakhstan none (landlocked) Kenya territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation Kingman Reef territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Kiribati territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Korea, North territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned Korea, South territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified Kuwait territorial sea: 12 nm Kyrgyzstan none (landlocked) Laos none (landlocked) Latvia territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Lebanon territorial sea: 12 nm Lesotho none (landlocked) Liberia territorial sea: 200 nm Libya territorial sea: 12 nm note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north Liechtenstein none (landlocked) Lithuania territorial sea: 12 nm Luxembourg none (landlocked) Macau not specified Macedonia none (landlocked) Madagascar territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m deep isobath Malawi none (landlocked) Malaysia territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea Maldives measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Mali none (landlocked) Malta territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm Marshall Islands territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Martinique territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Mauritania territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Mauritius territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Mayotte territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Mexico territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Micronesia, Federated States of territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Midway Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Moldova none (landlocked) Monaco territorial sea: 12 nm Mongolia none (landlocked) Montenegro NA Montserrat territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Morocco territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Mozambique territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Namibia territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Nauru territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Navassa Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Nepal none (landlocked) Netherlands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Netherlands Antilles territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm New Caledonia territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm New Zealand territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Nicaragua territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation Niger none (landlocked) Nigeria territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Niue territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Norfolk Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Northern Mariana Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Norway territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Oman territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Pakistan territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Palau territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Palmyra Atoll territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Panama territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Papua New Guinea measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Paracel Islands NA Paraguay none (landlocked) Peru territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Philippines territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 nm in breadth exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation Pitcairn Islands territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Poland territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties Portugal territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Puerto Rico territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Qatar territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line Reunion territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Romania territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Russia territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Rwanda none (landlocked) Saint Helena territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Saint Kitts and Nevis territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Saint Lucia territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Saint Pierre and Miquelon territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Saint Vincent and the Grenadines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Samoa territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm San Marino none (landlocked) Sao Tome and Principe measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Saudi Arabia territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified Senegal territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Serbia none (landlocked) Seychelles territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Sierra Leone territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Singapore territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice Slovakia none (landlocked) Slovenia NA Solomon Islands measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm Somalia territorial sea: 200 nm South Africa territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Spain territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean) Spratly Islands NA Sri Lanka territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Sudan territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Suriname territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Svalbard territorial sea: 4 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not recognized by Russia Swaziland none (landlocked) Sweden territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Switzerland none (landlocked) Syria territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 41 nm Taiwan territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Tajikistan none (landlocked) Tanzania territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Thailand territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Togo territorial sea: 30 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Tokelau territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Tonga territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Trinidad and Tobago measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin Tromelin Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Tunisia territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm Turkey territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR Turkmenistan none (landlocked) Turks and Caicos Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Tuvalu territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Uganda none (landlocked) Ukraine territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation United Arab Emirates territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin United Kingdom territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries United States territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Uruguay territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Uzbekistan none (doubly landlocked) Vanuatu measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Venezuela territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 15 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Vietnam territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Virgin Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Wake Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Wallis and Futuna territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm West Bank none (landlocked) Western Sahara contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue World a variety of situations exist, but in general, most countries make the following claims measured from the mean low-tide baseline as described in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: territorial sea - 12 nm, contiguous zone - 24 nm, and exclusive economic zone - 200 nm; additional zones provide for exploitation of continental shelf resources and an exclusive fishing zone; boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200nm Yemen territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin Zambia none (landlocked) Zimbabwe none (landlocked) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2107 International organization participation Afghanistan AsDB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Albania BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Algeria ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) American Samoa Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC, UPU Andorra CE, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF, OIF (associate member), OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer) Angola ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Anguilla Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS (associate), UPU Antigua and Barbuda ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Argentina ABEDA, AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Armenia ACCT (observer), AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Aruba ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WToO (associate) Australia ANZUS, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Austria ACCT (observer), AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Azerbaijan AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Bahamas, The ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO Bahrain ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Bangladesh ARF, AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Barbados ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Belarus BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Belgium ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Belize ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Benin ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Bermuda Caricom (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCO Bhutan AsDB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Bolivia CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMISET, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Bosnia and Herzegovina BIS, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Botswana ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Brazil AfDB, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO British Virgin Islands Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU Brunei APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, C, EAS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Bulgaria ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Burkina Faso ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Burma APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Burundi ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Cambodia ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Cameroon ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Canada ACCT, AfDB, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAFTA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Cape Verde ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Cayman Islands Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU Central African Republic ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OIF, OPCW, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Chad ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Chile APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO China AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BCIE, BIS, CDB, EAS, FAO, G-24 (observer), G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Christmas Island none Cocos (Keeling) Islands none Colombia BCIE, CAN, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Comoros ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO Congo, Democratic Republic of the ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Congo, Republic of the ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Cook Islands ACP, AsDB, FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Costa Rica BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Cote d'Ivoire ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Croatia ACCT (observer), BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Cuba ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Cyprus Australia Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Czech Republic ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Denmark AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Djibouti ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Dominica ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Dominican Republic ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO East Timor ACP, ARF, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WToO Ecuador CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Egypt ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, COMESA, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO El Salvador BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Equatorial Guinea ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer) Eritrea ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Estonia Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Ethiopia ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) European Union European Union: ASEAN (dialogue member), ARF (dialogue member), IDA, OAS (observer), UN (observer), WTO European Commission: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10, NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, ZC (observer) European Central Bank: BIS European Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) ICFTU, UPU Faroe Islands Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU Fiji ACP, AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Finland AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC France ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC French Guiana UPU, WCL, WFTU French Polynesia FZ, ICFTU, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WMO Gabon ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Gambia, The ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Georgia ACCT (observer), BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Germany AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Ghana ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Gibraltar Interpol (subbureau), UPU Greece Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Greenland Arctic Council, NC, NIB, UPU Grenada ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO Guadeloupe UPU, WCL, WFTU Guam IOC, SPC, UPU Guatemala BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Guernsey UPU Guinea ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Guinea-Bissau ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Guyana ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Haiti ACCT, ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Holy See (Vatican City) CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WToO (observer), WTO (observer) Honduras BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Hong Kong APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO Hungary ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Iceland Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO India AfDB, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CERN (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Indonesia APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Iran ABEDA, CP, ECO, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Iraq ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Ireland AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Isle of Man UPU Israel BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Italy AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Jamaica ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Japan AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Jordan ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Kazakhstan AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Kenya ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Kiribati ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Korea, North ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Korea, South AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Kuwait ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Kyrgyzstan AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Laos ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Latvia Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Lebanon ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Lesotho ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Liberia ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Libya ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Liechtenstein CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO, WTO Lithuania ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Luxembourg ACCT, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Macau IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO Macedonia BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Madagascar ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Malawi ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Malaysia APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Maldives AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Mali ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Malta Australia Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Marshall Islands ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO Martinique UPU, WCL, WFTU Mauritania ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Mauritius ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Mayotte UPU Mexico APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), CDB, CE (observer), CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Micronesia, Federated States of ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO Moldova ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Monaco ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Mongolia ARF, AsDB, CP, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Montenegro CEI, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, ICFTU, ILO, Interpol, IPU, ITU, OSCE, UN, UPU, WHO, WTO (observer) Montserrat Caricom, CDB, ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU Morocco ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Mozambique ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF (observer), OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Namibia ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Nauru ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO Nepal AsDB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Netherlands AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Netherlands Antilles ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate) New Caledonia ICFTU, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO New Zealand ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Nicaragua BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Niger ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Nigeria ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Niue ACP, FAO, IFAD, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Norfolk Island UPU Northern Mariana Islands Interpol (subbureau), SPC, UPU Norway AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Oman ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO Pakistan ARF, AsDB, C (reinstated 2004), CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Palau ACP, AsDB, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO Panama CAN (observer), CSN (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Papua New Guinea ACP, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO Paraguay CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Peru APEC, CAN, CSN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Philippines APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Pitcairn Islands SPC, UPU Poland ACCT (observer), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Portugal AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Puerto Rico Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WToO (associate) Qatar ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Reunion InOC, UPU, WFTU Romania ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Russia APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC, CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, G- 8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer), ZC Rwanda ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Saint Helena ICFTU, UPU Saint Kitts and Nevis ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO Saint Lucia ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Saint Pierre and Miquelon UPU, WFTU Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO Samoa ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) San Marino CE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO Sao Tome and Principe ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Saudi Arabia ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BIS, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO Senegal ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Serbia ABEDA, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD (suspended), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Seychelles ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Sierra Leone ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Singapore APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Slovakia ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Slovenia ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Solomon Islands ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO Somalia ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO South Africa ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Spain AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Sri Lanka AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Sudan ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Suriname ACP, Caricom, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Svalbard none Swaziland ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Sweden AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 6, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Switzerland ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Syria ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Taiwan APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTO note: Taiwan has acquired observer status on the competition committee and special observer status on the Trade Committee of the OECD, and is seeking observer status with the backing of the US in WHO Tajikistan AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Tanzania ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Thailand APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Togo ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Tokelau PIF (observer), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU Tonga ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Trinidad and Tobago ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Tunisia ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC (suspended), OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Turkey AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Turkmenistan AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Turks and Caicos Islands Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU Tuvalu ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO Uganda ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Ukraine Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer), ZC United Arab Emirates ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO United Kingdom AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO, ZC United States AfDB, ANZUS, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Uruguay CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Uzbekistan AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Vanuatu ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO (observer) Venezuela CAN, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Vietnam ACCT (observer), APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Virgin Islands IOC, UPU Wallis and Futuna SPC, UPU Western Sahara none Yemen AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) Zambia ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Zimbabwe ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2108 Merchant marine Albania total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 52,987 GRT/79,863 DWT by type: cargo 23, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Turkey 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Georgia 1) (2006) Algeria total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or over) 744,406 GRT/766,764 DWT by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 10, chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 9, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 13 (UK 13) (2006) Angola total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,343 GRT/4,643 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1 registered in other countries: 5 (Bahamas 5) (2006) Anguilla registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) Antigua and Barbuda total: 1,011 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,452,503 GRT/9,783,309 DWT by type: bulk carrier 40, cargo 596, chemical tanker 7, container 321, liquefied gas 11, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 21 foreign-owned: 984 (Australia 1, Bangladesh 4, Belgium 4, Colombia 2, Denmark 14, Estonia 12, France 1, Germany 858, Iceland 8, Isle of Man 2, Latvia 5, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 3, Netherlands 14, Norway 11, NZ 1, Poland 3, Russia 6, Singapore 1, Slovenia 6, Switzerland 4, Turkey 8, UK 7, US 7, Vietnam 1) (2006) Argentina total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or over) 435,969 GRT/707,767 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 10, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 21, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 11 (Chile 6, UK 4, Uruguay 1) registered in other countries: 24 (Bolivia 1, Chile 1, Liberia 7, Panama 9, Paraguay 3, Uruguay 3) (2006) Australia total: 53 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,361,000 GRT/1,532,874 DWT by type: bulk carrier 17, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 17 (Canada 1, France 3, Germany 3, Japan 1, Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 3) registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 2, Bermuda 3, Fiji 1, Hong Kong 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2, Netherlands 1, NZ 2, Panama 3, Portugal 1, Singapore 7, Tonga 1, UK 3, US 2, Vanuatu 2) (2006) Austria total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,072 GRT/44,437 DWT by type: cargo 6, container 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2) registered in other countries: 14 (Liberia 13, Malta 1) (2006) Azerbaijan total: 84 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,395 GRT/436,666 DWT by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 43, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 3 registered in other countries: 4 (Georgia 2, Malta 2) (2006) Bahamas, The total: 1,177 ships (1000 GRT or over) 37,743,270 GRT/50,918,747 DWT by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 253, cargo 250, chemical tanker 64, container 79, liquefied gas 35, livestock carrier 2, passenger 115, passenger/cargo 34, petroleum tanker 175, refrigerated cargo 114, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 5, vehicle carrier 30 foreign-owned: 1,093 (Angola 5, Australia 2, Belgium 13, Canada 18, China 3, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 59, Estonia 1, Finland 8, France 37, Germany 22, Greece 232, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 1, India 1, Indonesia 4, Ireland 2, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 51, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 17, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 24, Nigeria 2, Norway 259, Philippines 1, Poland 15, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 12, Singapore 12, Slovenia 1, Spain 12, Sweden 6, Switzerland 2, Thailand 1, Turkey 8, UAE 16, UK 69, Uruguay 2, US 121, Venezuela 1) registered in other countries: 4 (Barbados 1, Liberia 1, Panama 2) (2006) Bahrain total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 235,449 GRT/339,728 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 3 (Kuwait 3) (2006) Bangladesh total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 341,733 GRT/485,840 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 29, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3 foreign-owned: 1 (China 1) registered in other countries: 10 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Comoros 1, Malta 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1) (2006) Barbados total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 433,390 GRT/664,998 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 32, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 57 (Bahamas, The 1, Canada 8, Greece 11, Lebanon 1, Monaco 1, Norway 29, UAE 1, UK 5) registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Belgium total: 66 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,952,159 GRT/6,521,645 DWT by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 4, chemical tanker 2, container 10, liquefied gas 15, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 4, Greece 4, UK 2) registered in other countries: 113 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas 13, Bermuda 4, Cyprus 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 6, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 2, Greece 12, Hong Kong 3, Luxembourg 9, Malta 10, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 4, Panama 11, Portugal 8, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 12, Sweden 2) (2006) Belize total: 285 ships (1000 GRT or over) 985,464 GRT/1,322,629 DWT by type: bulk carrier 36, cargo 203, chemical tanker 7, container 4, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 225 (China 103, Croatia 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 3, Germany 3, Greece 2, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 2, Indonesia 2, Italy 4, Japan 2, North Korea 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 6, Lithuania 1, Malaysia 1, Mexico 1, Norway 2, Poland 2, Russia 36, Singapore 6, Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 11, UAE 5, Ukraine 7, US 5) (2006) Bermuda total: 132 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,873,728 GRT/8,688,692 DWT by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 1, container 24, liquefied gas 23, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 116 (Australia 3, Belgium 4, France 1, Germany 21, Greece 2, Hong Kong 10, Indonesia 1, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Monaco 2, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Sweden 14, Switzerland 2, UK 9, US 27) registered in other countries: 6 (Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 1) (2006) Bolivia total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 127,297 GRT/198,525 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 10 foreign-owned: 10 (Argentina 1, China 1, Egypt 2, Iran 1, Singapore 3, Taiwan 1, Yemen 1) (2006) Brazil total: 137 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,038,923 GRT/3,057,820 DWT by type: bulk carrier 21, cargo 21, chemical tanker 8, container 8, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 47, roll on/roll off 8 foreign-owned: 15 (Chile 1, Germany 7, Norway 2, Spain 4, UK 1) registered in other countries: 5 (Ghana 1, Liberia 3, Marshall Islands 1) (2006) British Virgin Islands registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006) Brunei total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 465,937 GRT/413,393 DWT by type: liquefied gas 8 foreign-owned: 8 (UK 8) (2006) Bulgaria total: 75 ships (1000 GRT or over) 872,653 GRT/1,294,877 DWT by type: bulk carrier 40, cargo 17, chemical tanker 4, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, Russia 1) registered in other countries: 41 (Cambodia 1, Comoros 1, Malta 13, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17, Slovakia 7, unknown 1) (2006) Burma total: 34 ships (1000 GRT or over) 402,699 GRT/620,642 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 20, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 9 (Germany 5, Japan 4) (2006) Cambodia total: 544 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,777,907 GRT/2,529,708 DWT by type: bulk carrier 41, cargo 443, chemical tanker 11, container 10, livestock carrier 3, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 19, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 407 (Bulgaria 1, Canada 6, China 128, Cyprus 12, Egypt 8, Gabon 1, Greece 8, Hong Kong 15, Indonesia 1, Japan 4, South Korea 23, Latvia 2, Lebanon 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, Russia 105, Singapore 4, Spain 1, Syria 20, Taiwan 2, Turkey 26, UAE 1, Ukraine 17, US 8, Yemen 3, unknown 1) (2006) Cameroon total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 38,613 GRT/68,820 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) (2006) Canada total: 173 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,129,243 GRT/2,716,340 DWT by type: bulk carrier 62, cargo 10, chemical tanker 9, container 2, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 63, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 8 foreign-owned: 7 (Germany 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 1, US 2) registered in other countries: 111 (Australia 1, Bahamas 18, Barbados 8, Cambodia 6, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 28, Liberia 2, Malta 18, Marshall Islands 6, Panama 4, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, US 4, Vanuatu 5) (2006) Cape Verde total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,300 GRT/7,726 DWT by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4 foreign-owned: 2 (Spain 1, UK 1) (2006) Cayman Islands total: 132 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,746,290 GRT/4,366,790 DWT by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 14, chemical tanker 42, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 23, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 130 (Denmark 5, Germany 13, Greece 21, Italy 12, Japan 1, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 4, Norway 2, Philippines 1, Singapore 10, Sweden 9, UK 10, US 41) (2006) Chile total: 46 ships (1000 GRT or over) 649,091 GRT/898,110 DWT by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 6, chemical tanker 10, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 3 foreign-owned: 1 (Argentina 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Argentina 6, Brazil 1, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 9) (2006) China total: 1,723 ships (1000 GRT or over) 21,405,633 GRT/32,411,260 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 387, cargo 695, chemical tanker 45, combination ore/oil 1, container 152, liquefied gas 31, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 83, petroleum tanker 261, refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 14 foreign-owned: 13 (Hong Kong 7, Japan 3, South Korea 2, Norway 1) registered in other countries: 1,191 (Bahamas 3, Bangladesh 1, Belize 103, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 128, Cyprus 11, Georgia 2, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 274, India 2, North Korea 1, Liberia 35, Malaysia 1, Malta 14, Mongolia 4, Norway 3, Panama 420, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 103, Sierra Leone 2, Singapore 23, Thailand 1, Tuvalu 23, unknown 33) (2006) Colombia total: 17 ships (1000 GRT or over) 42,413 GRT/58,737 DWT by type: cargo 13, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 3 registered in other countries: 7 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Panama 5) (2006) Comoros total: 121 ships (1000 GRT or over) 564,882 GRT/801,238 DWT by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 85, chemical tanker 1, container 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 72 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 1, Greece 10, India 1, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 1, Pakistan 2, Philippines 1, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Syria 4, Turkey 11, UAE 6, Ukraine 14, US 2) (2006) Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,004 GRT/1,640 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Congo, Republic of the 1) (2006) Congo, Republic of the registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2006) Cook Islands total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 48,422 GRT/51,900 DWT by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 foreign-owned: 5 (Norway 1, NZ 1, Sweden 3) (2006) Costa Rica total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,308 GRT/743 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 2 (2006) Croatia total: 72 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,079,286 GRT/1,724,698 DWT by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 11, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo 27, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3 registered in other countries: 36 (Belize 1, Cyprus 2, Liberia 7, Malta 10, Marshall Islands 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9) (2006) Cuba total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 33,932 GRT/48,791 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 11, Spain 1, unknown 1) (2006) Cyprus total: 884 ships (1000 GRT or over) 19,477,944 GRT/31,157,473 DWT by type: bulk carrier 354, cargo 210, chemical tanker 44, container 145, liquefied gas 8, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 23, petroleum tanker 64, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 9, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 777 (Belgium 1, Canada 2, China 11, Croatia 2, Cuba 2, Denmark 1, Estonia 6, Germany 214, Greece 337, Greenland 1, Hong Kong 1, India 5, Iran 2, Ireland 3, Israel 3, Italy 2, Japan 17, South Korea 1, Latvia 4, Netherlands 18, Norway 16, Philippines 1, Poland 20, Portugal 2, Russia 53, Singapore 1, Slovakia 1, Slovenia 4, Spain 7, Sweden 3, Switzerland 4, Syria 3, UAE 11, UK 6, Ukraine 4, US 7, unknown 1) registered in other countries: 87 (Bahamas 13, Belize 2, Cambodia 12, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 1, Greece 1, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 3, Malta 15, Marshall Islands 15, Norway 2, Panama 14, Portugal 1, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Turkey 2) (2006) Czech Republic registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Denmark total: 293 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,986,735 GRT/9,936,431 DWT by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 63, chemical tanker 48, container 86, liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 40, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 4 foreign-owned: 25 (Canada 1, Germany 13, Greece 5, Greenland 1, Norway 3, Sweden 1, UK 1) registered in other countries: 409 (Antigua and Barbuda 14, Bahamas 59, Belgium 4, Cayman Islands 5, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Estonia 2, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Gibraltar 1, Hong Kong 6, Isle of Man 53, North Korea 1, Liberia 8, Lithuania 10, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Mexico 2, Netherlands 9, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 32, Panama 34, Portugal 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 14, Singapore 52, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Sweden 4, UK 46, US 24, Vanuatu 6, Venezuela 3, Vietnam 1) (2006) Djibouti total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,369 GRT/3,030 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Dominica total: 48 ships (1000 GRT or over) 634,668 GRT/1,100,558 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 24, chemical tanker 4, container 2, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 45 (Estonia 11, Germany 1, Greece 5, Latvia 1, Norway 1, NZ 4, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 9, Syria 1, Turkey 3, UAE 2, Ukraine 2) (2006) Dominican Republic total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Ecuador total: 31 ships (1000 GRT or over) 184,819 GRT/300,339 DWT by type: chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 7, petroleum tanker 21, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Norway 1, Paraguay 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Georgia 1) (2006) Egypt total: 76 ships (1000 GRT or over) 987,524 GRT/1,467,139 DWT by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 33, container 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 1, Greece 6, Lebanon 2) registered in other countries: 49 (Bolivia 2, Cambodia 8, Georgia 8, Honduras 4, North Korea 2, Panama 16, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Sierra Leone 1, Thailand 1, unknown 1) (2006) Equatorial Guinea total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,745 GRT/3,434 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Eritrea total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 19,506 GRT/23,649 DWT by type: cargo 3, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2006) Estonia total: 35 ships (1000 GRT or over) 388,723 GRT/98,393 DWT by type: cargo 7, passenger/cargo 26, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Norway 2) registered in other countries: 72 (Antigua and Barbuda 12, Bahamas 1, Belize 3, Cyprus 6, Dominica 11, Isle of Man 2, Liberia 1, Malta 4, Norway 1, Panama 3, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 25, Slovakia 1, Vanuatu 1) (2006) Ethiopia total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 79,441 GRT/97,669 DWT by type: cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2 (2006) Faroe Islands total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 19,265 GRT/9,171 DWT by type: cargo 10, container 2, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Iceland 4, Norway 4) (2006) Fiji total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,867 GRT/8,432 DWT by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2006) Finland total: 87 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,250,600 GRT/952,072 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 22, chemical tanker 6, container 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 20, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 25 foreign-owned: 3 (Norway 1, Russia 1, UK 1) registered in other countries: 48 (Bahamas 8, Germany 2, Gibraltar 3, Luxembourg 4, Marshall Islands 2, Netherlands 13, Norway 4, Sweden 11, UK 1) (2006) France total: 61 ships (1000 GRT or over) 875,777 GRT/1,318,605 DWT by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 3, container 5, liquefied gas 6, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 32, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 13 (Denmark 1, Hong Kong 1, Italy 2, Monaco 1, Norway 1, NZ 1, Singapore 2, Sweden 2, Switzerland 2) registered in other countries: 154 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Australia 3, Bahamas 37, Bermuda 1, Cameroon 1, French Polynesia 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 36, Gibraltar 1, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 2, Italy 1, South Korea 12, Liberia 3, Luxembourg 14, Malta 6, Mexico 1, Morocco 1, Panama 15, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8, UK 4, Wallis and Futuna 5) (2006) French Polynesia total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 23,684 GRT/17,291 DWT by type: cargo 4, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Wallis and Futuna 2) (2006) French Southern and Antarctic Lands total: 77 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,432,833 GRT/5,345,291 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, chemical tanker 27, container 18, liquefied gas 5, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 4 foreign-owned: 76 (Belgium 6, Denmark 2, France 36, Germany 2, Hong Kong 2, Japan 4, Norway 12, Saudi Arabia 1, Sweden 9, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2006) Gabon registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2006) Gambia, The total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,064 GRT/9,751 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1 (2006) Georgia total: 222 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,059,386 GRT/1,538,746 DWT by type: bulk carrier 27, cargo 176, container 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 188 (Albania 1, Azerbaijan 2, Belgium 1, China 2, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Egypt 8, Germany 1, Greece 8, Indonesia 1, South Korea 1, Lebanon 7, Monaco 13, Romania 11, Russia 28, Slovakia 1, Slovenia 1, Syria 43, Turkey 30, UAE 1, UK 4, Ukraine 22) (2006) Germany total: 394 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,017,754 GRT/13,091,194 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 60, chemical tanker 13, container 273, liquefied gas 3, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 25, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 4 (Finland 2, Italy 1, Switzerland 1) registered in other countries: 2,491 (Antigua and Barbuda 858, Australia 3, Bahamas 22, Belize 3, Bermuda 21, Brazil 7, Bulgaria 1, Burma 5, Canada 3, Cayman Islands 13, Cyprus 214, Denmark 13, Dominica 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 108, Guyana 1, Hong Kong 6, Indonesia 1, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 56, Jamaica 3, Liberia 587, Luxembourg 10, Malaysia 2, Malta 64, Marshall Islands 194, Morocco 2, Netherlands 56, Netherlands Antilles 60, NZ 1, Panama 35, Portugal 17, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8, Samoa 1, Singapore 9, Spain 12, Sri Lanka 5, Sweden 3, Turkey 1, UK 76, US 2) (2006) Ghana total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 6,308 GRT/9,418 DWT by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Brazil 1) (2006) Gibraltar total: 180 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,129,379 GRT/1,437,754 DWT by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 1, cargo 105, chemical tanker 26, container 26, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 165 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Finland 3, France 1, Germany 108, Greece 7, Iceland 1, Ireland 1, Italy 6, Latvia 2, Netherlands 5, Norway 18, Sweden 5, UK 4) (2006) Greece total: 817 ships (1000 GRT or over) 31,895,832 GRT/54,341,584 DWT by type: bulk carrier 270, cargo 61, chemical tanker 47, container 47, liquefied gas 5, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 114, petroleum tanker 244, roll on/roll off 17, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 24 (Belgium 12, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, UK 9, US 1) registered in other countries: 2,363 (Bahamas 232, Barbados 11, Belgium 4, Belize 2, Bermuda 2, Cambodia 8, Cayman Islands 21, Comoros 10, Cyprus 337, Denmark 5, Dominica 5, Egypt 6, Georgia 8, Gibraltar 7, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 27, Isle of Man 45, Italy 6, Jamaica 6, North Korea 1, Lebanon 3, Liberia 267, Malta 495, Marshall Islands 199, Norway 1, Panama 524, Philippines 5, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 82, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Singapore 9, Slovakia 4, UAE 2, UK 7, Uruguay 1, US 1, Venezuela 3, unknown 7) (2006) Greenland total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,540 GRT/2,540 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger 2 registered in other countries: 2 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 1) (2006) Guyana total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,461 GRT/15,155 DWT by type: cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) registered in other countries: 4 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, unknown 1) (2006) Honduras total: 136 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,984 GRT/557,179 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 61, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 29, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 43 (Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 4, Greece 3, Hong Kong 2, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Mexico 1, Qatar 1, Singapore 11, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, US 1, Vietnam 1) (2006) Hong Kong total: 924 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,838,025 GRT/51,957,682 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 495, cargo 121, chemical tanker 44, container 133, liquefied gas 22, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 76, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 8 foreign-owned: 562 (Australia 1, Belgium 3, Canada 28, China 274, Denmark 6, Germany 6, Greece 27, Indonesia 4, Japan 67, South Korea 6, Norway 26, Philippines 16, Portugal 1, Singapore 24, Syria 1, Taiwan 6, UAE 2, UK 43, US 21) registered in other countries: 417 (Bahamas 8, Belize 8, Bermuda 10, Cambodia 15, China 7, Cyprus 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Greece 1, Honduras 2, India 1, Liberia 37, Malaysia 14, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 7, Norway 55, Panama 169, Philippines 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 50, Taiwan 3, Tuvalu 8, unknown 7) (2006) Iceland total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 3,354 GRT/480 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Bahamas 1, Belize 2, Faroe Islands 4, Gibraltar 1, Malta 4, Norway 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10) (2006) India total: 316 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,772,313 GRT/13,310,858 DWT by type: bulk carrier 96, cargo 72, chemical tanker 13, container 8, liquefied gas 17, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 96, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 10 (China 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 6, UK 1) registered in other countries: 46 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Cyprus 5, North Korea 1, Liberia 3, Malta 1, Mauritius 2, Panama 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 5, Venezuela 1, unknown 1) (2006) Indonesia total: 824 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,773,771 GRT/4,887,614 DWT by type: bulk carrier 43, cargo 451, chemical tanker 21, container 50, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1, passenger 41, passenger/cargo 58, petroleum tanker 132, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 12, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 30 (France 1, Germany 1, Japan 3, South Korea 1, Norway 1, Philippines 1, Singapore 17, Switzerland 3, UK 2) registered in other countries: 122 (Bahamas 4, Belize 2, Bermuda 1, Cambodia 1, Georgia 1, Hong Kong 4, Liberia 1, Panama 50, Singapore 56, Thailand 1, unknown 1) (2006) Iran total: 141 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,086,702 GRT/8,878,829 DWT by type: bulk carrier 39, cargo 45, chemical tanker 4, container 12, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 30, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) registered in other countries: 22 (Bolivia 1, Cyprus 2, Malta 14, Panama 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Iraq total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 67,796 GRT/101,317 DWT by type: cargo 11, petroleum tanker 2 (2006) Ireland total: 23 ships (1000 GRT or over) 103,589 GRT/145,044 DWT by type: cargo 19, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Germany 2, US 2) registered in other countries: 21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Cyprus 3, Gibraltar 1, Netherlands 10, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, UK 1) (2006) Isle of Man total: 305 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,266,229 GRT/13,792,927 DWT by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 65, chemical tanker 53, container 16, liquefied gas 38, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 213 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 53, Estonia 2, France 2, Germany 56, Greece 45, Italy 5, Japan 4, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 27, Singapore 7, Sweden 1, Turkey 3, US 3) registered in other countries: 9 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1) (2006) Israel total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 716,382 GRT/845,053 DWT by type: cargo 2, container 16 registered in other countries: 51 (Bahamas 1, Bermuda 3, Cyprus 3, Honduras 1, Liberia 5, Malta 23, Panama 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Slovakia 7) (2006) Italy total: 591 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,737,175 GRT/12,573,225 DWT by type: bulk carrier 52, cargo 45, chemical tanker 136, container 25, liquefied gas 37, livestock carrier 3, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 150, petroleum tanker 49, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 28 foreign-owned: 36 (France 1, Greece 6, Spain 1, Taiwan 10, UK 3, US 15) registered in other countries: 152 (Bahamas 5, Belize 4, Cayman Islands 12, Cyprus 2, France 2, Germany 1, Gibraltar 6, Isle of Man 5, Jamaica 1, Liberia 16, Malta 29, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 4, Panama 15, Portugal 12, Romania 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Singapore 2, Spain 2, Sweden 7, Turkey 3, UK 4) (2006) Jamaica total: 10 ships (1000 GRT or over) 124,323 GRT/184,247 DWT by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 3, Greece 6, Italy 1) (2006) Japan total: 683 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,415,892 GRT/11,765,038 DWT by type: bulk carrier 134, cargo 30, chemical tanker 20, container 11, liquefied gas 59, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 149, petroleum tanker 156, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 51, vehicle carrier 56 registered in other countries: 2,459 (Australia 1, Bahamas 51, Belize 2, Burma 4, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 1, China 3, Cyprus 17, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 4, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 67, Indonesia 3, Isle of Man 4, South Korea 1, Liberia 102, Malaysia 4, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 7, Mongolia 1, Norway 1, Panama 2007, Philippines 26, Portugal 9, Singapore 100, Sweden 2, Thailand 4, Vanuatu 28, unknown 1) (2006) Jordan total: 25 ships (1000 GRT or over) 346,698 GRT/501,060 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 9, container 2, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 11 (UAE 11) registered in other countries: 15 (Bahamas 2, Panama 13) (2006) Kazakhstan total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 27,173 GRT/43,475 DWT by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Oman 2) (2006) Kenya total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 6,049 GRT/7,082 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1 registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2006) Kiribati total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,749 GRT/3,911 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2006) Korea, North total: 232 ships (1000 GRT or over) 983,182 GRT/1,370,104 DWT by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 176, chemical tanker 1, container 4, livestock carrier 3, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 60 (British Virgin Islands 1, China 1, Denmark 1, Egypt 2, Greece 1, India 1, Lebanon 6, Lithuania 1, Marshall Islands 1, Pakistan 3, Romania 11, Russia 1, Singapore 1, Syria 14, Turkey 4, UAE 6, US 3, Yemen 2) registered in other countries: 5 (Belize 2, Mongolia 3) (2006) Korea, South total: 669 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,634,188 GRT/13,733,624 DWT by type: bulk carrier 157, cargo 193, chemical tanker 98, container 81, liquefied gas 22, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 24, petroleum tanker 57, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 6 foreign-owned: 22 (France 12, Japan 1, UK 2, US 7) registered in other countries: 365 (Belize 4, Cambodia 23, China 2, Cyprus 1, Georgia 1, Honduras 6, Hong Kong 6, Indonesia 1, Liberia 3, Malaysia 1, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 291, Singapore 17, unknown 2) (2006) Kuwait total: 38 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,424,983 GRT/3,996,755 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 3, petroleum tanker 21 registered in other countries: 28 (Bahrain 3, Comoros 1, Liberia 1, Libya 1, Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 5, UAE 8) (2006) Laos total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Latvia total: 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 250,559 GRT/336,136 DWT by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 105 (Antigua and Barbuda 5, Bahamas 1, Belize 6, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 4, Dominica 1, Gibraltar 2, Liberia 14, Malta 40, Marshall Islands 7, Panama 3, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18) (2006) Lebanon total: 39 ships (1000 GRT or over) 150,598 GRT/178,295 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, livestock carrier 10, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 3 foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 3, Syria 1) registered in other countries: 59 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Barbados 1, Cambodia 6, Comoros 6, Egypt 2, Georgia 7, Honduras 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 2, Malta 10, Mongolia 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Syria 7, unknown 2) (2006) Liberia total: 1,687 ships (1000 GRT or over) 62,522,787 GRT/96,776,521 DWT by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 322, cargo 83, chemical tanker 199, combination ore/oil 2, container 477, liquefied gas 75, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 397, refrigerated cargo 76, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 35 foreign-owned: 1,611 (Argentina 7, Australia 2, Austria 13, Bahamas, The 1, Bermuda 1, Brazil 3, Canada 2, China 35, Croatia 7, Cyprus 3, Denmark 8, Estonia 1, France 3, Germany 587, Greece 267, Hong Kong 37, India 3, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 5, Israel 5, Italy 16, Japan 102, South Korea 3, Kuwait 1, Latvia 14, Lebanon 2, Mexico 1, Monaco 10, Netherlands 29, Norway 38, Poland 14, Qatar 2, Russia 77, Saudi Arabia 24, Singapore 28, Slovenia 2, Sweden 8, Switzerland 7, Taiwan 69, Turkey 1, UAE 18, UK 41, Ukraine 16, Uruguay 3, US 93, unknown 1) (2006) Libya total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 86,034 GRT/89,820 DWT by type: cargo 10, liquefied gas 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Kuwait 1, Norway 1, Turkey 2) (2006) Lithuania total: 49 ships (1000 GRT or over) 353,094 GRT/352,883 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 20, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 14, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 10) registered in other countries: 17 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Belize 1, North Korea 1, Norway 1, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, unknown 3) (2006) Luxembourg total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 557,636 GRT/792,069 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, chemical tanker 16, container 7, liquefied gas 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 42 (Belgium 9, Finland 4, France 14, Germany 10, Netherlands 2, US 3) (2006) Madagascar total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 13,896 GRT/18,466 DWT by type: cargo 5, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 2 (2006) Malaysia total: 312 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,542,727 GRT/7,544,154 DWT by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 99, chemical tanker 38, container 48, liquefied gas 27, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 61, roll on/roll off 5, vehicle carrier 6 foreign-owned: 66 (China 1, Germany 2, Hong Kong 14, Japan 4, South Korea 1, Singapore 44) registered in other countries: 68 (Bahamas 12, Belize 1, Cayman Islands 1, Mongolia 1, Panama 13, Philippines 1, Singapore 35, US 4) (2006) Maldives total: 17 ships (1000 GRT or over) 67,149 GRT/87,220 DWT by type: cargo 13, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) Malta total: 1,220 ships (1000 GRT or over) 23,917,414 GRT/38,685,924 DWT by type: bulk carrier 434, cargo 344, chemical tanker 105, combination ore/oil 1, container 59, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1, passenger 15, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 146, refrigerated cargo 43, roll on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 16 foreign-owned: 1,162 (Austria 1, Azerbaijan 2, Bangladesh 3, Belgium 10, Bulgaria 13, Canada 18, China 14, Croatia 10, Cyprus 15, Denmark 6, Estonia 4, France 6, Germany 64, Greece 495, Hong Kong 2, Iceland 4, India 1, Iran 14, Israel 23, Italy 29, Japan 1, South Korea 6, Latvia 40, Lebanon 10, Monaco 1, Netherlands 6, Norway 49, Pakistan 1, Poland 27, Portugal 3, Romania 9, Russia 70, Slovenia 3, Spain 6, Sweden 3, Switzerland 21, Syria 7, Taiwan 2, Turkey 123, UAE 5, UK 8, Ukraine 24, US 3) registered in other countries: 8 (Panama 3, Portugal 1, Russia 4) (2006) Marshall Islands total: 795 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,772,611 GRT/50,987,293 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 178, cargo 53, chemical tanker 133, container 147, liquefied gas 25, passenger 7, petroleum tanker 234, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 730 (Australia 2, Bermuda 4, Brazil 1, Canada 6, Chile 1, Croatia 2, Cyprus 15, Denmark 1, Finland 2, Germany 194, Greece 199, Hong Kong 7, Isle of Man 1, Italy 1, Japan 7, South Korea 1, Latvia 7, Monaco 8, Netherlands 1, Norway 65, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 6, Slovenia 3, Spain 3, Switzerland 13, Turkey 20, UAE 3, UK 12, US 143) registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006) Mauritius total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,386 GRT/23,214 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 4 (India 2, Switzerland 2) (2006) Mexico total: 56 ships (1000 GRT or over) 751,607 GRT/1,129,234 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 6, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 5 (Denmark 2, France 1, Norway 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Belize 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 1, Panama 5, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 3) (2006) Micronesia, Federated States of total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,423 GRT/1,551 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2006) Moldova total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 13,831 GRT/15,003 DWT by type: cargo 7 foreign-owned: 3 (Ukraine 3) (2006) Monaco registered in other countries: 77 (Bahamas 17, Barbados 1, Bermuda 2, France 1, Georgia 13, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 10, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 8, Norway 4, Panama 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Switzerland 2, unknown 1) (2006) Mongolia total: 61 ships (1000 GRT or over) 319,053 GRT/479,190 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 49, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 49 (China 4, Japan 1, North Korea 3, Lebanon 1, Malaysia 1, Russia 13, Singapore 10, Syria 1, Thailand 1, UAE 5, Ukraine 1, Vietnam 8) (2006) Montenegro total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 9,458 GRT/10,172 DWT by type: cargo 4 registered in other countries: 4 (Bahamas 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2) (2006) Morocco total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or over) 382,781 GRT/285,435 DWT by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 6, container 9, passenger/cargo 13, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 5 (France 1, Germany 2, Switzerland 1, UK 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) Mozambique total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,964 GRT/5,324 DWT by type: cargo 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Belgium 2) (2006) Namibia total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,265 GRT/3,605 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Netherlands total: 558 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,042,775 GRT/5,016,265 DWT by type: bulk carrier 29, cargo 345, chemical tanker 29, container 59, liquefied gas 12, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 19, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 157 (Australia 1, Belgium 2, Denmark 9, Finland 13, Germany 56, Ireland 10, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 7, Sweden 26, UK 19, US 13) registered in other countries: 222 (Antigua and Barbuda 14, Australia 2, Austria 2, Bahamas 24, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 4, Cyprus 18, Gibraltar 5, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 29, Luxembourg 2, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands Antilles 54, Norway 3, Panama 21, Philippines 19, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 2, UK 3, US 4, unknown 1) (2006) Netherlands Antilles total: 152 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,289,462 GRT/1,671,649 DWT by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 13, cargo 68, chemical tanker 3, container 19, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 143 (Belgium 4, Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 60, Netherlands 54, Norway 5, Sweden 5, Turkey 9, UK 3, US 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Netherlands 1) (2006) New Caledonia total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2006) New Zealand total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 136,361 GRT/124,972 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 2, Germany 1, Isle of Man 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Cook Islands 1, Dominica 4, France 1, UK 1) (2006) Nigeria total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 277,709 GRT/475,414 DWT by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 5, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 36, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Norway 1, Pakistan 1, Singapore 1, Spain 1) registered in other countries: 28 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 11, Cambodia 2, Comoros 2, Panama 7, Poland 1, Seychelles 1, unknown 2) (2006) Norway total: 724 ships (1000 GRT or over) 14,472,103 GRT/20,245,353 DWT by type: bulk carrier 67, cargo 153, chemical tanker 150, container 2, liquefied gas 79, passenger/cargo 121, petroleum tanker 75, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 19, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 47 foreign-owned: 168 (China 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 32, Estonia 1, Finland 4, Greece 1, Hong Kong 55, Iceland 4, Italy 4, Japan 1, Lithuania 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 3, Poland 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Sweden 28, UAE 1, UK 6, US 13) registered in other countries: 861 (Antigua and Barbuda 11, Australia 1, Bahamas 259, Barbados 29, Belize 2, Bermuda 5, Brazil 2, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 2, China 1, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 16, Denmark 3, Dominica 1, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Faroe Islands 4, Finland 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 12, Gibraltar 18, Hong Kong 26, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 27, Liberia 38, Libya 1, Malta 49, Marshall Islands 65, Mexico 1, Netherlands 7, Netherlands Antilles 5, Nigeria 1, Panama 66, Philippines 3, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16, Singapore 90, Spain 7, Sweden 7, Thailand 30, Tonga 1, UK 36, US 2, unknown 2) (2006) Oman total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 10,797 GRT/5,040 DWT by type: passenger 1 registered in other countries: 2 (Kazakhstan 2) (2006) Pakistan total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 397,740 GRT/657,656 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, container 1, petroleum tanker 4 registered in other countries: 11 (Comoros 2, North Korea 3, Malta 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Panama total: 5,473 ships (1000 GRT or over) 146,511,342 GRT/219,940,567 DWT by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 1,776, cargo 992, chemical tanker 476, combination ore/oil 2, container 663, liquefied gas 193, livestock carrier 7, passenger 49, passenger/cargo 77, petroleum tanker 518, refrigerated cargo 299, roll on/roll off 123, specialized tanker 23, vehicle carrier 274 foreign-owned: 4,922 (Anguilla 1, Argentina 9, Australia 3, Bahamas, The 2, Belgium 11, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 1, Canada 4, Chile 9, China 420, Colombia 5, Croatia 5, Cuba 11, Cyprus 14, Denmark 34, Egypt 16, Estonia 3, France 15, Gabon 1, Germany 35, Greece 524, Hong Kong 169, India 19, Indonesia 50, Iran 4, Ireland 2, Israel 6, Italy 15, Japan 2007, Jordan 13, South Korea ( ( (291, Kuwait 2, Latvia 3, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 5, Malaysia 13, Maldives 1, Malta 3, Mexico 5, Monaco 9, Morocco 1, Netherlands 21, Nigeria 7, Norway 66, Pakistan 3, Peru 15, Philippines 13, Poland 15, Portugal 10, Qatar 1, Romania 9, Russia 7, Saudi Arabia 8, Singapore 67, South Africa 3, Spain 53, Sri Lanka 5, Sudan 1, Sweden 5, Switzerland 226, Syria 18, Taiwan 308, Thailand 9, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 42, UAE 105, UK 37, Ukraine 8, US 94, Venezuela 14, Vietnam 4, Yemen 3) registered in other countries: 1 (Venezuela 1) (2006) Papua New Guinea total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 55,532 GRT/72,240 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 6 (UK 6) (2006) Paraguay total: 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,749 GRT/39,280 DWT by type: cargo 15, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 3 (Argentina 3) registered in other countries: 1 (Ecuador 1) (2006) Peru total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 38,954 GRT/62,255 DWT by type: cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Panama 15) (2006) Philippines total: 403 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,661,285 GRT/6,426,183 DWT by type: bulk carrier 82, cargo 115, chemical tanker 13, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 17, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 73, petroleum tanker 42, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 13, vehicle carrier 13 foreign-owned: 66 (Greece 5, Hong Kong 3, Japan 26, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 19, Norway 3, UAE 1, US 8) registered in other countries: 41 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Cambodia 1, Cayman Islands 1, Comoros 1, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 16, Indonesia 1, Panama 13, Singapore 5) (2006) Poland total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 55,701 GRT/45,082 DWT by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Nigeria 1) registered in other countries: 106 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Bahamas 15, Belize 2, Cyprus 20, Liberia 14, Malta 27, Norway 2, Panama 15, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Slovakia 2, Vanuatu 5) (2006) Portugal total: 111 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,077,300 GRT/1,363,435 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 27, chemical tanker 15, container 7, liquefied gas 11, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 9 foreign-owned: 82 (Australia 1, Belgium 8, Cyprus 1, Denmark 4, Germany 17, Greece 4, Italy 12, Japan 9, Malta 1, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Spain 15, Switzerland 3, US 1) registered in other countries: 16 (Cyprus 2, Hong Kong 1, Malta 3, Panama 10) (2006) Puerto Rico total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 77,177 GRT/50,138 DWT by type: roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 3 (US 3) registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) Qatar total: 23 ships (1000 GRT or over) 750,669 GRT/1,177,673 DWT by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 3, container 8, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 8 (Kuwait 7, US 1) registered in other countries: 4 (Honduras 1, Liberia 2, Panama 1) (2006) Reunion registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1) (2006) Romania total: 23 ships (1000 GRT or over) 198,767 GRT/246,732 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 15, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Italy 1) registered in other countries: 48 (Georgia 11, North Korea 11, Malta 9, Panama 9, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Syria 3, unknown 4) (2006) Russia total: 1,178 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,080,341 GRT/6,287,784 DWT by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 46, cargo 743, chemical tanker 25, combination ore/oil 38, container 13, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 219, refrigerated cargo 54, roll on/roll off 15, specialized tanker 5 foreign-owned: 100 (Belgium 4, Canada 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 1, Germany 2, Greece 1, Latvia 2, Malta 4, Norway 1, Switzerland 7, Turkey 63, Ukraine 11, US 1) registered in other countries: 465 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 6, Belize 36, Bulgaria 1, Cambodia 105, Comoros 4, Cyprus 53, Dominica 2, Finland 1, Georgia 28, North Korea 1, Liberia 77, Malta 70, Marshall Islands 1, Mongolia 13, Panama 7, Saint Kitts and Nevis 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 29, Sierra Leone 1, Tuvalu 2, Ukraine 1, Vanuatu 1, Venezuela 1, unknown 14) (2006) Saint Kitts and Nevis total: 50 ships (1000 GRT or over) 261,556 GRT/381,593 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 36, chemical tanker 5, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 41 (Greece 1, Monaco 1, Russia 5, Spain 2, Syria 3, Tanzania 1, Turkey 6, UAE 19, Ukraine 3) (2006) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines total: 589 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,449,699 GRT/8,051,250 DWT by type: bulk carrier 106, cargo 351, chemical tanker 5, container 20, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 38, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 529 (Bangladesh 1, Barbados 1, Belgium 3, Bulgaria 17, Canada 6, China 103, Croatia 9, Cyprus 1, Czech Republic registered in other countries: 1 (Comoros 1) (2006) Samoa total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) (2006) Sao Tome and Principe total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 21,527 GRT/29,823 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 7 foreign-owned: 3 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1) (2006) Saudi Arabia total: 60 ships (1000 GRT or over) 837,272 GRT/1,064,377 DWT by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 15, container 4, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 9 (Egypt 2, Kuwait 5, Sudan 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 55 (Bahamas 12, Comoros 3, Dominica 3, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Liberia 24, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 3, Panama 8) (2006) Serbia note: see entry for Montenegro Seychelles total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 69,777 GRT/113,501 DWT by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (Nigeria 1) (2006) Sierra Leone total: 54 ships (1000 GRT or over) 185,037 GRT/249,996 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 36, chemical tanker 3, combination ore/oil 3, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 14 (China 2, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Russia 1, Syria 1, UAE 3, Ukraine 4, US 1) (2006) Singapore total: 1,063 ships (1000 GRT or over) 31,033,735 GRT/49,715,650 DWT by type: bulk carrier 155, cargo 87, chemical tanker 136, container 214, liquefied gas 53, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 353, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 40 foreign-owned: 592 (Australia 7, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 12, China 23, Denmark 52, Germany 9, Greece 9, Hong Kong 50, India 5, Indonesia 56, Italy 2, Japan 100, South Korea 17, Malaysia 35, Netherlands 2, Norway 90, Philippines 5, Slovenia 1, Sweden 12, Taiwan 59, Thailand 22, UAE 7, UK 9, US 7) registered in other countries: 285 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 12, Belize 6, Bolivia 3, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 10, Cyprus 1, Dominica 9, France 2, Honduras 11, Hong Kong 24, Indonesia 17, Isle of Man 7, North Korea 1, Liberia 28, Malaysia 44, Marshall Islands 6, Mongolia 10, Nigeria 1, Panama 67, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Thailand 6, Tuvalu 6, US 2, unknown 2) (2006) Slovakia total: 43 ships (1000 GRT or over) 217,819 GRT/309,049 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 36, chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: 40 (Bulgaria 7, Estonia 1, Greece 4, Israel 7, Poland 2, Syria 2, Turkey 8, UK 1, Ukraine 8) registered in other countries: 2 (Cyprus 1, Georgia 1) (2006) Slovenia registered in other countries: 26 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 1, Cyprus 4, Georgia 1, Liberia 2, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 1) (2006) Somalia total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,659 GRT/2,540 DWT by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2006) South Africa total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,815 GRT/39,295 DWT by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Panama 3, UK 5) (2006) Spain total: 169 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,902,839 GRT/1,874,161 DWT by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 13, chemical tanker 14, container 27, liquefied gas 9, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 49, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 36 (Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 12, Italy 2, Mexico 3, Norway 7, UK 1, Uruguay 2, US 7) registered in other countries: 112 (Bahamas 12, Belize 3, Brazil 4, Cambodia 1, Cape Verde 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 7, Italy 1, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 3, Nigeria 1, Panama 53, Portugal 15, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2, UK 1, Venezuela 1) (2006) Sri Lanka total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 144,066 GRT/196,418 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, container 2, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 7 (Germany 5, UAE 2) registered in other countries: 5 (Panama 5) (2006) Sudan total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,326 GRT/14,068 DWT by type: cargo 1, livestock carrier 1 registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 1, Saudi Arabia 1) (2006) Suriname total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,078 GRT/1,214 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) Sweden total: 198 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,703,834 GRT/2,382,754 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 28, chemical tanker 47, container 5, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 36, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 31, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 21 foreign-owned: 37 (Belgium 2, Denmark 4, Finland 11, Germany 3, Italy 7, Japan 2, Norway 7, US 1) registered in other countries: 161 (Bahamas 6, Bermuda 14, Cayman Islands 9, Cook Islands 3, Cyprus 3, Denmark 1, France 2, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 9, Gibraltar 5, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 8, Malta 3, Netherlands 26, Netherlands Antilles 5, Norway 28, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 12, UK 15, US 5) (2006) Switzerland total: 27 ships (1000 GRT or over) 492,434 GRT/810,559 DWT by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 10, chemical tanker 3, container 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Monaco 2) registered in other countries: 320 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas 2, Belize 1, Bermuda 2, Cyprus 4, France 2, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Germany 1, Indonesia 3, Liberia 7, Malta 21, Marshall Islands 13, Mauritius 2, Morocco 1, Panama 226, Portugal 3, Russia 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Tonga 1, Turkey 1, UK 3, Vanuatu 2) (2006) Syria total: 108 ships (1000 GRT or over) 386,603 GRT/563,506 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 93, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 11 (Lebanon 7, Romania 3, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 130 (Cambodia 20, Comoros 4, Cyprus 3, Dominica 1, Georgia 43, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 14, Lebanon 1, Malta 7, Mongolia 1, Panama 18, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Slovakia 2, unknown 5) (2006) Taiwan total: 112 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,798,992 GRT/4,652,921 DWT by type: bulk carrier 35, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 25, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3) registered in other countries: 463 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 2, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 6, Italy 10, Liberia 69, Malta 2, Panama 308, Singapore 59, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2) (2006) Tanzania total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 24,801 GRT/31,507 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 4 registered in other countries: 2 (Honduras 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1) (2006) Thailand total: 400 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,808,509 GRT/4,317,320 DWT by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 145, chemical tanker 14, container 21, liquefied gas 29, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 91, refrigerated cargo 32, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 45 (China 1, Egypt 1, Indonesia 1, Japan 4, Norway 30, Singapore 6, UK 2) registered in other countries: 34 (Bahamas 1, Mongolia 1, Panama 9, Singapore 22, Tuvalu 1) (2006) Togo total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,918 GRT/3,852 DWT by type: cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (2006) Tonga total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 62,185 GRT/72,960 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 1, Norway 1, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2006) Trinidad and Tobago total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 16,760 GRT/7,941 DWT by type: liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) Tunisia total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 146,759 GRT/115,118 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo 4 (2006) Turkey total: 545 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,772,864 GRT/7,313,070 DWT by type: bulk carrier 109, cargo 239, chemical tanker 50, container 24, liquefied gas 6, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 50, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 24, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 7 (Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Italy 3, Switzerland 1) registered in other countries: 411 (Albania 1, Antigua and Barbuda 8, Bahamas 8, Belize 11, Cambodia 26, Comoros 11, Dominica 3, Georgia 30, Isle of Man 3, North Korea 4, Liberia 1, Libya 2, Malta 123, Marshall Islands 20, Netherlands Antilles 9, Panama 42, Russia 63, Saint Kitts and Nevis 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 25, Slovakia 8, Tuvalu 2, UK 2, unknown 3) (2006) Turkmenistan total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,870 GRT/25,801 DWT by type: cargo 4, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2006) Tuvalu total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 196,790 GRT/256,436 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 37, chemical tanker 1, container 2, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 43 (China 23, Hong Kong 8, Kenya 1, Russia 2, Singapore 6, Thailand 1, Turkey 2) (2006) Ukraine total: 202 ships (1000 GRT or over) 782,456 GRT/911,201 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 151, container 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Russia 1) registered in other countries: 160 (Belize 7, Cambodia 17, Comoros 14, Cyprus 4, Dominica 2, Georgia 22, Liberia 16, Malta 24, Moldova 3, Mongolia 1, Panama 8, Russia 11, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12, Sierra Leone 4, Slovakia 8, unknown 4) (2006) United Arab Emirates total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 656,003 GRT/891,837 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 10 (Greece 2, Kuwait 8) registered in other countries: 259 (Bahamas 16, Barbados 1, Belize 5, Cambodia 1, Comoros 6, Cyprus 11, Dominica 2, Georgia 1, Hong Kong 2, India 6, Iran 1, Jordan 11, Kiribati 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 18, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Mongolia 5, Norway 1, Panama 105, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 3, Singapore 7, Somalia 1, Sri Lanka 2, Syria 1, unknown 5) (2006) United Kingdom total: 449 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,049,317 GRT/11,731,680 DWT by type: bulk carrier 24, cargo 54, chemical tanker 50, container 146, liquefied gas 17, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 65, petroleum tanker 33, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 26, vehicle carrier 8 foreign-owned: 215 (Australia 3, Denmark 46, Finland 1, France 4, Germany 76, Greece 7, Ireland 1, Italy 4, Netherlands 3, Norway 36, NZ 1, South Africa 5, Spain 1, Sweden 15, Switzerland 3, Taiwan 1, Turkey 2, US 6) registered in other countries: 368 (Algeria 13, Antigua and Barbuda 7, Argentina 4, Australia 2, Bahamas 69, Barbados 5, Belgium 2, Bermuda 9, Brazil 1, Brunei 8, Cape Verde 1, Cayman Islands 10, Cyprus 6, Denmark 1, Finland 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Georgia 4, Gibraltar 4, Greece 9, Hong Kong 43, India 1, Indonesia 2, Italy 3, South Korea 2, Liberia 41, Malta 8, Marshall Islands 12, Morocco 1, Netherlands 19, Netherlands Antilles 3, Norway 6, Panama 37, Papua New Guinea 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Singapore 9, Slovakia 1, Spain 1, Thailand 2, Tonga 1) (2006) United States total: 465 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,590,325 GRT/13,273,133 DWT by type: barge carrier 7, bulk carrier 67, cargo 91, chemical tanker 20, container 76, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 58, petroleum tanker 76, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 27, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 20 foreign-owned: 51 (Australia 2, Canada 4, Denmark 24, Germany 2, Greece 1, Malaysia 4, Netherlands 4, Norway 2, Singapore 2, Sweden 5, Taiwan 1) registered in other countries: 700 (Antigua and Barbuda 7, Australia 3, Bahamas 121, Belize 5, Bermuda 27, Cambodia 8, Canada 2, Cayman Islands 41, Comoros 2, Cyprus 7, Greece 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 21, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 3, Italy 15, North Korea 3, South Korea 7, Liberia 93, Luxembourg 3, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 143, Netherlands 13, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 13, Panama 94, Peru 1, Philippines 8, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3, Qatar 1, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 21, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 7, Spain 7, Sweden 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, UK 6, Vanuatu 1, Wallis and Futuna 1) (2006) Uruguay total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,259 GRT/19,725 DWT by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Argentina 3, Greece 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Argentina 1, Bahamas 2, Liberia 3, Spain 2) (2006) Vanuatu total: 51 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,340,132 GRT/1,908,687 DWT by type: bulk carrier 29, cargo 8, container 1, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 51 (Australia 2, Canada 5, Denmark 6, Estonia 1, Japan 28, Poland 5, Russia 1, Switzerland 2, US 1) (2006) Venezuela total: 56 ships (1000 GRT or over) 824,941 GRT/1,327,924 DWT by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 10, chemical tanker 2, container 1, liquefied gas 6, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 18 foreign-owned: 13 (Denmark 3, Greece 3, India 1, Mexico 3, Panama 1, Russia 1, Spain 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Bahamas 1, Panama 14) (2006) Vietnam total: 267 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,423,936 GRT/2,191,858 DWT by type: bulk carrier 23, cargo 202, chemical tanker 4, container 5, liquefied gas 5, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Honduras 1, Mongolia 8, Panama 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, unknown 2) (2006) Wallis and Futuna total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 110,428 GRT/56,830 DWT by type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 7 foreign-owned: 8 (France 5, French Polynesia 2, US 1) (2006) World total: 33,222 ships (1000 GRT or over) (2006) Yemen total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,400 GRT/18,072 DWT by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 9 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 3, North Korea 2, Panama 3) (2006) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2109 National holiday Afghanistan Independence Day, 19 August (1919) Albania Independence Day, 28 November (1912) Algeria Revolution Day, 1 November (1954) American Samoa Flag Day, 17 April (1900) Andorra Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278) Angola Independence Day, 11 November (1975) Anguilla Anguilla Day, 30 May Antigua and Barbuda Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981) Argentina Revolution Day, 25 May (1810) Armenia Independence Day, 21 September (1991) Aruba Flag Day, 18 March Australia Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Austria National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and the passage of the law on permanent neutrality Azerbaijan Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918) Bahamas, The Independence Day, 10 July (1973) Bahrain National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of independence from British protection Bangladesh Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh Barbados Independence Day, 30 November (1966) Belarus Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union Belgium 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I Belize Independence Day, 21 September (1981) Benin National Day, 1 August (1960) Bermuda Bermuda Day, 24 May Bhutan National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907) Bolivia Independence Day, 6 August (1825) Bosnia and Herzegovina National Day, 25 November (1943) Botswana Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966) Brazil Independence Day, 7 September (1822) British Virgin Islands Territory Day, 1 July Brunei National Day, 23 February (1984); note - 1 January 1984 was the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was the date of independence from British protection Bulgaria Liberation Day, 3 March (1878) Burkina Faso Republic Day, 11 December (1958) Burma Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947) Burundi Independence Day, 1 July (1962) Cambodia Independence Day, 9 November (1953) Cameroon Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972) Canada Canada Day, 1 July (1867) Cape Verde Independence Day, 5 July (1975) Cayman Islands Constitution Day, first Monday in July Central African Republic Republic Day, 1 December (1958) Chad Independence Day, 11 August (1960) Chile Independence Day, 18 September (1810) China Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949) Christmas Island Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Cocos (Keeling) Islands Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Colombia Independence Day, 20 July (1810) Comoros Independence Day, 6 July (1975) Congo, Democratic Republic of the Independence Day, 30 June (1960) Congo, Republic of the Independence Day, 15 August (1960) Cook Islands Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965) Costa Rica Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Cote d'Ivoire Independence Day, 7 August (1960) Croatia Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 is the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia Cuba Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration; Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953) Cyprus Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots celebrate 15 November (1983) as Independence Day Czech Republic Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918) Denmark none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day Djibouti Independence Day, 27 June (1977) Dominica Independence Day, 3 November (1978) Dominican Republic Independence Day, 27 February (1844) East Timor Independence Day, 28 November (1975) Ecuador Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809) Egypt Revolution Day, 23 July (1952) El Salvador Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Equatorial Guinea Independence Day, 12 October (1968) Eritrea Independence Day, 24 May (1993) Estonia Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 is the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union Ethiopia National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991) European Union Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of an organized Europe Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Liberation Day, 14 June (1982) Faroe Islands Olaifest (Olavasoka), 29 July Fiji Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970) Finland Independence Day, 6 December (1917) France Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July) French Guiana Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) French Polynesia Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Gabon Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968) Gambia, The Independence Day, 18 February (1965) Georgia Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union Germany Unity Day, 3 October (1990) Ghana Independence Day, 6 March (1957) Gibraltar National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain Greece Independence Day, 25 March (1821) Greenland June 21 (longest day) Grenada Independence Day, 7 February (1974) Guadeloupe Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Guam Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521) Guatemala Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Guernsey Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) Guinea Independence Day, 2 October (1958) Guinea-Bissau Independence Day, 24 September (1973) Guyana Republic Day, 23 February (1970) Haiti Independence Day, 1 January (1804) Holy See (Vatican City) Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005) Honduras Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Hong Kong National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Hungary Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August Iceland Independence Day, 17 June (1944) India Republic Day, 26 January (1950) Indonesia Independence Day, 17 August (1945) Iran Republic Day, 1 April (1979) note: additional holidays celebrated widely in Iran include Revolution Day, 11 February (1979); Noruz (New Year's Day), 21 March; Constitutional Monarchy Day, 5 August (1925); and various Islamic observances that change in accordance with the lunar-based hejira calendar Iraq Revolution Day, 17 July (1968); note - this holiday was celebrated under the SADDAM Husayn regime but the Iraqi Interim Government has yet to declare a new national holiday Ireland Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March Isle of Man Tynwald Day, 5 July Israel Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May Italy Republic Day, 2 June (1946) Jamaica Independence Day, 6 August (1962) Japan Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933) Jersey Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) Jordan Independence Day, 25 May (1946) Kazakhstan Independence Day, 16 December (1991) Kenya Independence Day, 12 December (1963) Kiribati Independence Day, 12 July (1979) Korea, North Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948) Korea, South Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) Kuwait National Day, 25 February (1950) Kyrgyzstan Independence Day, 31 August (1991) Laos Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Latvia Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August 1991 is the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union Lebanon Independence Day, 22 November (1943) Lesotho Independence Day, 4 October (1966) Liberia Independence Day, 26 July (1847) Libya Revolution Day, 1 September (1969) Liechtenstein Assumption Day, 15 August Lithuania Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 is the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union Luxembourg National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June Macau National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 20 December 1999 is celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Macedonia Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known as Saint Elijah's Day and Ilinden Madagascar Independence Day, 26 June (1960) Malawi Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964) Malaysia Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957) Maldives Independence Day, 26 July (1965) Mali Independence Day, 22 September (1960) Malta Independence Day, 21 September (1964) Marshall Islands Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) Martinique Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Mauritania Independence Day, 28 November (1960) Mauritius Independence Day, 12 March (1968) Mayotte Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Mexico Independence Day, 16 September (1810) Micronesia, Federated States of Constitution Day, 10 May (1979) Moldova Independence Day, 27 August (1991) Monaco National Day (Prince of Monaco Holiday), 19 November Mongolia Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921) Montenegro National Day, 13 July Montserrat Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) Morocco Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30 July (1999) Mozambique Independence Day, 25 June (1975) Namibia Independence Day, 21 March (1990) Nauru Independence Day, 31 January (1968) Nepal Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946) Netherlands Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April Netherlands Antilles Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April New Caledonia Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) New Zealand Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) Nicaragua Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Niger Republic Day, 18 December (1958) Nigeria Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960) Niue Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) Norfolk Island Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978) Norway Constitution Day, 17 May (1814) Oman Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940) Pakistan Republic Day, 23 March (1956) Palau Constitution Day, 9 July (1979) Panama Independence Day, 3 November (1903) Papua New Guinea Independence Day, 16 September (1975) Paraguay Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May annually) Peru Independence Day, 28 July (1821) Philippines Independence Day, 12 June (1898); note - 12 June 1898 was date of declaration of independence from Spain; 4 July 1946 was date of independence from US Pitcairn Islands Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) Poland Constitution Day, 3 May (1791) Portugal Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died Puerto Rico US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25 July (1952) Qatar Independence Day, 3 September (1971) Reunion Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Romania Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918) Russia Russia Day, 12 June (1990) Rwanda Independence Day, 1 July (1962) Saint Helena Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) Saint Kitts and Nevis Independence Day, 19 September (1983) Saint Lucia Independence Day, 22 February (1979) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Independence Day, 27 October (1979) Samoa Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, 1 June 1962 is the date that independence is celebrated San Marino Founding of the Republic, 3 September (A.D. 301) Sao Tome and Principe Independence Day, 12 July (1975) Saudi Arabia Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932) Senegal Independence Day, 4 April (1960) Serbia National Day, 27 April Seychelles Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993) Sierra Leone Independence Day, 27 April (1961) Singapore National Day, 9 August (1965) Slovakia Constitution Day, 1 September (1992) Slovenia Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991) Solomon Islands Independence Day, 7 July (1978) Somalia Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland South Africa Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) Spain National Day, 12 October Sri Lanka Independence Day, 4 February (1948) Sudan Independence Day, 1 January (1956) Suriname Independence Day, 25 November (1975) Swaziland Independence Day, 6 September (1968) Sweden Flag Day, 6 June Switzerland Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291) Syria Independence Day, 17 April (1946) Taiwan Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911) Tajikistan Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991) Tanzania Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964) Thailand Birthday of King PHUMIPHON, 5 December (1927) Togo Independence Day, 27 April (1960) Tokelau Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) Tonga Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970) Trinidad and Tobago Independence Day, 31 August (1962) Tunisia Independence Day, 20 March (1956) Turkey Republic Day, 29 October (1923) Turkmenistan Independence Day, 27 October (1991) Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) Tuvalu Independence Day, 1 October (1978) Uganda Independence Day, 9 October (1962) Ukraine Independence Day, 24 August (1991); 22 January (1918), the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the day the short-lived Western and Central Ukrainian republics united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day United Arab Emirates Independence Day, 2 December (1971) United Kingdom the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday United States Independence Day, 4 July (1776) Uruguay Independence Day, 25 August (1825) Uzbekistan Independence Day, 1 September (1991) Vanuatu Independence Day, 30 July (1980) Venezuela Independence Day, 5 July (1811) Vietnam Independence Day, 2 September (1945) Virgin Islands Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) Wallis and Futuna Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Yemen Unification Day, 22 May (1990) Zambia Independence Day, 24 October (1964) Zimbabwe Independence Day, 18 April (1980) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2110 Nationality Afghanistan noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan Albania noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian Algeria noun: Algerian(s) adjective: Algerian American Samoa noun: American Samoan(s) (US nationals) adjective: American Samoan Andorra noun: Andorran(s) adjective: Andorran Angola noun: Angolan(s) adjective: Angolan Anguilla noun: Anguillan(s) adjective: Anguillan Antigua and Barbuda noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan Argentina noun: Argentine(s) adjective: Argentine Armenia noun: Armenian(s) adjective: Armenian Aruba noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch Australia noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian Austria noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian Azerbaijan noun: Azerbaijani(s), Azeri(s) adjective: Azerbaijani, Azeri Bahamas, The noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian Bahrain noun: Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini Bangladesh noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi Barbados noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) Belarus noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian Belgium noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian Belize noun: Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean Benin noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese Bermuda noun: Bermudian(s) adjective: Bermudian Bhutan noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural) adjective: Bhutanese Bolivia noun: Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian Bosnia and Herzegovina noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s) adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian Botswana noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) Brazil noun: Brazilian(s) adjective: Brazilian British Virgin Islands noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander Brunei noun: Bruneian(s) adjective: Bruneian Bulgaria noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian Burkina Faso noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe Burma noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese Burundi noun: Burundian(s) adjective: Burundian Cambodia noun: Cambodian(s) adjective: Cambodian Cameroon noun: Cameroonian(s) adjective: Cameroonian Canada noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian Cape Verde noun: Cape Verdean(s) adjective: Cape Verdean Cayman Islands noun: Caymanian(s) adjective: Caymanian Central African Republic noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African Chad noun: Chadian(s) adjective: Chadian Chile noun: Chilean(s) adjective: Chilean China noun: Chinese (singular and plural) adjective: Chinese Christmas Island noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands noun: Cocos Islander(s) adjective: Cocos Islander Colombia noun: Colombian(s) adjective: Colombian Comoros noun: Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran Congo, Democratic Republic of the noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo Congo, Republic of the noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo Cook Islands noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander Costa Rica noun: Costa Rican(s) adjective: Costa Rican Cote d'Ivoire noun: Ivoirian(s) adjective: Ivoirian Croatia noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s) adjective: Croatian Cuba noun: Cuban(s) adjective: Cuban Cyprus noun: Cypriot(s) adjective: Cypriot Czech Republic noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech Denmark noun: Dane(s) adjective: Danish Djibouti noun: Djiboutian(s) adjective: Djiboutian Dominica noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican Dominican Republic noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican East Timor noun: Timorese adjective: Timorese Ecuador noun: Ecuadorian(s) adjective: Ecuadorian Egypt noun: Egyptian(s) adjective: Egyptian El Salvador noun: Salvadoran(s) adjective: Salvadoran Equatorial Guinea noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean Eritrea noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean Estonia noun: Estonian(s) adjective: Estonian Ethiopia noun: Ethiopian(s) adjective: Ethiopian Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island Faroe Islands noun: Faroese (singular and plural) adjective: Faroese Fiji noun: Fijian(s) adjective: Fijian Finland noun: Finn(s) adjective: Finnish France noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French French Guiana noun: French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese French Polynesia noun: French Polynesian(s) adjective: French Polynesian Gabon noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese Gambia, The noun: Gambian(s) adjective: Gambian Gaza Strip noun: NA adjective: NA Georgia noun: Georgian(s) adjective: Georgian Germany noun: German(s) adjective: German Ghana noun: Ghanaian(s) adjective: Ghanaian Gibraltar noun: Gibraltarian(s) adjective: Gibraltar Greece noun: Greek(s) adjective: Greek Greenland noun: Greenlander(s) adjective: Greenlandic Grenada noun: Grenadian(s) adjective: Grenadian Guadeloupe noun: Guadeloupian(s) adjective: Guadeloupe Guam noun: Guamanian(s) (US citizens) adjective: Guamanian Guatemala noun: Guatemalan(s) adjective: Guatemalan Guernsey noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander Guinea noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean Guinea-Bissau noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean Guyana noun: Guyanese (singular and plural) adjective: Guyanese Haiti noun: Haitian(s) adjective: Haitian Holy See (Vatican City) noun: none adjective: none Honduras noun: Honduran(s) adjective: Honduran Hong Kong noun: Chinese/Hong Konger adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong Hungary noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian Iceland noun: Icelander(s) adjective: Icelandic India noun: Indian(s) adjective: Indian Indonesia noun: Indonesian(s) adjective: Indonesian Iran noun: Iranian(s) adjective: Iranian Iraq noun: Iraqi(s) adjective: Iraqi Ireland noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish Isle of Man noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx Israel noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli Italy noun: Italian(s) adjective: Italian Jamaica noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican Japan noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese Jersey noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander Jordan noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian Kazakhstan noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani Kenya noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan Kiribati noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural) adjective: I-Kiribati Korea, North noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean Korea, South noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean Kuwait noun: Kuwaiti(s) adjective: Kuwaiti Kyrgyzstan noun: Kyrgyzstani(s) adjective: Kyrgyzstani Laos noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian Latvia noun: Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian Lebanon noun: Lebanese (singular and plural) adjective: Lebanese Lesotho noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho Liberia noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian Libya noun: Libyan(s) adjective: Libyan Liechtenstein noun: Liechtensteiner(s) adjective: Liechtenstein Lithuania noun: Lithuanian(s) adjective: Lithuanian Luxembourg noun: Luxembourger(s) adjective: Luxembourg Macau noun: Chinese adjective: Chinese Macedonia noun: Macedonian(s) adjective: Macedonian Madagascar noun: Malagasy (singular and plural) adjective: Malagasy Malawi noun: Malawian(s) adjective: Malawian Malaysia noun: Malaysian(s) adjective: Malaysian Maldives noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian Mali noun: Malian(s) adjective: Malian Malta noun: Maltese (singular and plural) adjective: Maltese Marshall Islands noun: Marshallese (singular and plural) adjective: Marshallese Martinique noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural) adjective: Martiniquais Mauritania noun: Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian Mauritius noun: Mauritian(s) adjective: Mauritian Mayotte noun: Mahorais (singular and plural) adjective: Mahoran Mexico noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican Micronesia, Federated States of noun: Micronesian(s) adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese Moldova noun: Moldovan(s) adjective: Moldovan Monaco noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s) adjective: Monegasque or Monacan Mongolia noun: Mongolian(s) adjective: Mongolian Montenegro noun: Montenegrin(s) adjective: Montenegrin Montserrat noun: Montserratian(s) adjective: Montserratian Morocco noun: Moroccan(s) adjective: Moroccan Mozambique noun: Mozambican(s) adjective: Mozambican Namibia noun: Namibian(s) adjective: Namibian Nauru noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan Nepal noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese Netherlands noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women) adjective: Dutch Netherlands Antilles noun: Dutch Antillean(s) adjective: Dutch Antillean New Caledonia noun: New Caledonian(s) adjective: New Caledonian New Zealand noun: New Zealander(s) adjective: New Zealand Nicaragua noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan Niger noun: Nigerien(s) adjective: Nigerien Nigeria noun: Nigerian(s) adjective: Nigerian Niue noun: Niuean(s) adjective: Niuean Norfolk Island noun: Norfolk Islander(s) adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) Northern Mariana Islands noun: NA (US citizens) adjective: NA Norway noun: Norwegian(s) adjective: Norwegian Oman noun: Omani(s) adjective: Omani Pakistan noun: Pakistani(s) adjective: Pakistani Palau noun: Palauan(s) adjective: Palauan Panama noun: Panamanian(s) adjective: Panamanian Papua New Guinea noun: Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean Paraguay noun: Paraguayan(s) adjective: Paraguayan Peru noun: Peruvian(s) adjective: Peruvian Philippines noun: Filipino(s) adjective: Philippine Pitcairn Islands noun: Pitcairn Islander(s) adjective: Pitcairn Islander Poland noun: Pole(s) adjective: Polish Portugal noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese Puerto Rico noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens) adjective: Puerto Rican Qatar noun: Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari Reunion noun: Reunionese (singular and plural) adjective: Reunionese Romania noun: Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian Russia noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian Rwanda noun: Rwandan(s) adjective: Rwandan Saint Helena noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian note: referred to locally as "Saints" Saint Kitts and Nevis noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s) adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian Saint Lucia noun: Saint Lucian(s) adjective: Saint Lucian Saint Pierre and Miquelon noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French Saint Vincent and the Grenadines noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian Samoa noun: Samoan(s) adjective: Samoan San Marino noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural) adjective: Sammarinese Sao Tome and Principe noun: Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean Saudi Arabia noun: Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian Senegal noun: Senegalese (singular and plural) adjective: Senegalese Serbia noun: Serb(s) adjective: Serbian Seychelles noun: Seychellois (singular and plural) adjective: Seychellois Sierra Leone noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean Singapore noun: Singaporean(s) adjective: Singapore Slovakia noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak Slovenia noun: Slovene(s) adjective: Slovenian Solomon Islands noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander Somalia noun: Somali(s) adjective: Somali South Africa noun: South African(s) adjective: South African Spain noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish Sri Lanka noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan Sudan noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese Suriname noun: Surinamer(s) adjective: Surinamese Swaziland noun: Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi Sweden noun: Swede(s) adjective: Swedish Switzerland noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss Syria noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian Taiwan noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan adjective: Taiwan Tajikistan noun: Tajikistani(s) adjective: Tajikistani Tanzania noun: Tanzanian(s) adjective: Tanzanian Thailand noun: Thai (singular and plural) adjective: Thai Togo noun: Togolese (singular and plural) adjective: Togolese Tokelau noun: Tokelauan(s) adjective: Tokelauan Tonga noun: Tongan(s) adjective: Tongan Trinidad and Tobago noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian Tunisia noun: Tunisian(s) adjective: Tunisian Turkey noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish Turkmenistan noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen Turks and Caicos Islands noun: none adjective: none Tuvalu noun: Tuvaluan(s) adjective: Tuvaluan Uganda noun: Ugandan(s) adjective: Ugandan Ukraine noun: Ukrainian(s) adjective: Ukrainian United Arab Emirates noun: Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati United Kingdom noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British United States noun: American(s) adjective: American Uruguay noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan Uzbekistan noun: Uzbekistani adjective: Uzbekistani Vanuatu noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural) adjective: Ni-Vanuatu Venezuela noun: Venezuelan(s) adjective: Venezuelan Vietnam noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural) adjective: Vietnamese Virgin Islands noun: Virgin Islander(s) (US citizens) adjective: Virgin Islander Wallis and Futuna noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander West Bank noun: NA adjective: NA Western Sahara noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian Yemen noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni Zambia noun: Zambian(s) adjective: Zambian Zimbabwe noun: Zimbabwean(s) adjective: Zimbabwean This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2111 Natural resources Afghanistan natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones Albania petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower Algeria petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc American Samoa pumice, pumicite Andorra hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead Angola petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium Anguilla salt, fish, lobster Antarctica iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small uncommercial quantities; none presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries Antigua and Barbuda NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism Arctic Ocean sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales) Argentina fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium Armenia small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina Aruba NEGL; white sandy beaches Ashmore and Cartier Islands fish Atlantic Ocean oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones Australia bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum Austria oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower Azerbaijan petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina Bahamas, The salt, aragonite, timber, arable land Bahrain oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls Baker Island guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife Bangladesh natural gas, arable land, timber, coal Barbados petroleum, fish, natural gas Bassas da India none Belarus forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay Belgium construction materials, silica sand, carbonates Belize arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower Benin small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber Bermuda limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism Bhutan timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate Bolivia tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower Bosnia and Herzegovina coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests, hydropower Botswana diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver Bouvet Island none Brazil bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber British Indian Ocean Territory coconuts, fish, sugarcane British Virgin Islands NEGL Brunei petroleum, natural gas, timber Bulgaria bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land Burkina Faso manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt Burma petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower Burundi nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone Cambodia oil and gas, timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential Cameroon petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower Canada iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower Cape Verde salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum Cayman Islands fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism Central African Republic diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower Chad petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt Chile copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower China coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest) Christmas Island phosphate, beaches Clipperton Island fish Cocos (Keeling) Islands fish Colombia petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower Comoros NEGL Congo, Democratic Republic of the cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber Congo, Republic of the petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower Cook Islands NEGL Coral Sea Islands NEGL Costa Rica hydropower Cote d'Ivoire petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower Croatia oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower Cuba cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land Cyprus copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment Czech Republic hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber Denmark petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand Djibouti geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum Dominica timber, hydropower, arable land Dominican Republic nickel, bauxite, gold, silver East Timor gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble Ecuador petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower Egypt petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc El Salvador hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land Equatorial Guinea petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay Eritrea gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish Estonia oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud Ethiopia small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower Europa Island NEGL European Union iron ore, arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, hydropower, uranium, potash, fish Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss Faroe Islands fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas Fiji timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower Finland timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone France coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorospar, gypsum, timber, fish French Guiana bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay French Polynesia timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower French Southern and Antarctic Lands fish, crayfish Gabon petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower Gambia, The fish, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon, silica sand, clay, petroleum Gaza Strip arable land, natural gas Georgia forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth Germany coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land Ghana gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone Gibraltar none Glorioso Islands guano, coconuts Greece lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential Greenland coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas Grenada timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors Guadeloupe cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism Guam fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan) Guatemala petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower Guernsey cropland Guinea bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt Guinea-Bissau fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum Guyana bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish Haiti bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower Heard Island and McDonald Islands fish Holy See (Vatican City) none Honduras timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower Hong Kong outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar Howland Island guano (deposits worked until late 1800s), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife Hungary bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land Iceland fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite Iles Eparses Bassas da India and Europa Island: none Glorioso Islands and Juan de Nova Island: guano, phosphates; coconuts Tromelin Island: fish India coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land Indian Ocean oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules Indonesia petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver Iran petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur Iraq petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur Ireland natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite Isle of Man none Israel timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand Italy coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorospar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land Jamaica bauxite, gypsum, limestone Jan Mayen none Japan negligible mineral resources, fish Jarvis Island guano (deposits worked until late 1800s), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife Jersey arable land Johnston Atoll guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890, terrestrial and aquatic wildlife Jordan phosphates, potash, shale oil Juan de Nova Island guano deposits and other fertilizers Kazakhstan major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium Kenya limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower Kingman Reef terrestrial and aquatic wildlife Kiribati phosphate (production discontinued in 1979) Korea, North coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower Korea, South coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential Kuwait petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas Kyrgyzstan abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc Laos timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones Latvia peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land Lebanon limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land Lesotho water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone Liberia iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower Libya petroleum, natural gas, gypsum Liechtenstein hydroelectric potential, arable land Lithuania peat, arable land, amber Luxembourg iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land Macau NEGL Macedonia low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land Madagascar graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower Malawi limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite Malaysia tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite Maldives fish Mali gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited Malta limestone, salt, arable land Marshall Islands coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals Martinique coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land Mauritania iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish Mauritius arable land, fish Mayotte NEGL Mexico petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber Micronesia, Federated States of forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate Midway Islands wildlife, terrestrial and aquatic Moldova lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone Monaco none Mongolia oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron Montenegro bauxite, hydroelectricity Montserrat NEGL Morocco phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt Mozambique coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite Namibia diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore Nauru phosphates, fish Navassa Island guano Nepal quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore Netherlands natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land Netherlands Antilles phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only) New Caledonia nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper New Zealand natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone Nicaragua gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish Niger uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum Nigeria natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land Niue fish, arable land Norfolk Island fish Northern Mariana Islands arable land, fish Norway petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower Oman petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas Pacific Ocean oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish Pakistan land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone Palau forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals Palmyra Atoll terrestrial and aquatic wildlife Panama copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower Papua New Guinea gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries Paracel Islands none Paraguay hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone Peru copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas Philippines timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper Pitcairn Islands miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore Poland coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land Portugal fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower Puerto Rico some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil Qatar petroleum, natural gas, fish Reunion fish, arable land, hydropower Romania petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower Russia wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources Rwanda gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land Saint Helena fish, lobster Saint Kitts and Nevis arable land Saint Lucia forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential Saint Pierre and Miquelon fish, deepwater ports Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hydropower, cropland Samoa hardwood forests, fish, hydropower San Marino building stone Sao Tome and Principe fish, hydropower Saudi Arabia petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper Senegal fish, phosphates, iron ore Serbia oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land Seychelles fish, copra, cinnamon trees Sierra Leone diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite Singapore fish, deepwater ports Slovakia brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land Slovenia lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver, hydropower, forests Solomon Islands fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel Somalia uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves South Africa gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands fish Southern Ocean probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes Spain coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land Spratly Islands fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential Sri Lanka limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower Sudan petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower Suriname timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore Svalbard coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish Swaziland asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc Sweden iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower Switzerland hydropower potential, timber, salt Syria petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower Taiwan small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos Tajikistan hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold Tanzania hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel Thailand tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land Togo phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land Tokelau NEGL Tonga fish, fertile soil Trinidad and Tobago petroleum, natural gas, asphalt Tromelin Island fish Tunisia petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt Turkey coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower Turkmenistan petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt Turks and Caicos Islands spiny lobster, conch Tuvalu fish Uganda copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land Ukraine iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land United Arab Emirates petroleum, natural gas United Kingdom coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land United States coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges terrestrial and aquatic wildlife Uruguay arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries Uzbekistan natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum Vanuatu manganese, hardwood forests, fish Venezuela petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds Vietnam phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower Virgin Islands sun, sand, sea, surf Wake Island none Wallis and Futuna NEGL West Bank arable land Western Sahara phosphates, iron ore World the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address Yemen petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west Zambia copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower Zimbabwe coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2112 Net migration rate (migrant(s)/1,000 population) Afghanistan 0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Albania -4.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Algeria -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) American Samoa -21.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Andorra 6.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Angola 3.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Anguilla 6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda -6.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Argentina 0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Armenia -5.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Aruba 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Australia 3.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Austria 1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Azerbaijan -4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bahamas, The -2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bahrain 0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bangladesh -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Barbados -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belarus 2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belgium 1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Belize 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Benin 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bermuda 2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bhutan 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bolivia -1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Botswana 6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.) Brazil -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands 9.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Brunei 3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Bulgaria -4.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burkina Faso 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burma 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Burundi 8.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cambodia 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cameroon 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Canada 5.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cape Verde -11.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cayman Islands 17.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2006 est.) Central African Republic 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Chad -0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Chile 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) China -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Comoros 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: fighting between the Congolese Government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DRC in August 1998, which left 2.33 million Congolese internally displaced and caused 412,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the -3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Costa Rica 0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Croatia 1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cuba -1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Cyprus 0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Czech Republic 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Denmark 2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Djibouti 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Dominica -9.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Dominican Republic -2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) East Timor 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ecuador -3.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Egypt -0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) El Salvador -3.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Eritrea 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Estonia -3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ethiopia 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2006 est.) European Union 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Faroe Islands 0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Fiji -2.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Finland 0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) France 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) French Guiana 4.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) French Polynesia 2.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gabon -2.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gambia, The 1.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gaza Strip 1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Georgia -4.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Germany 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ghana -0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Gibraltar 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Greece 2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Greenland -8.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Grenada -12.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guadeloupe -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guam 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guatemala -1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guernsey 3.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guinea 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: as a result of conflict in neighboring countries, Guinea is host to approximately 141,500 refugees from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Guyana -7.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Haiti -1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Honduras -1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Hong Kong 4.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Hungary 0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iceland 1.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) India -0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Indonesia 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iran -0.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Iraq 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ireland 4.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Isle of Man 5.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Israel 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Italy 2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jamaica -6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Japan 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jersey 2.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Jordan 6.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kazakhstan -3.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kenya 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 2005 Kenya was host to 233,778 refugees from neighboring countries, including Somalia 153,627, Sudan 67,556, Ethiopia 12,595 (2006 est.) Kiribati 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Korea, North 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Korea, South 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kuwait 15.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan -2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Laos 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Latvia -2.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lebanon 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lesotho -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Liberia 27.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: at least 238,500 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries; the uncertain security situation has hindered their ability to return (2006 est.) Libya 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Liechtenstein 4.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Lithuania -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Luxembourg 8.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Macau 4.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Macedonia -0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Madagascar 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malawi 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malaysia 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal immigrants from other countries in the region (2006 est.) Maldives 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mali -6.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Malta 2.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Marshall Islands -5.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Martinique -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mauritania 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mauritius -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mayotte 4.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mexico -4.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of -21.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Moldova -0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Monaco 7.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mongolia 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Montserrat 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Morocco -0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Mozambique 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Namibia 0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nauru 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nepal 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Netherlands 2.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) New Caledonia 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2006 est.) New Zealand 3.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nicaragua -1.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Niger -0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Nigeria 0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Niue NA migrant(s)/1,000 population Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands 8.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Norway 1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Oman 0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Pakistan -0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Palau 1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Panama -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Paraguay -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Peru -1.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Philippines -1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland -0.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Portugal 3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Puerto Rico -1.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Qatar 14.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Reunion 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Romania -0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Russia 1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Rwanda 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Helena 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis -4.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Lucia -1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon -4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -7.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Samoa -11.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) San Marino 10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe -2.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia -4.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Senegal 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Seychelles -5.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sierra Leone 0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2006 est.) Singapore 9.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Slovakia 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Slovenia 0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Solomon Islands 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Somalia 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) South Africa -0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.) Spain 0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sri Lanka -1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sudan -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Suriname -8.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Svalbard NA migrant(s)/1,000 population Swaziland 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sweden 1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Switzerland 3.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Syria 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Taiwan 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tajikistan -2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tanzania -3.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Thailand 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Togo 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago -11.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tunisia -0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turkey 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turkmenistan -0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 10.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Tuvalu 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uganda -1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Ukraine -0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) United Kingdom 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) United States 3.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uruguay -0.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Uzbekistan -1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Vanuatu 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Venezuela 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Vietnam -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Virgin Islands -8.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna NA migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2006 est.) West Bank 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Yemen 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Zambia 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Zimbabwe 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2113 Geography - note Afghanistan landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor) Akrotiri British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus Albania strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) Algeria second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan) American Samoa Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean Andorra landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in the Pyrenees Angola the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo Anguilla the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles Antarctica the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; mostly uninhabitable Antigua and Barbuda Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor Arctic Ocean major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months Argentina second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere Armenia landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range Aruba a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) Ashmore and Cartier Islands Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983 Atlantic Ocean major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean Australia world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating tropical sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most consistent winds in the world Austria landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere Azerbaijan both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked Bahamas, The strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited Bahrain close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean Baker Island treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife Bangladesh most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal Barbados easternmost Caribbean island Bassas da India the islands emerge from a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano Belarus landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes Belgium crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO Belize only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean Benin sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands Bermuda consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995 Bhutan landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes Bolivia landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru Bosnia and Herzegovina within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro (Montenegro), and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east Botswana landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country Bouvet Island covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve Brazil largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador British Indian Ocean Territory archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility British Virgin Islands strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Brunei close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost an enclave within Malaysia Bulgaria strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia Burkina Faso landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas Burma strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes Burundi landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile Cambodia a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Cameroon sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano Canada second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border Cape Verde strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site Cayman Islands important location between Cuba and Central America Central African Republic landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa Chad landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel Chile strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions China world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak Christmas Island located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean Clipperton Island reef 12 km in circumference Cocos (Keeling) Islands islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation Colombia only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea Comoros important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel Congo, Democratic Republic of the straddles equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands Congo, Republic of the about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them Cook Islands the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km Coral Sea Islands important nesting area for birds and turtles Costa Rica four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65 Cote d'Ivoire most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated Croatia controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits Cuba largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles Cyprus the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia) Czech Republic landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe Denmark controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen Dhekelia British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus Djibouti strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa Dominica known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world Dominican Republic shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti East Timor Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands Ecuador Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world Egypt controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees El Salvador smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea Equatorial Guinea insular and continental regions widely separated Eritrea strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993 Estonia the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands Ethiopia landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean Europa Island wildlife sanctuary Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season Faroe Islands archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands Fiji includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited Finland long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain France largest West European nation French Guiana mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent French Polynesia includes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 coral); Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru French Southern and Antarctic Lands islands component is widely scattered across remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean Gabon a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity Gambia, The almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of Africa Gaza Strip strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history Georgia strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them Germany strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea Ghana Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake Gibraltar strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea Glorioso Islands the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system Greece strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands Greenland dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap Grenada the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada Guadeloupe a narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre Guam largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean Guatemala no natural harbors on west coast Guernsey large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port Guinea the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands Guinea-Bissau this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland Guyana the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively Haiti shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic) Holy See (Vatican City) landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence) Honduras has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast Hong Kong more than 200 islands Howland Island almost totally covered with grasses, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife Hungary landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions Iceland strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe Iles Eparses Bassas da India: the atoll is a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island: wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and sea turtles Glorioso Islands: the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system Tromelin Island: climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones in the western Indian Ocean; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises) India dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal Indian Ocean major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait Indonesia archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean Iran strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport Iraq strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf Ireland strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 100 km of Dublin Isle of Man one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary Israel there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2005 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source Italy strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe Jamaica strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal Jan Mayen barren volcanic island with some moss and grass Japan strategic location in northeast Asia Jarvis Island sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife Jersey largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier Johnston Atoll strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference; closed to the public; a former US nuclear weapons test site; site of now-closed Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); most facilities dismantled and cleanup complete in 2004; some low-growing vegetation Jordan strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank Juan de Nova Island wildlife sanctuary Kazakhstan landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050 Kenya the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value Kingman Reef barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public Kiribati 21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru Korea, North strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated Korea, South strategic location on Korea Strait Kuwait strategic location at head of Persian Gulf Kyrgyzstan landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes Laos landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand Latvia most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east Lebanon Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity Lesotho landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level Liberia facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture Libya more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert Liechtenstein along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation Lithuania fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits Luxembourg landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world Macau essentially urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges Macedonia landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe Madagascar world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel Malawi landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature Malaysia strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea Maldives 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean Mali landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan Malta the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration Marshall Islands Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is used as a US missile test range; island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific Martinique the island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, killing 30,000 inhabitants Mauritania most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country Mauritius the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs Mayotte part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands Mexico strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of four major island groups totaling 607 islands Midway Islands a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge and open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form of wildlife observation and photography, sport fishing, snorkeling, and scuba diving; the refuge is temporarily closed for reorganization at present (2004) Moldova landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone Monaco second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban Mongolia landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia Montenegro strategic location along the Adriatic coast Montserrat the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages Morocco strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar Mozambique the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country Namibia first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip Nauru Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator Navassa Island strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock but with enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus Nepal landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively Netherlands located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde) Netherlands Antilles the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao) New Caledonia consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls New Zealand about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world Nicaragua largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua Niger landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture Nigeria the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea Niue one of world's largest coral islands Norfolk Island most of the 32 km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated Northern Mariana Islands strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean Norway about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in the world Oman strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil Pacific Ocean the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean Pakistan controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent Palau westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands Palmyra Atoll about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall Panama strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean Papua New Guinea shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast Paracel Islands composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group Paraguay landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country Peru shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River Philippines the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands; favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait Pitcairn Islands Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore Poland historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain Portugal Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar Puerto Rico important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north Qatar strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits Reunion this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean Romania controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine Russia largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak Rwanda landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural Saint Helena Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa Saint Kitts and Nevis with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape complements that of its sister island Saint Lucia the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean Saint Pierre and Miquelon vegetation scanty Saint Vincent and the Grenadines the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays Samoa occupies an almost central position within Polynesia San Marino landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines Sao Tome and Principe the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous Saudi Arabia extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal Senegal westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal Serbia controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East Seychelles 41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands Sierra Leone rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa Singapore focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes Slovakia landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys Slovenia despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes Solomon Islands strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea Somalia strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal South Africa South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia Southern Ocean the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds Spain strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar Spratly Islands strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs Sri Lanka strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes Sudan largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries Suriname smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast Svalbard northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area; site of future seed repository under construction by the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Norwegian Government Swaziland landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa Sweden strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas Switzerland landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps Syria there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.) Taiwan strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait Tajikistan landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR Tanzania Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest Thailand controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore Togo the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna Tokelau consists of three atolls, each with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over three meters above sea level Tonga archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited) Trinidad and Tobago Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt Tromelin Island climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises) Tunisia strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration Turkey strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country Turkmenistan landlocked; the western and central low-lying, desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau Turks and Caicos Islands about 40 islands (eight inhabited) Tuvalu one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon Uganda landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers Ukraine strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe United Arab Emirates strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil United Kingdom lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters United States world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference Kingman Reef: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public Midway Islands: a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge and open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form of wildlife observation and photography Palmyra Atoll: the high rainfall and resulting lush vegetation make the environment of this atoll unique among the US Pacific Island territories; it supports one of the largest remaining undisturbed stands of Pisonia beach forest in the Pacific Uruguay second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising Uzbekistan along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world Vanuatu a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes Venezuela on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall Vietnam extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point Virgin Islands important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean Wake Island strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights Wallis and Futuna both island groups have fringing reefs West Bank landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.) Western Sahara the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas World the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, just about one-third of the 13-billion-year age estimated for the universe Yemen strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes Zambia landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe Zimbabwe landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2115 Political pressure groups and leaders Afghanistan Jamiat-e Islami (Society of Islam) [former President Burhanuddin RABBANI]; Ittihad-e Islami (Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan) [Abdul Rasul SAYYAF]; there are also small monarchist, communist, and democratic groups Albania Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement [Erion VELIAJ]; Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA] Algeria The Algerian Human Rights League or LADH or LADDH [Yahia Ali ABDENOUR]; SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET] American Samoa NA Andorra NA Angola Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC [N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE] note: FLEC's small-scale, highly factionalized armed struggle for the independence of Cabinda Province has largely ended Anguilla NA Antigua and Barbuda Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] Argentina Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); business organizations; Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a radical union for employed and unemployed workers); General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor movement; Piquetero groups (popular protest organizations that can be either pro or anti-government); Roman Catholic Church; students Armenia Yerkrapah Union [Manvel GRIGORIAN] Aruba NA Austria Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human rights Azerbaijan Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces (UPAF) Bahamas, The NA Bahrain Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97 and have recently engaged in protests and marches, demanding that more power be vested in the elected Council of Representatives and that the government do more to decrease unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active Bangladesh NA Barbados Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE] Belarus Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Alyaksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; Lenin Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dzmitryy DASHKEVICH, Syarhey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS] Belgium Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants Belize Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM] Benin NA Bermuda Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES] Bhutan Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community; United Front for Democracy (exiled) Bolivia Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman LOAYZA] Bosnia and Herzegovina NA Botswana NA Brazil Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions and federations; large farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical Christian churches and the Catholic Church British Virgin Islands NA Brunei NA Bulgaria Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas Burkina Faso Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities Burma National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallel government in exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National Union or KNU; several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary] Burundi none Cambodia NA Cameroon Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]; Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president] Canada NA Cape Verde NA Cayman Islands NA Central African Republic NA Chad NA Chile revitalized university student federations at all major universities; Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations China no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the China Democracy Party as subversive groups Christmas Island none Cocos (Keeling) Islands none Colombia two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National Liberation Army or ELN; largest illegal paramilitary group, a roughly organized umbrella group of disparate paramilitary forces, is United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC Comoros NA Congo, Democratic Republic of the NA Congo, Republic of the Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC Cook Islands NA Costa Rica Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert BROWN] Cote d'Ivoire NA Croatia NA Cuba NA Cyprus Confederation of Cypriot Workers or SEK (pro-West); Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions or Dev-Is; Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions or Turk-Sen; Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation or PEO (Communist controlled) Czech Republic Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH] Denmark NA Djibouti Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED] Dominica Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party) Dominican Republic Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS) East Timor Popular Council for the Defense of the Democratic Republic of East Timor or CPD-RDTL [Antonio-Aitahan MATAK] is largest political pressure group; dissatisfied veterans of struggle against Indonesia, led by one-time government advisor Cornelio GAMA (also known as L-7), also play an important role in pressuring government Ecuador Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Luis MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president] Egypt despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes Hosni MUBARAK's potentially most significant political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated limited political activity by the Brotherhood for his first two terms, but moved more aggressively since then to block its influence; civic society groups are sanctioned, but constrained in practical terms; trade unions and professional associations are officially sanctioned El Salvador labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association or ASI Equatorial Guinea NA Eritrea Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (also including Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement)); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob] Estonia NA Ethiopia Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union Front or ARDUF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]; Oromo National Liberation Front or ONLF Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) none Faroe Islands NA Fiji NA France historically-Communist labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, approximately 700,000 members (claimed); left-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, approximately 889,000 members (claimed); independent labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail - Force Ouvriere) or FO, 300,000 members (est.); independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) or CGC, 196,000 members (claimed); employers' union (Mouvement des Entreprises de France) or MEDEF, 750,000 companies as members (claimed) French Guiana NA French Polynesia NA Gabon NA Gambia, The NA Georgia Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in exile; separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; supporters of former President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA ousted in 1991 Germany business associations, employers' organizations; expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups Ghana NA Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association Greece General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Khristos POLYZOGOPOULOS]; Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Odysseas KYRIAKOPOULOS]; Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS] Greenland NA Grenada NA Guadeloupe Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal Movement Guam NA Guatemala Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM Guernsey none Guinea Student and teacher unions Guinea-Bissau NA Guyana Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana Bar Association; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades Union Congress Haiti Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA; Group of 184 Civil Society Organizations, or G-184 [Andy APAID]; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church; Protestant Federation of Haiti Holy See (Vatican City) none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers) Honduras Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH; National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH Hong Kong Article 45 Concern Group (pro-democracy); Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president]; Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC (pro-democracy); The Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member] Hungary NA Iceland NA India numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland in the Northeast Indonesia NA Iran political pressure groups conduct most of Iran's political activities; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat), Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh), and Islamic Engineers Society; active pro-reform student groups include the Office of Strengthening Unity (OSU); opposition groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the National Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Komala Iraq an insurgency against the Iraqi Transitional Government and Coalition forces is primarily concentrated in Baghdad and in areas west and north of the capital; the diverse, multigroup insurgency is led principally by Sunni Arabs whose only common denominator is a shared desire to oust the Coalition and end US influence in Iraq Ireland NA Isle of Man none Israel Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors human rights abuses Italy Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura); Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL [Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing, Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Savino PEZZOTTA], which is Roman Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist) Jamaica New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) Japan NA Jersey none Jordan Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, secretary general] Kazakhstan Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For a Just Kazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV, Altynbek SARSENBAYEV]; For Fair Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV] Kenya human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY] Kiribati NA Korea, North none Korea, South Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association; National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Federation of Student Associations Kuwait a number of political groups act as de facto parties; several legislative blocs operate in the National Assembly: tribal groups, merchants, Shi'a activists, Islamists, and secular liberals Kyrgyzstan Council of Free Trade Unions; Kyrgyz Committee on Human Rights [Ramazan DYRYLDAYEV]; National Unity Democratic Movement; Union of Entrepreneurs Laos noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 Latvia Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB) [Aleksandr KAZAKOV] Lebanon none Lesotho NA Liberia NA Libya various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements; an anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile movement exists, primarily based in London, but has little influence Liechtenstein NA Lithuania NA Luxembourg ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists); Greenpeace (environment protection); LCGP (center-right trade union); Mouvement Ecologique (protection of ecology); OGBL (center-left trade union) Macau NA Macedonia Civic Movement of Macedonia [Gordana SILJANOVSKA]; World Macedonian Congress [Todor PETROV] Madagascar Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR; Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy]; National Council of Christian Churches or FFKM Malawi NA Malaysia NA Maldives various unregistered political parties Mali Patriotic Movement of the Ghanda Koye or MPGK; United Movement and Fronts of Azawad or MFUA Malta NA Marshall Islands NA Martinique Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP Mauritania Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general] Mauritius various labor unions Mayotte NA Mexico Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC; Roman Catholic Church Moldova NA Monaco NA Mongolia NA Montserrat NA Morocco Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI]; General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Moroccan Employers Association or CGEM [Hassan CHAMI]; National Labor Union of Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI]; Union of Moroccan Workers or UMT [Mahjoub BENSEDDIK] Mozambique Institute for Peace and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS, president]; Etica [Abdul CARIMO Issa, chairman]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para Paz e Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president]; Human Rights and Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD [Artemisia FRANCO, secretary general] Namibia NA Nauru NA Nepal Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI]; numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups Netherlands Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV (consisting of a merger of Socialist and Catholic trade unions); Christian Trade Union Federation or CNV; Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or MHP; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large multinational firms; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises Netherlands Antilles Unions (AVBO) and Employers Association (VBC) New Caledonia NA New Zealand NA Nicaragua National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or ATC, Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG, Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT is an umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including - Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union; Superior Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of business groups Niger Coalition Against a High Cost of Living [Nouhou ARZIKA] Nigeria NA Niue NA Norfolk Island none Northern Mariana Islands NA Norway NA Oman none Pakistan military remains most important political force; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential Palau NA Panama Chamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Council of Organized Workers or CONATO; National Council of Private Enterprise or CONEP; National Union of Construction and Similar Workers (SUNTRACS); Panamanian Association of Business Executives or APEDE; Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; Workers Confederation of the Republic of Panama or CTRP Papua New Guinea NA Paraguay Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of Campesino Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation of Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or CNT [Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT [Jorge Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo] Peru leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)]; Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned), Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] Philippines AKBAYAN [Reps. Etta ROSALES, Mario AGUJA, and Risa HONTIVEROS-BARAQUIEL]; ALAGAD [Rep. Rodante MARROLITA]; ALIF [Rep. Acmad TOMAWIS]; An Waray [Rep. Horencio NOEL]; Anak Mindanao [Mujiv HATAMIN]; ANAKPAWIS [Reps. Crispin BELTRAN and Rafael MARIANO]; APEC [Reps. Ernesto PABLO, Edgar VALDEZ]; Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) [Reps. Edgar VALDEZ, Ernesto PABLO, and Sunny Rose MADAMBA]; AVE [Rep. Eulogio MAGSAYSAY]; Bayan Muna [Reps. Satur OCAMPO, Joel VIRADOR, and Teodoro CASINO, Jr.]; BUHAY [Reps. Rene VELARDE and Hans Christian SENERES]; BUTIL [Rep. Benjamin CRUZ]; CIBAC [Rep. Emmanuel Joel VILLANUEVA]; COOP-NATCO [Rep. Guillermo CUA]; GABRIELA [Rep. Liza MAZA]; Partido Ng Manggagawa [Rep. Renato MAGTUBO]; Veterans Federation of the Philippines [Rep. Ernesto GIDAYA] (2006) Pitcairn Islands none Poland All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan GUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Jozef GLEMP]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK] Portugal NA Puerto Rico Boricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group also known as Los Macheteros); note - the following radical groups are considered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance, Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution Qatar none Reunion NA Romania various human rights and professional associations Russia NA Rwanda IBUKA - association of genocide survivors Saint Helena none Saint Kitts and Nevis NA Saint Lucia NA Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA Samoa NA San Marino NA Sao Tome and Principe NA Saudi Arabia none Senegal labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers Seychelles Roman Catholic Church; trade unions Sierra Leone trade unions and student unions Singapore NA Slovakia Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ Slovenia NA Solomon Islands Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force (MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003 Somalia numerous clan and sub-clan factions are currently vying for power South Africa Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC Spain business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; university students; Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Commissions or CC.OO.; Nunca Mas (Galician for "Never Again"; formed in response to the oil tanker Prestige oil spill) Sri Lanka Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups Sudan Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI] Suriname Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE]; Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE]; Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD] Swaziland NA Sweden NA Switzerland NA Syria Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes several groups but has no designated leader); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes several groups but has no designated leader); Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM] Taiwan Taiwan independence movement, various business and environmental groups note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the UN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include the World United Formosans for Independence and the Organization for Taiwan Nation Building Tajikistan unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV]; Party of Justice [Abdurahim KARIMOV]; People's Unity Party [Abdumalik ABDULLOJONOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV]; Socialist Party [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; note - this is the SPT that was disbanded, another pro-government SPT (listed above under political parties) replaced it; Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV] Tanzania NA Thailand NA Togo NA Tokelau none Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE] Trinidad and Tobago Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR] Tunisia the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed Turkey Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU] Turkmenistan NA Turks and Caicos Islands NA Tuvalu none Uganda Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP Ukraine Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV] United Arab Emirates NA United Kingdom Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress United States NA Uruguay Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization); Catholic Church; Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association); Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization); PIT-CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan unions); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association); students; Uruguayan Construction League Uzbekistan Agrarian and Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik (Unity) Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party [Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992; Ezgulik Human Rights Society [Vasilia INOYATOVA]; Free Farmers' Party or Ozod Dehqonlar [Nigara KHIDOYATOVA]; Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Tolib YAKUBOV, chairman]; Independent Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Mazlum; Sunshine Coalition [Sanjar UMAROV, chairman] Vanuatu NA Venezuela FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action) Vietnam none Virgin Islands NA Wallis and Futuna NA Western Sahara none Yemen NA Zambia NA Zimbabwe Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Wellington CHIBEBE]; National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Lovemore MATOMBO] This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2116 Economy - overview Afghanistan Afghanistan's economic outlook has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 because of the infusion of over $8 billion in international assistance, recovery of the agricultural sector and growth of the service sector, and the reestablishment of market institutions. Real GDP growth is estimated to have slowed in the last fiscal year primarily because adverse weather conditions cut agricultural production, but is expected to rebound over 2005-06 because of foreign donor reconstruction and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan remains extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, farming, and trade with neighboring countries. It will probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from its current status, among the lowest in the world. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs, but the Afghan government and international donors remain committed to improving access to these basic necessities by prioritizing infrastructure development, education, housing development, jobs programs, and economic reform over the next year. Growing political stability and continued international commitment to Afghan reconstruction create an optimistic outlook for continuing improvements in the Afghan economy in 2006. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade may account for one-third of GDP and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy challenges. Other long-term challenges include: boosting the supply of skilled labor, reducing vulnerability to severe natural disasters, expanding health services, and rebuilding a war torn infrastructure. Akrotiri Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. Albania Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to spur economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for about one-quarter of GDP, is held back because of frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment, to clarify property rights, and to consolidate small plots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment, which make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment. The planned construction of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission and distribution facilities will help relieve the energy shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side: growth was strong in 2003-05 and inflation is not a problem. Algeria The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the seventh-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second-largest gas exporter; it ranks 14th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent years, along with macroeconomic policy reforms supported by the IMF, have helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic indicators. Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses and building up record foreign exchange reserves. Real GDP has risen due to higher oil output and increased government spending. The government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy sector, however, has had little success in reducing high unemployment and improving living standards. The population is becoming increasingly restive due to the lack of jobs and housing and frequently stages protests, which have resulted in arrests and injuries, including some deaths as government forces intervened to restore order. Structural reform within the economy, such as development of the banking sector and the construction of infrastructure, moves ahead slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucratic resistance. American Samoa American Samoa has a traditional Polynesian economy in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US with which American Samoa conducts most of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism is a promising developing sector. Andorra Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its partial "tax haven" status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs) and as a non-EU member for agricultural products. Angola Angola's high growth rate is driven by its oil sector, with record oil prices and rising petroleum production. Oil production and its supporting activities contribute about half of GDP and 90% of exports. Increased oil production supported 12% growth in 2004 and 19% growth in 2005. A postwar reconstruction boom and resettlement of displaced persons has led to high rates of growth in construction and agriculture as well. Much of the country's infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil war. Remnants of the conflict such as widespread land mines still mar the countryside even though an apparently durable peace was established after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in February 2002. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for half of the population, but half of the country's food must still be imported. In 2005, the government started using a $2 billion line of credit from China to rebuild Angola's public infrastructure, and several large-scale projects are scheduled for completion by 2006. The central bank in 2003 implemented an exchange rate stabilization program using foreign exchange reserves to buy kwanzas out of circulation, a policy that was more sustainable in 2005 because of strong oil export earnings, and has significantly reduced inflation. Consumer inflation declined from 325% in 2000 to about 18% in 2005, but the stabilization policy places pressure on international net liquidity. To fully take advantage of its rich national resources - gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will need to continue reforming government policies and to reduce corruption. The government has made sufficient progress on reforms recommended by the IMF such as promoting greater transparency in government spending but continues to be without a formal monitoring agreement with the institution. Anguilla Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector, has contributed to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector, which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions. Antarctica Fishing off the coast and tourism, both based abroad, account for Antarctica's limited economic activity. Antarctic fisheries in 2003-04 (1 July-30 June) reported landing 136,262 metric tons (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Antarctic Treaty area). Unregulated fishing, particularly of Patagonian toothfish, is a serious problem. The CCAMLR determines the recommended catch limits for marine species. A total of 23,175 tourists visited in the 2004-05 Antarctic summer, up from the 19,486 visitors the previous year. Nearly all of them were passengers on commercial (nongovernmental) ships and several yachts that make trips during the summer. Most tourist trips last approximately two weeks. Antigua and Barbuda Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals. Arctic Ocean Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals. Argentina Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Over the past decade, however, the country has suffered problems of inflation, external debt, capital flight, and budget deficits. Growth in 2000 was a negative 0.8%, as both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the government's ability to pay debts and maintain the peso's fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. The economic situation worsened in 2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive withdrawals from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and investor confidence. Government efforts to achieve a "zero deficit," to stabilize the banking system, and to restore economic growth proved inadequate in the face of the mounting economic problems. The peso's peg to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso was floated in February. The exchange rate plunged and real GDP fell by 10.9% in 2002, but by mid-year the economy had stabilized, albeit at a lower level. GDP expanded by about 9% per year from 2003 to 2005. Growth is being led by a revival in domestic demand, solid exports, and favorable external conditions. The government boosted spending ahead of the October 2005 midterm congressional elections, but strong revenue performance allowed Argentina to maintain a budget surplus. Inflation has been rising steadily and reached 12.3 percent in 2005. Armenia Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. The agricultural sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated technology. The privatization of industry has been at a slower pace, but has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration. Armenia is a food importer, and its mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite) are small. The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed economic system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2005. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. Armenia also has managed to slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Armenia's unemployment rate, however, remains high, despite strong economic growth. The chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in the early and mid-1990s have been offset by the energy supplied by one of its nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia is now a net energy exporter, although it does not have sufficient generating capacity to replace Metsamor, which is under international pressure to close. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in 2005, but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. Investment in the construction and industrial sectors is expected to continue in 2006 and will help to ensure annual average real GDP growth of about 13.9%. Aruba Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The newly re-elected government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority. Ashmore and Cartier Islands no economic activity Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea). Australia Australia has an enviable Western-style capitalist economy with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. Rising output in the domestic economy, robust business and consumer confidence, and rising exports of raw materials and agricultural products are fueling the economy. Australia's emphasis on reforms, low inflation, and growing ties with China are other key factors behind the economy's strength. The impact of drought, weak foreign demand, and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up from $8 billion in 2002, to $18 billion in 2003, $13 billion in 2004, and nearly $17 billion in 2005. Housing prices probably peaked in 2005, diminishing the prospect that interest rates would be raised to prevent a speculative bubble. Conservative fiscal policies have kept Australia's budget in surplus from 2002 to 2005. Austria Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU economies. The current government has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining government, creating a more competitive business environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment location, pursuing a balanced budget, and implementing effective pension reforms. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe have held the economy to growth rates of 0.4% in 2002, 1.4% in 2003, 2.4% in 2004, and 1.8% in 2005. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, particularly the new EU members, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging population. Azerbaijan Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production declined through 1997, but has registered an increase every year since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies is scheduled to begin pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large offshore field in early 2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built from Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Economists estimate that by 2010 revenues from this project will double the country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly being replaced. Several other obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector, the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the pervasive corruption. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil wealth. Bahamas, The The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2001-03. The current government has presided over a period of economic recovery and an upturn in large-scale private sector investments in tourism. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors. Bahrain Petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. In 2005 Bahrain and the US ratified a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Baker Island no economic activity Bangladesh Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. One encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several years. Barbados Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly due to a decline in tourism. Growth was positive in 2005, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved. Bassas da India no economic activity Belarus Belarus's economy in 2005 posted 8% growth. The government has succeeded in lowering inflation over the past several years. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in 2005, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Trade with European countries increased. Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. During 2005, the government re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure by central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world. Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting foreign investment, which remains low. Growth has been strong in recent years, despite the roadblocks in a tough, centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Belarus continues to receive heavily discounted oil and natural gas from Russia. Much of Belarus' growth can be attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices. Belgium This modern, private-enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-05. Belize In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy the tourism industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 5% in 1999-2005. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors. Benin The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years, but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in increased smuggling and criminality in the border region. Bermuda Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world, more than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies relocated to the island following 11 September 2001 and again after Hurricane Katrina, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited with only 20% of the land being arable. Bhutan The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than 90% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on India's financial assistance. The industrial sector is technologically backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources. Model education, social, and environment programs are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. Each economic program takes into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. For example, the government, in its cautious expansion of the tourist sector, encourages visits by upscale, environmentally conscientious tourists. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. Bolivia Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4% in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence. In 2003, violent protests against the pro-foreign investment economic policies of President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial natural gas law that imposes on the oil and gas firms significantly higher taxes as well as new contracts that give the state control of their operations. Bolivian officials are in the process of implementing the law; meanwhile, foreign investors have stopped investing and have taken the first legal steps to secure their investments. Real GDP growth in 2003-05 - helped by increased demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia's fiscal position has improved in recent years, but the country remains dependent on foreign aid from multilateral lenders and foreign governments to meet budget shortfalls. In 2005, the G8 announced a $2 billion debt-forgiveness plan over the next few decades that should help reduce some fiscal pressures on the government in the near term. Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to Macedonia as the poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation. Although agriculture is almost all in private hands, farms are small and inefficient, and the republic traditionally is a net importer of food. Industry remains greatly overstaffed, a holdover from the socialist economic structure of Yugoslavia. TITO had pushed the development of military industries in the republic with the result that Bosnia was saddled with a host of industrial firms with little commercial potential. The interethnic warfare in Bosnia caused production to plummet by 80% from 1992 to 1995 and unemployment to soar. With an uneasy peace in place, output recovered in 1996-99 at high percentage rates from a low base; but output growth slowed in 2000-02. Part of the lag in output was made up in 2003-05. National-level statistics are limited and do not capture the large share of black market activity. The konvertibilna marka (convertible mark or BAM)- the national currency introduced in 1998 - is pegged to the euro, and confidence in the currency and the banking sector has increased. Implementation of privatization, however, has been slow, and local entities only reluctantly support national-level institutions. Banking reform accelerated in 2001 as all the Communist-era payments bureaus were shut down; foreign banks, primarily from Western Europe, now control most of the banking sector. A sizeable current account deficit and high unemployment rate remain the two most serious economic problems. The country receives substantial amounts of reconstruction assistance and humanitarian aid from the international community but will have to prepare for an era of declining assistance. Botswana Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $10,000 in 2005. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for 70-80% of export earnings. Tourism, financial services, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 23.8%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects. Bouvet Island no economic activity; declared a nature reserve Brazil Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. From 2001-03 real wages fell and Brazil's economy grew, on average only 2.2% per year, as the country absorbed a series of domestic and international economic shocks. That Brazil absorbed these shocks without financial collapse is a tribute to the resiliency of the Brazilian economy and the economic program put in place by former President CARDOSO and strengthened by President LULA DA SILVA. In 2004, Brazil enjoyed more robust growth that yielded increases in employment and real wages. The three pillars of the economic program are a floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and tight fiscal policy, all reinforced by a series of IMF programs. The currency depreciated sharply in 2001 and 2002, which contributed to a dramatic current account adjustment; in 2003 to 2005, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains - particularly in agriculture - also contributed to the surge in exports, and Brazil in 2005 surpassed the previous year's record export level. While economic management has been good, there remain important economic vulnerabilities. The most significant are debt-related: the government's largely domestic debt increased steadily from 1994 to 2003 - straining government finances - before falling as a percentage of GDP in 2005, while Brazil's foreign debt (a mix of private and public debt) is large in relation to Brazil's small (but growing) export base. Another challenge is maintaining economic growth over a period of time to generate employment and make the government debt burden more manageable. British Indian Ocean Territory All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The country makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps. British Virgin Islands The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959. Brunei This small, well-to-do economy encompasses a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for nearly half of GDP and more than 90% of government revenues. Per capita GDP is far above most other Third World countries, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and free education through the university level and subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion, although it became a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum. Plans for the future include upgrading the labor force, reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and tourist sectors, and, in general, further widening the economic base beyond oil and gas. Bulgaria Bulgaria, a former communist country soon to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. Minerals, including coal, copper, and zinc, play an important role in industry. In 1997, macroeconomic stability was reinforced by the imposition of a fixed exchange rate of the lev against the German D-mark - the currency is now fixed against the euro - and the negotiation of an IMF standby agreement. Low inflation and steady progress on structural reforms improved the business environment; Bulgaria has averaged 4% growth since 2000 and has begun to attract significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain the largest challenges for Bulgaria. Burkina Faso One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. About 90% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which is vulnerable to harsh climatic conditions. Cotton is the key crop and the government has joined with other cotton producing countries in the region to lobby for improved access to Western markets. GDP growth has largely been driven by increases in world cotton prices. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the CFA franc currency devaluation in January 1994, the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies; exports and economic growth have increased. The government devolved macroeconomic policy and inflation targeting to the West African regional central bank (BCEAO), but maintains control over fiscal and microeconomic policies, including implementing reforms to encourage private investment. The bitter internal crisis in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire continues to hurt trade and industrial prospects and deepens the need for international assistance. Burma Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism," but those efforts stalled, and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Burma does not have monetary or fiscal stability, so the economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including inflation, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, and a distorted interest rate regime. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy, the US imposed new economic sanctions against Burma - including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons. A poor investment climate further slowed the inflow of foreign exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber. Other areas, such as manufacturing and services, are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health and education systems, and corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of December 2005, the largest private banks operate under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be as large as the official economy. Burma's trade with Thailand, China, and India is rising. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, better investment and business climates and an improved political situation are needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism. Burundi Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with more than 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Economic growth depends on coffee and tea exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports, therefore, rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the population. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 10 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms. Cambodia In 1999, the first full year of peace in 30 years, the government made progress on economic reforms. The US and Cambodia signed a Bilateral Textile Agreement, which gave Cambodia a guaranteed quota of US textile imports and established a bonus for improving working conditions and enforcing Cambodian labor laws and international labor standards in the industry. From 2001 to 2004, the economy grew at an average rate of 6.4%, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector and tourism. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodia-based textile producers were forced to compete directly with lower-priced producing countries such as China and India. Although initial 2005 GDP growth estimates were less than 3%, better-than-expected garment sector performance led the IMF to forecast 6% growth in 2005. Faced with the possibility that its vibrant garment industry, with more than 200,000 jobs, could be in serious danger, the Cambodian government has committed itself to a policy of continued support for high labor standards in an attempt to maintain favor with buyers. The tourism industry continues to grow rapidly, with foreign visitors surpassing 1 million for the year by September 2005. In 2005, exploitable oil and natural gas deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new revenue stream for the government once commercial extraction begins in the coming years. The long-term development of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian government continues to work with bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs. In December 2004, official donors pledged $504 million in aid for 2005 on the condition that the Cambodian government implement steps to reduce corruption. The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance. More than 50% of the population is 20 years or younger. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure. Fully 75% of the population remains engaged in subsistence farming. Cameroon Because of its oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. International oil and cocoa prices have considerable impact on the economy. Canada As an affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Top-notch fiscal management has produced consecutive balanced budgets since 1997, although public debate continues over how to manage the rising cost of the publicly funded healthcare system. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the US, which absorbs more than 85% of Canadian exports. Canada is the US' largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power. Cape Verde This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented, with commerce, transport, tourism, and public services accounting for 66% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of agriculture in GDP in 2004 was only 12%, of which fishing accounted for 1.5%. About 82% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by foreign aid and remittances from emigrants; remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Economic reforms are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Future prospects depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows, the encouragement of tourism, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development program. Cayman Islands With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 1998, including almost 600 banks and trust companies; banking assets exceed $500 billion. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 1.2 million in 1997, with 600,000 from the US. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world. Central African Republic Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, for 40%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization, with GDP growth at only 0.5% in 2004 and 2.5% in 2005. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs. Chad Chad's primarily agricultural economy will continue to be boosted by major foreign direct investment projects in the oil sector that began in 2000. Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and livestock raising for its livelihood. Chad's economy has long been handicapped by its landlocked position, high energy costs, and a history of instability. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for most public and private sector investment projects. A consortium led by two US companies has been investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves - estimated at 1 billion barrels - in southern Chad. The nation's total oil reserves has been estimated to be 2 billion barrels. Oil production came on stream in late 2003. Chad began to export oil in 2004. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's non-oil export earnings. Chile Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of 1999, exports and economic activity had begun to recover, and growth rebounded to 4.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.1% in 2001 and 2.1% in 2002, largely due to lackluster global growth and the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Chile's economy began a slow recovery in 2003, growing 3.2%, and accelerated to 6.1% in 2004-05, while Chile maintained a low rate of inflation. GDP growth benefited from high copper prices, solid export earnings (particularly forestry, fishing, and mining), and stepped-up foreign direct investment. Unemployment, however, remains stubbornly high. Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile signed a free trade agreement with China in November 2005, and it already has several trade deals signed with other nations and blocs, including the European Union, Mercosur, South Korea, and Mexico. Record-high copper prices helped to strengthen the peso to a 5½-year high, as of December 2005, and will boost GDP in 2006. China China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion. The process continues with key moves in 2005 including the sale of equity in China's largest state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond markets. The restructuring of the economy and resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2005 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income and 150 million Chinese fall below international poverty lines. Economic development has generally been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior, and there are large disparities in per capita income between regions. The government has struggled to: (a) sustain adequate job growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) contain environmental damage and social strife related to the economy's rapid transformation. From 100 to 150 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. One demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer Internet use, with more than 100 million users at the end of 2005. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable expansion in world trade and has been an important factor in the growth of urban jobs. In July 2005, China revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. Reports of shortages of electric power in the summer of 2005 in southern China receded by September-October and did not have a substantial impact on China's economy. More power generating capacity is scheduled to come on line in 2006 as large scale investments are completed. Thirteen years in construction at a cost of $24 billion, the immense Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River will be essentially completed in 2006 and will revolutionize electrification and flood control in the area. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2005 approved the draft 11th Five-Year Plan and the National People's Congress is expected to give final approval in March 2006. The plan calls for a 20% reduction in energy consumption per unit of GDP by 2010 and an estimated 45% increase in GDP by 2010. The plan states that conserving resources and protecting the environment are basic goals, but it lacks details on the policies and reforms necessary to achieve these goals. Christmas Island Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future. Clipperton Island Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic activity is tuna fishing. Cocos (Keeling) Islands Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry. Colombia Colombia's economy has been on a recovery trend during the past two years despite a serious armed conflict. The economy continues to improve thanks to austere government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth strategy, and an improved security situation in the country. Ongoing economic problems facing President URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. New exploration is needed to offset declining oil production. On the positive side, several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by URIBE, which succeeded in reducing the public-sector deficit below 1.5% of GDP. The government's economic policy and democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector. Coffee prices have recovered from previous lows as the Colombian coffee industry pursues greater market shares in developed countries such as the United States. Comoros One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. Increased foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP. Congo, Democratic Republic of the The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of perhaps 3.5 million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The transitional government has reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. Much economic activity lies outside the GDP data. Economic stability improved in 2003-05, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of openness in government policy continues to hamper growth. In 2005, renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most exports, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth. Business and economic prospects are expected to improve once a new government is installed after elections. Congo, Republic of the The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, the reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. Economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. The Republic of Congo may be eligible for an IMF-World Bank heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative in early 2006, provided it meets the strict fiscal and monetary targets set out for it under a new three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) with the IMF. Cook Islands Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture, employing about 70% of the working population, provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Black pearls are the Cook Island's leading export. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth. Coral Sea Islands no economic activity Costa Rica Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. Low prices for coffee and bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. The reduction of inflation remains a difficult problem because of rises in the price of imports, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The country also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern of public expenditure. Costa Rica is the only signatory to the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that has not ratified it. CAFTA implementation would result in economic reforms and an improved investment climate. Cote d'Ivoire Cote d'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products and weather conditions. Despite government attempts to diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Growth was negative in 2000-03 because of the difficulty of meeting the conditions of international donors, continued low prices of key exports, and severe civil war. In November 2004, the situation deteriorated when President GBAGBO's troops attacked and killed nine French peacekeeping forces, and the UN imposed an arms embargo. Political turmoil damaged the economy in 2005, with fear among Ivorians spreading, foreign investment shriveling, French businesses and expats fleeing, travel within the country falling, and criminal elements that traffic in weapons and diamonds gaining ground. The government will continue to survive financially off of the sale of cocoa, which represents 90% of foreign exchange earnings. Though the 2005 harvest was largely unaffected by past fighting, the government will likely lose between 10% and 20% of its cocoa harvest to northern rebels, who smuggle the cocoa they control to neighboring countries where cocoa prices are higher. The government remains hopeful that ongoing exploration of Cote d'Ivoire's offshore oil reserves will result in significant production that could boost daily crude output from roughly 33,000 barrels per day (b/d) to over 200,000 b/d by the end of the decade. Croatia Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia, after Slovenia, was the most prosperous and industrialized area with a per capita output perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav average. The economy emerged from a mild recession in 2000 with tourism, banking, and public investments leading the way. Unemployment remains high, at about 18%, with structural factors slowing its decline. While macroeconomic stabilization has largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of deep resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong support from politicians. Growth, while impressive at about 3% to 4% for the last several years, has been stimulated, in part, through high fiscal deficits and rapid credit growth. The EU accession process should accelerate fiscal and structural reform. Cuba The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The government in 2005 strengthened its controls over dollars coming into the economy from tourism, remittances, and trade. External financing has helped growth in the mining, oil, construction, and tourism sectors. Cyprus The Republic of Cyprus has a market economy dominated by the service sector, which accounts for 76% of GDP. Tourism and financial services are the most important sectors; erratic growth rates over the past decade reflect the economy's reliance on tourism, which often fluctuates with political instability in the region and economic conditions in Western Europe. Nevertheless, the economy grew a healthy 3.7% per year in 2004 and 2005, well above the EU average. Cyprus joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM2) in May 2005. The government has initiated an aggressive austerity program, which has cut the budget deficit to below 3% but continued fiscal discipline is necessary if Cyprus is to meet its goal of adopting the euro on 1 January 2008. As in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots, water shortages are a perennial problem; a few desalination plants are now on line. After 10 years of drought, the country received substantial rainfall from 2001-03 alleviating immediate concerns. The Turkish Cypriot economy has roughly one-third of the per capita GDP of the south, and economic growth tends to be volatile, given north Cyprus's relative isolation, bloated public sector, reliance on the Turkish lira, and small market size. The Turkish Cypriot economy grew 15.4% in 2004, fueled by growth in the construction and education sectors, as well as increased employment of Turkish Cypriots in the Republic of Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriots are heavily dependent on transfers from the Turkish Government. Under the 2003-06 economic protocol, Ankara plans to provide around $550 million to the "TRNC." Agriculture and services, together, employ more than half of the work force. Czech Republic The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-05 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3% of GDP as demand for Czech products in the European Union has increased. Inflation is under control. Recent accession to the EU gives further impetus and direction to structural reform. In early 2004 the government passed increases in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits with the intention to bring the public finance gap down to 4% of GDP by 2006, but more difficult pension and healthcare reforms will have to wait until after the next elections. Privatization of the state-owned telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom took place in 2005. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth. Denmark This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark has decided not to join 12 other EU members in the euro. Nonetheless, the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro. Economic growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn accelerated through 2005. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish people enjoy living standards topped by no other nation. A major long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to retirees. Dhekelia Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. Djibouti The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of at least 50% continues to be a major problem. While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of the Djiboutian franc to the US dollar, the artificially high value of the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of payments. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors. Dominica The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and international economic developments. Production of bananas dropped precipitously in 2003, a major reason for the 1% decline in GDP. Tourism increased in 2003 as the government sought to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. Development of the tourism industry remains difficult, however, because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international airport. The government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy in 2003 - including elimination of price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to address Dominica's economic crisis and to meet IMF targets. In order to diversify the island's production base, the government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is planning to construct an oil refinery on the eastern part of the island. Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy that enjoyed strong GDP growth until 2003. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy (the source of about 80% of export revenues), but recovered in 2004 and 2005. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation. Although the economy continues to grow at a respectable rate, unemployment remains an important challenge. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. The Dominican Republic's development prospects improved with the ratification of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in September 2005. East Timor In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of East Timor was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias, and 300,000 people fled westward. Over the next three years, however, a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By the end of 2005, all refugees either returned or resettled in Indonesia. Non-petroleum GDP growth was held back in 2003 by extensive drought and the gradual winding down of the international presence but recovered somewhat in 2004. The country faces great challenges in continuing the rebuilding of infrastructure, strengthening the infant civil administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The development of oil and gas resources in nearby waters has begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule and above expectations - the result of high petroleum prices - but the technology-intensive industry does little to create jobs for the unemployed, because there are no production facilities in Timor and the gas is piped to Australia. The parliament in June 2005 unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and preserve the value of East Timor's petroleum wealth for future generations. Ecuador Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources, which have accounted for 40% of the country's export earnings and one-third of central government budget revenues in recent years. Consequently, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. In the late 1990s, Ecuador suffered its worst economic crisis, with natural disasters and sharp declines in world petroleum prices driving Ecuador's economy into free fall in 1999. Real GDP contracted by more than 6%, with poverty worsening significantly. The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. The currency depreciated by some 70% in 1999, and, on the brink of hyperinflation, the MAHAUD government announced it would dollarize the economy. A coup, however, ousted MAHAUD from office in January 2000, and after a short-lived junta failed to garner military support, Vice President Gustavo NOBOA took over the presidency. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided the framework for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and growth returned to its pre-crisis levels in the years that followed. Under the administration of Lucio GUTIERREZ - January 2003 to April 2005 - Ecuador benefited from higher world petroleum prices. However, the government under Alfredo PALACIO has reversed economic reforms that reduced Ecuador's vulnerability to petroleum price swings and financial crises, allowing the central government greater access to oil windfalls and disbursing surplus retirement funds. Egypt Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley, where most economic activity takes place. In the last 30 years, the government has reformed the highly centralized economy it inherited from President NASSER. In 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF reduced personal and corporate tax rates, reduced energy subsidies, and privatized several enterprises. The stock market boomed, and GDP grew nearly 5%. Despite these achievements, the government has failed to raise living standards for the average Egyptian, and has had to continue providing subsidies for basic necessities. The subsidies have contributed to a growing budget deficit - more than 8% of GDP in 2005 - and represent a significant drain on the economy. Foreign direct investment remains low. To achieve higher GDP growth the NAZIF government will need to continue its aggressive pursuit of reform, especially in the energy sector. Egypt's export sectors - particularly natural gas - have bright prospects. El Salvador The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest economy, but growth has been minimal in recent years. Hoping to stimulate the sluggish economy, the government is striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, and modernize the tax and healthcare systems. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which El Salvador was the first to ratify, is viewed as a key policy to help achieve these objectives. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances from Salvadorans living abroad - 16.6% of GDP in 2005 - and external aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador has lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. Equatorial Guinea The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993, because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2005, led by oil. Equatorial Guinea now has the second highest per capita income in the world, after Luxembourg. Eritrea Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to -12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges. Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military kept cereal production well below normal, holding down growth in 2002-05. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, as well as the willingness to open its economy to private enterprise so that the diaspora's money and expertise can foster economic growth. Estonia Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization and the European Union, has transitioned effectively to a modern market economy with strong ties to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The current account deficit remains high; however, the state budget is essentially in balance, and public debt is low. Ethiopia Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $156 million in 2002, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the International Monetary Fund voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 2% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns late in 2003 helped agricultural and GDP growth recover in 2004-05. Europa Island no economic activity European Union Domestically, the European Union attempts to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income (from $15,000 to $56,000) and historic national animosities, the European Community faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, since 2003 Germany and France have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. In 2004, the EU admitted 10 central and eastern European countries that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the other 15. Twelve EU member states introduced the euro as their common currency on 1 January 1999, but the UK, Sweden, and Denmark do not participate. The 10 new member states may choose to adopt the euro when they meet the EU's fiscal and monetary criteria and the other euro states so agree. Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which goes to support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost. Faroe Islands The Faroese economy has had a strong performance since 1994, mostly as a result of increasing fish landings and high and stable export prices. Unemployment is minimal and there are signs of labor shortages in several sectors. The positive economic development has helped the Faroese Home Rule Government produce increasing budget surpluses, which in turn have helped reduce the large public debt, most of it owed to Denmark. However, the total dependence on fishing makes the Faroese economy extremely vulnerable, and the present fishing efforts appear in excess of what is a sustainable level of fishing in the long term. Oil finds close to the Faroese area give hope for deposits in the immediate Faroese area, which may eventually lay the basis for a more diversified economy and thus lessen dependence on Danish economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy (about 15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not far below the Danes and other Scandinavians. Fiji Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though still with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports, remittances from Fijians working abroad, and a growing tourist industry - with 300,000 to 400,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Fiji's sugar has special access to European Union markets, but will be harmed by the EU's decision to cut sugar subsidies. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity but is not efficient. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage its budget. Yet, because of a tourist boom, short-run economic prospects are good, provided tensions do not again erupt between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Overseas remittances from Fijians working in Kuwait and Iraq have increased significantly. Finland Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 12 countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) - will dominate the economic picture over the next several years. High unemployment remains a persistent problem. France France is in the midst of transition from a well-to-do modern economy that has featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, banks, and insurers. It retains controlling stakes in several leading firms, including Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales, and is dominant in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. The telecommunications sector is gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. The government has lowered income taxes and introduced measures to boost employment and reform the pension system. In addition, it is focusing on the problems of the high cost of labor and labor market inflexibility resulting from the 35-hour workweek and restrictions on lay-offs. The tax burden remains one of the highest in Europe (nearly 50% of GDP in 2005). The lingering economic slowdown and inflexible budget items have pushed the budget deficit above the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP limit; unemployment stands at 10%. French Guiana The economy is tied closely to the much larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers. French Polynesia Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996, the military contribution to the economy fell sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social services. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and other fishing fleets. The fish catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion. Gabon Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet, because of high income inequality, a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. Devaluation of its currency by 50% in January 1994 sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95, a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000. Those agreements mandated progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform. The rebound of oil prices in 1999-2000 helped growth, but drops in production hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. In December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with the Paris Club to reschedule its official debt. A follow-up bilateral repayment agreement with the US was signed in December 2001. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2004, and received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year. Short-term progress depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments in line with IMF policies. Gambia, The The Gambia has no significant mineral or natural resource deposits and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic activity, but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan, and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have drawn some of the reexport trade away from The Gambia. The government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts. Despite an announced program to begin privatizing key parastatals, no plans have been made public that would indicate that the government intends to follow through on its promises. Unemployment and underemployment rates remain extremely high; short-run economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management, on continued technical assistance from the IMF and bilateral donors, and on expected growth in the construction sector. Gaza Strip High population density, limited land access, and strict internal and external controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- even more degraded than in the West Bank. The beginning of the second intifadah in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn, largely the result of Israeli closure policies; these policies, which were imposed in response to security interests in Israel, disrupted labor and commodity relationships with the Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the West Bank, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israel or in joint industrial zones have lost their jobs. Half the labor force is unemployed. Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 offers some medium-term opportunities for economic growth, especially given the removal of restrictions on internal movement. In addition, recent agreements and continuing negotiations on the administration of Gaza's border crossings increase the prospects for trade. Georgia Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as grapes, citrus fruits, and hazelnuts; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. It has sizeable but underdeveloped hydropower capacity. Despite the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 2000, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation. Georgia had suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues; however, the new government is making progress and has reformed the tax code, improved tax administration, increased tax enforcement, and cracked down on corruption. In addition, the reinvigorated privatization process has met with success, supplementing government expenditures on infrastructure, defense, and poverty reduction. Despite customs and financial (tax) enforcement improvements, smuggling is a drain on the economy. Georgia also suffers from energy shortages due to aging and badly maintained infrastructure, as well as poor management. Due to concerted reform efforts, collection rates have improved considerably to roughly 60%, both in T'bilisi and throughout the regions. Continued reform in the management of state-owned power entities is essential to successful privatization and onward sustainability in this sector. The country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on its role as a transit state for pipelines and trade. The construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline have brought much-needed investment and job opportunities. Nevertheless, high energy prices in 2006 will compound the pressure on the country's inefficient energy sector. Restructuring the sector and finding energy supply alternatives to Russia remain major challenges. Germany Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world - has become one of the slowest growing economies in the euro zone. A quick turnaround is not in the offing in the foreseeable future. Growth in 2001-03 fell short of 1%, rising to 1.7% in 2004 before falling back to 0.9% in 2005. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $70 billion. Germany's aging population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions from workers. Structural rigidities in the labor market - including strict regulations on laying off workers and the setting of wages on a national basis - have made unemployment a chronic problem. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could allow Germany to meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, particularly if labor market rigidities are further addressed. In the short run, however, the fall in government revenues and the rise in expenditures have raised the deficit above the EU's 3% debt limit. Ghana Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 34% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002, but was included in a G-8 debt relief program decided upon at the Gleneagles Summit in July 2005. Priorities under its current $38 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) include tighter monetary and fiscal policies, accelerated privatization, and improvement of social services. Receipts from the gold sector helped sustain GDP growth in 2005 along with record high prices for Ghana's largest cocoa crop to date. Inflation should ease but remains a major internal problem. Ghana also remains a candidate country to benefit from Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) funding that could assist in transforming Ghana's agricultural export sector. A final decision on its MCC bid is expected in spring 2006. Gibraltar Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment. Glorioso Islands no economic activity Greece Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP at least 75% of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in menial jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by about 4.0% for the between 2003 and 2005, largely because of an investment boom and infrastructure upgrades for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Economic growth slowed to about 3% in 2005. Greece has not met the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criteria of 3% of GDP since 2000. Public debt, inflation, and unemployment are above the euro-zone average. To overcome these challenges, the Greek Government is expected to continue cutting government spending, reducing the size of the public sector, and reforming the labor and pension systems. Greenland The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government, which supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly-owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in the economy. Despite several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities, it will take a number of years before production can materialize. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs. Grenada Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output. Guadeloupe This Caribbean economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still dependent on imported food, mainly from France. Light industry features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy. Guam The economy depends largely on US military spending and tourism. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement outlays amounted to $1.3 billion in 2004. Over the past 30 years, the tourist industry has grown to become the largest income source following national defense. The Guam economy continues to experience expansion in both its tourism and military sectors. Guatemala Guatemala is the largest and most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. The 1996 signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, but widespread political violence and corruption scandals continue to dampen investor confidence. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with perhaps 75% of the population below the poverty line. Other ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, upgrading both government and private financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking, and narrowing the trade deficit. Guernsey Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates. Guinea Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country possesses almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounted for over 70% of exports in 2004. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Fighting along the Sierra Leonean and Liberian borders, as well as refugee movements, have caused major economic disruptions, aggravating a loss in investor confidence. Panic buying has created food shortages and inflation and caused riots in local markets. Guinea is not receiving multilateral aid; the IMF and World Bank cut off most assistance in 2003. Growth rose slightly in 2005, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets. Guinea-Bissau One of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. However, offshore oil prospecting has begun and could lead to much-needed revenue in the long run. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government and international donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a lamentably low base. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total national budget. Government drift and indecision, however, have resulted in continued low growth in 2002-05. Guyana The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Growth slowed in 2003 and came back gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings; it slowed again in 2005. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization. Export earnings from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 might broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector. Haiti In this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. The economy grew 1.5% in 2005, the highest growth rate since 1999. Haiti suffers from rampant inflation, a lack of investment, and a severe trade deficit. In early 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The government is reliant on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP in 2005. Heard Island and McDonald Islands No indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing around the islands. Holy See (Vatican City) This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual contribution from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world (known as Peter's Pence); by the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by the sale of publications. Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. Honduras Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, and began a three-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PGRF) program in February 2004. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest trading partner, on continued exports of non-traditional agricultural products (such as melons, chiles, tilapia, and shrimp), and on reduction of the high crime rate. Hong Kong Hong Kong has a free market, entrepot economy, highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Gross imports and exports (i.e., including reexports to and from third countries) each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997, it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kong has been further integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness to the world economy has made manufacturing in China much more cost effective. Hong Kong's reexport business to and from China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP is comparable to that of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2005, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past eight years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 and the global downturn in 2001-2002. Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 also battered Hong Kong's economy, a solid rise in exports, a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's easing of travel restrictions, and a return of consumer confidence resulted in the resumption of strong growth from late 2003 through 2005. Howland Island no economic activity Hungary Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income about 60% of the EU-25 average. Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and acceded to the EU in May 2004. The private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $34 billion between 1990 and 2003. Several private sector analysts and sovereign ratings agencies have expressed concerns over Hungary's unsustainable budget and current account deficits. Inflation has declined from 14% in 1998 to 3.5% in 2005. Unemployment in 2005 rose to 7.1%, its highest point since 1999; Hungary's labor force participation rate of 57% is one of the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic partner. Policy challenges include cutting the public sector deficit to 3% of GDP by 2008, from about 6.1% in 2005, and orchestrating an orderly interest rate reduction without sparking capital outflows. Iceland Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system (including generous housing subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs 4% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Government policies include reducing the current account deficit, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, and diversifying the economy. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. Growth had been remarkably steady in 1996-2001 at 3%-5%, but could not be sustained in 2002 in an environment of global recession. Growth resumed in 2003, and estimates call for strong growth until 2007, slowly dropping until the end of the decade. Iles Eparses no economic activity India India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for half of India's output with less than one quarter of its labor force. About three-fifths of the work-force is in agriculture, leading the UPA government to articulate an economic reform program that includes developing basic infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance. Government controls on foreign trade and investment have been reduced in some areas, but high tariffs (averaging 20% on non-agricultural items in 2004) and limits on foreign direct investment are still in place. The government in 2005 liberalized investment in the civil aviation, telecom, and construction sectors. Privatization of government-owned industries essentially came to a halt in 2005, and continues to generate political debate; continued social, political, and economic rigidities hold back needed initiatives. The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the decade since 1994, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India achieved 7.6% GDP growth in 2005, significantly expanding manufacturing. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers. Despite strong growth, the World Bank and others worry about the combined state and federal budget deficit, running at approximately 9% of GDP; government borrowing has kept interest rates high. Economic deregulation would help attract additional foreign capital and lower interest rates. The huge and growing population is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental problem. Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Indonesia Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, has struggled to overcome the Asian financial crisis, and still grapples with high unemployment, a fragile banking sector, endemic corruption, inadequate infrastructure, a poor investment climate, and unequal resource distribution among regions. Indonesia became a net oil importer in 2004 because of declining production and lack of new exploration investment. In late December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami took 131,000 lives with another 37,000 missing, left some 570,000 displaced persons, and caused an estimated $4.5 billion in damages and losses. The cost of subsidizing domestic fuel placed increasing strain on the budget in 2005, and combined with indecisive monetary policy, contributed to a run on the currency in August 2005, prompting the government to enact a 126% average fuel price hike in October. The resulting inflation and interest rate hikes dampened growth prospects in 2006. However, in October 2006, Jakarta paid off its outstanding IMF debt, incurred during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, four years ahead of schedule. Keys to future growth remain internal reform, building up the confidence of international and domestic investors, and strong global economic growth. Iran Iran's economy is marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector, over reliance on the oil sector, and statist policies that create major distortions throughout. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale - workshops, farming, and services. President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI, with limited progress. Relatively high oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass some $40 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. The proportion of the economy devoted to the development of weapons of mass destruction remains a contentious issue with leading Western nations. Iraq Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic sanctions, and damage from military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. Although government policies supporting large military and internal security forces and allocating resources to key supporters of the regime hurt the economy, implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program, which began in December 1996, helped improve conditions for the average Iraqi citizen. Iraq was allowed to export limited amounts of oil in exchange for food, medicine, and some infrastructure spare parts. In December 1999, the UN Security Council authorized Iraq to export under the program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. Per capita food imports increased significantly, while medical supplies and health care services steadily improved. Per capita output and living standards were still well below the pre-1991 level, but any estimates have a wide range of error. The military victory of the US-led coalition in March-April 2003 resulted in the shutdown of much of the central economic administrative structure. Although a comparatively small amount of capital plant was damaged during the hostilities, looting, insurgent attacks, and sabotage have undermined efforts to rebuild the economy. Attacks on key economic facilities - especially oil pipelines and infrastructure - have prevented Iraq from reaching projected export volumes, but total government revenues have been higher than anticipated due to high oil prices. Despite political uncertainty, Iraq has established the institutions needed to implement economic policy, has successfully concluded a three-stage debt reduction agreement with the Paris Club, and is working toward a Standby Arrangement with the IMF. The Standby Arrangement would clear the way for continued debt relief from the Paris Club. Ireland Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 7% in 1995-2004. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and 29% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Per capita GDP is 10% above that of the four big European economies and the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg. Over the past decade, the Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, reduce government spending, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations. Isle of Man Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. Israel Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel imports substantial quantities of grain, but is largely self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. The bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict; difficulties in the high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors; and fiscal austerity in the face of growing inflation led to small declines in GDP in 2001 and 2002. The economy rebounded in 2003 and 2004, growing at a 4% rate each year, as the government tightened fiscal policy and implemented structural reforms to boost competition and efficiency in the markets. In 2005, rising consumer confidence, tourism, and foreign direct investment - as well as higher demand for Israeli exports - boosted GDP by 4.7%. Italy Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficit has breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced almost no growth in 2005, and unemployment remained at a high level. Jamaica The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from remittances, tourism, and bauxite/alumina. The global economic slowdown, particularly after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in 2003-04, with brisk tourist seasons. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a growing stock of internal debt - the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-1990s. The ratio of debt to GDP is 135%. Inflation, previously a bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Uncertain economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, the government faced the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth. Attempts at deficit control were derailed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, which required substantial government spending to repair the damage. Despite the hurricane, tourism looks set to enjoy solid growth for the foreseeable future. Jan Mayen Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on the island. Japan Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One notable characteristic of the economy is how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors work together in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 60% of its food on a caloric basis. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades, overall real economic growth had been spectacular - a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets and to force a restructuring of the economy. From 2000 to 2003, government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2004 and 2005, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge government debt, which totals 170% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the financial system will continue as Japan Post's banking, insurance, and delivery services undergo privatization between 2007 and 2017. Jarvis Island no economic activity Jersey Jersey's economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 1996, the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living standards come close to those of the UK. Johnston Atoll no economic activity Jordan Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. Debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH, since assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. 'Amman in the past three years has worked closely with the IMF, practiced careful monetary policy, and made substantial headway with privatization. The government also has liberalized the trade regime sufficiently to secure Jordan's membership in the WTO (2000), a free trade accord with the US (2001), and an association agreement with the EU (2001). These measures have helped improve productivity and have put Jordan on the foreign investment map. Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq, but the US-led war in Iraq in 2003 made Jordan more dependent on oil from other Gulf nations, forcing the Jordanian Government to raise retail petroleum product prices and the sales tax base. Jordan's export market, which is heavily dependent on exports to Iraq, was also affected by the war but recovered quickly while contributing to the Iraq recovery effort. The main challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the budget deficit, and creating investment incentives to promote job creation. Juan de Nova Island Up to 12,000 tons of guano are mined per year. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources and also on a growing machine-building sector specializing in construction equipment, tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse in demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - 9% or more per year in 2002-05 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. The opening of the Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. Kazakhstan also has begun work on an ambitious cooperative construction effort with China to build an oil pipeline that will extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing light industry. The policy aims to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel. The government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements; tensions continue. Upward pressure on the local currency continued in 2005 due to massive oil-related foreign-exchange inflows. Kenya The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at 1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence, meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections. In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable economic problems facing the nation. In 2003, progress was made in rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support. GDP grew more than 5% in 2005. Kingman Reef no economic activity Kiribati A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage of development as is the expansion of private sector initiatives. Foreign financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China equals about 20% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust fund. Korea, North North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel. Despite an increased harvest in 2005 because of more stable weather conditions, fertilizer assistance from South Korea, and an extraordinary mobilization of the population to help with agricultural production, the nation has suffered its 11th year of food shortages because of on-going systemic problems, including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and chronic shortages of tractors and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape mass starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. In 2004, the regime formalized an arrangement whereby private "farmers markets" were allowed to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the regime reversed some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. In December 2005, the regime confirmed that it intended to carry out earlier threats to terminate all international humanitarian assistance operations in the DPRK (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and to restrict the activities of international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations. Korea, South Since the early 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Four decades ago, GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. In 2004, South Korea joined the trillion dollar club of world economies. Today its GDP per capita is equal to the lesser economies of the EU. This success through the late 1980s was achieved by a system of close government/business ties, including directed credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of specific industries, and a strong labor effort. The government promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. GDP plunged by 6.9% in 1998, then recovered 9.5% in 1999 and 8.5% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the slowing global economy, falling exports, and the perception that much-needed corporate and financial reforms had stalled. Led by consumer spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an impressive 7%, despite anemic global growth. Between 2003 and 2005, growth moderated to about 4%. A downturn in consumer spending was offset by rapid export growth. In 2005, the government proposed labor reform legislation and a corporate pension scheme to help make the labor market more flexible, and new real estate policies to cool property speculation. Moderate inflation, low unemployment, an export surplus, and fairly equal distribution of income characterize this solid economy. Kuwait Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 96 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country. Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton are exported in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, and electricity. Kyrgyzstan has been progressive in carrying out market reforms, such as an improved regulatory system and land reform. Kyrgyzstan was the first CIS country to be accepted into the World Trade Organization. Much of the government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in production had been severe after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, but by mid-1995, production began to recover and exports began to increase. Kyrgyzstan has distinguished itself by adopting relatively liberal economic policies. The drop in output at the Kumtor gold mine sparked a 0.5% decline in GDP in 2002, but GDP growth bounced back in 2003-05. The government has made steady strides in controlling its substantial fiscal deficit and reduced the deficit to 1% of GDP in 2005. The government and international financial institutions have been engaged in a comprehensive medium-term poverty reduction and economic growth strategy, and in 2005 agreed to pursue much-needed tax reform. Progress fighting corruption, further restructuring of domestic industry, and success in attracting foreign investment are keys to future growth. Laos The government of Laos, one of the few remaining official Communist states, began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% in 1988-2004 except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country with a primitive infrastructure. It has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications, though the government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system with possible support from Japan. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture, dominated by rice, accounts for about half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid by the IMF and other international sources and from new foreign investment in food processing and mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on exports. This new status may help spur growth. In addition, the European Union has agreed to provide $1 million to the Lao Government for technical assistance in preparations for WTO membership. If the avian flu worsens and spreads in the region, however, prospects for tourism could dim. Latvia Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the government's budget stringency and a gradual reorientation of exports toward EU countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. The majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current account deficit - 11.5% of GDP in 2005 - remains a major concern. A growing perception that many of Latvia's banks facilitate illicit activity could damage the country's vibrant financial sector. Lebanon The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing state enterprises. In November 2002, the government met with international donors at the Paris II conference to seek bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic debt at lower interest rates. Substantial receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little to reduce the debt, which stands at nearly 170% of GDP. In 2004 the HARIRI government issued Eurobonds in an effort to manage maturing debt. The downturn in economic activity that followed the assassination of Rafiq al-HARIRI has eased, but has yet to be reversed. Tourism remains below the level of 2004. The new Prime Minister, Fuad SINIORA, has pledged to push ahead with economic reform, including privatization and more efficient government. The Core Group of nations has announced plans to hold a Donor's Conference in early 2006 to assist the government of Lebanon in restructuring its debt and increasing foreign investment. Lesotho Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue. However, the government has recently strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries, as well as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown significantly, mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. Liberia Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia, while continued international sanctions on diamonds and timber exports will limit growth prospects for the foreseeable future. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned, but many will not. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The departure of the former president, Charles TAYLOR, to Nigeria in August 2003, the establishment of the all-inclusive Transitional Government, and the arrival of a UN mission have helped defuse the political crisis, but have done little to encourage economic development. Wealthy international donors, who are ready to assist reconstruction efforts, are withholding funding until Liberia's National Assembly signs onto a Governance and Economic Management Action Plan (GEMAP). The Plan was created in October 2005 by the International Contact Group for Liberia to help ensure transparent revenue collection and allocation - something that was lacking under the Transitional Government and that has limited Liberia's economic recovery. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial support and technical assistance from donor countries. Libya The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, about one-quarter of GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in the past four years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction in December 2003. Almost all US unilateral sanctions against Libya were removed in April 2004, helping Libya attract more foreign direct investment, mostly in the energy sector. Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food. Liechtenstein Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial service sector and living standards on a par with its large European neighbors. The Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a large number of small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum tax rate is 20% - and easy incorporation rules have induced many holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the EU) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those of an integrated Europe. Lithuania Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has slowly rebounded from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Unemployment dropped from 11% in 2003 to about 8% in 2005. Growing domestic consumption and increased investment have furthered recovery. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities, particularly in the energy sector, is nearing completion. Overall, more than 80% of enterprises have been privatized. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy. Luxembourg This stable, high-income economy - benefitting from its proximity to France, Belgium, and Germany - features solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the financial sector, which now accounts for about 28% of GDP, has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign-owned and have extensive foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for more than 30% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU members, has suffered from the global economic slump, the country enjoys an extraordinarily high standard of living - GDP per capita ranks first in the world. Macau Macau's well-to-do economy has remained one of the most open in the world since its reversion to China in 1999. Apparel exports and tourism are mainstays of the economy. Although the territory was hit hard by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and the global downturn in 2001, its economy grew 10.1% in 2002, 14.2% in 2003, and 28.6% in 2004. During the first three quarters of 2005, Macau registered year-on-year GDP increases of 6.2%. A rapid rise in the number of mainland visitors because of China's easing of travel restrictions, increased public works expenditures, and significant investment inflows associated with the liberalization of Macau's gaming industry drove the four-year recovery. The budget also returned to surplus since 2002 because of the surge in visitors from China and a hike in taxes on gambling profits, which generated about 70% of government revenue. The three companies awarded gambling licenses have pledged to invest $2.2 billion in the territory, which will boost GDP growth. Much of Macau's textile industry may move to the mainland as the Multi-Fiber Agreement is phased out. The territory may have to rely more on gambling and trade-related services to generate growth. Two new casinos were opened by new foreign gambling licensees in 2004; development of new infrastructure and facilities in preparation for Macau's hosting of the 2005 East Asian Games led the construction sector. The Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers many Macau-made products tariff-free access to the mainland, and the range of products covered by CEPA was expanded on 1 January 2005. Macedonia At independence in September 1991, Macedonia was the least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the central government and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on the downsized Yugoslavia, one of its largest markets, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. However, the leadership's commitment to economic reform, free trade, and regional integration was undermined by the ethnic Albanian insurgency of 2001. The economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely recovered in 2002 to 0.9%, then rose by 3.4% in 2003, 4.1% in 2004, and 3.7% in 2005. Macedonia has maintained macroeconomic stability with low inflation, but it has lagged the region in attracting foreign investment and job growth has been anemic. Macedonia has an extensive grey market, estimated to be more than 20 percent of GDP, that falls outside official statistics. Madagascar Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization. This strategy placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the United States. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel, are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years. Malawi Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounted for nearly 36% of GDP and 80% of export revenues in 2005. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 60% of exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces strong challenges, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, President MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. Malawi's recent fiscal policy performance has been very strong, but a serious drought in 2005 and 2006 will heighten pressure on the government to increase spending. Malaysia Malaysia, a middle-income country, transformed itself from 1971 through the late 1990s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. Growth was almost exclusively driven by exports - particularly of electronics. As a result, Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic downturn and the slump in the information technology (IT) sector in 2001 and 2002. GDP in 2001 grew only 0.5% because of an estimated 11% contraction in exports, but a substantial fiscal stimulus package equal to US $1.9 billion mitigated the worst of the recession, and the economy rebounded in 2002 with a 4.1% increase. The economy grew 4.9% in 2003, notwithstanding a difficult first half, when external pressures from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Iraq War led to caution in the business community. Growth topped 7% in 2004 and 5% in 2005. As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited from higher world energy prices, although the cost of government subsidies for domestic gasoline and diesel fuel has risen and offset some of the benefit. Malaysia "unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in 2005, but so far there has been little movement in the exchange rate. Healthy foreign exchange reserves, low inflation, and a small external debt are all strengths that make it unlikely that Malaysia will experience a financial crisis over the near term similar to the one in 1997. The economy remains dependent on continued growth in the US, China, and Japan - top export destinations and key sources of foreign investment. Maldives Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Fishing is a second leading sector. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. Over the past decade, real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 5.5% in 2005. Mali Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert and with a highly unequal distribution of income. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with gold. The government has continued its successful implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that is helping the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a sturdy 5% average in 1996-2005. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire. Malta Major resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies, and has few domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles), and tourism. Continued sluggishness in the European economy is holding back exports, tourism, and overall growth. Marshall Islands US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production, primarily subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade. Martinique The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas, tourism, and light industry. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP and the small industrial sector for 11%. Sugar production has declined, with most of the sugarcane now used for the production of rum. Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to France. The bulk of meat, vegetable, and grain requirements must be imported, contributing to a chronic trade deficit that requires large annual transfers of aid from France. Tourism, which employs more than 11,000 people, has become more important than agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange. Mauritania Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt which now stands at more than three times the level of annual exports. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices. Mauritania has an estimated 1 billion barrels of proved reserves. Substantial oil production and exports are scheduled to begin in early 2006 and may average 75,000 barrels per day for that year. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy. Mauritius Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Mayotte Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an obstacle to the development of tourism. Mexico Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. The FOX administration is cognizant of the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector, but has been unable to win the support of the opposition-led Congress. The next government that takes office in December 2006 will confront the same challenges of boosting economic growth, improving Mexico's international competitiveness, and reducing poverty. Micronesia, Federated States of Economic activity consists primarily of subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remote location, a lack of adequate facilities, and limited air connections hinder development. The Amended Compact of Free Association with the US guarantees the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) millions of dollars in annual aid through 2023, and establishes a Trust Fund into which the US and the FSM make annual contributions in order to provide annual payouts to the FSM in perpetuity after 2023. The country's medium-term economic outlook appears fragile due not only to the reduction in US assistance but also to the slow growth of the private sector. Midway Islands The economy is based on providing support services for the national wildlife refuge activities located on the islands. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. Moldova Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import almost all of its energy supplies. Energy shortages contributed to sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991. As part of an ambitious reform effort after independence, Moldova introduced a convertible currency, freed prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises, backed steady land privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates. The government entered into agreements with the World Bank and the IMF to promote growth and reduce poverty. The economy returned to positive growth in 2000, and has remained at or above 6% every year since. Further reforms will come slowly because of strong political forces backing government controls. The economy remains vulnerable to higher fuel prices, poor agricultural weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors. Monaco Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbor. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas. Mongolia Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has extensive mineral deposits. Copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession due to political inaction and natural disasters, as well as economic growth because of reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer droughts in 2000-2002 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to privatization. Growth was 10.6% in 2004 and 5.5% in 2005, largely because of high copper prices and new gold production. Mongolia's economy continues to be heavily influenced by its neighbors. For example, Mongolia purchases 80% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. China is Mongolia's chief export partner and a main source of the "shadow" or "grey" economy. The World Bank and other international financial institutions estimate the grey economy to be at least equal to that of the official economy, but the former's actual size is difficult to calculate since the money does not pass through the hands of tax authorities or the banking sector. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad both legally and illegally are sizeable, and money laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia settled its $11 billion debt with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable terms. Mongolia, which joined the World Trade Organization in 1997, seeks to expand its participation and integration into Asian regional economic and trade regimes. Montenegro The republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and continues to maintain its own central bank, uses the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official currency, collects customs tariffs, and manages its own budget. The dissolution of the loose political union between Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 led to separate membership in several international financial institutions, such as the IMF, World Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Montenegro is pursuing its own membership in the World Trade Organization as well as negotiating a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in anticipation of eventual membership. Severe unemployment remains a key political and economic problem for this entire region. Montenegro has privatized its large aluminum complex - the dominant industry - as well as most of its financial sector, and has begun to attract foreign direct investment in the tourism sector. Montserrat Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade. Morocco Moroccan economic policies brought macroeconomic stability to the country in the early 1990s but have not spurred growth sufficient to reduce unemployment that nears 20% in urban areas. Poverty has actually increased due to the volatile nature of GDP, Morocco's continued dependence on foreign energy, and its inability to promote the growth of small and medium size enterprises. Despite structural adjustment programs supported by the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is only fully convertible for current account transactions and Morocco's financial sector is rudimentary. Moroccan authorities understand that reducing poverty and providing jobs is key to domestic security and development. In 2004, Moroccan authorities instituted measures to boost foreign direct investment and trade by signing a free trade agreement with the US and selling government shares in the state telecommunications company and in the largest state-owned bank. The Free Trade agreement went into effect in January 2006. In 2005, GDP growth slipped to 1.2% and the budget deficit rose sharply - to 7.5% of GDP - because of substantial increases in wages and oil subsidies. Long-term challenges include preparing the economy for freer trade with the US and European Union, improving education and job prospects for Morocco's youth, and raising living standards, which the government hopes to achieve by increasing tourist arrivals and boosting competitiveness in textiles. Mozambique At independence in 1975, Mozambique was one of the world's poorest countries. Socialist mismanagement and a brutal civil war from 1977-92 exacerbated the situation. In 1987, the government embarked on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and with political stability since the multi-party elections in 1994, have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate. Inflation was reduced to single digits during the late 1990s although it returned to double digits in 2000-03. Fiscal reforms, including the introduction of a value-added tax and reform of the customs service, have improved the government's revenue collection abilities. In spite of these gains, Mozambique remains dependent upon foreign assistance for much of its annual budget, and the majority of the population remains below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture continues to employ the vast majority of the country's work force. A substantial trade imbalance persists although the opening of the Mozal aluminum smelter, the country's largest foreign investment project to date, has increased export earnings. In late 2005, and after years of negotiations, the government signed an agreement to gain Portugal's majority share of the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectricity (HCB) company, a dam that was not transferred to Mozambique at independence because of the ensuing civil war and unpaid debts. More power is needed for additional investment projects in titanium extraction and processing and garment manufacturing that could further close the import/export gap. Mozambique's once substantial foreign debt has been reduced through forgiveness and rescheduling under the IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and Enhanced HIPC initiatives, and is now at a manageable level. Namibia The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides the world's worst inequality of income distribution. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Privatization of several enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign investment. Increased fish production and mining of zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-05. Nauru Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely. Navassa Island Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge waters. Nepal Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounting for 38% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Security concerns relating to the Maoist conflict have led to a decrease in tourism, a key source of foreign exchange. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, its civil strife, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. Netherlands The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate unemployment and inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports. The Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment. Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001-05, as part of the global economic slowdown, but for the four years before that, annual growth averaged nearly 4%, well above the EU average. Netherlands Antilles Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging population. New Caledonia New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more than one-fourth of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years. New Zealand Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has risen for six consecutive years and was more than $24,000 in 2005 in purchasing power parity terms. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth. Exports are equal to about 22% of GDP. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output. Nicaragua Nicaragua, one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest countries, has low per capita income, widespread underemployment, and a heavy external debt burden. Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the globe. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, GDP annual growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations. Nicaragua qualified in early 2004 for some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative because of its earlier successful performances under its International Monetary Fund policy program and other efforts. In October 2005, Nicaragua ratified the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which will provide an opportunity for Nicaragua to attract investment, create jobs, and deepen economic development. High oil prices helped drive inflation to 9.6% in 2005, leading to a fall in real GDP growth to 4% from over 5% in 2004. Niger Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. It is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, a 2.9% population growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut the economy. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, it was announced that Niger had received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates into the forgiveness of approximately $86 million USD in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have recovered somewhat in the last few years. A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigerians. Nigeria Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under a new reform-minded administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In the last year the government has begun showing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003, the government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. GDP rose strongly in 2005, based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices. In November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a historic debt-relief deal that by March 2006 should eliminate $30 billion worth of Nigeria's total $37 billion external debt. The deal first requires that Nigeria repay roughly $12 billion in arrears to its bilateral creditors. Nigeria would then be allowed to buy back its remaining debt stock at a discount. The deal also commits Nigeria to more intensified IMF reviews. Niue The economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population. Government expenditures regularly exceed revenues, and the shortfall is made up by critically needed grants from New Zealand that are used to pay wages to public employees. Niue has cut government expenditures by reducing the public service by almost half. The agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence gardening, although some cash crops are grown for export. Industry consists primarily of small factories to process passion fruit, lime oil, honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is an important source of revenue. The island in recent years has suffered a serious loss of population because of emigration to New Zealand. Efforts to increase GDP include the promotion of tourism and a financial services industry, although the International Banking Repeal Act of 2002 resulted in the termination of all offshore banking licenses. Economic aid from New Zealand in 2002 was about US$2 million. Niue suffered a devastating typhoon in January 2004, which decimated nascent economic programs. While in the process of rebuilding, Niue has been dependent on foreign aid. Norfolk Island Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. Northern Mariana Islands The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the US. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown. The key tourist industry employs about 50% of the work force and accounts for roughly one-fourth of GDP. Japanese tourists predominate. Annual tourist entries have exceeded one-half million in recent years, but financial difficulties in Japan have caused a temporary slowdown. The agricultural sector is made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Garment production is by far the most important industry with the employment of 17,500 mostly Chinese workers and sizable shipments to the US under duty and quota exemptions. Norway The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises). The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices, with oil and gas accounting for one-third of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, it contributes sizably to the EU budget. The government has moved ahead with privatization. Although Norwegian oil production peaked in 2000, natural gas production is still rising. Norwegians realize that once their gas production peaks they will eventually face declining oil and gas revenues; accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-and-gas-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $250 billion. After lackluster growth of 1% in 2002 and 0.5% in 2003, GDP growth picked up to 3.3% in 2004 and to 3.7% in 2005. Oman Oman is a middle-income economy in the Middle East with notable oil and gas resources, a substantial trade surplus, and low inflation. Work on a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility progressed in 2005 and will contribute to slightly higher oil and gas exports in 2006. Oman continues to liberalize its markets and joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in November 2000. To reduce unemployment and limit dependence on foreign labor, the government is encouraging the replacement of foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Training in information technology, business management, and English support this objective. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources, metal manufacturing, petrochemicals, and international transshipment ports. In 2005, Oman signed agreements with several foreign investors to boost oil reserves, build and operate a power plant, and develop a second mobile phone network in the country. Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to fluctuations in new drillings. Pakistan Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes, low levels of foreign investment, and a costly, ongoing confrontation with neighboring India. However, IMF-approved government policies, bolstered by generous foreign assistance and renewed access to global markets since 2001, have generated solid macroeconomic recovery the last four years. The government has made substantial macroeconomic reforms since 2000, although progress on more politically sensitive reforms has slowed. For example, in the budget for fiscal year 2006, Islamabad did not impose taxes on the agriculture or real estate sectors, despite Pakistan's chronically low tax-to-GDP ratio. While long-term prospects remain uncertain, given Pakistan's low level of development, medium-term prospects for job creation and poverty reduction are the best in more than a decade. Islamabad has raised development spending from about 2% of GDP in the 1990s to 4% in 2003, a necessary step towards reversing the broad underdevelopment of its social sector. GDP growth, spurred by double-digit gains in industrial production over the past year, has become less dependent on agriculture, and remained above 7% in 2004 and 2005. Inflation remains the biggest threat to the economy, jumping to more than 9% in 2005. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank announced that they would provide US $1 billion each in aid to help Pakistan rebuild areas hit by the October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. Foreign exchange reserves continued to reach new levels in 2005, supported by steady worker remittances. In the near term, growth probably cannot be sustained at the 7% level; however, massive international aid, increased government spending, lower taxes, and pay increases for government workers will help Pakistan maintain strong GDP growth over the longer term. Palau The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development. Palmyra Atoll no economic activity Panama Panama's dollarised economy rests primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for three-fourths of GDP. Services include operating the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism. A slump in the Colon Free Zone and agricultural exports, the global slowdown, and the withdrawal of US military forces held back economic growth in 2000-03; growth picked up in 2004 and 2005 led by export-oriented services and a construction boom stimulated by tax incentives. The government has implemented tax reforms, as well as social security reforms, and backs regional trade agreements and development of tourism. Unemployment remains high. Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. The economy has improved over the past three years because of high commodity prices following a prolonged period of instability. The government of Prime Minister SOMARE has expended much of its energy remaining in power and should be the first government in decades to serve a full five-year term. The government has also brought stability to the national budget thus far, largely through expenditure control. Numerous challenges still face the government including regaining investor confidence, restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and balancing relations with Australia, the former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges include the HIV/Aids epidemic, law and order, and land tenure issues. Australia annually supplies $240 million in aid, which accounts for nearly 20% of the national budget. Paracel Islands China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism. Paraguay Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. This sector features both reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. The formal economy grew by an average of about 3% annually in 1995-97, but averaged near-zero growth in 1998-2001 and contracted by 2.3 percent in 2002, in response to regional contagion and an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty, corruption, lack of progress on structural reform, substantial internal and external debt, and deficient infrastructure. Aided by a firmer exchange rate and perhaps a greater confidence in the economic policy of the DUARTE FRUTOS administration, the economy rebounded between 2003 and 2005, posting modest growth each year. Peru Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4 percent per year during the period 2002-2005, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance, the TOLEDO administration remained unpopular in 2005, and unemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Economic growth will be driven by the Camisea natural gas megaproject and by exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural products. Peru is expected to sign a free-trade agreement with the United States in early 2006. Philippines The Philippines was less severely affected by the Asian financial crisis of 1998 than its neighbors, aided in part by its high level of annual remittances from overseas workers, and no sustained runup in asset prices or foreign borrowing prior to the crisis. From a 0.6% decline in 1998, GDP expanded by 2.4% in 1999, and 4.4% in 2000, but slowed to 3.2% in 2001 in the context of a global economic slowdown, an export slump, and political and security concerns. GDP growth accelerated to about 5% between 2002 and 2005 reflecting the continued resilience of the service sector, and improved exports and agricultural output. Nonetheless, it will take a higher, sustained growth path to make appreciable progress in the alleviation of poverty given the Philippines' high annual population growth rate and unequal distribution of income. The Philippines also faces higher oil prices, higher interest rates on its dollar borrowings, and higher inflation. Fiscal constraints limit Manila's ability to finance infrastructure and social spending. The Philippines' consistently large budget deficit has produced a high debt level, and this situation has forced Manila to spend a large portion of the national government budget on debt service. Large unprofitable public enterprises, especially in the energy sector, contribute to the government's debt because of slow progress on privatization. Credit rating agencies have at times expressed concern about the Philippines' ability to service the debt, though central bank reserves appear adequate and large remittance inflows appear stable. The implementation of the expanded Value Added Tax (VAT) in November 2005 boosted confidence in the government's fiscal capacity and helped to strengthen the peso, which gained 5.7 percent year-on-year, making it East Asia's best performing currency in 2005. Investors and credit rating institutions will continue to look for effective implementation of the new VAT and continued improvement in the government's overall fiscal capacity in the coming year. Pitcairn Islands The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. The fertile soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams, and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The major sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to collectors and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships. In October 2004, more than one-quarter of Pitcairn's small labor force was arrested, putting the economy in a bind, since their services were required as lighter crew to load or unload passing ships. Poland Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done, especially in bringing down the unemployment rate - currently the highest in the EU. The privatization of small- and medium-sized state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further development. Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy), while recently initiated, have stalled. Reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance depends mainly on reducing losses in Polish state enterprises, restraining entitlements, and overhauling the tax code to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers, most of whom pay no tax. The previous Socialist-led government introduced a package of social and administrative spending cuts to reduce public spending by about $17 billion through 2007, but full implementation of the plan was trumped by election-year politics in 2005. The right-wing Law and Justice party won parliamentary elections in September, and Lech KACZYNSKI won the presidential election in October 2005, running on a state-interventionist fiscal and monetary platform. Poland joined the EU in May 2004, and surging exports to the EU contributed to Poland's strong growth in 2004, though its competitiveness could be threatened by the zloty's appreciation. GDP per capita roughly equals that of the three Baltic states. Poland stands to benefit from nearly $23.2 billion in EU funds, available through 2006. Farmers have already begun to reap the rewards of membership via booming exports, higher food prices, and EU agricultural subsidies. Portugal Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth had been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but fell back in 2001-05. GDP per capita stands at two-thirds that of the Big Four EU economies. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness while keeping the budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling. Puerto Rico Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 2004. Growth fell off in 2001-03, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy, and has recovered in 2004-2005. Qatar Oil and gas account for more than 60% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have given Qatar a per capita GDP about 80% of that of the leading West European industrial countries. Proved oil reserves of 16 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 25 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total and third largest in the world. Qatar has permitted substantial foreign investment in the development of its gas fields during the last decade and is expected to become the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter by 2007. In recent years, Qatar has consistently posted trade surpluses largely because of high oil prices and increased natural gas exports, becoming one of the world's fastest growing and highest per-capita income countries. Reunion The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrated the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. Romania Romania began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. Despite the global slowdown in 2001-02, strong domestic activity in construction, agriculture, and consumption have kept GDP growth above 4%. An IMF standby agreement, signed in 2001, has been accompanied by slow but palpable gains in privatization, deficit reduction, and the curbing of inflation. The IMF Board approved Romania's completion of the standby agreement in October 2003, the first time Romania has successfully concluded an IMF agreement since the 1989 revolution. In July 2004, the executive board of the IMF approved a 24-month standby agreement for $367 million. IMF concerns about Romania's tax policy and budget deficit led to a breakdown of this agreement in 2005. In the past, the IMF has criticized the government's fiscal, wage, and monetary policies. Meanwhile, macroeconomic gains have only recently started to spur creation of a middle class and address Romania's widespread poverty, while corruption and red tape continue to handicap the business environment. Romanian government confidence in continuing disinflation was underscored by its currency revaluation in 2005, making 10,000 "old" lei equal 1 "new" leu. Russia Russia ended 2005 with its seventh straight year of growth, averaging 6.4% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Although high oil prices and a relatively cheap ruble are important drivers of this economic rebound, since 2000 investment and consumer-driven demand have played a noticeably increasing role. Real fixed capital investments have averaged gains greater than 10% over the last five years, and real personal incomes have realized average increases over 12%. During this time, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. Russia has also improved its international financial position since the 1998 financial crisis, with its foreign debt declining from 90% of GDP to around 31%. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Russia to increase its foreign reserves from only $12 billion to some $180 billion at yearend 2005. These achievements, along with a renewed government effort to advance structural reforms, have raised business and investor confidence in Russia's economic prospects. Nevertheless, serious problems persist. Economic growth slowed to 5.9% for 2005 while inflation remains high. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia's manufacturing base is dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based economic growth. Other problems include a weak banking system, a poor business climate that discourages both domestic and foreign investors, corruption, and widespread lack of trust in institutions. In addition, a string of investigations launched against a major Russian oil company, culminating with the arrest of its CEO in the fall of 2003 and the acquisition of the company by a state owned firm, have raised concerns by some observers that President PUTIN is granting more influence to forces within his government that desire to reassert state control over the economy. State control has increased in the past year with a number of large acquisitions. Most fundamentally, Russia has made little progress in building the rule of law, the bedrock of a modern market economy. Rwanda Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded and inflation has been curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005. Kigali's high defense expenditures have caused tension between the government and international donors and lending agencies. An energy shortage and instability in neighboring states may slow growth in 2006, while the lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continues to handicap export growth. Saint Helena The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK. Saint Kitts and Nevis Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Although the crop still dominates the agricultural sector, activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange; about 40,000 tourist visited Nevis during the 2003-2004 season. Additional tourist facilities, including a second cruise ship pier, hotels, and golf courses are under construction. Saint Lucia Changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be cut. Saint Pierre and Miquelon The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Economic growth in this lower-middle-income country hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals following 11 September 2001. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. Saint Vincent is also a producer of marijuana and is being used as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America. Samoa The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. The decline of fish stocks in the area is a continuing problem. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 88,000 tourists visited the islands in 2001. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low. San Marino The tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2000 more than 3 million tourists visited San Marino. The key industries are banking, wearing apparel, electronics, and ceramics. Main agricultural products are wine and cheeses. The per capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to those of the most prosperous regions of Italy, which supplies much of its food. Sao Tome and Principe This small, poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa production has substantially declined in recent years because of drought and mismanagement, but strengthening prices helped boost export earnings in 2003. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program, and is expected to benefit from an additional round of HIPC debt relief in early 2006, to help bring down the country's $300 million debt burden. In August 2005, Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 million. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development of petroleum resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split with Nigeria. The first production licenses were sold in 2004, though a dispute over licensing with Nigeria delayed Sao Tome's receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Real GDP growth reached 6% in 2004, and also probably in 2005, as a result of increases in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment. Saudi Arabia This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 25% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 5.5 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, particularly, in the oil and service sectors. The government is encouraging private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. The government has begun to permit private sector and foreign investor participation in the power generation and telecom sectors. As part of its effort to attract foreign investment and diversify the economy, Saudi Arabia acceded to the WTO in 2005 after many years of negotiations. With high oil revenues enabling the government to post large budget surpluses, Riyadh has been able to substantially boost spending on job training and education, infrastructure development, and government salaries. Senegal In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during 1995-2004. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. However, Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal will benefit from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt. Serbia MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended period of economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left the economy only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in October 2000, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government implemented stabilization measures and embarked on a market reform program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in December 2000, a down-sized Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June 2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. In November 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reschedule the country's $4.5 billion public debt and wrote off 66% of the debt. In July 2004, the London Club of private creditors forgave $1.7 billion of debt, just over half the total owed. Belgrade has made only minimal progress in restructuring and privatizing its holdings in major sectors of the economy, including energy and telecommunications. It has made halting progress towards EU membership and is currently pursuing a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Brussels. Serbia is also pursuing membership in the World Trade Organization. Unemployment remains an ongoing political and economic problem. The Republic of Montenegro severed its economy from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era; therefore, the formal separation of Serbia and Montenegro in June 2006 had little real impact on either economy. Kosovo's economy continues to transition to a market-based system and is largely dependent on the international community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. The euro and the Yugoslav dinar are both accepted currencies in Kosovo. While maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues to work with the EU and Kosovo's local provisional government to accelerate economic growth, lower unemployment, and attract foreign investment to help Kosovo integrate into regional economic structures. The complexity of Serbia and Kosovo's political and legal relationships has created uncertainty over property rights and hindered the privatization of state-owned assets in Kosovo. Most of Kosovo's population lives in rural towns outside of the largest city, Pristina. Inefficient, near-subsistence farming is common. note: economic data for Serbia currently reflects information for the former Serbia and Montenegro, unless otherwise noted; data for Serbia alone will be added when available Seychelles Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. Sharp drops illustrated the vulnerability of the tourist sector in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf War, and once again following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Growth slowed in 1998-2002, and fell in 2003, due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors, but resumed in 2004, erasing a persistent budget deficit. Growth turned negative again in 2005. Tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity of foreign exchange have impaired short-term economic prospects. The black-market value of the Seychelles rupee is half the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency, the tourist sector may remain sluggish as vacationers seek cheaper destinations such as Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar. Sierra Leone Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings, accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity, such as the rehabilitation of bauxite mining. Singapore Singapore, a highly-developed and successful free-market economy, enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the four largest West European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing. It was hard hit in 2001-03 by the global recession, by the slump in the technology sector, and by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which curbed tourism and consumer spending. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal stimulus, low interest rates, a surge in exports, and internal flexibility led to vigorous growth in 2004, with real GDP rising by 8% - by far the economy's best performance since 2000 - but growth slowed to 5.7% in 2005. Slovakia Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business-friendly policies, such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-05, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 16.4% in 2005, but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004. Slovenia With its small transition economy and population of approximately two million, Slovenia is a model of economic success and stability for its neighbors in the former Yugoslavia. The country, which joined the EU in 2004, has excellent infrastructure, a well-educated work force, and an excellent central location. It enjoys a GDP per capita substantially higher than any of the other transitioning economies of Central Europe. In March 2004, Slovenia became the first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor partner at the World Bank. Slovenia plans to adopt the euro by 2007 and has met the EU's Maastricht criteria for inflation. Despite its economic success, Slovenia faces growing challenges. Much of the economy remains in state hands and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia is one of the lowest in the EU on a per capita basis. Taxes are relatively high, the labor market is often seen as inflexible, and legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in China, India, and elsewhere. The current center-right government, elected in October 2004, has pledged to accelerate privatization of a number of large state holdings and is interested in increasing FDI in Slovenia. In late 2005, the government's new Committee for Economic Reforms was elevated to cabinet-level status. The Committee's program includes plans for lowering the tax burden, privatizing state-controlled firms, improving the flexibility of the labor market, and increasing the government's efficiency. Solomon Islands The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of its livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. Prior to the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI has enabled a return to law and order, a new period of economic stability, and modest growth as the economy rebuilds. Somalia Somalia's economic fortunes are driven by its deep political divisions. The northwestern area has declared its independence as the "Republic of Somaliland"; the northeastern region of Puntland is a semi-autonomous state; and the remaining southern portion is riddled with the struggles of rival factions. Economic life continues, in part because much activity is local and relatively easily protected. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings, but Saudi Arabia's ban on Somali livestock, due to Rift Valley Fever concerns, has severely hampered the sector. Nomads and semi-nomads, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the principal imports. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and sold as scrap metal. Despite the seeming anarchy, Somalia's service sector has managed to survive and grow. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money exchange services have sprouted throughout the country, handling between $500 million and $1 billion in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate, and militias provide security. The ongoing civil disturbances and clan rivalries, however, have interfered with any broad-based economic development and international aid arrangements. Somalia's arrears to the IMF continued to grow in 2005. Statistics on Somalia's GDP, growth, per capita income, and inflation should be viewed skeptically. In late December 2004, a major tsunami caused an estimated 150 deaths and resulted in destruction of property in coastal areas. South Africa South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly. Southern Ocean Fisheries in 2003-04 landed 136,262 metric tons, of which 87% (118,166 tons) was krill and 8% (11,182 tons) Patagonian toothfish, compared to 142,555 tons in 2002-03 of which 83% (117,728 tons) was krill and 12% (16,479 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2004-05 Antarctic summer 28,202 tourists, most of them seaborne (approximately 97%), visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 in 1999-2000. Spain The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990, averaging five percent annual growth. After a European-wide recession in the early 1990s, the Spanish economy resumed moderate growth starting in 1994. Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is 80% that of the four leading West European economies. The center-right government of former President AZNAR successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 10.1%. Growth of 2.5% in 2003, 2.6% in 2004, and 3.4% in 2005 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering European economy. The socialist president, RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, has initiated economic and social reforms that are generally popular among the masses of people, but that are anathema to religious and other conservative elements. Adjusting to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe, reducing unemployment, and absorbing widespread social changes will pose challenges to Spain over the next few years. Spratly Islands Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored. There are no reliable estimates of potential reserves. Commercial exploitation has yet to be developed. Sri Lanka In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average annual rate of about 5.5% in the 1990s, but 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history, by 1.4%, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to 5% between 2002 and 2005. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for a largely independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property. Sudan Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments, but it still faces formidable economic problems, starting from its low level of per capita output. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms. In 1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of 1999 recorded its first trade surplus, which, along with monetary policy, has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production, revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped sustain GDP growth at 8.6% in 2004. Agricultural production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force, contributing 39% of GDP, and accounting for most of GDP growth, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - resulting from the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the Christian/pagan south, adverse weather, and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years. Suriname The economy is dominated by the mining industry, which accounts for more than a third of GDP and subjects government revenues to mineral price volatility. The short-term economic outlook depends on the government's ability to control inflation and on the development of projects in the bauxite and gold mining sectors. Suriname's economic prospects for the medium term will depend on continued commitment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and to the introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote competition. The government of Ronald VENETIAAN, in his first term, implemented an austerity program, raised taxes, and attempted to control spending. Economic policies are likely to remain the same during VENETIAAN's second term. Prospects for local onshore oil production are good, as a drilling program is underway. Offshore oil drilling was given a boost in 2004 when the State Oil Company (Staatsolie) signed exploration agreements with Repsol, Mearsk, and Occidental. Svalbard Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. The treaty of 9 February 1920 gives the 41 signatories equal rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Russian. The settlements on Svalbard are essentially company towns. The Norwegian state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the Norwegian population on the island, runs many of the local services, and provides most of the local infrastructure. There is also some hunting of seal, reindeer, and fox. Swaziland In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives about nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends nearly two-thirds of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2004-05 because of drought, and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS. Sweden Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and of jobs. The government's commitment to fiscal discipline resulted in a substantial budgetary surplus in 2001, which was cut by more than half in 2002, due to the global economic slowdown, declining revenue, and increased spending. The Swedish central bank (the Riksbank) focuses on price stability with its inflation target of 2%. Growth remained sluggish in 2003, but picked up in 2004 and 2005. Presumably because of generous sick-leave benefits, Swedish workers report in sick more often than other Europeans. In September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system, concerned about the impact on democracy and sovereignty. Switzerland Switzerland is a peaceful, prosperous, and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big Western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Switzerland remains a safehaven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8%, to 0.2% in 2002, and to -0.3% in 2003, with a small rise to 1.8% in 2004-05. Even so, unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average. Syria The Syrian Government estimates the economy grew by 4.5 percent in real terms in 2005, led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together account for about half of GDP. Economic performance and the exchange rate on the informal market were hit by international political developments following the assassination in February of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-HARIRI and the specter of international sanctions. Higher crude oil prices countered declining oil production and exports and helped to narrow the budget deficit and widen the current account surplus. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports, increasing pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution. Taiwan Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing guidance of investment and foreign trade by government authorities. In keeping with this trend, some large, government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Agriculture contributes less than 2% to GDP, down from 32% in 1952. Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia. China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and, in 2005, Taiwan's third-largest source of imports after Japan and the US. Taiwan has benefited from cross-Strait economic integration and a sharp increase in world demand to achieve substantial growth in its export sector and a seven-year-high real GDP growth of 6.1% in 2004. However, excess inventory, higher international oil prices, and rising interest rates dampened consumption in developed markets, and GDP growth dropped to 3.8% in 2005. The service sector, which accounts for 69% of Taiwan's GDP, has continued to expand, while unemployment and inflation rates have declined. Tajikistan Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 6% of the land area is arable; cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Even though 64% of its people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997, but experienced a slight drop in its growth rate to 8% in 2005 from 10.6% in 2004. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises would further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002, including a $250 million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt to Russia. Tajikistan ranks third in the world in terms of water resources per head. A proposed investment to finish the hydropower dams Rogun and Sangtuda would substantially add to electricity production. If finished, Rogun will be the world's tallest dam. Tanzania Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through 2005 featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private-sector growth and investment. Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP growth of more than 6% in 2005. Thailand With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to have fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. The country was one of East Asia's best performers in 2002-04. Boosted by increased consumption and strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 6.9% in 2003 and 6.1% in 2004 despite a sluggish global economy. Bangkok has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth. In 2004, Thailand and the US began negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took 8,500 lives in Thailand and caused massive destruction of property in the southern provinces of Krabi, Phangnga, and Phuket. Growth slowed to 4.4% in 2005. The downturn can be attributed to high oil prices, weaker demand from Western markets, severe drought in rural regions, tsunami-related declines in tourism, and lower consumer confidence. Moreover, the THAKSIN administration's expansionist economic policies, including plans for multi-billion-dollar mega-projects in infrastructure and social development, has raised concerns about fiscal discipline and the health of financial institutions. On the positive side, the Thai economy performed well beginning in the third quarter of 2005. Export-oriented manufacturing - in particular automobile production - and farm output are driving these gains. In 2006, the economy should benefit from an influx of investment and a revived tourism sector; however, a possible avian flu epidemic could significantly harm economic prospects throughout the region. Togo This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export earnings, with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. The government's decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly. Progress depends on follow-through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors. Togo is working with donors to write a PRGF that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan. Tokelau Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public services, with annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to families from relatives in New Zealand. Tonga Tonga, a small, open, South Pacific island economy, has a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. High unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in inflation, pressures for democratic reform, and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the government. Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade surplus. Prospects for growth in 2006 are good as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas are expected to remain high, and foreign direct investment continues to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime. Tromelin Island no economic activity Tunisia Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Progressive social policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia relative to the region. Real growth slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9% in 2002 because of agricultural drought and lackluster tourism. Better rains in 2003 through 2005, however, helped push GDP growth to about 5% for these years. Tourism also recovered after the end of combat operations in Iraq. Tunisia is gradually removing barriers to trade with the EU. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency, and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges ahead. Turkey Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still accounts for more than 35% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electronics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. The economy is turning around with the implementation of economic reforms, and 2004 GDP growth reached 9%. Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low. Despite the strong economic gains in 2002-05, which were largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high current account deficit and high debt. The public sector fiscal deficit exceeds 6% of GDP - due in large part to high interest payments, which accounted for about 37% of central government spending in 2004. Prior to 2005, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Turkey averaged less than $1 billion annually, but further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost FDI. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion. Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an almost 50% decline in cotton exports. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2005, Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate export routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term external debt. At the same time, however, total exports rose by 20% to 30% per year in 2003-2005, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. In 2005, Ashgabat sought to raise natural gas export prices to its main customers, Russia and Ukraine, from $44 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $66 per tcm. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, the government's irrational use of oil and gas revenues, and its unwillingness to adopt market-oriented reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain. Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the annual 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. Tuvalu Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad. About 1,000 Tuvaluans are being repatriated from Nauru, with the decline of phosphate resources there. Substantial income is received annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals, this fund has grown from an initial $17 million to over $35 million in 1999. The US Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts of up to 7%. Tuvalu derives around $1.5 million per year from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and income from overseas investments. Uganda Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export. Growth in 2003-05 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets. Ukraine After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements. Shortly after independence was ratified in December 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. A dispute with Russia over pricing led to a temporary gas cut-off; Ukraine concluded a deal with Russia in January 2006, which almost doubled the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas, and could cost the Ukrainian economy $1.4-2.2 billion and cause GDP growth to fall 3-4%. Ukrainian government officials eliminated most tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing capital markets, and improving the legislative framework for businesses. Reforms in the more politically sensitive areas of structural reform and land privatization are still lagging. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. GDP growth was 2.4% in 2005, down from 12.4% in 2004. The current account surplus reached $2.2 billion in 2005. The privatization of the Kryvoryzhstal steelworks in late 2005 produced $4.8 billion in windfall revenue for the government. Some of the proceeds were used to finance the budget deficit, some to recapitalize two state banks, some to retire public debt, and the rest may be used to finance future deficits. United Arab Emirates The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 30% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, and cheap credit in 2005 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Any sharp correction to the UAE's equity markets could damage investor and consumer sentiment and affect bank asset quality. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. United Kingdom The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quintet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades, the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth slipped in 2001-03 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Output recovered in 2004, to 3.2% growth, but fell in 2005, to 1.7%. Despite slower growth, the economy is one of the strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low. The relatively good economic performance has complicated the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and public opinion polls show a majority of Britons are opposed to the euro. Meantime, the government has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health services, at a cost in higher taxes and a widening public deficit. United States The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $42,000. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment; their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 showed the remarkable resilience of the economy. The war in March-April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, required major shifts in national resources to the military. The rise in GDP in 2004 and 2005 was undergirded by substantial gains in labor productivity. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year. Soaring oil prices in 2005 and 2006 threatened inflation and unemployment, yet the economy continued to grow through mid-2006. Imported oil accounts for about two-thirds of US consumption. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges no economic activity Uruguay Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during 1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn, stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in 2001-02 Argentina made massive withdrawals of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks, which led to a plunge in the Uruguayan peso and a massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the banking crisis. The unemployment rate rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF helped stem the damage. A debt swap with private-sector creditors in 2003 extended the maturity dates on nearly half of Uruguay's then $11.3 billion of public debt and helped restore public confidence. The economy grew about 10% in 2004 as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, a competitive peso, growth in the region, and low international interest rates, but slowed to 6.1% in 2005. Uzbekistan Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which 11% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of its population lives in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is now the world's second-largest cotton exporter and fifth largest producer; it relies heavily on cotton production as the major source of export earnings. Other major export earners include gold, natural gas, and oil. Following independence in September 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. While aware of the need to improve the investment climate, the government still sponsors measures that often increase, not decrease, its control over business decisions. A sharp increase in the inequality of income distribution has hurt the lower ranks of society since independence. In 2003, the government accepted the obligations of Article VIII under the International Monetary Fund (IMF), providing for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls and tightening of borders have lessened the effects of convertibility and have also led to some shortages that have further stifled economic activity. The Central Bank often delays or restricts convertibility, especially for consumer goods. Potential investment by Russia and China in Uzbekistan's gas and oil industry would increase economic growth prospects. In November 2005, Russian President Vladimir PUTIN and Uzbekistan President KARIMOV signed an "alliance" treaty, which included provisions for economic and business cooperation. Russian businesses have shown increased interest in Uzbekistan, especially in mining, telecom, and oil and gas. In December 2005, the Russians opened a "Trade House" to support and develop Russian-Uzbek business and economic ties. Vanuatu This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with about 50,000 visitors in 2004, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002 the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Agriculture, especially livestock farming, is a second target for growth. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid. Venezuela Venezuela continues to be highly dependent on the petroleum sector, accounting for roughly one-third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings, and over half of government operating revenues. Government revenue also has been bolstered by increased tax collection, which has surpassed its 2005 collection goal by almost 50%. Tax revenue is the primary source of non-oil revenue, which accounts for 53% of the 2006 budget. A disastrous two-month national oil strike, from December 2002 to February 2003, temporarily halted economic activity. The economy remained in depression in 2003, declining by 9.2% after an 8.9% fall in 2002. Output recovered strongly in 2004-2005, aided by high oil prices and strong consumption growth. Venezuela continues to be an important source of crude oil for the US market. Both inflation and unemployment remain fundamental problems. Vietnam Vietnam is a densely-populated, developing country that in the last 30 years has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally-planned economy. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1997 in moving forward from an extremely low level of development and significantly reducing poverty. Growth averaged around 9% per year from 1993 to 1997. The 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted the problems in the Vietnamese economy and temporarily allowed opponents of reform to slow progress toward a market-oriented economy. GDP growth averaged 6.8% per year from 1997 to 2004 even against the background of the Asian financial crisis and a global recession, and growth hit 8% in 2005. Since 2001, however, Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and international integration. They have moved to implement the structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and entry into force of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement in December 2001 have led to even more rapid changes in Vietnam's trade and economic regime. Vietnam's exports to the US doubled in 2002 and again in 2003. Vietnam hopes to become a member of the WTO in 2006. Among other benefits, accession would allow Vietnam to take advantage of the phase out of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, which eliminated quotas on textiles and clothing for WTO partners on 1 January 2005. Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink, from about 25% in 2000 to 21% in 2005. Deep poverty, defined as a percent of the population living under $1 per day, has declined significantly and is now smaller than that of China, India, and the Philippines. Vietnam is working to promote job creation to keep up with the country's high population growth rate. However, high levels of inflation have prompted Vietnamese authorities to tighten monetary and fiscal policies. Virgin Islands Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are small but growing components of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. Wake Island Economic activity is limited to providing services to military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. Wallis and Futuna The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% labor force earnings from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia. West Bank The West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- has experienced a general decline in economic growth and a degradation in economic conditions made worse since the second intifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely the result of the Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities, due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally, stymied growth. Western Sahara Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. World Global output rose by 4.4% in 2005, led by China (9.3%), India (7.6%), and Russia (5.9%). The other 14 successor nations of the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations again experienced widely divergent growth rates; the three Baltic nations continued as strong performers, in the 7% range of growth. Growth results posted by the major industrial countries varied from no gain for Italy to a strong gain by the United States (3.5%). The developing nations also varied in their growth results, with many countries facing population increases that erode gains in output. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government often finds its control over resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in many of the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada. Externally, the central government is losing decisionmaking powers to international bodies, notably the EU. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of 80 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems and priorities, the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from an economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999, while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse, poses economic risks because of varying levels of income and cultural and political differences among the participating nations. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 accentuated a further growing risk to global prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the reallocation of resources away from investment to anti-terrorist programs. The opening of war in March 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq added new uncertainties to global economic prospects. After the coalition victory, the complex political difficulties and the high economic cost of establishing domestic order in Iraq became major global problems that continued into 2006. Yemen Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, has reported meager growth since 2000. Its economic fortunes depend mostly on oil. Oil revenues increased in 2005 due to higher prices. Yemen was on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. However, government dedication to the program waned in 2001 for political reasons. Yemen is struggling to control excessive spending and rampant corruption. The people have grown increasingly upset over the economic situation. In July 2005, a reduction in fuel subsidies sparked riots; over 20 Yemenis were killed and hundreds were injured. Zambia Despite progress in privatization and budgetary reform, Zambia's economic growth remains somewhat below the 6%-7% needed to reduce poverty significantly. Privatization of government-owned copper mines relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. Copper output has increased steadily since 2004, due to higher copper prices and the opening of new mines. The maize harvest was again good in 2005, helping boost GDP and agricultural exports. Cooperation continues with international bodies on programs to reduce poverty, including a new lending arrangement with the IMF in the second quarter of 2004. A tighter monetary policy will help cut inflation, but Zambia still has a serious problem with high public debt. Zimbabwe The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued exchange rate, soaring inflation, and bare shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans, which it began repaying in 2005. The official annual inflation rate rose from 32% in 1998, to 133% at the end of 2004, and 585% at the end of 2005, although private sector estimates put the figure much higher. Meanwhile, the official exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar in 1998 to 96,000 in mid-January 2006. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs, turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products. This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2117 Pipelines (km) Afghanistan gas 466 km (2006) Albania gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2006) Algeria condensate 1,344 km; gas 85,946 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,213 km; oil 6,496 km (2005) Angola gas 235 km; liquid petroleum gas 122 km; oil 867 km; oil/gas/water 5 km (2006) Argentina gas 29,804 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 10,373 km; refined products 8,540 km; unknown (oil/water) 13 km (2006) Armenia gas 2,002 km (2006) Australia condensate/gas 546 km; gas 31,323 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 4,808 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2006) Austria gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2006) Azerbaijan gas 3,190 km; oil 2,436 km (2006) Bahrain gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2006) Bangladesh gas 2,604 km (2006) Belarus gas 5,223 km; oil 2,321 km; refined products 1,686 km (2006) Belgium gas 1,561 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2006) Bolivia gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2006) Brazil condensate/gas 244 km; gas 11,669 km; liquid petroleum gas 341 km; oil 5,212 km; refined products 4,755 km (2006) Brunei gas 672 km; oil 463 km (2006) Bulgaria gas 2,505 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2006) Burma gas 2,224 km; oil 558 km (2006) Cameroon gas 70 km; liquid petroleum gas 9 km; oil 1,107 km (2006) Canada crude and reined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980 km (2005) Chad oil 205 km (2006) Chile gas 2,567 km; gas/lpg 42 km; liquid petroleum gas 539 km; oil 1,003 km; refined products 757 km; unknown (oil/water) 97 km (2006) China gas 22,664 km; oil 15,256 km; refined products 6,106 km (2006) Colombia gas 4,360 km; oil 6,140 km; refined products 3,158 km (2006) Congo, Democratic Republic of the gas 54 km; oil 78 km (2006) Congo, Republic of the gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 744 km (2006) Costa Rica refined products 242 km (2006) Cote d'Ivoire condensate 109 km; gas 240 km; oil 112 km (2006) Croatia gas 1,340 km; oil 583 km (2006) Cuba gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2006) Czech Republic gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006) Denmark condensate 12 km; gas 3,931 km; oil 626 km; oil/gas/water 2 km (2006) Ecuador extra heavy crude 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products 1,185 km (2006) Egypt condensate 464 km; condensate/gas 94 km; gas 6,021 km; liquid petroleum gas 897 km; oil 5,120 km; oil/gas/water 36 km; refined products 897 km (2006) Equatorial Guinea condensate 46 km; condensate/gas 5 km; gas 47 km; oil 31 km (2006) Estonia gas 859 km (2006) Finland gas 694 km (2006) France gas 14,588 km; oil 3,024 km; refined products 4,889 km (2006) Gabon gas 272 km; oil 1,354 km (2006) Georgia gas 1,349 km; oil 1,010 km (2006) Germany condensate 37 km; gas 25,035 km; oil 3,546 km; refined products 3,827 km (2006) Ghana oil 13 km; refined products 316 km (2006) Greece gas 1,166 km; oil 94 km (2006) Guatemala oil 480 km (2006) Hungary gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2006) India condensate/gas 8 km; gas 5,184 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,993 km; oil 6,500 km; refined products 6,152 km (2006) Indonesia condensate 944 km; condensate/gas 135 km; gas 9,175 km; oil 7,684 km; oil/gas/water 89 km; refined products 1,367 km (2006) Iran condensate 7 km; condensate/gas 397 km; gas 17,099 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 8,521 km; refined products 7,808 km (2006) Iraq gas 2,228 km; liquid petroleum gas 918 km; oil 5,506 km; refined products 1,637 km (2006) Ireland gas 1,728 km (2006) Israel gas 193 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2006) Italy gas 17,589 km; oil 1,136 km (2006) Japan gas 8,015 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2006) Jordan gas 426 km; oil 49 km (2006) Kazakhstan condensate 658 km; gas 11,019 km; oil 10,338 km; refined products 1,095 km (2006) Kenya refined products 894 km (2006) Korea, North oil 154 km (2006) Korea, South gas 1,482 km; refined products 827 km (2006) Kuwait gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2006) Kyrgyzstan gas 254 km; oil 16 km (2006) Laos refined products 540 km (2006) Latvia gas 1,097 km; oil 82 km; refined products 415 km (2006) Lebanon gas 43 km (2006) Libya condensate 882 km; gas 3,481 km; oil 6,916 km (2006) Liechtenstein gas 20 km (2006) Lithuania gas 1,696 km; oil 228 km; refined products 121 km (2006) Luxembourg gas 155 km (2006) Macedonia gas 268 km; oil 120 km (2006) Malaysia condensate 282 km; gas 5,372 km; oil 1,715 km; oil/gas/water 19 km; refined products 114 km (2006) Mexico gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006) Moldova gas 606 km (2006) Morocco gas 715 km; oil 285 km (2006) Mozambique gas 918 km; refined products 294 km (2006) Netherlands condensate 81 km; gas 7,229 km; oil 578 km; refined products 716 km (2006) New Zealand condensate 224 km; gas 1,693 km; liquid petroleum gas 45 km; oil 280 km; refined products 288 km (2006) Nicaragua oil 54 km (2006) Nigeria condensate 126 km; gas 2,812 km; liquid petroleum gas 125 km; oil 4,278 km; refined products 3,517 km (2006) Norway condensate 508 km; gas 5,910 km; oil 2,557 km; oil/gas/water 746 km (2006) Oman gas 4,072 km; oil 3,405 km (2006) Pakistan gas 10,257 km; oil 2,001 km (2006) Papua New Guinea oil 264 km (2006) Peru gas 983 km; gas/lpg 61 km; liquid natural gas 106 km; liquid petroleum gas 517 km; oil 1,754 km; refined products 13 km (2006) Philippines gas 565 km; oil 135 km; refined products 105 km (2006) Poland gas 13,552 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km (2006) Portugal gas 1,099 km; oil 8 km; refined products 174 km (2006) Qatar condensate 319 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 1,024 km; liquid petroleum gas 87 km; oil 844 km (2006) Romania gas 3,508 km; oil 2,427 km (2006) Russia condensate 122 km; gas 156,285 km; oil 72,283 km; refined products 13,658 km (2006) Saudi Arabia condensate 212 km; gas 1,880 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,183 km; oil 4,531 km; refined products 1,150 km (2006) Senegal gas 43 km (2006) Serbia gas 3,177 km; oil 393 km (2006) Singapore gas 139 km; refined products 8 km (2006) Slovakia gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2006) Slovenia gas 2,526 km; oil 11 km (2006) South Africa condensate 100 km; gas 1,062 km; oil 966 km; refined products 1,354 km (2006) Spain gas 7,962 km; oil 622 km; refined products 3,447 km (2006) Sudan gas 156 km; oil 3,930 km; refined products 1,613 km (2006) Suriname oil 51 km (2006) Sweden gas 798 km (2006) Switzerland gas 1,831 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2006) Syria gas 2,764 km; oil 2,000 km (2006) Taiwan condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006) Tajikistan gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2006) Tanzania gas 254 km; oil 872 km (2006) Thailand gas 3,760 km; refined products 379 km (2006) Trinidad and Tobago condensate 253 km; gas 1,278 km; oil 571 km (2006) Tunisia gas 2,945 km; oil 1,227 km; refined products 351 km (2006) Turkey gas 4,621 km; oil 3,543 km (2006) Turkmenistan gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2006) Ukraine gas 19,951 km; oil 4,514 km; refined products 4,211 km (2006) United Arab Emirates condensate 520 km; gas 2,580 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2006) United Kingdom condensate 565 km; condensate/gas 6 km; gas 21,575 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 5,094 km; oil/gas/water 161 km; refined products 4,444 km (2006) United States petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km (2003) Uruguay gas 257 km; oil 160 km (2006) Uzbekistan gas 9,594 km; oil 868 km (2006) Venezuela extra heavy crude 992 km; gas 5,369 km; oil 7,607 km; refined products 1,681 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2006) Vietnam condensate/gas 432 km; gas 163 km; oil 50 km; refined products 206 km (2006) Yemen gas 71 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,284 km (2006) Zambia oil 771 km (2006) Zimbabwe refined products 261 km (2006) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2118 Political parties and leaders Afghanistan note - includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice: Afghan Millat [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; De Afghanistan De Solay Ghorzang Gond [Shahnawaz TANAI]; De Afghanistan De Solay Mili Islami Gond [Shah Mahmood Polal ZAI]; Harakat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Asif MOHSINEE]; Hezb-e-Aarman-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Iihaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE]; Hezb-e-Aazadee Afghanistan [Abdul MALIK]; Hezb-e-Adalat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Kabeer MARZBAN]; Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Wahid [Mohammad Wasil RAHEEMEE]; Hezb-e-Afghan Watan Islami Gond; Hezb-e-Congra-e-Mili Afghanistan [Latif PEDRAM]; Hezb-e-Falah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad ZAREEF]; Hezb-e-Hambastagee Mili Jawanan-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil KARZAI]; Hezb-e-Hamnbatagee-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq NEMAT]; Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir AATASH]; Hezb-e-Harak-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said Hssain ANWARY]; Hezb-e-Ifazat Az Uqoq-e-Bashar Wa Inkishaf-e-Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATEE]; Hezb-e-Istiqlal-e-Afghanistan [Dr. Gh. Farooq NIJZRABEE]; Hezb-e-Jamhoree Khwahan [Sibghatullah SANJAR]; Hezb-e-Kar Wa Tawsiha-e-Afghanistan [Zulfiar OMID]; Hezb-e-Libral-e-Aazadee Khwa-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ajmal SOHAIL]; Hezb-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rasheed AARYAN]; Hezb-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Aqwam-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANEE]; Hezb-e-Nuhzhat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Ahmad Wali MASOUD]; Hezb-e-Paiwand-e-Mili Afghanistan [Said Mansoor NADIRI]; Hezb-e-Rastakhaiz-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Said ZAHIR]; Hezb-e-Refah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASEEQ]; Hezb-e-Risalat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Noor Aqa ROEEN]; Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ]; Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mili Wa Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Usman SALIGZADA]; Hezb-e-Sulh-e-Mili Islami Aqwam-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Qahir SHARYATEE]; Hezb-e-Sulh Wa Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Qadir IMAMEE]; Hezb-e-Tafahum-e-Wa Democracy Afghanistan [Ahamad SHAHEEN]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim KHALILI]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rasheed JALILI]; Jamahat-ul-Dahwat ilal Qurhan-wa-Sunat-ul-Afghanistan [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Jombesh-e Milli [Abdul Rashid DOSTAM]; Mahaz-e-Mili Islami Afghanistan [Said Ahmad GAILANEE]; Majmah-e-Mili Fahaleen-e-Sulh-e-Afghanistan [Shams ul Haq Noor SHAMS]; Nuhzat-e-Aazadee Wa Democracy Afghanistan [Abdul Raqeeb Jawid KUHISTANEE]; Nuhzat-e-Hambastagee Mili Afghanistan [Peer Said Ishaq GAILANEE]; Sazman-e-Islami Afghanistan-e-Jawan [Siad Jawad HUSSAINEE]; Tahreek Wahdat-e-Mili [Sultan Mahmood DHAZI] (30 Sep 2004) Albania Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Nikolle LESI]; Communist Party of Albania or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Neritan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIU]; Liberal Union Party or PBL [Arjan STAROVA]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or BNK [Adriatik ALIMADHI]; New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Renewed Democratic Party or PDRN [Dashamir SHEHI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy Party or PDS [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Union for Human Rights Party or PBDNj [Vangjel DULE] Algeria Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI]; National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National Democratique) or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA, secretary general]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR]; National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA]; National Liberation Front or FLN [Abdelaziz BELKHADEM, secretary general]; National Reform Movement or Islah (formerly MRN) [Abdellah DJABALLAH]; National Renewal Party or PRA [Yacine TERKMANE]; Progressive Republican Party [Khadir DRISS]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SADI]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Fatah RABEI]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boudjerra SOLTANI]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN] note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997 American Samoa Democratic Party [Oreta M. TOGAFAU]; Republican Party [Tautai A. F. FAALEVAO] Andorra Andorran Democratic Center Party or CDA (formerly Democratic Party or PD); Century 21 or S21 [Enric TARRADO]; Liberal Party of Andorra or PLA (formerly Liberal Union or UL) [Albert PINTAT]; Social Democratic Party or PS (formerly part of National Democratic Group or AND) [Jaume BARTUMEU CASSANY] Angola Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Analia de Victoria PEREIRA]; National Front for the Liberation of Angola or FNLA [disputed leadership: Lucas NGONDA, Holden ROBERTO]; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola or UNITA [Isaias SAMAKUVA] (largest opposition party); Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola or MPLA [Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS] (ruling party in power since 1975); Social Renewal Party or PRS [disputed leadership: Eduardo KUANGANA, Antonio MUACHICUNGO] note: about a dozen minor parties participated in the 1992 elections but only won a few seats; they and the other 115 smaller parties have little influence in the National Assembly Anguilla Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Hubert HUGHES]; The Anguilla United Front or AUF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor BANKS], a coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla National Alliance or ANA; Anguilla Progressive Party or APP [Roy ROGERS]; Anguilla Strategic Alternative or ANSA [Edison BAIRD] Antigua and Barbuda Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; National Democratic Congress [Tillman THOMAS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP) Argentina Alternative for a Republic of Equals or ARI [Elisa CARRIO]; Front for Victory or FV [Nestor KIRCHNER]; Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad coalition of approximately 12 parties including RECREAR); Justicialist Front or FJ [Eduardo DUHALDE]; Justicialist Party or PJ (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Roberto IGLESIAS]; Republican Initiative Alliance or PRO (including Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Ricardo LOPEZ MURPHY] and Commitment for Change or CPC [Mauricio MACRI]); Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH]; several provincial parties Armenia Agro-Industrial Party [Vladimir BADALYAN]; Armenia Party [Myasnik MALKHASYAN]; Armenian National Movement or ANM [Alex ARZUMANYAN, chairman]; Armenian Ramkavar Liberal Party or HRAK [Harutyun MIRZAKHANYAN, chairman]; Armenian Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Levon MKRTCHYAN]; Democratic Party [Aram SARKISYAN]; Justice Bloc (comprised of the Democratic Party, National Democratic Party, National Democratic Union, the People's Party, and the Republic Party) [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; National Democratic Party [Shavarsh KOCHARIAN]; National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN]; National Revival Party [Albert BAZEYAN]; National Unity Party [Artashes GEGHAMYAN, chairman]; People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; Republic Party [Aram SARKISYAN, chairman]; Republican Party or RPA [Andranik MARGARYAN]; Rule of Law Party [Samvel BALASANYAN]; Union of Constitutional Rights [Hrant KHACHATURYAN]; United Labor Party [Gurgen ARSENYAN] Aruba Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF] Australia Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party [Jodeen CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [Mark VAILE] Austria Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Joerg HAIDER]; Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform" faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Party for Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice Party [Ilyas ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA]; Motherland Party; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Yeni Azerbaijan Party; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar MAMMADLI, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV] note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties Bahamas, The Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] Bahrain political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law Bangladesh Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED] Barbados Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON] Belarus pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolai ULAKHOVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergei GAYDUKEVICH]; Party of Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir ALEXANDROVICH] opposition parties: 10 Plus Coalition [Alyaksandr MILINKEVICH], includes: Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Syarhey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatol LYABEDKA]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson] other opposition includes: Belarusian Social-Democratic Party Nardonaya Hromada or BSDP NH [Alyaksandr KOZULIN, chairman]; Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular Accord [Sergei YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR] Belgium Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Jo VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN! (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A [Johan Vande LANOTTE]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now associated with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank VANHECKE] Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Isabelle DURANT, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Reform Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; other minor parties Belize People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman] Benin Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD; Key Force or FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS; Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute Party-Congress of People for Progress Alliance or Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or NA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU] note: approximately 20 additional minor parties Bermuda Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Wayne FURBERT] Bhutan no legal parties Bolivia Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel PANTOJA]; Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Marshal of Ayacucho Institutional Vanguard or VIMA [Freddy ZABALA]; Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ Zamora]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE Huanca]; Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Socialist Party or PS [Jeres JUSTINIANO] Bosnia and Herzegovina Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD [Milorad DODIK]; Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Civic Democratic Party or GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croat Christian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HKDU [Marin TOPIC]; Croat Party of Rights or HSP [Zvonko JURISIC]; Croat Peasants Party or HSS [Marko TADIC]; Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HDZ-BH [Dragan COVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union 100 or HDZ100; Croatian Peoples Union [Milenko BRKIC]; Democratic National Union or DNZ [Rifet DOLIC]; Democratic Peoples Alliance or DNS [Marko PAVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Rasim KADIC]; New Croat Initiative or NHI [Kresimir ZUBAK]; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBiH [Haris SILAJDZIC]; Party for Democratic Action or SDA [Sulejman TIHIC]; Party of Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen IVANIC]; Serb Democratic Party or SDS [Dragan CAVIC]; Serb Radical Party of the Republika Srpska or SRS-RS [Milanko MIHAJLICA]; Serb Radical Party-Dr. Vojislav Seselj or SRS-VS [Radislav KANJERIC]; Social Democratic Party of BIH or SDP [Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA]; Social Democratic Union or SDU [Sejfudin TOKIC]; Socialist Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS [Petar DJOKIC] Botswana Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa KOOSALETSE]; Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS; New Democratic Front or NDF note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE] Brazil Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Flavio de CASTRO MARTINEZ]; Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy Fidelix DA CRUZ]; Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Tasso JEREISSATI]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Federal Deputy Eduardo Henrique Accioly CAMPOS]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS [leader NA]; Liberal Party or PL [Federal Deputy Valdemar COSTA Neto]; National Order Reconstruction Party or PRONA [Federal Deputy Dr. Eneas Ferreira CARNEIRO]; Partido Municipalista Renovador or PMR [Natal Wellington Rodrigues FURUCHO]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Federal Deputy Roberto FREIRE]; Progressive Party or PP [Federal Deputy Pedro CORREA]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge ABDALA NOSSEIS]; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose Ribeiro BERZOINI] British Virgin Islands Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] Brunei Brunei Solidarity National Party (PPKB) [Haji Mohd HATTA bin Haji Zainal Abidin]; National Development Party (NDP) [YASSIN Affendi]; People's Awareness Party (PAKAR) [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin Haji Ahmad] note: parties are small and have limited activity (2005) Bulgaria ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack National Union); Attack National Union [Volen Siderov]; Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Petar STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by UDF) Burkina Faso African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Confederation for Federation and Democracy or CFD [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Nayabtigungou Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Socialist Party or PS; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO] Burma National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (pro-regime) [THA KYAW] (at last report); Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; and other smaller parties Burundi the three national, mainstream, governing parties are: Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Leonce NGENDAKUMANA, president]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy, Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Hussein RADJABU, president]; Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Aloys RUBUKA, president] note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA] Cambodia Cambodian Pracheachon Party (Cambodian People's Party) or CPP [CHEA SIM]; National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [KEV PUT REAKSMEI]; Sam Rangsi Party or SRP [SAM RANGSI] Cameroon Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]; Democratic Rally of the Cameroon People or RDCP [Paul BIYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]; Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO]; Movement for the Youth of Cameroon or MYC [Dieudonne TINA]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Cameroonian Populations or UPC [Augustin Frederic KODOCK] Canada Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Conservative Party of Canada (a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party) [Stephen HARPER]; Green Party [Elizabeth MAY]; Liberal Party [Stephane DION]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON] Cape Verde African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES, chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of PCD, PTS, and UCID); Democratic Christian Party or PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES, chairman]; Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Victor FIDALGO, president]; Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Agostinho LOPES, president]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO, president]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Isaias RODRIGUES, president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM, president] Cayman Islands no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections; United Democratic Party or UDP [leader McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [leader Kurt TIBBETTS] Central African Republic Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Jacques MBOLIEDAS]; Central African Democratic Assembly or RDC [Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA]; Democratic Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [Ange-Felix PATASSE] (the party of deposed president); National Convergence or KNK; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel GOUMBA]; People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY]; National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE] Chad Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR]; National Rally for Development and Progress or RNDP [Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE]; National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]; Party for Liberty and Development or PLD [Ibni Oumar Mahamat SALEH]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Mahamat Saleh AHMAT, chairman]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lol Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [Jean ALINGUE]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE] Chile Alliance for Chile ("Alianza") or APC (including National Renewal or RN [Sergio DIEZ Urzia] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Jovino NOVOA Vasquez]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy ("Concertacion") or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Adolfo ZALDIVAR Larrain], Socialist Party or PS [Ricardo NUNEZ], Party for Democracy or PPD [Victor BARRUETO], Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER] China Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP Christmas Island none Cocos (Keeling) Islands none Colombia Clandestine Communist Party of Colombia or PCC [Jaime CAICEDO]; Colombian Conservative Party or PC [Carlos HOLGUIN Sardi]; Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Samuel MORENO Rojas]; Liberal Party or PL [Cesar GAVIRIA]; Social National Unity Party or PSUN [Juan Manuel SANTOS] note: Colombia has about 60 formally recognized political parties, most of which do not have a presence in either house of Congress Comoros Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros [AZALI Assowmani]; Camp of the Autonomous Islands (a coalition of parties organized by the island Presidents in opposition to the Union President); Front National pour la Justice or FNJ [Ahmed RACHID] (Islamic party in opposition); Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE] Congo, Democratic Republic of the Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR (three factions: MPR-Fait Prive [Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo]; MPR/Vunduawe [Felix VUNDUAWE]; MPR/Mananga [MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo]); Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI (two factions: UFERI [Lokambo OMOKOKO]; UFERI/OR [Adolph Kishwe MAYA]) Congo, Republic of the the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president] (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal); Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO] Cook Islands Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA]; Democratic Party or Demo [Dr. Terepai MAOATE] Costa Rica Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Gerardo Justo OROZCO Alvarez]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Vladimir DE LA CRUZ]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First or PP [Juan Jose VARGAS Fallas]; Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO Carmona]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Juan Carlos CHAVEZ Mora]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Francisco Antonio PACHECO]; National Patriotic Party or PPN [Daniel Enrique REYNOLDS Vargas]; National Restoration Party or PRN [Carlos AVENDANO]; Nationalist Democratic Alliance or ADN [Jose Miguel VILLALOBOS Umana]; Patriotic Union or UP [Humberto ARCE Salas]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Lorena VASQUEZ Badilla]; Union for Change Party or UPC [Antonio ALVAREZ Desanti]; United Leftist Coalition or IU [Humberto VARGAS Carbonel] Cote d'Ivoire Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Eg Theodore MEL]; Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally or PDCI-RDA [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Laurent GBAGBO]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace or UDPCI [Paul Akoto YAO]; over 20 smaller parties Croatia Croatian Bloc or HB [Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Anto KOVACEVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Josip FRISCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party or HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC] (in 2005 party merged with Libra to become Croatian People's Party-Liberal Democrats or NS-LD [Vesna PUSIC]); Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Djurdja ADLESIC]; Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN]; Democratic Centre or DC [Vesna SKARE-OZBOLT]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN] Cuba only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary] Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: Democratic Party or DIKO [Tassos PAPADOPOULOS]; Democratic Rally or DISY [Nikos ANASTASIADHIS]; European Democracy or EURO.DE [Prodromos PRODROMOU] (evolved from For Europe which merged with New Horizons); European Party or EURO.KO [Demetris SYLLOURIS]; Fighting Democratic Movement or ADIK [Dinos MIKHAILIDIS]; Green Party of Cyprus [George PERDIKIS]; Movement for Social Democracy United Democratic Union of Center or KISOS [Yannakis OMIROU]; Progressive Party of the Working People or AKEL (Communist Party) [Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS]; United Democrats Movement or EDE [Michalis PAPAPETROU]; north Cyprus: Democratic Party or DP [Serder DENKTASH]; National Birth Party or UDP [Enver EMIN]; National Unity Party or UBP [Dervis EROGLU]; Our Party or BP [Okyay SADIKOGLU]; Patriotic Unity Movement or YBH [Alpay DURDURAN]; Peace and Democratic Movement [Mustafa AKINCI]; Republican Turkish Party or CTP [Mehmet ALI TALAT] Czech Republic Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jan KASAL, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, chairwoman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan HADRAVA, chairman]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK, chairman]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY, chairman]; Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK, chairman]; Path of Change [Jiri LOBKOWITZ, chairman]; SNK-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana HYBASKOVA, chairman] Denmark Christian Democrats (was Christian People's Party) [Bodil KORNBEK]; Conservative Party (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party) [Bendt BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Red-Green Unity List (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party) [collective leadership]; Social Democratic Party [Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes called the Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED, leader; Soren BALD, chairman]; Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL] Djibouti Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party); Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED]; Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ Dominica Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers Party or UWP [Earl WILLIAMS] Dominican Republic Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ATUN] East Timor Associacao Social-Democrata Timorense or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Christian Democratic Party of Timor or PDC [Antonio XIMENES]; Christian Democratic Union of Timor or UDC [Vicente da Silva GUTERRES]; Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor or FRETILIN [Francisco Guterres Lu OLO]; Social Democrat Party of East Timor or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO]; Socialist Party of Timor or PST [Pedro da COSTA]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors (also known as Association of Timorese Heroes) or KOTA [Clementino dos Reis AMARAL]; Timor Democratic Union or UDT [Joao CARRASCALAO]; Timor Labor Party or PTT [Paulo Freitas DA SILVA]; Timorese Nationalist Party or PNT [Abilio ARAUJO] Ecuador Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; National Action Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Movement [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democracy or DP [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON, director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES CORDERO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Victor GRANDA] Egypt National Democratic Party or NDP [Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (governing party)]; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [Mahmoud ABAZA]; Tomorrow Party [Naji AL-GHATRIFI] note: formation of political parties must be approved by the government El Salvador Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER, secretary general]; Democratic Convergence or CD (formerly United Democratic Center or CDU) [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ, coordinator general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA, president]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez]; Popular Social Christian Party or PPSC [Rene AGUILUZ]; Revolutionary Democratic Front or FDR [Julio Cesar HERNANDEZ Carcamo, coordinator general] Equatorial Guinea Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] (ruling party); Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO] Eritrea People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki]; note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on it Estonia Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN, chairman]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG, chairman]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR, chairman]; Social Liberals (group of eight parliamentarians, former Center Party members) [Peeter KREITZBERG]; Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (Isamaa je Res Publica Liit) [Tonis LUKAS and Taavi VESKIMAGI, co-chairman] Ethiopia Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democracy or CUD [HAILU Shawel]; Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM, Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopean People's Democratic Front or SEPDF, and TigrAyan Peoples' Liberation Front or TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]; dozens of small parties European Union Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Hans-Gert POETTERING]; Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Group of Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM [Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist Group in the European Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for Europe of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI] Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) none; all independents Faroe Islands Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Independence Party [Kari P. HOJGAARD]; People's Party [Anfinn KALLSBERG]; Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Kaj Leo JOHANNESEN] Fiji Conservative Alliance Party/Matanitu Vanua or CAMV [Ratu Josefa DIMURI]; Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or FAP, Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni RABUKA], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]); Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP (became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP; Justice and Freedom Party or AIM; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE]; Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of National Unity or PANU [Ponipate LESAVUA]; Party of the Truth or POTT; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL [Laisenia QARASE]; United General Party or UGP [Millis Mick BEDDOES] Finland Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD [Paivi RASANEN]; Green League or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left Alliance or VAS composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative [Martti KORHONEN]; National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eero HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN] France Citizen and Republican Movement or MRC [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; Democratic and European Social Rally or RDSE (mainly Radical Republican and Socialist Parties, and PRG) [Jacques PELLETIER]; French Communist Party or PCF [Marie-George BUFFET]; Greens [Yan WEHRLING, national secretary]; Left Radical Party or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois HOLLANDE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Francois BAYROU]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Nicolas SARKOZY] French Guiana Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Alix LABBE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Georges HABRAN-MERY]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Remi Louis DUBOC]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] French Polynesia Alliance for a New Democracy or ADN [Nicole BOUTEAU and Philip SCHYLE](includes the parties The New Star and This Country is Yours); Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic of Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; Union for Democracy or UPD [Oscar TEMARU] Gabon Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface ASSELE]; Congress for Democracy and Justice or CDJ [Jules Aristide Bourdes OGOULIGUENDE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE [Divungui-di-Ndinge DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA] (former sole party); Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE]; National Rally of Woodcutters or RNB; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally for Gabon or RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Pierre EMBONI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]; Union for Democracy and Social Integration or UDIS; Union of Gabonese People or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU] Gambia, The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH] (the ruling party); Gambian People's Party-Progressive People's Party-United Democratic Party or GPP-PPP-UDP Coalition [Ousainou DARBOE]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sheriff DIBBA]; National Reconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA] note: in August 2001, an independent electoral commission allowed the reregistration of the GPP, NCP, and PPP, three parties banned since 1996 Georgia Burjanadze-Democrats [Nino BURJANADZE]; Georgian People's Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG [Panteleimon GIORGADZE]; Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry Will Save Georgia (Industrialists) or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party [Shalva NATELASHVILI]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Bachuki KARDAVA]; National Movement Democratic Front [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI] bloc composed of National Movement and Burjanadze-Democrats; National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]; New Rights [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI]; Rightist Opposition [David GAMKRELIDZE] bloc composed of Industrialists and New Right Party; Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki ASATIANI]; Union of National Forces-Conservatives [Koba DAVITASHVILI and Zviad DZIDZIGURI] Germany Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and Reinhard BUETIKOFER]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Left Party (Linkspartei. was Party of Democratic Socialism) or PDS [Lothar BISKY]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Kurt BECK] Ghana Convention People's Party or CPP [Nii Noi DOWUONA, general secretary]; Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA, chairman]; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTY]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sarpong KUMA-KUMA]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Huudu YAHAYA, general secretary]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Samuel Arthur ODOI-SYKES]; People's Convention Party or PCP [P. K. DONKOH-AYIFI, acting chairman]; People's Heritage Party or PHP [Emmanuel Alexander ERSKINE]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward MAHAMA]; Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU, general secretary] Gibraltar Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO] Greece Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Alekos ALAVANOS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU]; Popular Orthodox Rally or LAOS [Yeoryios KARATZAFERIS] Greenland Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party favoring continuing close relations with Denmark) [Finn KARLSEN]; Demokratiit [Per BERTHELSEN]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood, a leftist party favoring complete independence from Denmark rather than home rule) [Josef MOTZFELDT]; Issituup (Polar Party) [Nicolai HEINRICH]; Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List, an independent right-of-center party with no official platform; Siumut (Forward Party, a social democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy from Denmark) [Hans ENOKSEN] Grenada Good Old Democracy or GOD [Justin MCBURNIE]; Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]; People Labor Movement or PLM [Dr. Francis ALEXIS] Guadeloupe Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS [Jules OTTO]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Claudine LACAVE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (including Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR) [Gabrielle LOUIS-CARABIN] Guam Democratic Party [leader Michael PHILLIPS]; Republican Party (controls the legislature) [leader Philip J. FLORES] Guatemala Authentic Integral Development or DIA [Eduardo SUGER]; Grand National Alliance or GANA (an alliance of smaller parties) [Alfredo VILA Giron, secretary general]; Green Party or LOV [Rodolfo ROSALES Garcis-Salaz]; Guatemalan Christian Democracy or DCG [Vinicio CEREZO Arevalo]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Alba ESTELA Maldonado, secretary general]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; Movement for Guatemalan Unity or MGU [Jacobo ARBENZ Villanueva]; Movement for Principals and Values or MPV [Francisco BIANCHI]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Leonel LOPEZ Rodas, secretary general]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvarado COLOM Caballeros]; New Nation Alliance or ANN (formed by an alliance of DIA, URNG, and several splinter groups most of whom subsequently defected) [led by three co-equal partners - Nineth Varenca MONTENEGRO Cottom, Rodolfo BAUER Paiz, and Jorge Antonio BALSELLS TUT]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina]; Progressive Liberator Party or PLP [Acisclo VALLADARES Molina]; Reform Movement or MR [Alfredo SKINNER-KLEE, secretary general]; Unionista Party Guernsey none; all independents Guinea Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally or PDG-RDA [El Hadj Ismael Mohamed Gassim GUSHEIN]; National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY]; Party for Unity and Progress or PUP [Lansana CONTE] (the governing party); People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Mamadou BA]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Ousmane BAH] Guinea-Bissau African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Democratic Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Alberto NAMBEIA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Francisco Jose FADUL] Guyana Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE] Haiti Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or ALYANS (coalition composed of KID and PPRH) [Evans PAUL]; Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or L'ESPWA (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest) [Rene PREVAL]; Grand Center Right Front coalition (composed of MDN, MRN, and PDCH) [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]; Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH (merged Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements) [Serge GILLES]; Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN and Daniel SUPPLICE]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union for Haiti or UPH (coalition of MIDH and FL) [Marc BAZIN]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE] Holy See (Vatican City) none Honduras Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Saul ESCOBAR Andrade]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Matias FUNES]; Liberal Party or PL [Patricia RODAS]; National Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Olban F. VALLADARES]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Gilberto GOLDSTEIN] Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [MA Lik]; Democratic Party [LEE Wing-tat]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun] note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party Hungary Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor KUNCZE]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Zsolt SEMJEN]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Istvan HILLER, chairman] Iceland Independence Party or IP [Geir HAARDE]; Left-Green Movement or LGM [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON - will step down in August 2006]; Social Democratic Alliance (includes People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's List) or SDA [Ingibjorg Solrun GISLADOTTIR] India note - India has dozens of national and regional political parties; only parties with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed; Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Rajnath SINGH]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) [Prakash KARAT]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia GANDHI]; Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADEV]; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or JMM [Shibu SOREN]; Lok Jan Shakti Party or LJSP [Ram Vilas PASWAN]; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [VAIKU]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Pattali Makkal Katchi or PMK [S. RAMADOSS]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Prakash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena or SS [Bal THACKERAY]; Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS [K. Chandrasekhar RAO]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU] Indonesia Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB [Yusril Ihza MAHENDRA]; Democratic Party or PD [Subur BUDHISANTOSO]; Functional Groups Party or Golkar [Yusuf KALLA]; Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri]; National Awakening Party or PKB [Alwi SHIHAB]; National Mandate Party or PAN [Sutrisno BACHIR]; Prosperous Justice Party or PKS [Tifatul SEMBIRING]; United Development Party or PPP [Hamzah HAZ] Iran formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in Iran and most conservatives still prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties; a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad Front, which includes political parties as well as less formal pressure groups and organizations, achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in early 2000; groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran), Solidarity Party, Islamic Labor Party, Mardom Salari, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition participated in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; following his defeat in the 2005 presidential elections, former MCS Secretary General Mehdi KARRUBI formed the National Trust Party; a new apparently conservative group, the Builders of Islamic Iran, took a leading position in the new Majles after winning a majority of the seats in February 2004 Iraq Al-Sadr Movement [Muqtada Al-SADR]; Assyrian Democratic Movement [Yunadim KANNA]; Conference of Iraqi People [Adnan al-DULAYMI]; Constitutional Monarchy Movement or CMM [Sharif Ali Bin al-HUSAYN]; Da'wa Party [Ibrahim al-JA'FARI]; Independent Iraqi Alliance or IIA [Falah al-NAQIB]; Iraqi Communist Party [Hamid al-MUSA]; Iraqi Hizballah [Karim Mahud al-MUHAMMADAWI]; Iraqi Independent Democrats or IID [Adnan PACHACHI, Mahdi al-HAFIZ]; Iraqi Islamic Party or IIP [Muhsin Abd al-HAMID, Hajim al-HASSANI]; Iraqi National Accord or INA [Ayad ALLAWI]; Iraqi National Congress or INC [Ahmad CHALABI]; Iraqi National Council for Dialogue or INCD [Khalaf Ulayan al-Khalifawi al-DULAYMI]; Iraqi National Unity Movement or INUM [Ahmad al-KUBAYSI, chairman]; Islamic Action Organization or IAO [Ayatollah Muhammad al-MUDARRISI]; Jama'at al Fadilah or JAF [Ayatollah Muhammad Ali al-YAQUBI]; Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP [Masud BARZANI]; Muslim Ulama Council or MUC [Harith Sulayman al-DARI, secretary general]; National Iraqi Front [Salih al-MUTLAQ]; National Reconciliation and Liberation Party [Mishan al-JABBURI]; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK [Jalal TALABANI]; Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq or SCIRI [Abd al-Aziz al-HAKIM] note: the Kurdistan Alliance, Iraqi National List, Iraqi Consensus Front, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, and United Iraqi Alliance were only electoral slates consisting of the representatives from the various Iraqi political parties Ireland Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [Trevor SARGENT]; Labor Party [Pat RABITTE]; Progressive Democrats [Michael McDOWELL]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND] Isle of Man Alliance for Progressive Government; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (branch of the British National Party) note: most members sit as independents Israel Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (HADASH) [Muhammad BARAKA]; GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael EITAN]; Kadima [Ehud OLMERT]; Labor Party [Amir PERETZ]; Likud Party [Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-YAHAD [Yossi BEILIN]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Union (NU)/National Religious Party (NRP) [Binyamin ELON]; SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah and Shabbat Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; United Arab List [Ibrahim SARSOUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]; Yisrael Ba'Aliya (merged with Likud) Italy Center-Left Union Coalition [Romano PRODI]: Ulivo Alliance (including Democrats of the Left or DS [Piero FASSINO]; Daisy-Democracy is Freedom or DL [Francesco RUTELLI]); Rose in the Fist (including Italian Social Democrats or SDI [Enrico BOSELLI]; Italian Radical Party [Emma BONINO]); Italian Communist Party or PdCI [Oliviero DILIBERTO]; Green Federation [Alfonso PECORARO SCANIO]; Communist Renewal or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]; Union of Democrats for Europe or UDEUR [Clemente MASTELLA]; Republican European Movement or MRE [Luciana SBARBATI] Center-Right Freedom House Coalition [Silvio BERLUSCONI]: Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Union of Christian Democrats of the Center or UDC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]; Northern League or LEGA [Umberto BOSSI]; Christian Democracy (Per la Autonomie) [Publio FIORI] other non-allied parties: New Italian Socialist Party or New PSI [Gianni DE MICHELIS]; Italian Republican Party or PRI [Giorgio LA MALFA]; Social Alternative [Alessandra MUSSOLINI]; Social Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma [Luca ROMAGNOLI]; Social Idea Movement with Rauti or MIS [Pino RAUTI]; South Tyrol People's Party or SVP (German speakers) [Elmar Pichler ROLLE]; Union of Valley Aosta Region or UV [Guido CESAL] Jamaica Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON] Japan Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihoro OTA]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Shinzo ABE]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA] Jersey none; all independents Jordan al-Ahd Party; Arab Islamic Democratic Movement [Yusuf ABU BAKR, president]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN, secretary general]; Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysir al-HIMSI, secretary general]; Ba'th Arab Progressive Party [Fu'ad DABBUR, secretary general]; Freedom Party; Future Party; Islamic Action Front or IAF [Zaki Sa'ed BANI IRSHEID, secretary general]; Islamic Center Party [Marwan al-FAURI, secretary general]; Jordanian Arab Ansar Party; Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party; Jordanian Arab Party; Jordanian Citizens' Rights Movement; Jordanian Communist Party [Munir HAMARINAH, secretary general]; Jordanian Communist Workers Party; Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali MUSTAFA, secretary general]; Jordanian Generations Party [Muhammad KHALAYLEH, secretary general]; Jordanian Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH, secretary general]; Jordanian Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman Jiryis HANNA, secretary general]; Jordanian Peace Party; Jordanian People's Committees Movement; Jordanian People's Democratic Party (Hashd) [Ahmad YUSUF, secretary general]; Jordanian Rafah Party; Jordanian Renaissance Party; Mission Party; Nation Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; National Action Party (Haqq) [Tariq al-KAYYALI, secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general]; National Popular Democratic Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI, secretary general]; Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary general] Kazakhstan Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, co-chair, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, co-chair, Bakhytbek AKHMETZHAN, co-chair, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, co-chair, Tolegan SYDYKOV, co-chair] (formerly Democratic Party of Kazakhstan); Aq Zhol Party (Bright Path) [Alikhan BAIMENOV, chairman]; AUL (Village) [Gani KALIYEV, chairman]; Communist Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV, first secretary]; Otan [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV, acting chairman] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with Otan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV, chairman]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality) [Altynshash ZHAGANOVA, chairwoman] Kenya Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI] (the governing party) Kiribati Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG] note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures Korea, North major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control) Korea, South Democratic Labor Party or DLP [MOON Seong-hyun]; Democratic Party or DP [HAHN Hwa-kap]; Grand National Party or GNP [KANG Jae-sup]; People-Centered Party or PCP [SHIN Kook-hwan]; Uri Party [KIM Geun-tae] Kuwait none; formation of political parties is illegal Kyrgyzstan Adilet (Justice) Party [Toychubek KASYMOV]; Agrarian Labor Party of Kyrgyzstan [Uson SYDYKOV]; Agrarian Party of Kyrgyzstan [Erkin ALIYEV]; Alga, Kyrgyzstan (Forward, Kyrgyzstan) [Bolot BEGALIYEV]; Ar-Namys (Dignity) Party [Emil ALIYEV]; Asaba (Banner National Revival Party) [Azimbek BEKNAZAROV]; Ata-Meken (Fatherland) [Omurbek TEKEBAYEV]; Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan [Klara ADZHIBEKOVA]; Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan or DDK [Jypar JEKSHEYEV]; Erkin Kyrgyzstan Progressive and Democratic Party [Bektur ASANOV]; Erkindik (Freedom) Party [Topchubek TURGUNALIYEV]; Future of Kyrgyzstan [Balbak TULEBAYEV]; Jany Kyrgyzstan (New Kyrgyzstan) [Dosbol NUR UULU]; Kairan El [Dooronbek SADYKOV]; Kyrgyz National Party [Bakyt BESHIMOV]; Kyrgyzstan Kelechegi [Ruslan CHYNYBAYEV]; Manas El (Party of Spiritual Restoration) [Chingiz AITMATOV]; Moya Strana (My Country Party of Action) [Joomart OTORBAYEV]; Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan or KCP [Bakytbek BEKBOYEV]; Party of Justice and Progress [Muratbek IMANALIEV]; Party of Peasants [Esengul ISAKOV] Laos Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALY Sayasone]; other parties proscribed Latvia First Party of Latvia or LPP [Juris LUJANS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Tatjana ZDANOKA, Jakovs PLINERS]; For the Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement or TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME]; Harmony Center or SC [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS]; Latvian Green Party or ZZS [Indulis EMSIS, Viesturs SILENIEKS, Raimonds VEJONIS]; Latvian Farmer's Union or LZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS]; Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris BOJARS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP [Alfreds RUBIKS]; Latvia's Way or LC [Ivars GODMANIS]; New Democrats or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE]; People's Harmony Party or TSP [Aivars DATAVS]; People's Party or TP [Atis SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS] Lebanon Ba'th Party; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUMBLATT]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, Amal Movement leader/Speaker of the National Assembly]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Karim PAKRADONI]; Kataeb Reform Movement [Amine GEMAYAL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD]; Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; National Bloc [Carlos EDDE]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Qornet Shewan Gathering [a grouping with no individual leader]; Syrian National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU]; Tachnaq Party; Tripoli Independent Bloc [a grouping with no individual leader] Lesotho Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI] (the governing party); Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; Lesotho Workers Party of LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; United Democratic Party or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or UP [Makara SEKAUTU] Liberia Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH]; Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [H. Varney SHERMAN]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN]; Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE] Libya none Liechtenstein Patriotic Union (was Fatherland Union) or VU [Adolf HEEB]; Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Otmar HASLER]; The Free List or FL Lithuania Civil Democracy Party [Viktor MUNTIANAS, chairman]; Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI, chairman]; National Farmer's Union [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE, chairman]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS, chairman]; Labor Party; Liberal and Center Political Group [Arturas ZUOKAS, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party [Valentinas MAZURONIS, chairman]; Liberal Movement; Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD [Valentinas STUNDYS, chairman]; Lithuanian People's Union for a Fair Lithuania; Lithuanian Social Democratic Coalition [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman] consists of the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party or LDDP and the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party or LSDP; Social Liberal/New Union [Arturas PAULAUSKAS, chairman]; Social Union of Christian Conservatives [Gediminas VAGNORIUS, chairman]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists Luxembourg Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Gast GIBERYEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV (also known as Christian Social Party or PCS) [Francois BILTGEN]; Democratic Party or DP [Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; Marxist and Reformed Communist Party dei Lenk/la Gauche (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other minor parties Macau Civil Service Union [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Development Union [KWAN Tsui-hang]; Macau Development Alliance [Angela LEONG On-kei]; Macau United Citizens' Association [CHAN Meng-kam]; New Democratic Macau Association [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; United Forces Macedonia Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV]; Democratic Alternative or DA [Vasil TUPURKOVSKI]; Democratic League of the Bosniaks [Rafet MUMINOVIC]; Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSH/DPA [Arben XHAFERI]; Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan STOILJKOVIC]; Democratic Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI]; Democratic Renewal of Macedonia [Liljana POPOVSKA]; Democratic Republican Union of Macedonia or DRUM [Goran RAFAJLOVSKI]; Democratic Union of Vlachs for Macedonia [Mitko KOSTOV]; Democratic Union for Integration or DUI [Ali AHMETI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Macedonian [Boris STOJMENOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-People's Party or VMRO-Narodna [Vesna JANEVSKA, acting]; League for Democracy [Gjorgi MARJANOVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto PENOV]; Liberal Party [Stojan ANDOV]; National Alternative [Harun ALIU]; National Democratic Party or PDK [Basri HALITI]; National Farmers' Party [Vejljo TANTAROV]; New Democratic Forces [Hysni SHAQIRI]; New Social Democratic Party or NSDP [Tito PETKOVSKI]; Party for Democratic Future [Alajdin DEMIRI]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP [Abduljhadi VEJSELI]; Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM [Vlado BUCKOVSKI]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV-ZINGO]; United Party for Emancipation or OPE [Nezdet MUSTAFA] Madagascar Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA [Pierrot RAJAONARIVO]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]; Fihaonana Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]; I Love Madagascar or TIM [Marc RAVALOMANANA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD [Evariste MARSON] Malawi Alliance for Democracy or AFORD [Chakufwa CHIHANA]; Congress for National Unity or CONU; Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Bingu wa MUTHARIKA]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA]; Malawi Forum for Unity and Development or MAFUNDE [George MNESA]; Mgwirizano Coalition or MC [Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA] (coalition of MAFUNDE, MDP, MGODE, NUP, PETRA, PPM, RP); Movement for Genuine Democratic Change or MGODE [Sam Kandodo BANDA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Brown MPINGANJIRA]; National Unity Party or NUP [Harry CHIUME]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Aleke BANDA]; People's Transformation Movement or PETRA [Kamuzu CHIBAMBO]; Republican Party or RP [Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA]; United Democratic Front or UDF Malaysia ruling-coalition National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN, consisting of the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party or PGRM [LIM Keng Yaik]; Liberal Democratic Party (Parti Liberal Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui Keong]; Malaysian Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Ka Ting]; Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongresi India Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Pakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu or PBB [Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS [James MASING]; Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Sabah) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee]; Sarawak United People's Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam]; United Malays National Organization or UMNO [ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi]; United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Bernard DOMPOK]; People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia) or PPP [M.Keyveas]; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP [William MAWANI]; opposition parties: Democratic Action Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang]; People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismael]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG]; opposition coalition Alternative Front (Barisan Alternatif) or BA - consists of PAS and PKR Maldives political parties were allowed to register in June 2005; the first entrants are: Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER]; Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED] Mali Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda TRAORE, party chairman]; Hope 2002 (a coalition of CNID, MPR, RDT, and RPM); National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL, chairman]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME, secretary general]; Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA, chairman]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE, secretary general]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]; Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE] Malta Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred SANT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI] Marshall Islands traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Aelon Kein Ad Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] Martinique Martinique Communist Party or PCM [Georges ERICHOT]; Martinique Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Progressive Party or PPM [Pierre SUEDILE]; Martinique Socialist Party or PMS [Ernest WAN-AJOUHU]; Movement of Democrats and Ecologists for a Sovereign Martinique or Modemas [Garcin MALSA]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michel CHARLONE]; Socialist Revolution Group or GRS [Philippe PIERRE-CHARLES]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Jean MAREN] Mauritania Action for Change or AC (no longer active) [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for Justice and Democracy or AJD [Cisse Amadou CHEIKHOU]; National Union for Democracy and Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty, Equality, and Justice or PLEJ [Ba Mamdou ALASSANE]; Party of Democratic Convergence or PCD [Cheikh Ould HORMA]; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progressive Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Progress Force Union or UFP (no longer active) [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal or PRDR (formerly ruling Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS) [Boullah Ould MOGUEYA]; Right Way or SAWAB [Cheikh Ould Sidi Ould HANANA]; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]; Union of Forces of Progress or UFP [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD] note: the Party of Democratic Convergence was banned in October 2005 because it was regarded as Islamist and therefore in breach of Mauritanian law Mauritius Alliance Sociale or AS; Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] (in coalition with MSM); Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] (the governing party); Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR] Mayotte Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR (UMP) [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Force of the Rally and the Alliance for Democracy or FRAP; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC [Omar SIMBA]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE] Mexico Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party (Institutional Revolutionary Party) or PRI [leader NA]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Manuel ESPINO Barrientos]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Miguel Angel JIMENEZ Godines]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez] Micronesia, Federated States of no formal parties Moldova Braghis Faction [Dumitru BRAGHIS]; Christian Democratic People's Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]; Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]; Democratic Moldova Bloc (comprised of the AMN, Democratic Party, and PSL); Democratic Party [Dumitru DIACOV]; Our Moldova Alliance or AMN [Serafim URECHEANU]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Oleg SEREBRIAN] Monaco National and Democratic Union or UND [Guy MAGNAN]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM) Mongolia Citizens' Will Republican Party or CWRP (also called Civil Courage Republican Party or CCRP) [Sanjaasurengiin OYUN]; Democratic Party or DP [Tsakhiagiyn ELBEGDORJ]; Motherland-Mongolian New Socialist Democratic Party or M-MNSDP [Badarchyn ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Miegombyn ENKHBOLD]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN]; People's Party or PP [Lamjav GUNDALAI] note: DP and M-MNSDP formed Motherland-Democracy Coalition (MDC) in 2003 and with CWRP contested June 2004 elections as single party; MDC's leadership dissolved coalition in December 2004 Montenegro Albanian Alternative or AA; Bosniak Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC]; Coalition for a European Montenegro (Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS and Social Democratic Party or SDP) [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Coalition SPP/NS/DSS; Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity [Mehmet BARHDI]; Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA]; Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC]; Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC]; Serbian People's Party of Montenegro or SNS [Andrija MANDIC]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC]; Social Democratic Party of Montenegro or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Socialist People's Party or SNP [Predrag BULATOVIC] Montserrat Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE] Morocco Action Party or PA [Muhammad EL IDRISSI]; Alliance of Liberties or ADL [Ali BELHAJ]; Annahj Addimocrati or Annahj [Abdellah EL HARIF]; Avant Garde Social Democratic Party or PADS [Ahmed BENJELLOUN]; Citizen Forces or FC [Abderrahman LAHJOUJI]; Citizen's Initiatives for Development [Mohamed BENHAMOU]; Constitutional Union or UC [Mohamed ABIED (interim)]; Democratic and Independence Party or PDI [Abdelwahed MAACH]; Democratic and Social Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Aissa OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Union or UD [Bouazza IKKEN]; Environment and Development Party or PED [Ahmed EL ALAMI]; Front of Democratic Forces or FFD [Thami EL KHYARI]; Istiqlal Party (Independence Party) or PI [Abbas El FASSI]; Justice and Development Party or PJD [Saad Eddine OTHMANI]; Moroccan Liberal Party or PML [Mohamed ZIANE]; National Democratic Party or PND [Abdallah KADIRI]; National Ittihadi Congress Party or CNI [Abdelmajid BOUZOUBAA]; National Popular Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE]; National Rally of Independents or RNI [Ahmed OSMAN]; National Union of Popular Forces or UNFP [Abdellah IBRAHIM]; Parti Al Ahd or Al Ahd [Najib EL OUAZZANI, chairman]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Ismail ALAOUI]; Party of Renewal and Equity or PRE [Chakir ACHABAR]; Party of the Unified Socialist Left or GSU [Mohamed Ben Said AIT IDDER]; Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER]; Reform and Development Party or PRD [Abderrahmane EL KOUHEN]; Social Center Party or PSC [Lahcen MADIH]; Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Mohammed El-YAZGHI] Mozambique Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or FRELIMO [Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, president]; Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or RENAMO-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA, president] Namibia Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA, president]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Jurie VILJOEN]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]; Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]; National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Kuaima RIRUAKO] Nauru loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party Nepal Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Pashupati Shumsher RANA, chairman]; Nepali Congress-Democratic [Sher Bahadur DEUBA, president]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Sushil KOIRALA, vice president]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP - Mandal [Bhadri Prasad MANDAL, party president]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party - Ananda Devi [Ananda DEVI, president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chairman]; People's Front Nepal (Rastriya Jana Morcha) [Amik SHERCHAN, chairman]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; note - split from RPP in March 2005; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [leader NA]; note - merged with People's Front Nepal or PFN in 2002 Netherlands Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Ernst Hirsch BALLIN]; Christian Union Party [Andre ROUVOET]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Lousewies VAN DER LAAN]; Green Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or PvdA [Wouter BOS]; List Pim Fortuyn [Ton VAN DILLEN]; Party for Freedom [Geert WILDERS]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Pieter WINSEMIUS]; Socialist Party [Jan MARIJNISSEN]; plus a few minor parties Netherlands Antilles Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI] Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO]; Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT] Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL] Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St. Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD] Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party [Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]; People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St. Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party [Bienvenido RICHARDSON] note: political parties are indigenous to each island New Caledonia Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caledonian Union or UC; Federation des Comites de Coordination des Independantistes or FCCI [Francois BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS [leader NA] (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independent) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO] New Zealand ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [Don BRASH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE] Nicaragua Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon]; Central American Unionist Party or PUCA [Blanca ROJAS]; Christian Alternative Party or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Conservative Party or PC [Mario Sebastian RAPPACCIOLI]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN [Carlos GUERRA Gallardo]; Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal Party or PALI [Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO Molina]; Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Dora Maria TELLEZ]; Unity Alliance or AU Niger Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Hama AMADOU]; Niger Social Democratic Party or PSDN; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Autonomy or PNA-Alouma'a [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU] Nigeria Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA]; All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Don ETIEBET]; All Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [disputed leadership]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Dr. Ahmadu ALI]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [disputed leadership] Niue Alliance of Independents or AI; Niue People's Action Party or NPP [Young VIVIAN] Norfolk Island none Northern Mariana Islands Covenant Party [Benigno R. FITIAL]; Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Juan S. REYES] Norway Center Party [Aslaug Marie HAGA]; Christian People's Party [Dagfinn HOYBRATEN]; Coastal Party [Roy WAAGE]; Conservative Party [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Siv JENSEN]; Red Electoral Alliance [Torstein DAHLE]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN] Oman none Pakistan Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National Party/Hayee Group or BNP/H [Dr. Hayee BALUCH]; Baluch National Party/Awami or BNP/Awami [Moheem Khan BALOCH]; Baluch National Party-Mengal or BNP/M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL]; Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP; Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamiat-i-Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami ul-HAQ faction or JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ]; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf faction or MQM/A [Altaf HUSSAIN]; Muttahida Quami Movement, Haqiqi faction or MQM/H [Afaq AHMAD]; National Alliance or NA [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI]; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]; Pakhtun Quami Party or PQP [Mohammed Afzal KHAN]; Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF]; Pakistan Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; note - as of May 2004, the PML/Q changed its name to PML and absorbed the PML/J, PML/Z, and NA; Pakistan National Party or PNP [Hasil BIZENJO]; Pakistan People's Party or PPP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Benazir BHUTTO]; Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN]; Tehrik-i-Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI] note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently Palau none Panama Democratic Change or CD [Ricardo MARTINELLI]; Democratic Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hugo GUIRAUD]; National Liberal Party or PLN [Anibal GALINDO]; Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Jesus ROSAS]; Panamenista Party or PA (formerly the Arnulfista Party) [Marco AMEGLIO]; Popular Party or PP (formerly Christian Democratic Party or PDC) [Ricardo ARIAS Calderon]; Solidarity Party or PS [Jose Raul MULINO] Papua New Guinea Christian Democratic Party [Dr. Banare BUN]; Melanesian Alliance Party or MAP [Sir Moi AVEL]; National Alliance Party or NA [Michael SOMARE]; National Party [Melcher PEP]; Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU [Rabbie NAMALIU]; Papua New Guinea First Party [Cecilking DORUBA]; Papua New Guinea Labor Party [Bob DANAYA]; Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP (was People's Democratic Movement or PDM) [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's Action Party or PAP [Moses MALADINA]; People's Labor Party or PLP [Ekis ROPENU]; People's National Congress or PNC [Peter O'NEILL]; People's Progress Party or PPP [Byron CHAN]; Pipol First Party [Luther WENGE]; United Party [Bire KIMASOPA]; United Resources Party or URP [Tim NEVILLE] (2005) Paraguay Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado Party or ANR [Herminio CACERES, interim president]; Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Enrique GONZALEZ Quintana, acting chairman]; Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella]; Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Luis TORALES Kennedy]; Partido Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Blas LLANO]; Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares] note: Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS on leave as party leader of the Colorado Party or ANR while serving as President of Paraguay; Lino Cesar OVIEDO Silva, leader of UNACE, is currently serving a ten-year prison term Peru Alliance For Progress (Alianza Para El Progreso) [Cesar ACUNA Peralta]; Alliance For The Future (Alianza Por El Futuro) or AF - a coalition of pro-FUJIMORI parties including Cambio 90, Nueva Mayoria, and Si Cumple [Martha CHAVEZ Cossio]; Centrist Front (Frente Del Centro) or FC - a coalition of Accion Popular, Somos Peru, and Coordinadora Nacional de Independientes [Valentin PANIAGUA Corazoa]; Independent Moralizing Front (Frente Independiente Moralizador) or FIM [Fernando OLIVERA Vega]; Nationalist Party Uniting Peru (Partido Nacionalista Uniendo al Peru) or UPP - a coalition of Union for Peru (UPP) and Peruvian Nationalist Party (PNP) [Ollanta HUMALA Tasso]; National Restoration (Restauracion Nacional) or RN [Humberto LAY Sun]; National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN [Lourdes FLORES Nano]; Peru Possible (Peru Posible) or PP [David WAISMAN]; Peruvian Aprista Party (Partido Aprista Peruano) or PAP - also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA [Alan GARCIA] Philippines Kabalikat Ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) [Ronaldo PUNO]; Laban Ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA]; Lakas Ng Edsa (National Union of Christian Democrats) or Lakas [Jose DE VENECIA]; Liberal Party or LP [Franklin DRILON/Eli QUINTO]; Nacionalista [Manuel VILLAR]; National People's Coalition or NPC [Frisco SAN JUAN]; PDP-Laban [Aquilino PIMENTEL]; People's Reform Party [Miriam Defensor SANTIAGO]; PROMDI [Emilio OSMENA]; Pwersa Ng Masang Pilipino (Party of the Philippine Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA]; Reporma [Renato DE VILLA] Pitcairn Islands none Poland Catholic-National Movement or RKN [Antoni MACIEREWICZ]; Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Conservative Peasants Party or SKL [Artur BALASZ]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK]; Democratic Party or PD [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK]; Dom Ojczysty (Fatherland Home); German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI]; Peasant-Democratic Party or PLD [Roman JAGIELINSKI]; Polish Accord or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Waldemar PAWLAK]; Ruch Patriotyczny or RP [Jan OLSZEWSKI]; Samoobrona or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Marek BOROWSKI]; Social Movement or RS [Krzysztof PIESIEWICZ]; Union of Labor or UP [Andrzej SPYCHALSKI] Portugal Green Ecologist Party or PEV [Heloisa APOLONIA]; Popular Party or PP [Jose Ribeiro e CASTRO]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo de SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]; Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU (includes PEV and PCP) [Jeronimo de SOUSA] Puerto Rico National Democratic Party [Roberto PRATS]; National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Dr. Tiody FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP (pro-US statehood) [Pedro ROSSELLO]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD (pro-commonwealth) [Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA]; Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] Qatar none Reunion Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Elie HOARAU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Michel VERGOZ]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP Romania Conservative Party or PC [Dan VOICULESCU], formerly Humanist Party or PUR; Democratic Party or PD [Emil BOC]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Calin Popescu-TARICEANU]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mircea Dan GEOANA], formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR Russia A Just Russia or JR [Sergei MIRONOV] (formed from the merger of three small political parties: Motherland Party (Rodina), Pensioner's Party, and Party of Life); Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF [Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; People's Party [Gennady RAIKOV]; Union of Right Forces or SPS [Nikita BELYKH]; United Russia or UR [Boris Vyacheslavovich GRYZLOV]; Yabloko Party [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY] Rwanda Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA] (officially banned); Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Prosper HIGIRO]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned); Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA] Saint Helena none Saint Kitts and Nevis Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Vance AMORY]; Nevis Reformation Party or NRP [Joseph PARRY]; People's Action Movement or PAM [Lindsey GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party or SKNLP [Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS] Saint Lucia National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Sir John COMPTON] Saint Pierre and Miquelon Left Radical Party or PRG; Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP); Socialist Party or PS; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF Saint Vincent and the Grenadines New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) Samoa Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]; Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA] San Marino Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Ideas in Movement or IM [Alessandro ROSSI]; National Alliance or AN; New Socialist Party; Party of Socialists and Democrats [Claudio FELICI]; San Marino Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Giovanni LONFERNINI]; San Marino Popular Alliance of Democrats or APDS [Roberto GIORGETTI]; San Marino Socialist Party or PSS [Alberto CECCHETTI]; Socialists for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]; United Left Sao Tome and Principe Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement or MDFM; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA]; Ue-Kedadji coalition; other small parties Saudi Arabia none Senegal African Party for Democracy and Socialism or And Jef (also known as PADS/AJ) [Landing SAVANE, secretary general]; African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also known as Garab-Gi) [Dr. Iba Der THIAM]; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD [Cheikh Abdoulaye DIEYE]; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madier DIOUF]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE]; Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition [Abdoulaye WADE] (a coalition led by the PDS); Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]; other small parties Serbia Democratic Party of Serbia or DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party or DS [Boris TADIC]; G17 Plus [Mladjan DINKIC is acting leader]; Serbian Radical Party or SRS [Vojislav SESELJ, but Tomislav NIKOLIC is acting leader]; Socialist Party of Serbia or SPS [vacant, but Ivica DACIC is head of the SPS Main Board]; New Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC]; Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO [Vuk DRASKOVIC] Seychelles Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Daniel BELLE]; Mouvement Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL]; Seychelles National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] (formerly the United Opposition or UO); Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] (the governing party) Sierra Leone All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others Singapore People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; Singapore Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong]; Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia LIM Swee Lian] note: SDA includes National Solidarity Party or NSP, Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP Slovakia Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Vladimir DADO]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA] Slovenia Democratic Party of Retired (Persons) of Slovenia or DeSUS [Karl ERJAVEC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Jelko KACIN]; New Slovenia or NSi [Andrej BAJUK]; Slovenian Democratic Party or SDS [Janez JANSA]; Slovene National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC]; Slovene People's Party or SLS [Janez PODOBNIK]; Slovene Youth Party or SMS [Darko KRANJC]; Social Democrats or SD [Borut PAHOR] Solomon Islands Association of Independent Members or AIM [Thomas CHAN]; Christian Alliance Solomon Islands or CASI [Edward RONIA]; LAFARI Party [John GARO]; National Party [Francis HILLY]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Allan KEMAKEZA]; Social Credit Party or SOCRED [Manasseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon First Party [David QUAN]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party [Gabriel SURI]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Solomon Islands Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir Peter KENILOREA] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions Somalia none South Africa African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance or DA [Anthony LEON] (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the Freedom Alliance or FA); Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; New National Party or NNP; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA] Spain Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino RIVERO Baute]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA]; Party of Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY]; Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Joan Puigcercos BOIXASSA]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar LLAMAZARES] Sri Lanka All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [KUMARGURUPARAM]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [Shrimani ATULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP; Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D. GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Tilak KARUNARATNE]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sihala Urumaya or SU; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [SABARATNAM]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R. SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial councils Sudan political parties in the Government of National Unity include: National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed OMAR]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva Mayardit KIIR]; and elements of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of the Democratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi] Suriname Alternative-1 or A-1 (a coalition of Amazone Party of Suriname or APS [Kenneth VAN GENDEREN], Democrats of the 21st Century or D-21 [Soewarto MOESTADJA], Nieuw Suriname or NS [Radjen Nanan PANDAY], Political Wing of the FAL or PVF [Jiwan SITAL], Trefpunt 2000 or T-2000 [Arti JESSURUN]); General Interior Development Party or ABOP [Ronnie BRUNSWIJK]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Desire BOUTERSE]; New Front for Democracy and Development or NF (a coalition which includes A-Combination or A-Com [leader NA], Democratic Alternative 1991 or DA-91 which split from the A-1 before the elections of May 2005 and are an independent, business-oriented party [Winston JESSURUN], National Party Suriname or NPS [Ronald VENETIAAN], United Reform Party or VHP [Ram SARDJOE], Pertjaja Luhur or PL [Salam Paul SOMOHARDJO], Surinamese Labor Party or SPA [Siegfried GILDS]); Party for Democracy and Development in Unity or DOE [Marten SCHALKWIJK]; People's Alliance for Progress or VVV (a coalition of Democratic National Platform 2000 or DNP-2000 [Jules WIJDENBOSCH], Grassroots Party for Renewal and Democracy or BVD [Tjan GOBARDHAN], Party for National Unity and Solidarity of the Highest Order or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA], Party for Progression, Justice, and Perseverance or PPRS [Renee KAIMAN], Pendawalima or PL [Raymond SAPOEN]); Progressive Laborers and Farmers Union or PALU [Jim HOK]; Progressive Political Party or PPP [Surinder MUNGRA]; Seeka [Paul ABENA]; Union of Progressive Surinamers or UPS [Sheoradj PANDAY] Swaziland political parties are banned by the government under an emergency decree that will be revoked when the new constitution takes effect (January 2006)- the following are considered political associations; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president] Sweden Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party [Goran HAGGLUND]; Environment Party the Greens [no formal leader but party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT]; People's Party [Lars LEIJONBORG]; Social Democratic Party [Goran PERSSON] Switzerland Green Party (Grune Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruth GENNER]; Christian Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Doris LEUTHARD, president]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Marianne KLEINER-SCHLAEPFER, president]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Hans-Juerg FEHR, president]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER, president]; and other minor parties Syria Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallal Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL] Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [YU Shyi-kun]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu)]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU Chin-chiang]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or NP Tajikistan Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir KARAKULOV]; Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV]; Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimjon BOBOYEV]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV] Tanzania Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy and Development) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM (Revolutionary Party) [Jakaya Mrisho KIKWETE]; Civic United Front or CUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party [Christopher MTIKLA] (unregistered); Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine Lyatonga MREME]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO] Thailand Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [ABHISIT Wetchachiwa]; People's Party or PP (Mahachon Party) [ANEK Laothamatas]; Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BARNHARN SILPA-ARCHA]; Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT [CHATURON Chaisang] Togo Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP; Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU] Tokelau none Tonga People's Democratic Party [Tesina FUKO] Trinidad and Tobago National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TU [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]; Democratic Action Committee or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES], note - only active in Tobago Tunisia Al-Tajdid Movement [Ali HALOUANI]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party [Nejib CHEBBI]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI] Turkey Anavatan Partisi (once was Motherland Party) or ANAVATAN [Erkan MUMCU]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic People's Party or DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment Party) or SP [Necmettin ERBAKAN]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasr Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004 Turkmenistan Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV] note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; UDPT is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow Turks and Caicos Islands People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK] Tuvalu there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings Uganda Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or DP [Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza BESIGYE]; Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA]; National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]; National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Miria OBOTE] note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's transition to a multi-party political system Ukraine Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Fatherland Party (Batkivshchyna) [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]; Lytyvn-led People's Bloc group [Ihor SHAROV]; Our Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; People's Trust group [Anton KISSE]; PORA! (It's Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV]; Progressive Socialist Party [Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order Party [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Party of Regions [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Republican Party [Yuriy BOYKO]; Social Democratic Party (United) or SDPU(o) [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK]; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; Ukrainian People's Party [Yuriy KOSTENKO]; United Ukraine [Bohdan HUBSKYY]; Vidrodzhennya (Revival) [Anton KISSE] United Arab Emirates none United Kingdom Conservative and Unionist Party [David CAMERON]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) BLAIR]; Liberal Democrats [Sir Menzies CAMPBELL]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Dafydd IWAN]; Scottish National Party or SNP [Alex SALMOND]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Sir Reg EMPEY] United States Democratic Party [Howard DEAN]; Green Party; Libertarian Party [Steve DAMERELL]; Republican Party [Ken MEHLMAN] Uruguay Colorado Party [Julio Maria SANGUINETTI]; Independent Party (Partido Independiente) [Pablo MIERES]; Movement of Popular Participation or MPP [Jose MUJICA]; National Party or Blanco [Jorge LARRANAGA]; New Sector/Space Coalition (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition (Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio) or EP-FA [Tabare VAZQUEZ]; Socialist Party of Uruguay or Socialists [Reinaldo GARGANO]; Uruguayan Assembly or Asamblea Uruguay [Danilo ASTORI] Uzbekistan Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Dilorom TOSHMUHAMMADOVA, chairman]; Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Xurshid DOSTMUHAMMADOV, chief]; Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan or LDPU [Adham SHODMONOV, chairman]; People's Democratic Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Asliddin RUSTAMOV, first secretary]; Self-Sacrificers Party or Fidokorlar National Democratic Party [Ahtam TURSUNOV, chief]; note - Fatherland Progress Party merged with Self-Sacrificers Party Vanuatu Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Hem LINI]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Greens Party or VGP [Moana CARCASSES]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN] Venezuela Christian Democrats or COPEI [Eduardo FERNANDEZ]; Democratic Action or AD [Jesus MENDEZ Quijada]; Fatherland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael GARCIA] Vietnam only party - Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH] Virgin Islands Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] Wallis and Futuna Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG; Rally for the Republic or RPR (UMP) [Clovis LOGOLOGOFOLAU]; Socialist Party or PS; Taumu'a Lelei [Soane Muni UHILA]; Union Populaire Locale or UPL [Falakiko GATA]; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF Yemen there are more than 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of the more prominent are: General People's Congress or GPC [President Ali Abdallah SALIH]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdal Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qasim SALAM]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL] Zambia Agenda for Zambia or AZ [Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA]; Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Christon TEMBO]; Heritage Party or HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front or LPF [Roger CHONGWE, president]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Levy MWANAWASA, acting president]; National Leadership for Development or NLD [Yobert SHAMAPANDE]; National Party or NP [Dr. Sam CHIPUNGU]; Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Gwendoline KONIE]; United National Independence Party or UNIP [Francis NKHOMA, president]; United Party for National Development or UPND [Anderson MAZOKA]; Zambian Republican Party or ZRP [Benjamin MWILA] Zimbabwe African National Party or ANP; Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party [Daniel SHUMBA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA]; Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2119 Population Afghanistan 31,056,997 (July 2006 est.) Akrotiri no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,300 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there Albania 3,581,655 (July 2006 est.) Algeria 32,930,091 (July 2006 est.) American Samoa 57,794 (July 2006 est.) Andorra 71,201 (July 2006 est.) Angola 12,127,071 (July 2006 est.) Anguilla 13,477 (July 2006 est.) Antarctica no indigenous inhabitants, but there are both permanent and summer-only staffed research stations note: 26 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, operate through their National Antarctic Program a number of seasonal-only (summer) and year-round research stations on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty); these stations' population of persons doing and supporting science or engaged in the management and protection of the Antarctic region varies from approximately 4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000 personnel, including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research, are present in the waters of the treaty region; peak summer (December-February) population - 3,822 total; Argentina 417, Australia 213, Brazil 40, Bulgaria 15, Chile 224, China 70, Ecuador 22, Finland 20, France 123, Germany 78, India 65, Italy 112, Japan 150, South Korea 60, NZ 85, Norway 44, Peru 28, Poland 40, Russia 429, South Africa 80, Spain 28, Sweden 20, Ukraine 24, UK 205, US 1,170, Uruguay 60 (2005-2006); winter (June-August) station population - 1,028 total; Argentina 176, Australia 62, Brazil 12, Chile 88, China 29, France 37, Germany 9, India 25, Italy 2, Japan 40, South Korea 15, NZ 10, Norway 7, Poland 12, Russia 148, South Africa 10, Ukraine 12, UK 37, US 288, Uruguay 9 (2005); research stations operated within the Antarctic Treaty area (south of 60 degrees south latitude) by members of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP): year-round stations - 37 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 3, China 2, France 1, Germany 1, India 1, Japan 1, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Norway 1, Poland 1, Russia 5, South Africa 1, Ukraine 1, UK 2, US 3, Uruguay 1, Italy and France jointly 1 (2005); seasonal-only (summer) stations - 15 total; Australia 1, Bulgaria 1, Chile 1, Ecuador 1, Finland 1, Germany 1, Italy 1, Japan 1, Norway 1, Peru 1, Russia 1, Spain 2, Sweden 1, UK 1 (2005-2006); in addition, during the austral summer some nations have numerous occupied locations such as tent camps, summer-long temporary facilities, and mobile traverses in support of research Antigua and Barbuda 69,108 (July 2006 est.) Argentina 39,921,833 (July 2006 est.) Armenia 2,976,372 (July 2006 est.) Aruba 71,891 (July 2006 est.) Ashmore and Cartier Islands no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island (July 2006 est.) Australia 20,264,082 (July 2006 est.) Austria 8,192,880 (July 2006 est.) Azerbaijan 7,961,619 (July 2006 est.) Bahamas, The 303,770 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Bahrain 698,585 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Baker Island uninhabited note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (2005 est.) Bangladesh 147,365,352 (July 2006 est.) Barbados 279,912 (July 2006 est.) Bassas da India uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Belarus 10,293,011 (July 2006 est.) Belgium 10,379,067 (July 2006 est.) Belize 287,730 (July 2006 est.) Benin 7,862,944 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Bermuda 65,773 (July 2006 est.) Bhutan 2,279,723 note: other estimates range as low as 810,000 (July 2006 est.) Bolivia 8,989,046 (July 2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 4,498,976 (July 2006 est.) Botswana 1,639,833 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Bouvet Island uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Brazil 188,078,227 note: Brazil conducted a census in August 2000, which reported a population of 169,799,170; that figure was about 3.3% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau, and is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) British Indian Ocean Territory no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2006 est.) British Virgin Islands 23,098 (July 2006 est.) Brunei 379,444 (July 2006 est.) Bulgaria 7,385,367 (July 2006 est.) Burkina Faso 13,902,972 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Burma 47,382,633 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Burundi 8,090,068 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Cambodia 13,881,427 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Cameroon 17,340,702 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Canada 33,098,932 (July 2006 est.) Cape Verde 420,979 (July 2006 est.) Cayman Islands 45,436 note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2006 est.) Central African Republic 4,303,356 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Chad 9,944,201 (July 2006 est.) Chile 16,134,219 (July 2006 est.) China 1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.) Christmas Island 1,493 (July 2006 est.) Clipperton Island uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Cocos (Keeling) Islands 574 (July 2006 est.) Colombia 43,593,035 (July 2006 est.) Comoros 690,948 (July 2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 62,660,551 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the 3,702,314 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Cook Islands 21,388 (July 2006 est.) Coral Sea Islands no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological station (2005 est.) Costa Rica 4,075,261 (July 2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 17,654,843 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Croatia 4,494,749 (July 2006 est.) Cuba 11,382,820 (July 2006 est.) Cyprus 784,301 (July 2006 est.) Czech Republic 10,235,455 (July 2006 est.) Denmark 5,450,661 (July 2006 est.) Dhekelia no indigenous personnel note: approximately 2,200 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both the bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there Djibouti 486,530 (July 2006 est.) Dominica 68,910 (July 2006 est.) Dominican Republic 9,183,984 (July 2006 est.) East Timor 1,062,777 note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2006 est.) Ecuador 13,547,510 (July 2006 est.) Egypt 78,887,007 (July 2006 est.) El Salvador 6,822,378 (July 2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea 540,109 (July 2006 est.) Eritrea 4,786,994 (July 2006 est.) Estonia 1,324,333 (July 2006 est.) Ethiopia 74,777,981 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Europa Island no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists; visited by scientists (July 2006 est.) European Union 456,953,258 (July 2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 2,967 (July 2006 est.) Faroe Islands 47,246 (July 2006 est.) Fiji 905,949 (July 2006 est.) Finland 5,231,372 (July 2006 est.) France 60,876,136 (July 2006 est.) French Guiana 199,509 (July 2006 est.) French Polynesia 274,578 (July 2006 est.) French Southern and Antarctic Lands no indigenous inhabitants note: in 2002, there were 145 researchers whose numbers vary from winter (July) to summer (January) (July 2006 est.) Gabon 1,424,906 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Gambia, The 1,641,564 (July 2006 est.) Gaza Strip 1,428,757 (July 2006 est.) Georgia 4,661,473 (July 2006 est.) Germany 82,422,299 (July 2006 est.) Ghana 22,409,572 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Gibraltar 27,928 (July 2006 est.) Glorioso Islands no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a small French military garrison along with a few meteorologists; visited by scientists (July 2006 est.) Greece 10,688,058 (July 2006 est.) Greenland 56,361 (July 2006 est.) Grenada 89,703 (July 2006 est.) Guadeloupe 452,776 (July 2006 est.) Guam 171,019 (July 2006 est.) Guatemala 12,293,545 (July 2006 est.) Guernsey 65,409 (July 2006 est.) Guinea 9,690,222 (July 2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau 1,442,029 (July 2006 est.) Guyana 767,245 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Haiti 8,308,504 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Heard Island and McDonald Islands uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) 932 (July 2006 est.) Honduras 7,326,496 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Hong Kong 6,940,432 (July 2006 est.) Howland Island uninhabited note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2006 est.) Hungary 9,981,334 (July 2006 est.) Iceland 299,388 (July 2006 est.) Iles Eparses Bassas da India: uninhabitable Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists on each possession; visited by scientists Tromelin Island: uninhabited, except for visits by scientists India 1,095,351,995 (July 2006 est.) Indonesia 245,452,739 (July 2006 est.) Iran 68,688,433 (July 2006 est.) Iraq 26,783,383 (July 2006 est.) Ireland 4,062,235 (July 2006 est.) Isle of Man 75,441 (July 2006 est.) Israel 6,352,117 note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2006 est.) Italy 58,133,509 (July 2006 est.) Jamaica 2,758,124 (July 2006 est.) Jan Mayen no indigenous inhabitants note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station (July 2006 est.) Japan 127,463,611 (July 2006 est.) Jarvis Island uninhabited note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2006 est.) Jersey 91,084 (July 2006 est.) Johnston Atoll uninhabited note: in previous years, there was an average of 1,100 US military and civilian contractor personnel present; as of September 2001, population had decreased significantly when US Army Chemical Activity Pacific (USACAP) departed; as of May 2005 all US government personnel had left the island (July 2006 est.) Jordan 5,906,760 (July 2006 est.) Juan de Nova Island no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a small French military garrison along with a few meteorologists; occasionally visited by scientists (July 2006 est.) Kazakhstan 15,233,244 (July 2006 est.) Kenya 34,707,817 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Kingman Reef uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Kiribati 105,432 (July 2006 est.) Korea, North 23,113,019 (July 2006 est.) Korea, South 48,846,823 (July 2006 est.) Kuwait 2,418,393 note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan 5,213,898 (July 2006 est.) Laos 6,368,481 (July 2006 est.) Latvia 2,274,735 (July 2006 est.) Lebanon 3,874,050 (July 2006 est.) Lesotho 2,022,331 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Liberia 3,042,004 (July 2006 est.) Libya 5,900,754 note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Liechtenstein 33,987 (July 2006 est.) Lithuania 3,585,906 (July 2006 est.) Luxembourg 474,413 (July 2006 est.) Macau 453,125 (July 2006 est.) Macedonia 2,050,554 (July 2006 est.) Madagascar 18,595,469 (July 2006 est.) Malawi 13,013,926 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Malaysia 24,385,858 (July 2006 est.) Maldives 359,008 (July 2006 est.) Mali 11,716,829 (July 2006 est.) Malta 400,214 (July 2006 est.) Marshall Islands 60,422 (July 2006 est.) Martinique 436,131 (July 2006 est.) Mauritania 3,177,388 (July 2006 est.) Mauritius 1,240,827 (July 2006 est.) Mayotte 201,234 (July 2006 est.) Mexico 107,449,525 (July 2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 108,004 (July 2006 est.) Midway Islands no indigenous inhabitants; approximately 40 people make up the staff of US Fish and Wildlife Service and their services contractor living at the atoll (July 2006 est.) Moldova 4,466,706 (July 2006 est.) Monaco 32,543 (July 2006 est.) Mongolia 2,832,224 (July 2006 est.) Montenegro 630,548 (2004) Montserrat 9,439 note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2006 est.) Morocco 33,241,259 (July 2006 est.) Mozambique 19,686,505 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected; the 1997 Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2006 est.) Namibia 2,044,147 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Nauru 13,287 (July 2006 est.) Navassa Island uninhabited note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island (July 2006 est.) Nepal 28,287,147 (July 2006 est.) Netherlands 16,491,461 (July 2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles 221,736 (July 2006 est.) New Caledonia 219,246 (July 2006 est.) New Zealand 4,076,140 (July 2006 est.) Nicaragua 5,570,129 (July 2006 est.) Niger 12,525,094 (July 2006 est.) Nigeria 131,859,731 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Niue 2,166 (July 2006 est.) Norfolk Island 1,828 (July 2006 est.) Northern Mariana Islands 82,459 (July 2006 est.) Norway 4,610,820 (July 2006 est.) Oman 3,102,229 note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Pakistan 165,803,560 (July 2006 est.) Palau 20,579 (July 2006 est.) Palmyra Atoll no indigenous inhabitants; 4 to 20 Nature Conservancy staff, US Fish and Wildlife staff (July 2006 est.) Panama 3,191,319 (July 2006 est.) Papua New Guinea 5,670,544 (July 2006 est.) Paracel Islands no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons Paraguay 6,506,464 (July 2006 est.) Peru 28,302,603 (July 2006 est.) Philippines 89,468,677 (July 2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands 45 (July 2006 est.) Poland 38,536,869 (July 2006 est.) Portugal 10,605,870 (July 2006 est.) Puerto Rico 3,927,188 (July 2006 est.) Qatar 885,359 (July 2006 est.) Reunion 787,584 (July 2006 est.) Romania 22,303,552 (July 2006 est.) Russia 142,893,540 (July 2006 est.) Rwanda 8,648,248 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Saint Helena 7,502 note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 39,129 (July 2006 est.) Saint Lucia 168,458 (July 2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 7,026 (July 2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 117,848 (July 2006 est.) Samoa 176,908 (July 2006 est.) San Marino 29,251 (July 2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 193,413 (July 2006 est.) Saudi Arabia 27,019,731 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) Senegal 11,987,121 (July 2006 est.) Serbia 9,396,411 (2002 census) Seychelles 81,541 (July 2006 est.) Sierra Leone 6,005,250 (July 2006 est.) Singapore 4,492,150 (July 2006 est.) Slovakia 5,439,448 (July 2006 est.) Slovenia 2,010,347 (July 2006 est.) Solomon Islands 552,438 (July 2006 est.) Somalia 8,863,338 note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare (July 2006 est.) South Africa 44,187,637 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2006 est.) Spain 40,397,842 (July 2006 est.) Spratly Islands no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (2004) Sri Lanka 20,222,240 note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2006 est.) Sudan 41,236,378 (July 2006 est.) Suriname 439,117 (July 2006 est.) Svalbard 2,701 (July 2006 est.) Swaziland 1,136,334 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Sweden 9,016,596 (July 2006 est.) Switzerland 7,523,934 (July 2006 est.) Syria 18,881,361 note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2006 est.) Taiwan 23,036,087 (July 2006 est.) Tajikistan 7,320,815 (July 2006 est.) Tanzania 37,445,392 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Thailand 64,631,595 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Togo 5,548,702 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Tokelau 1,392 (July 2006 est.) Tonga 114,689 (July 2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 1,065,842 (July 2006 est.) Tromelin Island uninhabited, except for visits by scientists (July 2006 est.) Tunisia 10,175,014 (July 2006 est.) Turkey 70,413,958 (July 2006 est.) Turkmenistan 5,042,920 (July 2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 21,152 (July 2006 est.) Tuvalu 11,810 (July 2006 est.) Uganda 28,195,754 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Ukraine 46,710,816 (July 2006 est.) United Arab Emirates 2,602,713 (July 2006 est.) United Kingdom 60,609,153 (July 2006 est.) United States 298,444,215 (July 2006 est.) United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges no indigenous inhabitants note: public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service Johnston Atoll: in previous years, an average of 1,100 US military and civilian contractor personnel were present; as of May 2005 all US government personnel had left the island Midway Islands: approximately 40 people make up the staff of US Fish and Wildlife Service and their services contractor living at the atoll Palmyra Atoll: four to 20 Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife staff Uruguay 3,431,932 (July 2006 est.) Uzbekistan 27,307,134 (July 2006 est.) Vanuatu 208,869 (July 2006 est.) Venezuela 25,730,435 (July 2006 est.) Vietnam 84,402,966 (July 2006 est.) Virgin Islands 108,605 (July 2006 est.) Wake Island no indigenous inhabitants note: US military personnel have left the island, but contractor personnel remain; as of October 2001, 200 contractor personnel were present (July 2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna 16,025 (July 2006 est.) West Bank 2,460,492 note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.) Western Sahara 273,008 (July 2006 est.) World 6,525,170,264 (July 2006 est.) Yemen 21,456,188 (July 2006 est.) Zambia 11,502,010 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Zimbabwe 12,236,805 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2120 Ports and terminals Afghanistan Kheyrabad, Shir Khan Albania Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore Algeria Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda American Samoa Pago Pago Angola Cabinda, Luanda, Soyo Anguilla Blowing Point, Road Bay Antarctica there are no developed ports and harbors in Antarctica; most coastal stations have offshore anchorages, and supplies are transferred from ship to shore by small boats, barges, and helicopters; a few stations have a basic wharf facility; US coastal stations include McMurdo (77 51 S, 166 40 E), and Palmer (64 43 S, 64 03 W); government use only except by permit (see Permit Office under "Legal System"); all ships at port are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty; offshore anchorage is sparse and intermittent; relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by the states parties to the Antarctic Treaty regulating access to the Antarctic Treaty area, to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude south, have to be complied with (see "Legal System"); The Hydrographic Committee on Antarctica (HCA), a special hydrographic commission of International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area; it coordinates and facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate charts and other aids to navigation in support of safety of navigation in region; membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member State whose government has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources and/or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area; members of HCA are Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and the UK (2005) Antigua and Barbuda Saint John's Arctic Ocean Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US) Argentina Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Punta Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin, San Nicolas Aruba Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas Ashmore and Cartier Islands none; offshore anchorage only Atlantic Ocean Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden) Australia Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne, Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney Austria Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna Azerbaijan Baku (Baki) Bahamas, The Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point Bahrain Mina' Salman, Sitrah Baker Island none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast Bangladesh Chittagong, Mongla Port Barbados Bridgetown Bassas da India none; offshore anchorage only Belarus Mazyr Belgium Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge Belize Belize City Benin Cotonou Bermuda Hamilton, Saint George Bolivia Puerto Aguirre (on the Paraguay/Parana waterway, at the Bolivia/Brazil border); also, Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje Bouvet Island none; offshore anchorage only Brazil Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria British Indian Ocean Territory Diego Garcia British Virgin Islands Road Town Brunei Lumut, Muara, Seria Bulgaria Burgas, Varna Burma Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe Burundi Bujumbura Cambodia Phnom Penh Cameroon Douala, Limboh Terminal Canada Fraser River Port, Halifax, Montreal, Port Cartier, Quebec, Saint John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Vancouver Cape Verde Mindelo, Praia, Tarrafal Cayman Islands Cayman Brac, George Town Central African Republic Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga Chile Antofagasta, Arica, Huasco, Iquique, Lirquen, San Antonio, San Vicente, Valparaiso China Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai Christmas Island Flying Fish Cove Clipperton Island none; offshore anchorage only Cocos (Keeling) Islands Port Refuge Colombia Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Muelles El Bosque, Puerto Bolivar, Santa Marta, Turbo Comoros Mayotte, Moutsamoudou Congo, Democratic Republic of the Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka Congo, Republic of the Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire Cook Islands Avatiu Coral Sea Islands none; offshore anchorage only Costa Rica Caldera, Puerto Limon Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan, Aboisso, Dabou, San-Pedro Croatia Omisalj, Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube) Cuba Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas Cyprus Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Vasilikos Czech Republic Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem Denmark Aalborg, Aarhus, Asnaesvaerkets, Copenhagen, Elsinore, Ensted, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikshavn, Kalundborg, Odense, Roenne Djibouti Djibouti Dominica Portsmouth, Roseau Dominican Republic Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo East Timor Dili Ecuador Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar Egypt Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said, Suez, Zeit El Salvador Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco Equatorial Guinea Malabo Eritrea Assab, Massawa Estonia Kopli, Kuivastu, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu Ethiopia Ethiopia is landlocked and has used ports of Assab and Massawa in Eritrea and port of Djibouti Europa Island none; offshore anchorage only European Union Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Bremen (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples (Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Stanley Faroe Islands Torshavn Fiji Lambasa, Lautoka, Suva Finland Hamina, Hanko, Helsinki, Kotka, Naantali, Pori, Porvoo, Raahe, Rauma, Turku France Bordeaux, Calais, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg French Guiana Degrad des Cannes French Polynesia Papeete French Southern and Antarctic Lands none; offshore anchorage only Gabon Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Owendo, Port-Gentil Gambia, The Banjul Gaza Strip Gaza Georgia Bat'umi, P'ot'i Germany Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Duisburg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Mainz, Rostock, Wilhemshaven Ghana Takoradi, Tema Gibraltar Gibraltar Glorioso Islands none; offshore anchorage only Greece Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Irakleion, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki Greenland Sisimiut Grenada Saint George's Guadeloupe Basse-Terre, Gustavia, Pointe-a-Pitre Guam Apra Harbor Guatemala Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla Guernsey Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson Guinea Kamsar Guinea-Bissau Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim Guyana Georgetown Haiti Cap-Haitien Heard Island and McDonald Islands none; offshore anchorage only Honduras Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela Hong Kong Hong Kong Howland Island none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast Hungary Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs (2003) Iceland Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Hornafjordhur, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur Iles Eparses none; offshore anchorage only India Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam Indian Ocean Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India) Melbourne (Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South Africa) Indonesia Banjarmasin, Belawan, Ciwandan, Krueg Geukueh, Palembang, Panjang, Sungai Pakning, Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Priok Iran Assaluyeh, Bushehr Iraq Al Basrah, Khawr az Zubayr, Umm Qasr Ireland Cork, Dublin, New Ross, Shannon Foynes, Waterford Isle of Man Castletown, Douglas, Ramsey Israel Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa Italy Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Melilli Oil Terminal, Ravenna, Taranto, Trieste, Venice Jamaica Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point Jan Mayen none; offshore anchorage only Japan Chiba, Kawasaki, Kiire, Kisarazu, Kobe, Mizushima, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yohohama Jarvis Island none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island Jersey Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier Johnston Atoll Johnston Island Jordan Al 'Aqabah Juan de Nova Island none; offshore anchorage only Kazakhstan Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk) Kenya Mombasa Kingman Reef none; offshore anchorage only Kiribati Betio Korea, North Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan Korea, South Inch'on, Masan, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan Kuwait Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi Kyrgyzstan Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye) Latvia Riga, Ventspils Lebanon Beirut, Chekka, Jounie, Tripoli Liberia Buchanan, Monrovia Libya As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli, Zawiyah Liechtenstein none Lithuania Klaipeda Luxembourg Mertert Macau Macau Madagascar Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara Malawi Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba Malaysia Bintulu, Johor, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, George Town (Penang), Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas Maldives Male Mali Koulikoro Malta Marsaxlokk, Valletta Marshall Islands Majuro Martinique Fort-de-France, La Trinite, Marin Mauritania Nouadhibou, Nouakchott Mauritius Port Louis Mayotte Dzaoudzi Mexico Altamira, Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Veracruz Micronesia, Federated States of Tomil Harbor Midway Islands Sand Island Monaco Monaco Montenegro Bar Montserrat Plymouth Morocco Agadir, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Nador, Safi, Tangier Mozambique Beira, Maputo, Nacala Namibia Luderitz, Walvis Bay Nauru Nauru Navassa Island none; offshore anchorage only Netherlands Amsterdam, Groningen, IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen, Zaanstad Netherlands Antilles Bopec Terminal, Fuik Bay, Kralendijk, Willemstad New Caledonia Noumea New Zealand Auckland, Lyttelton, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei Nicaragua Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff Niger none Nigeria Bonny Inshore Terminal, Calabar, Lagos, Port Harcourt Niue none; offshore anchorage only Norfolk Island none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade Northern Mariana Islands Saipan, Tinian Norway Borg Havn, Bergen, Mo i Rana, Molde, Mongstad, Narvik, Oslo, Sture Oman Mina' Qabus, Salalah Pacific Ocean Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong (China), Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan) Pakistan Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim Palau Koror Palmyra Atoll West Lagoon Panama Balboa, Colon, Cristobal Papua New Guinea Kimbe, Lae, Rabaul Paracel Islands small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded Paraguay Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion Peru Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas; note - Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries Philippines Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iligan, Iloilo, Manila, Surigao Pitcairn Islands Adamstown (on Bounty Bay) Poland Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin Portugal Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines Puerto Rico Las Mareas, Mayaguez, San Juan Qatar Doha Reunion Le Port Romania Braila, Constanta, Galati, Tulcea Russia Anapa, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Rostov-na-Donu, Saint Petersburg, Taganrog, Vanino, Vostochnyy Rwanda Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye Saint Helena Saint Helena: Jamestown Ascension Island: Georgetown Tristan da Cunha: Calshot Harbor Saint Kitts and Nevis Basseterre, Charlestown Saint Lucia Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint-Pierre Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Kingstown Samoa Apia Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome Saudi Arabia Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah Senegal Dakar Seychelles Victoria Sierra Leone Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands Singapore Singapore Slovakia Bratislava, Komarno Slovenia Koper Solomon Islands Honiara, Malloco Bay, Shortland Harbor, Viru Harbor, Yandina Somalia Boosaaso, Berbera, Chisimayu (Kismaayo), Merca, Mogadishu South Africa Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Grytviken Southern Ocean McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica note: few ports or harbors exist on southern side of Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most Antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers (see Article 7); The Hydrographic Committee on Antarctica (HCA), a special hydrographic commission of International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area; it coordinates and facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate charts and other aids to navigation in support of safety of navigation in region; membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member State whose government has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources and/or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area; members of HCA are Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and the UK (2005) Spain Algeciras, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gijon, Huelva, La Coruna, Tarragona, Valencia Spratly Islands none; offshore anchorage only Sri Lanka Colombo, Galle Sudan Port Sudan Suriname Paramaribo Svalbard Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden Sweden Goteborg, Helsingborg, Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Oxelosund, Stenungsund, Stockholm, Trelleborg Switzerland Basel Syria Baniyas, Latakia Taiwan Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung Tanzania Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Zanzibar City Thailand Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Prachuap Port, Si Racha Togo Kpeme, Lome Tokelau none; offshore anchorage only Tonga Nuku'alofa Trinidad and Tobago Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain Tromelin Island none; offshore anchorage only Tunisia Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Skhira Turkey Aliaga, Ambarli, Eregli, Haydarpasa, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Toros Turkmenistan Turkmenbasy Turks and Caicos Islands Grand Turk, Providenciales Tuvalu Funafuti Uganda Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell Ukraine Feodosiya, Kerch, Kherson, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni, Yuzhnyy United Arab Emirates Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Sharjan United Kingdom Hound Point, Immingham, Milford Haven, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport United States Corpus Christi, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Texas City note: 13 ports north of New Orleans (South Louisiana Ports) on the Mississippi River handle 290,000,000 tons of cargo annually United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Kingman Reef: none; offshore anchorage only Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island Midway Islands: Sand Island Palmyra Atoll: West Lagoon Uruguay Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Fray Bentos, Colonia, Juan Lacaze Uzbekistan Termiz (Amu Darya) Vanuatu Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo) Venezuela Amuay, La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon Vietnam Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City Virgin Islands Charlotte Amalie, Limetree Bay Wake Island none; two offshore anchorages for large ships Wallis and Futuna Leava, Mata-Utu Western Sahara Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Yemen Aden, Nishtun Zambia Mpulungu Zimbabwe Binga, Kariba This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2121 Railways (km) Albania total: 447 km standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Algeria total: 3,973 km standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2005) Angola total: 2,761 km narrow gauge: 2,638 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2005) Argentina total: 31,902 km broad gauge: 20,858 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified) standard gauge: 2,885 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified) narrow gauge: 7,922 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km 0.750-m gauge (2005) Armenia total: 845 km broad gauge: 845 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified) note: some lines are out of service (2005) Australia total: 47,738 km broad gauge: 4,015 km 1.600-m gauge standard gauge: 28,662 km 1.435-m gauge (1,397 km electrified) narrow gauge: 14,831 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified) dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2005) Austria total: 6,011 km standard gauge: 5,568 km 1.435-m gauge (3,427 km electrified) narrow gauge: 21 km 1.000-m gauge; 422 km 0.760-m gauge (109 km electrified) (2005) Azerbaijan total: 2,957 km broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2005) Bangladesh total: 2,768 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Belarus total: 5,512 km broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified) standard gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2005) Belgium total: 3,521 km standard gauge: 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km electrified) (2005) Benin total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Bolivia total: 3,519 km narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 608 km (777 km electrified) standard gauge: 608 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Botswana total: 888 km narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Brazil total: 29,252 km broad gauge: 4,877 km 1.600-m gauge (939 km electrified) standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge narrow gauge: 23,785 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified) dual gauge: 396 km 1.000 m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2005) Bulgaria total: 4,294 km standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified) narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) Burkina Faso total: 622 km narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge note:: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote D'Ivoire (2005) Burma total: 3,955 km narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Cambodia total: 602 km narrow gauge: 602 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Cameroon total: 987 km narrow gauge: 987 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Canada total: 48,467 km standard gauge: 48,467 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Chile total: 6,585 km broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified) narrow gauge: 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) China total: 74,408 km standard gauge: 74,408 km 1.435-m gauge (19,303 km electrified) (2004) Colombia total: 3,304 km standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 5,138 km narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2005) Congo, Republic of the total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Costa Rica total: 278 km narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Cote d'Ivoire total: 660 km narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000 meter gauge note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2005) Croatia total: 2,726 km standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (1,199 km electrified) (2005) Cuba total: 4,226 km standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified) note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2005) Czech Republic total: 9,572 km standard gauge: 9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km electrified) narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) Denmark total: 2,673 km standard gauge: 2,673 km 1.435-m gauge (601 km electrified) (2005) Djibouti total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway) narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005) Dominican Republic total: 517 km standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m, 0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2005) Ecuador total: 966 km narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Egypt total: 5,063 km standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2005) El Salvador total: 283 km narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by disuse and lack of maintenance (2005) Eritrea total: 306 km narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2005) Estonia total: 958 km broad gauge: 958 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2005) Ethiopia total: 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) narrow gauge: 681 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2005) European Union total: 222,293 km broad gauge: 28,438 km standard gauge: 186,405 km narrow gauge: 7,427 km other: 23 km (2003) Fiji total: 597 km narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to December) (2005) Finland total: 5,741 km broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2005) France total: 29,085 km standard gauge: 28,918 km 1.435-m gauge (14,481 km electrified) narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Gabon total: 814 km standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Georgia total: 1,612 km broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified) narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2005) Germany total: 47,201 km standard gauge: 46,948 km 1.435-m gauge (19,674 km electrified) narrow gauge: 229 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2005) Ghana total: 953 km narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Greece total: 2,571 km standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified) narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2005) Guatemala total: 886 km narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Guinea total: 837 km standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Guyana total: 187 km standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.) Honduras total: 699 km narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Hungary total: 7,937 km broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 7,682 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified) narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) India total: 63,230 km broad gauge: 45,718 km 1.676-m gauge (16,528 km electrified) narrow gauge: 14,406 km 1.000-m gauge (165 km electrified); 3,106 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2005) Indonesia total: 6,458 km narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (2005) Iran total: 7,256 km broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge standard gauge: 7,162 km 1.435-m gauge (186 km electrified) (2005) Iraq total: 2,200 km standard gauge: 2,200 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Ireland total: 3,312 km broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants) (2005) Isle of Man total: 65 km standard guage: 7 km 1.067-m guage (7 km electrified) narrow guage: 58 km 0.914-m guage (29 km electrified) note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006) Israel total: 853 km standard gauge: 853 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Italy total: 19,459 km standard gauge: 18,037 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified) narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (122 km electrified); 1,299 km 0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2005) Jamaica total: 272 km standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003) Japan total: 23,556 km standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified) narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,264 km 1.067-m gauge (13,280 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2005) Jordan total: 505 km narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2005) Kazakhstan total: 13,700 km broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2005) Kenya total: 2,778 km narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Korea, North total: 5,214 km standard gauge: 5,214 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2005) Korea, South total: 3,472 km standard gauge: 3,472 km 1.435-m gauge (1,361 km electrified) (2005) Kyrgyzstan total: 470 km broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2005) Latvia total: 2,303 km broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified) narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2005) Lebanon total: 401 km standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006) Liberia total: 490 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge note: railway is inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2005) Libya 0 km note: Libya is working on seven lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge track; it hopes to have trains running by 2008 (2005) Liechtenstein 9 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified) note: belongs to the Austrian Railway System connecting Austria and Switzerland (2006) Lithuania total: 1,771 km broad gauge: 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified) standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Luxembourg total: 274 km standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (262 km electrified) (2005) Macedonia total: 699 km standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) (2005) Madagascar total: 854 km narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Malawi total: 797 km narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Malaysia total: 1,890 km standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,833 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2005) Mali total: 729 km narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Mauritania 717 km standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Mexico total: 17,562 km standard gauge: 17,562 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Moldova total: 1,138 km broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Mongolia total: 1,810 km broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2005) Montenegro total: 250 km standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2005) Morocco total: 1,907 km standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2005) Mozambique total: 3,123 km narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2005) Namibia total: 2,382 km narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Nepal total: 59 km narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2005) Netherlands total: 2,808 km standard gauge: 2,808 km 1.435-m gauge (2,061 km electrified) (2005) New Zealand total: 4,128 km narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2005) Nicaragua total: 6 km narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Nigeria total: 3,505 km narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Norway total: 4,077 km standard gauge: 4,077 km 1.435-m gauge (2,680 km electrified) (2005) Pakistan total: 8,163 km broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified) narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) Panama total: 355 km standard gauge: 77 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 278 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Paraguay total: 36 km standard gauge: 36 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Peru total: 3,462 km standard gauge: 2,962 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 500 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) Philippines total: 897 km narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2005) Poland total: 23,072 km broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational; 11,910 km electrified) (2005) Portugal total: 2,850 km broad gauge: 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified) narrow gauge: 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Puerto Rico total: 96 km narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Romania total: 11,385 km standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge (3,888 km electrified) broad gauge: 60 km 1.524-m gauge narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) Russia total: 87,157 km broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified) narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island) note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve industries (2005) Saint Kitts and Nevis total: 50 km narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations during harvest season and for tourists (2005) Saudi Arabia total: 1,392 km standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2005) Senegal total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2005) Serbia total: 4,135 km standard guage: 4,135 km 1.435-m guage (electrified 1,195 km) (2005) Slovakia total: 3,662 km broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified) narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2005) Slovenia total: 1,229 km standard gauge: 1,229 km 1.435-m gauge (504 km electrified) (2005) South Africa total: 20,872 km narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,868 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (2005) Spain total: 14,873 km broad gauge: 11,919 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km electrified) standard gauge: 998 km 1.435-m gauge (998 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,928 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2005) Sri Lanka total: 1,449 km broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2005) Sudan total: 5,978 km narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2005) Swaziland total: 301 km narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) Sweden total: 11,481 km standard gauge: 11,481 km 1.435-m gauge (9,400 km electrified) (2005) Switzerland total: 4,583 km standard gauge: 3,234 km 1.435-m gauge (3,223 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,339 km 1.000-m gauge (1,338 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2005) Syria total: 2,711 km standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2005) Taiwan total: 2,497 km narrow gauge: 1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified) note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau) used to carry products and limited numbers of passengers (2005) Tajikistan total: 482 km broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2005) Tanzania total: 3,690 km narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Thailand total: 4,071 km narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Togo total: 568 km narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Tunisia total: 2,153 km standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) dual gauge: 8 km 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2005) Turkey total: 8,697 km standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2005) Turkmenistan total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2005) Uganda total: 1,244 km narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) Ukraine total: 22,473 km broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2005) United Kingdom total: 17,156 km standard gauge: 16,814 km 1.435-m gauge (5,384 km electrified) broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2005) United States total: 226,605 km standard gauge: 226,605 km 1.435-m gauge (2004) Uruguay total: 2,073 km standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2005) Uzbekistan total: 3,950 km broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2005) Venezuela total: 682 km standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) Vietnam total: 2,600 km standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge dual gauge: 253 km three-rail track combining 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (2005) World total: 1,115,205 km broad gauge: 257,481 km standard gauge: 671,413 km narrow gauge: 186,311 km (2003) Zambia total: 2,173 km narrow gauge: 2,173 km 1.067-m gauge note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) (2005) Zimbabwe total: 3,077 km narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2122 Religions (%) Afghanistan Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1% Albania Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice Algeria Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1% American Samoa Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30% Andorra Roman Catholic (predominant) Angola indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.) Anguilla Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, other Protestant 30.2%, Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.7%, other 5.2%, none or unspecified 4.3% (2001 Census) Antigua and Barbuda Christian (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic) Argentina nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% Armenia Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3% Aruba Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish Australia Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census) Austria Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census) Azerbaijan Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.) note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower Bahamas, The Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census) Bahrain Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census) Bangladesh Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) Barbados Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% Belarus Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) Belgium Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% Belize Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000) Benin indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Bermuda Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%, other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%, none 14% (2000 census) Bhutan Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25% Bolivia Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5% Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14% Botswana Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census) Brazil Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census) British Virgin Islands Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991) Brunei Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs and other 10% Bulgaria Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census) Burkina Faso Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% Burma Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% Burundi Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10% Cambodia Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5% Cameroon indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% Canada Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census) Cape Verde Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs); Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene) Cayman Islands United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic Central African Republic indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority Chad Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7% Chile Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL% China Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.) Christmas Island Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) Cocos (Keeling) Islands Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) Colombia Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% Comoros Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% Congo, Democratic Republic of the Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10% Congo, Republic of the Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2% Cook Islands Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%, Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census) Costa Rica Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% Cote d'Ivoire Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40%, Christian 20-30% (2001) note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%) Croatia Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census) Cuba nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented Cyprus Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4% Czech Republic Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census) Denmark Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2% Djibouti Muslim 94%, Christian 6% Dominica Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), other 6%, none 2% Dominican Republic Roman Catholic 95% East Timor Roman Catholic 90%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 3%, Hindu 0.5%, Buddhist, Animist (1992 est.) Ecuador Roman Catholic 95%, other 5% Egypt Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1% El Salvador Roman Catholic 83%, other 17% note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador Equatorial Guinea nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices Eritrea Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant Estonia Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census) Ethiopia Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8% European Union Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist Faroe Islands Evangelical Lutheran Fiji Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2% note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority Finland Lutheran National Church 84.2%, Greek Orthodox in Finland 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 13.5% (2003) France Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% French Guiana Roman Catholic French Polynesia Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6% Gabon Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1% Gambia, The Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1% Gaza Strip Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6% Georgia Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census) Germany Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3% Ghana Christian 63%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 21% Gibraltar Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census) Greece Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7% Greenland Evangelical Lutheran Grenada Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% Guadeloupe Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% Guam Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.) Guatemala Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs Guernsey Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist Guinea Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% Guinea-Bissau indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% Guyana Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5% Haiti Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% note: roughly half of the population practices Voodoo Holy See (Vatican City) Roman Catholic Honduras Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% Hong Kong eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% Hungary Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census) Iceland Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004) India Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) Indonesia Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998) Iran Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2% Iraq Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3% Ireland Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census) Isle of Man Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends Israel Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004) Italy approximately 90% Roman Catholic (about one-third regularly attend services); mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community Jamaica Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Baptist 8.8%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 5.5%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Brethren 1.1%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7% Japan observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%) Jersey Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian Jordan Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.) Kazakhstan Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7% Kenya Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2% note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely Kiribati Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of God (1999) Korea, North traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom Korea, South no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1% Kuwait Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15% Kyrgyzstan Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5% Laos Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Latvia Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox Lebanon Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3% note: 17 religious sects recognized Lesotho Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% Liberia indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% Libya Sunni Muslim 97% Liechtenstein Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002) Lithuania Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census) Luxembourg 87% Roman Catholic, 13% Protestants, Jews, and Muslims (2000) Macau Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.) Macedonia Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%, other Christian 0.37%, Muslim 33.3%, other and unspecified 1.63% (2002 census) Madagascar indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% Malawi Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998 census) Malaysia Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia Maldives Sunni Muslim Mali Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1% Malta Roman Catholic 98% Marshall Islands Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census) Martinique Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu 0.5%, other 3.5% (1997) Mauritania Muslim 100% Mauritius Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census) Mayotte Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) Mexico nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% Micronesia, Federated States of Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%, other 3% Moldova Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000) Monaco Roman Catholic 90% Mongolia Buddhist Lamaist 50%, none 40%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4% (2004) Montenegro Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic Montserrat Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations Morocco Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2% Mozambique Catholic 23.8%, Muslim 17.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census) Namibia Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20% Nauru Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic) Nepal Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) note: only official Hindu state in the world Netherlands Roman Catholic 31%, Dutch Reformed 13%, Calvinist 7%, Muslim 5.5%, other 2.5%, none 41% (2002) Netherlands Antilles Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% (2001 census) New Caledonia Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10% New Zealand Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census) Nicaragua Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) Niger Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christian Nigeria Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% Niue Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society) 61.1%, Latter-Day Saints 8.8%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, other 8.4%, unspecified 8.7%, none 1.9% (2001 census) Norfolk Island Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.3%, none 18.1% (2001 census) Northern Mariana Islands Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found) Norway Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004) Oman Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu Pakistan Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3% Palau Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other religion 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census) Panama Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15% Papua New Guinea Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant 10%, indigenous beliefs 34% Paraguay Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10% Peru Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.) Philippines Roman Catholic 80.9%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, Muslim 5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census) Pitcairn Islands Seventh-Day Adventist 100% Poland Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002) Portugal Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995) Puerto Rico Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% Qatar Muslim 95% Reunion Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) Romania Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census) Russia Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.) note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule Rwanda Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001) Saint Helena Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic Saint Kitts and Nevis Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic Saint Lucia Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, Rastafarian 2.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Roman Catholic 99% Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant Samoa Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, other Christian 4.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) San Marino Roman Catholic Sao Tome and Principe Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census) Saudi Arabia Muslim 100% Senegal Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1% Serbia Serbian Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Protestant Seychelles Roman Catholic 82.3%, Anglican 6.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.1%, other Christian 3.4%, Hindu 2.1%, Muslim 1.1%, other non-Christian 1.5%, unspecified 1.5%, none 0.6% (2002 census) Sierra Leone Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% Singapore Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census) Slovakia Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census) Slovenia Catholic 57.8%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian 0.9%, Muslim 2.4%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1% (2002 census) Solomon Islands Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census) Somalia Sunni Muslim South Africa Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, other Christian 36%, Islam 1.5%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census) Spain Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% Sri Lanka Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) Sudan Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum) Suriname Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5% Swaziland Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish and other 30% Sweden Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist Switzerland Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 4.3%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census) Syria Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) Taiwan mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% Tajikistan Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.) Tanzania mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim Thailand Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census) Togo indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20% Tokelau Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%, other 2% note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with the Congregational Christian Church predominant Tonga Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents) Trinidad and Tobago Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, other Christian 5.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census) Tunisia Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1% Turkey Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews) Turkmenistan Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2% Turks and Caicos Islands Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990) Tuvalu Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6% Uganda Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18% Ukraine Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 19%, Orthodox (no particular jurisdiction) 16%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 1.7%, Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004 est.) United Arab Emirates Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4% United Kingdom Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census) United States Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10% (2002 est.) Uruguay Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31% Uzbekistan Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3% Vanuatu Presbyterian 31.4%, Anglican 13.4%, Roman Catholic 13.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, other Christian 13.8%, indigenous beliefs 5.6% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 9.6%, none 1%, unspecified 1.3% (1999 Census) Venezuela nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% Vietnam Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census) Virgin Islands Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% Wallis and Futuna Roman Catholic 99%, other 1% West Bank Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% Western Sahara Muslim World Christians 33.03% (of which Roman Catholics 17.33%, Protestants 5.8%, Orthodox 3.42%, Anglicans 1.23%), Muslims 20.12%, Hindus 13.34%, Buddhists 5.89%, Sikhs 0.39%, Jews 0.23%, other religions 12.61%, non-religious 12.03%, atheists 2.36% (2004 est.) Yemen Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu Zambia Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1% Zimbabwe syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1% This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2123 Suffrage Afghanistan 18 years of age; universal Albania 18 years of age; universal Algeria 18 years of age; universal American Samoa 18 years of age; universal Andorra 18 years of age; universal Angola 18 years of age; universal Anguilla 18 years of age; universal Antigua and Barbuda 18 years of age; universal Argentina 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Armenia 18 years of age; universal Aruba 18 years of age; universal Australia 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Austria 18 years of age; universal Azerbaijan 18 years of age; universal Bahamas, The 18 years of age; universal Bahrain 18 years of age; universal Bangladesh 18 years of age; universal Barbados 18 years of age; universal Belarus 18 years of age; universal Belgium 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Belize 18 years of age; universal Benin 18 years of age; universal Bermuda 18 years of age; universal Bhutan each family has one vote in village-level elections; note - in late 2003 Bhutan's legislature passed a new election law Bolivia 18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single) Bosnia and Herzegovina 18 years of age, universal Botswana 18 years of age; universal Brazil voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not vote British Virgin Islands 18 years of age; universal Brunei none Bulgaria 18 years of age; universal Burkina Faso universal Burma 18 years of age; universal Burundi NA years of age; universal adult Cambodia 18 years of age; universal Cameroon 20 years of age; universal Canada 18 years of age; universal Cape Verde 18 years of age; universal Cayman Islands 18 years of age; universal Central African Republic 21 years of age; universal Chad 18 years of age; universal Chile 18 years of age; universal and compulsory China 18 years of age; universal Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 18 years of age; universal Comoros 18 years of age; universal Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Congo, Republic of the 18 years of age; universal Cook Islands NA years of age; universal adult Costa Rica 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Cote d'Ivoire 18 years of age; universal Croatia 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed) Cuba 16 years of age; universal Cyprus 18 years of age; universal Czech Republic 18 years of age; universal Denmark 18 years of age; universal Djibouti 18 years of age; universal adult Dominica 18 years of age; universal Dominican Republic 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote East Timor 17 years of age; universal Ecuador 18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters Egypt 18 years of age; universal and compulsory El Salvador 18 years of age; universal Equatorial Guinea 18 years of age; universal adult Eritrea 18 years of age; universal Estonia 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens Ethiopia 18 years of age; universal European Union 18 years of age; universal Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 18 years of age; universal Faroe Islands 18 years of age; universal Fiji 21 years of age; universal Finland 18 years of age; universal France 18 years of age; universal French Guiana 18 years of age; universal French Polynesia 18 years of age; universal Gabon 21 years of age; universal Gambia, The 18 years of age; universal Georgia 18 years of age; universal Germany 18 years of age; universal Ghana 18 years of age; universal Gibraltar 18 years of age; universal, plus other British citizens who have been residents six months or more Greece 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Greenland 18 years of age; universal Grenada 18 years of age; universal Guadeloupe 18 years of age; universal Guam 18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections Guatemala 18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day) Guernsey 18 years of age; universal Guinea 18 years of age; universal Guinea-Bissau 18 years of age; universal Guyana 18 years of age; universal Haiti 18 years of age; universal Holy See (Vatican City) limited to cardinals less than 80 years old Honduras 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Hong Kong direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies Hungary 18 years of age; universal Iceland 18 years of age; universal India 18 years of age; universal Indonesia 17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age Iran 15 years of age; universal Iraq formerly 18 years of age; universal Ireland 18 years of age; universal Isle of Man 16 years of age; universal Israel 18 years of age; universal Italy 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25) Jamaica 18 years of age; universal Japan 20 years of age; universal Jersey NA years of age; universal adult Jordan 18 years of age; universal Kazakhstan 18 years of age; universal Kenya 18 years of age; universal Kiribati 18 years of age; universal Korea, North 17 years of age; universal Korea, South 19 years of age; universal Kuwait adult males who are not in the military forces, and adult females (as of 16 May 2005); all voters must have been citizens for 20 years Kyrgyzstan 18 years of age; universal Laos 18 years of age; universal Latvia 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens Lebanon 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education Lesotho 18 years of age; universal Liberia 18 years of age; universal Libya 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Liechtenstein 18 years of age; universal Lithuania 18 years of age; universal Luxembourg 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Macau direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies Macedonia 18 years of age; universal Madagascar 18 years of age; universal Malawi 18 years of age; universal Malaysia 21 years of age; universal Maldives 21 years of age; universal Mali 18 years of age; universal Malta 18 years of age; universal Marshall Islands 18 years of age; universal Martinique 18 years of age; universal Mauritania 18 years of age; universal Mauritius 18 years of age; universal Mayotte 18 years of age; universal Mexico 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced) Micronesia, Federated States of 18 years of age; universal Moldova 18 years of age; universal Monaco 18 years of age; universal Mongolia 18 years of age; universal Montenegro 18 years of age; universal Montserrat 18 years of age; universal Morocco 18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003) Mozambique 18 years of age; universal Namibia 18 years of age; universal Nauru 20 years of age; universal and compulsory Nepal 18 years of age; universal Netherlands 18 years of age; universal Netherlands Antilles 18 years of age; universal New Caledonia 18 years of age; universal New Zealand 18 years of age; universal Nicaragua 16 years of age; universal Niger 18 years of age; universal Nigeria 18 years of age; universal Niue 18 years of age; universal Norfolk Island 18 years of age; universal Northern Mariana Islands 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections Norway 18 years of age; universal Oman in Oman's most recent Majlis al-Shura elections in 2003, suffrage was universal for all Omanis over age 21 except for members of the military and security forces; the next Majlis al-Shura elections are scheduled for 2007 Pakistan 18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims Palau 18 years of age; universal Panama 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Papua New Guinea 18 years of age; universal Paraguay 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 Peru 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - members of the military and national police may not vote Philippines 18 years of age; universal Pitcairn Islands 18 years of age; universal with three years residency Poland 18 years of age; universal Portugal 18 years of age; universal Puerto Rico 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections Qatar 18 years of age; universal Reunion 18 years of age; universal Romania 18 years of age; universal Russia 18 years of age; universal Rwanda 18 years of age; universal adult Saint Helena NA years of age Saint Kitts and Nevis 18 years of age; universal Saint Lucia 18 years of age; universal Saint Pierre and Miquelon 18 years of age; universal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18 years of age; universal Samoa 21 years of age; universal San Marino 18 years of age; universal Sao Tome and Principe 18 years of age; universal Saudi Arabia adult male citizens age 21 or older note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial municipal council elections held nationwide from February through April 2005 Senegal 18 years of age; universal Serbia 18 universal Seychelles 17 years of age; universal Sierra Leone 18 years of age; universal Singapore 21 years of age; universal and compulsory Slovakia 18 years of age; universal Slovenia 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed) Solomon Islands 21 years of age; universal Somalia 18 years of age; universal South Africa 18 years of age; universal Spain 18 years of age; universal Sri Lanka 18 years of age; universal Sudan 17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory Suriname 18 years of age; universal Swaziland 18 years of age Sweden 18 years of age; universal Switzerland 18 years of age; universal Syria 18 years of age; universal Taiwan 20 years of age; universal Tajikistan 18 years of age; universal Tanzania 18 years of age; universal Thailand 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Togo NA years of age; universal adult Tokelau 21 years of age; universal Tonga 21 years of age; universal Trinidad and Tobago 18 years of age; universal Tunisia 20 years of age; universal Turkey 18 years of age; universal Turkmenistan 18 years of age; universal Turks and Caicos Islands 18 years of age; universal Tuvalu 18 years of age; universal Uganda 18 years of age; universal Ukraine 18 years of age; universal United Arab Emirates none United Kingdom 18 years of age; universal United States 18 years of age; universal Uruguay 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Uzbekistan 18 years of age; universal Vanuatu 18 years of age; universal Venezuela 18 years of age; universal Vietnam 18 years of age; universal Virgin Islands 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections Wallis and Futuna 18 years of age; universal Western Sahara none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed Yemen 18 years of age; universal Zambia 18 years of age; universal Zimbabwe 18 years of age; universal This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2124 Telephone system Afghanistan general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service domestic: telephone service is improving with the licensing of four wireless telephone service providers by 2005; approximately 4 in 100 Afghans own a wireless telephone; telephone main lines remain limited. international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity Albania general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains the lowest in Europe with roughly seven lines per 100 people; however, cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003 two companies were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of Albania's Balkan neighbors international: country code - 355; inadequate fixed main lines; adequate cellular connections; international traffic carried by fiber optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2003) Algeria general assessment: telephone density in Algeria is very low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the number of fixed main lines increased in the last few years to nearly 2.6 million, but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers; much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth stations are planned) international: country code - 213; submarine cables - 5; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat, Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2005) American Samoa general assessment: NA domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station international: country code - 684; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat-Pacific Ocean) Andorra general assessment: NA domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and Spain Angola general assessment: telephone service limited mostly to government and business use; HF radiotelephone used extensively for military links domestic: limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 244; satellite earth stations - 29; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia (2005) Anguilla general assessment: NA domestic: modern internal telephone system international: country code - 1-264; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) Antarctica general assessment: local systems at some research stations domestic: commercial cellular networks operating in a small number of locations international: country code - 672; via satellite (including mobile Inmarsat and Iridium systems) from all research stations, ships, aircraft, and most field parties Antigua and Barbuda general assessment: NA domestic: good automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-268; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe Argentina general assessment: by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunications technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is improving; however, telephone density is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally available will take time domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding international: country code - 54; satellite earth stations - 112; Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two international gateways near Buenos Aires (2005) Armenia general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service) international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2005) Aruba general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links Australia general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2005) Austria general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: there are 45 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2005) Azerbaijan general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 14 main lines per 100 persons is low (2002) domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2 (2005) Bahamas, The general assessment: modern facilities domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 2 (2005) Bahrain general assessment: modern system domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 973; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 1 (1997) Bangladesh general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern country domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2005) Barbados general assessment: NA domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia Belarus general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom, is the sole provider of fixed line local and long distance service; modernization of the network to digital switching progressing slowly domestic: fixed line penetration is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved; four GSM wireless networks are experiencing rapid growth; strict government controls on telecommunications technologies international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations Belgium general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network international: country code - 32; submarine cables - 5; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2005) Belize general assessment: above-average system domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2005) Benin general assessment: NA domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Bermuda general assessment: good domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optic trunk lines international: country code - 1-441; submarine cables - 3 (fiber optic); satellite earth stations - 3 (2005) Bhutan general assessment: telecommunications facilities are poor domestic: very low teledensity; domestic service is very poor especially in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003 international: country code - 975; international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India; satellite earth station - 1 (2005) Bolivia general assessment: new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Bosnia and Herzegovina general assessment: telephone and telegraph network needs modernization and expansion; many urban areas are below average as contrasted with services in other former Yugoslav republics domestic: NA international: country code - 387; no satellite earth stations Botswana general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile cellular service is growing fast international: country code - 267; two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Brazil general assessment: good working system domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations international: country code - 55; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station British Indian Ocean Territory general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000) British Virgin Islands general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda Brunei general assessment: service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to East Asia, Europe, and the US domestic: every service available international: country code - 673; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine cable links to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore (2001) Bulgaria general assessment: extensive but antiquated domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential; telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay international: country code - 359; direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) Burkina Faso general assessment: all services only fair domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Burma general assessment: barely meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is fair domestic: NA international: country code - 95; satellite earth station - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean), and ShinSat Burundi general assessment: primitive system domestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Cambodia general assessment: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; mobile phone coverage is rapidly expanding in rural areas domestic: NA international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) Cameroon general assessment: available only to business and government domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 237; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Canada general assessment: excellent service provided by modern technology domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations international: country code - 1-xxx; 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) Cape Verde general assessment: effective system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995 domestic: major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT); fiber optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providing Internet access and ISDN services; cellular service introduced in 1998 international: country code - 238; 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Cayman Islands general assessment: reasonably good system domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003 reflected in falling prices and improving services international: country code - 1-345; 2 submarine fiber optic cables (Maya-1, Cayman-Jamaica); satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Central African Republic general assessment: fair system domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Chad general assessment: primitive system domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Chile general assessment: modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with three earth stations international: country code - 56; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) China general assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place international: country code - 86; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000) Christmas Island general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - one INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005) Cocos (Keeling) Islands general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system domestic: NA international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 INTELSAT satellite earth station Colombia general assessment: modern system in many respects domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities international: country code - 57; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables Comoros general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion Congo, Democratic Republic of the general assessment: poor domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Congo, Republic of the general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Cook Islands general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Costa Rica general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available international: country code - 506; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two submarine cables (1999) Cote d'Ivoire general assessment: well developed by African standards but operating well below capacity domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized international: country code - 225; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 submarine cables (June 1999) Croatia general assessment: NA domestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be included in the plan for the main trunk international: country code - 385; digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of two fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany, Albania, and Greece Cuba general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; wireless service is expensive and remains restricted to foreigners and regime elites, many Cubans procure wireless service illegally with the help of foreigners domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 85% of switches digitized by end of 2004; telephone line density remains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular service expanding international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) Cyprus general assessment: excellent in both Republic of Cyprus and north Cyprus areas domestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay international: country code - 357 (area administered by Turkish Cypriots uses the country code of Turkey - 90); tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat Czech Republic general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar Denmark general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems international: country code - 45; 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (1997) Djibouti general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country domestic: microwave radio relay network international: country code - 253; submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseille, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network Dominica general assessment: NA domestic: fully automatic network international: country code - 1-767; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia Dominican Republic general assessment: NA domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) East Timor NA Ecuador general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable international: country code - 593; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Egypt general assessment: large system; underwent extensive upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access and cellular service are available domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 20; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel El Salvador general assessment: NA domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System Equatorial Guinea general assessment: poor system with adequate government services domestic: NA international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Eritrea general assessment: inadequate domestic: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002) international: country code - 291; note - international connections exist Estonia general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are available throughout most of the country domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services is available throughout the country international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001) Ethiopia general assessment: adequate for government use domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic satellites provide the national trunk service international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) European Union note - see individual country entries of member states Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries Faroe Islands general assessment: good international communications; good domestic facilities domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog) and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed international: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable Fiji general assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center domestic: NA international: country code - 679; access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; 2 satellite earth stations - 2 INMARSAT (Pacific Ocean) Finland general assessment: modern system with excellent service domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs international: country code - 358; 1 submarine cable (Finland Estonia Connection); satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) France general assessment: highly developed domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system international: country code - 33; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries French Guiana general assessment: NA domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) French Polynesia general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Gabon general assessment: adequate service by African standards and improving with the help of the growing mobile cell system domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 241; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Gambia, The general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data network is available domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire international: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Gaza Strip general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 Georgia general assessment: NA domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pager service is available international: country code - 995; Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available Germany general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign countries international: country code - 49; Germany's international service is excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable facilities as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001) Ghana general assessment: poor to fair system; Internet accessible; many rural communities not yet connected; expansion of services is underway domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed international: country code - 233; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Gibraltar general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities domestic: automatic exchange facilities international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Greece general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands international: country code - 30; tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) Greenland general assessment: adequate domestic and international service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay; totally digitalized in 1995 domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean) Grenada general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: country code - 1-473; new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad Guadeloupe general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate domestic: NA international: country code - 590; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique Guam general assessment: modern system, integrated with US facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service and local access to the Internet international: country code - 1-671; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the US and Asia) Guatemala general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala domestic: NA international: country code - 502; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Guernsey general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable Guinea general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Guinea-Bissau general assessment: small system domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications international: country code - 245 Guyana general assessment: fair system for long-distance service domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Haiti general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Holy See (Vatican City) general assessment: automatic digital exchange domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network international: country code - 39; uses Italian system Honduras general assessment: inadequate system domestic: NA international: country code - 504; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System Hong Kong general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network international: country code - 852; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe Hungary general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals Iceland general assessment: extensive domestic service domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links international: country code - 354; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) India general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid change; local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission of private and private-public investors, but telephone density remains low at about seven for each 100 persons nationwide but only one per 100 persons in rural areas and a national waiting list of over 1.7 million; fastest growth is in cellular service with modest growth in fixed lines domestic: expansion of domestic service, although still weak in rural areas, resulted from increased competition and dramatic reductions in price led in large part by wireless service; mobile cellular service (both CDMA and GSM) introduced in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan cities and 19 telecom circles each with about three private service providers and one state-owned service provider; in recent years significant trunk capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system (INSAT), with five satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT) international: country code - 91; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 5 submarine cables, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with landing site at Cochin, i2icn linking to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and data traffic (2004) Indonesia general assessment: domestic service fair, international service good domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net; domestic satellite communications system international: country code - 62; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) Iran general assessment: inadequate, but currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems has approximately doubled; thousands of mobile cellular subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital switches international: country code - 98; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat Iraq general assessment: the 2003 war severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; USAID is overseeing the repair of switching capability and the construction of mobile and satellite communication facilities domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during the 2003 war continue, but sabotage remains a problem; additional switching capacity is improving access; cellular service is available and centered on three regional GSM networks, improving country-wide connectivity international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; despite a new satellite gateway, international calls outside of Baghdad remain problematic Ireland general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay domestic: microwave radio relay international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Isle of Man general assessment: NA domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable Israel general assessment: most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; all systems are digital international: country code - 972; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) Italy general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: country code - 39; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables Jamaica general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: NA international: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables Japan general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind international: country code - 81; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999) Jersey general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables Jordan general assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of digital switching equipment, but better access to the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to pay telephones is needed by the urban public domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available international: country code - 962; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international links total about 4,000 Kazakhstan general assessment: service is poor; equipment antiquated domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan international: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat Kenya general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except for service to business domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat Kiribati general assessment: generally good quality national and international service domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati (Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999 international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Korea, North general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing Korea, South general assessment: excellent domestic and international services domestic: NA international: country code - 82; 10 fiber-optic submarine cables - 1 Korea-Russia-Japan, 1 Korea-Japan-Hong Kong, 3 Korea-Japan-China, 1 Korea-Japan-China-Europe, 1 Korea-Japan-China-US-Taiwan, 1 Korea-Japan-China, 1 Korea-Japan-Hong Kong-Taiwan, 1 Korea-Japan; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 3 Inmarsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) Kuwait general assessment: the quality of service is excellent domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: country code - 965; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat Kyrgyzstan general assessment: development of telecommunications infrastructure is slow; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in Bishkek domestic: two wireless telephony service providers, but penetration remains low international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1 Intelsat; connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line Laos general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas domestic: radiotelephone communications international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) Latvia general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands domestic: two wireless service providers in addition to Lattelekom, the incumbent monopoly international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden Lebanon general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete domestic: two commercial wireless networks provide good service; political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new technologies international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; 3 submarine coaxial cables Lesotho general assessment: rudimentary system domestic: consists of a modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Liberia general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia domestic: fully automatic system with very low density of .23 fixed main lines per 100 persons; limited wireless service available international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Libya general assessment: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996 domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (1999) Liechtenstein general assessment: automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay Lithuania general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an improved international capability and better residential access domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber applications international: country code - 370; landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite Luxembourg general assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable international: country code - 352; 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America) Macau general assessment: fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services domestic: NA international: country code - 853; HF radiotelephone communication facility; access to international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and China; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Macedonia general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 389 Madagascar general assessment: system is above average for the region domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter links connect regions international: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) Malawi general assessment: NA domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) Malaysia general assessment: modern system; international service excellent domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations international: country code - 60; submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2001) Maldives general assessment: minimal domestic and international facilities domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service international: country code - 960; satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Mali general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radio relay in progress international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) Malta general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal requirements domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands international: country code - 356; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Marshall Islands general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) and mini-satellite telephones international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001) Martinique general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate domestic: NA international: country code - 596; microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Mauritania general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations (improvements being made) domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completed domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat Mauritius general assessment: small system with good service domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system international: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Mayotte general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications domestic: NA international: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros Mexico general assessment: low telephone density with about 18 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development, but Telmex remains dominant domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable international: country code - 52; satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (2005) Micronesia, Federated States of general assessment: adequate system domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes), satellite (Intelsat) ground stations, and some coaxial and fiber-optic cable; cellular service available on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap international: country code - 691; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002) Moldova general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile cellular telephone service being introduced international: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik Monaco general assessment: modern automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system Mongolia general assessment: network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas domestic: very low density of about 5.5 main lines per 100 persons; two wireless providers cover all but two provinces international: country code - 976; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region) Montenegro general assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites domestic: GSM wireless service, available through two providers with national coverage, is growing rapidly international: country code - 382 (the old code of 381 used by Serbia and Montenegro will also remain in use until Feb 2007); two international switches connect the national system Montserrat general assessment: modern and fully digitalized domestic: NA international: country code - 1-664 Morocco general assessment: modern system with all important capabilities; however, density is low with only 4 main lines available for each 100 persons domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive; principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural service employs microwave radio relay international: country code - 212; 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998) Mozambique general assessment: fair system but not available generally (extremely low density with less than 1 main line per 100 persons) domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean) Namibia general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each 100 persons domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are by open wire; 100% digital international: country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2002) Nauru general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Nepal general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone network domestic: NA international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Netherlands general assessment: highly developed and well maintained domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; cellular telephone system is one of the largest in Europe with five major network operators utilizing the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) international: country code - 31; 9 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2004) Netherlands Antilles general assessment: generally adequate facilities domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links international: country code - 599; submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) New Caledonia general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) New Zealand general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems domestic: NA international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; 8 satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7 other Nicaragua general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by foreign investment domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System international: country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Niger general assessment: small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) Nigeria general assessment: expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network has been slow due to faltering efforts at privatization domestic: the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002 resulted in faster growth in this service; wireless telephony has grown rapidly, in part responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; four wireless (GSM) service providers operate nationally; the combined growth resulted in a sharp increase in teledensity reported to be over 18% in March 2006 international: country code - 234; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Niue domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island international: country code - 683 Norfolk Island general assessment: adequate domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station Northern Mariana Islands general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 1-670; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Norway general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile systems instead of fixed-wire systems international: country code - 47; 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999) Oman general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable domestic: open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations international: country code - 968; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat Pakistan general assessment: the domestic system is mediocre, but improving; service is adequate for government and business use, in part because major businesses have established their own private systems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in the national telecommunications system on a priority basis, significantly increasing network capacity; despite major improvements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication services are still not readily available to the majority of the rural population domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks international: country code - 92; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (1999) Palau general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Panama general assessment: domestic and international facilities well developed domestic: NA international: country code - 507; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American Microwave System Papua New Guinea general assessment: services are adequate; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: mostly radiotelephone international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service Paraguay general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is in Asuncion domestic: fair microwave radio relay network international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Peru general assessment: adequate for most requirements domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 51; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Pan American submarine cable Philippines general assessment: good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and inter-island service adequate domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations international: country code - 63; 9 international gateways; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan Pitcairn Islands general assessment: satellite phone services domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB) international: country code - 872; satellite earth station (Inmarsat) Poland general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony domestic: wireless service, available since 1993 (GSM service available since 1996) and provided by three nation-wide networks, has grown rapidly in response to the weak fixed-line coverage; third generation UMTS service available in urban areas; cellular coverage is generally good with more gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and still lags in rural areas international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik) Portugal general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations international: country code - 351; 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned Puerto Rico general assessment: modern system integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service international: country code - 1-787, 939; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US Qatar general assessment: modern system centered in Doha domestic: NA international: country code - 974; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat Reunion general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia Romania general assessment: rapidly improving domestic and international service, especially in wireless telephony domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; liberalization in 2003 is transforming telecommunications; there has been 20% growth in fixed lines with a penetration rate of 58% of households; nation-wide wireless service is growing even faster with four major providers and a penetration rate of 32% international: country code - 40; satellite earth station - 10 (Intelsat 4); digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest (2005) Russia general assessment: the telephone system underwent significant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy; however, a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density international: country code - 7; Russia is connected internationally by three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems Rwanda general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business and government domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the provinces by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone international: country code - 250; international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service) Saint Helena general assessment: can communicate worldwide domestic: automatic digital network international: country code - 290; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1) Saint Kitts and Nevis general assessment: good inter-island and international connections domestic: inter-island links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004 international: country code - 1-869; international calls are carried by submarine cable or Intelsat Saint Lucia general assessment: adequate system domestic: system is automatically switched international: country code - 1-758; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique Saint Pierre and Miquelon general assessment: adequate domestic: NA international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system Saint Vincent and the Grenadines general assessment: adequate system domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines international: country code - 1-784; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia Samoa general assessment: adequate domestic: NA international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) San Marino general assessment: adequate connections domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into Italian system international: country code - 378; connected to Italian international network Sao Tome and Principe general assessment: adequate facilities domestic: minimal system international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Saudi Arabia general assessment: modern system domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems international: country code - 966; microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) Senegal general assessment: good system domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system international: country code - 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Serbia general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has been slow as a result of damage stemming from the 1999 war and transition to a competitive market-based system; network was only 65% digitalized in 2005 domestic: teledensity remains below the average for neighboring states; GSM wireless service, available through two providers with national coverage, is growing very rapidly; best telecommunications service limited to urban centers international: country code - 381 Seychelles general assessment: effective system domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) Sierra Leone general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Singapore general assessment: excellent service domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless service in February 2005 international: country code - 65; 9 submarine cables provide direct connection to more than 100 countries; 4 satellite earth stations, supplemented by VSAT coverage Slovakia general assessment: a modernization and privatization program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving service quality domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been added international: country code - 421; three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services Slovenia general assessment: NA domestic: 100% digital (2000) international: country code - 386 Solomon Islands general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Somalia general assessment: the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions; private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and charge the lowest international rates on the continent domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers international: country code - 252; international connections are available from Mogadishu by satellite South Africa general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken Spain general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities; teledensity is 45 main lines for each 100 persons domestic: NA international: country code - 34; 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries Sri Lanka general assessment: very inadequate domestic service, particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization of national telephone company and encouragement to private investment; good international service (1999) domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low (1999) international: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999) Sudan general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000) Suriname general assessment: international facilities are good domestic: microwave radio relay network international: country code - 597; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Svalbard general assessment: probably adequate domestic: local telephone service international: country code - 47-790; satellite earth station - 1 of unknown type (for communication with Norwegian mainland only) Swaziland general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Sweden general assessment: excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels international: country code - 46; 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway) Switzerland general assessment: excellent domestic and international services domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) Syria general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 963; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel Taiwan general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized international: country code - 886; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe (1999) Tajikistan general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not linked to the national network domestic: cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat Tanzania general assessment: fair system operating below capacity and being modernized for better service; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system under construction domestic: trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital international: country code - 255; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) Thailand general assessment: high quality system, especially in urban areas like Bangkok; WTO requirement for privatization of telecom sector is planned to be complete by 2006 domestic: fixed line system provided by both a government owned and commercial provider; wireless service expanding rapidly and outpacing fixed lines international: country code - 66; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); landing country for APCN submarine cable Togo general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile cellular system domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie Tokelau general assessment: modern satellite-based communications system; domestic: radiotelephone service between islands international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations Tonga general assessment: competition between Tonga Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and Shoreline Communications Tonga (SCT) is accelerating expansion of telecommunications; SCT recently granted authority to develop high-speed digital service for telephone, Internet, and television domestic: fully automatic switched network international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004) Trinidad and Tobago general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana Tunisia general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay international: country code - 216; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches Turkey general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially with cellular telephones domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing rapidly international: country code - 90; international service is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002) Turkmenistan general assessment: poorly developed domestic: NA international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat Turks and Caicos Islands general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service available international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Tuvalu general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite Uganda general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short-range traffic international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania Ukraine general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate international: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems United Arab Emirates general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia United Kingdom general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: country code - 44; 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers United States general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country international: country code - 1; 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000) Uruguay general assessment: fully digitalized domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002) Uzbekistan general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System) international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earth stations - NA (1998) Vanuatu general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Venezuela general assessment: modern and expanding domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas; substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines; installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of digital multimedia services international: country code - 58; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network Vietnam general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighbors domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantially increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly international: country code - 84; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) Virgin Islands general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-340; 2 submarine cable connections (Taino Carib, Americas-1); satellite earth stations - NA Wake Island general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) domestic: NA international: NA Wallis and Futuna general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 681 West Bank general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 Western Sahara general assessment: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco World general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: NA Yemen general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems international: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti Zambia general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation; Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) Zimbabwe general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2125 Terrain Afghanistan mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest Albania mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast Algeria mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain American Samoa five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island) Andorra rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys Angola narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau Anguilla flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone Antarctica about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent Antigua and Barbuda mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas Arctic Ocean central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that, on average, is about 3 meters thick, although pressure ridges may be three times that thickness; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge) Argentina rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border Armenia Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley Aruba flat with a few hills; scant vegetation Ashmore and Cartier Islands low with sand and coral Atlantic Ocean surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin Australia mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast Austria in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping Azerbaijan large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea Bahamas, The long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills Bahrain mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment Baker Island low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef Bangladesh mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast Barbados relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region Bassas da India volcanic rock Belarus generally flat and contains much marshland Belgium flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast Belize flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south Benin mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains Bermuda low hills separated by fertile depressions Bhutan mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna Bolivia rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin Bosnia and Herzegovina mountains and valleys Botswana predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest Bouvet Island volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible Brazil mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt British Indian Ocean Territory flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation) British Virgin Islands coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly Brunei flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west Bulgaria mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast Burkina Faso mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast Burma central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands Burundi hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains Cambodia mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north Cameroon diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north Canada mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast Cape Verde steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic Cayman Islands low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs Central African Republic vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest Chad broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south Chile low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east China mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east Christmas Island steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau Clipperton Island coral atoll Cocos (Keeling) Islands flat, low-lying coral atolls Colombia flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains Comoros volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills Congo, Democratic Republic of the vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east Congo, Republic of the coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin Cook Islands low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south Coral Sea Islands sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays) Costa Rica coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes Cote d'Ivoire mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest Croatia geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands Cuba mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast Cyprus central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast Czech Republic Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country Denmark low and flat to gently rolling plains Djibouti coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains Dominica rugged mountains of volcanic origin Dominican Republic rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed East Timor mountainous Ecuador coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) Egypt vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta El Salvador mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau Equatorial Guinea coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic Eritrea dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains Estonia marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south Ethiopia high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley Europa Island low and flat European Union fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains Faroe Islands rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast Fiji mostly mountains of volcanic origin Finland mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills France mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east French Guiana low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains French Polynesia mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs French Southern and Antarctic Lands volcanic Gabon narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south Gambia, The flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills Gaza Strip flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain Georgia largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland Germany lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south Ghana mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area Gibraltar a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar Glorioso Islands low and flat Greece mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands Greenland flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast Grenada volcanic in origin with central mountains Guadeloupe Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin Guam volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in center, mountains in south Guatemala mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau Guernsey mostly level with low hills in southwest Guinea generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior Guinea-Bissau mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east Guyana mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south Haiti mostly rough and mountainous Heard Island and McDonald Islands Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky Holy See (Vatican City) urban; low hill Honduras mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains Hong Kong hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north Howland Island low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef; depressed central area Hungary mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border Iceland mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords Iles Eparses Bassas da India: atoll, awash at high tide; shallow (15 m) lagoon Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: low, flat, and sandy Tromelin Island: low, flat, sandy; likely volcanic seamount India upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north Indian Ocean surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge Indonesia mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains Iran rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts Iraq mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey Ireland mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast Isle of Man hills in north and south bisected by central valley Israel Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley Italy mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands Jamaica mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain Jan Mayen volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers Japan mostly rugged and mountainous Jarvis Island sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef Jersey gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast Johnston Atoll mostly flat Jordan mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River Juan de Nova Island low and flat Kazakhstan extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia Kenya low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west Kingman Reef low and nearly level Kiribati mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs Korea, North mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east Korea, South mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south Kuwait flat to slightly undulating desert plain Kyrgyzstan peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation Laos mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus Latvia low plain Lebanon narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains Lesotho mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains Liberia mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast Libya mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions Liechtenstein mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third Lithuania lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil Luxembourg mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast Macau generally flat Macedonia mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River Madagascar narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center Malawi narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains Malaysia coastal plains rising to hills and mountains Maldives flat, with white sandy beaches Mali mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast Malta mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs Marshall Islands low coral limestone and sand islands Martinique mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano Mauritania mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills Mauritius small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau Mayotte generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks Mexico high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert Micronesia, Federated States of islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk Midway Islands low, nearly level Moldova rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea Monaco hilly, rugged, rocky Mongolia vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central Montenegro highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus Montserrat volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland Morocco northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains Mozambique mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west Namibia mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east Nauru sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center Navassa Island raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high) Nepal Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north Netherlands mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast Netherlands Antilles generally hilly, volcanic interiors New Caledonia coastal plains with interior mountains New Zealand predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains Nicaragua extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes Niger predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north Nigeria southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north Niue steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau Norfolk Island volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains Northern Mariana Islands southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic Norway glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north Oman central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south Pacific Ocean surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest Pakistan flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west Palau varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs Palmyra Atoll very low Panama interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills Papua New Guinea mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills Paracel Islands mostly low and flat Paraguay grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere Peru western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) Philippines mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands Pitcairn Islands rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs Poland mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border Portugal mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south Puerto Rico mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas Qatar mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel Reunion mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast Romania central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps Russia broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions Rwanda mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east Saint Helena the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs Saint Kitts and Nevis volcanic with mountainous interiors Saint Lucia volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys Saint Pierre and Miquelon mostly barren rock Saint Vincent and the Grenadines volcanic, mountainous Samoa two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior San Marino rugged mountains Sao Tome and Principe volcanic, mountainous Saudi Arabia mostly uninhabited, sandy desert Senegal generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast Serbia extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills Seychelles Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs Sierra Leone coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east Singapore lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve Slovakia rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south Slovenia a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east Solomon Islands mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls Somalia mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north South Africa vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes Southern Ocean the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers Spain large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north Spratly Islands flat Sri Lanka mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior Sudan generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north Suriname mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps Svalbard wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and north coasts Swaziland mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains Sweden mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west Switzerland mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes Syria primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west Taiwan eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west Tajikistan Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest Tanzania plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south Thailand central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere Togo gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes Tokelau low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons Tonga most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base Trinidad and Tobago mostly plains with some hills and low mountains Tromelin Island low, flat, and sandy; likely volcanic Tunisia mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara Turkey high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges Turkmenistan flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west Turks and Caicos Islands low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps Tuvalu very low-lying and narrow coral atolls Uganda mostly plateau with rim of mountains Ukraine most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south United Arab Emirates flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east United Kingdom mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast United States vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges low and nearly level sandy coral islands with narrow fringing reefs that have developed at the top of submerged volcanic mountains, which in most cases rise steeply from the ocean floor Uruguay mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland Uzbekistan mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west Vanuatu mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains Venezuela Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast Vietnam low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest Virgin Islands mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land Wake Island atoll of three low coral islands, Peale, Wake, and Wilkes, built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim Wallis and Futuna volcanic origin; low hills West Bank mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east Western Sahara mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast World the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean Yemen narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula Zambia mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains Zimbabwe mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman) Afghanistan 6.69 children born/woman (2006 est.) Albania 2.03 children born/woman (2006 est.) Algeria 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) American Samoa 3.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) Andorra 1.3 children born/woman (2006 est.) Angola 6.35 children born/woman (2006 est.) Anguilla 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.) Argentina 2.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) Armenia 1.33 children born/woman (2006 est.) Aruba 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) Australia 1.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) Austria 1.36 children born/woman (2006 est.) Azerbaijan 2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.) Bahamas, The 2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.) Bahrain 2.6 children born/woman (2006 est.) Bangladesh 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.) Barbados 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.) Belarus 1.43 children born/woman (2006 est.) Belgium 1.64 children born/woman (2006 est.) Belize 3.6 children born/woman (2006 est.) Benin 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) Bermuda 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) Bhutan 4.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) Bolivia 2.85 children born/woman (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.22 children born/woman (2006 est.) Botswana 2.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) Brazil 1.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands 1.72 children born/woman (2006 est.) Brunei 2.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) Bulgaria 1.38 children born/woman (2006 est.) Burkina Faso 6.47 children born/woman (2006 est.) Burma 1.98 children born/woman (2006 est.) Burundi 6.55 children born/woman (2006 est.) Cambodia 3.37 children born/woman (2006 est.) Cameroon 4.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) Canada 1.61 children born/woman (2006 est.) Cape Verde 3.38 children born/woman (2006 est.) Cayman Islands 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) Central African Republic 4.41 children born/woman (2006 est.) Chad 6.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) Chile 2 children born/woman (2006 est.) China 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 2.54 children born/woman (2006 est.) Comoros 5.03 children born/woman (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.45 children born/woman (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the 6.07 children born/woman (2006 est.) Cook Islands 3.1 children born/woman (2001 census) Costa Rica 2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 4.5 children born/woman (2006 est.) Croatia 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Cuba 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.) Cyprus 1.82 children born/woman (2006 est.) Czech Republic 1.21 children born/woman (2006 est.) Denmark 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) Djibouti 5.31 children born/woman (2006 est.) Dominica 1.94 children born/woman (2006 est.) Dominican Republic 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.) East Timor 3.53 children born/woman (2006 est.) Ecuador 2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) Egypt 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.) El Salvador 3.12 children born/woman (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea 4.55 children born/woman (2006 est.) Eritrea 5.08 children born/woman (2006 est.) Estonia 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Ethiopia 5.22 children born/woman (2006 est.) European Union 1.47 children born/woman (2006 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA children born/woman Faroe Islands 2.17 children born/woman (2006 est.) Fiji 2.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) Finland 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) France 1.84 children born/woman (2006 est.) French Guiana 2.98 children born/woman (2006 est.) French Polynesia 2.01 children born/woman (2006 est.) Gabon 4.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) Gambia, The 5.3 children born/woman (2006 est.) Gaza Strip 5.78 children born/woman (2006 est.) Georgia 1.42 children born/woman (2006 est.) Germany 1.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) Ghana 3.99 children born/woman (2006 est.) Gibraltar 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.) Greece 1.34 children born/woman (2006 est.) Greenland 2.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Grenada 2.34 children born/woman (2006 est.) Guadeloupe 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) Guam 2.58 children born/woman (2006 est.) Guatemala 3.82 children born/woman (2006 est.) Guernsey 1.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) Guinea 5.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau 4.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) Guyana 2.04 children born/woman (2006 est.) Haiti 4.94 children born/woman (2006 est.) Honduras 3.59 children born/woman (2006 est.) Hong Kong 0.95 children born/woman (2006 est.) Hungary 1.32 children born/woman (2006 est.) Iceland 1.92 children born/woman (2006 est.) India 2.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) Indonesia 2.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Iran 1.8 children born/woman (2006 est.) Iraq 4.18 children born/woman (2006 est.) Ireland 1.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) Isle of Man 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.) Israel 2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.) Italy 1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) Jamaica 2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.) Japan 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Jersey 1.58 children born/woman (2006 est.) Jordan 2.63 children born/woman (2006 est.) Kazakhstan 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) Kenya 4.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) Kiribati 4.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) Korea, North 2.1 children born/woman (2006 est.) Korea, South 1.27 children born/woman (2006 est.) Kuwait 2.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan 2.69 children born/woman (2006 est.) Laos 4.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) Latvia 1.27 children born/woman (2006 est.) Lebanon 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) Lesotho 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) Liberia 6.02 children born/woman (2006 est.) Libya 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) Liechtenstein 1.51 children born/woman (2006 est.) Lithuania 1.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) Luxembourg 1.78 children born/woman (2006 est.) Macau 1.02 children born/woman (2006 est.) Macedonia 1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.) Madagascar 5.62 children born/woman (2006 est.) Malawi 5.92 children born/woman (2006 est.) Malaysia 3.04 children born/woman (2006 est.) Maldives 4.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) Mali 7.42 children born/woman (2006 est.) Malta 1.5 children born/woman (2006 est.) Marshall Islands 3.85 children born/woman (2006 est.) Martinique 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) Mauritania 5.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) Mauritius 1.95 children born/woman (2006 est.) Mayotte 5.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) Mexico 2.42 children born/woman (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 3.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) Moldova 1.85 children born/woman (2006 est.) Monaco 1.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) Mongolia 2.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) Montserrat 1.77 children born/woman (2006 est.) Morocco 2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) Mozambique 4.62 children born/woman (2006 est.) Namibia 3.06 children born/woman (2006 est.) Nauru 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.) Nepal 4.1 children born/woman (2006 est.) Netherlands 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles 1.99 children born/woman (2006 est.) New Caledonia 2.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) New Zealand 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) Nicaragua 2.75 children born/woman (2006 est.) Niger 7.46 children born/woman (2006 est.) Nigeria 5.49 children born/woman (2006 est.) Niue NA Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands 1.24 children born/woman (2006 est.) Norway 1.78 children born/woman (2006 est.) Oman 5.77 children born/woman (2006 est.) Pakistan 4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Palau 2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.) Panama 2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea 3.88 children born/woman (2006 est.) Paraguay 3.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) Peru 2.51 children born/woman (2006 est.) Philippines 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland 1.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) Portugal 1.47 children born/woman (2006 est.) Puerto Rico 1.75 children born/woman (2006 est.) Qatar 2.81 children born/woman (2006 est.) Reunion 2.45 children born/woman (2006 est.) Romania 1.37 children born/woman (2006 est.) Russia 1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) Rwanda 5.43 children born/woman (2006 est.) Saint Helena 1.55 children born/woman (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.31 children born/woman (2006 est.) Saint Lucia 2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2.01 children born/woman (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.83 children born/woman (2006 est.) Samoa 2.94 children born/woman (2006 est.) San Marino 1.34 children born/woman (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 5.62 children born/woman (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia 4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Senegal 4.38 children born/woman (2006 est.) Serbia 1.78 children born/woman (2006 est.) Seychelles 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) Sierra Leone 6.08 children born/woman (2006 est.) Singapore 1.06 children born/woman (2006 est.) Slovakia 1.33 children born/woman (2006 est.) Slovenia 1.25 children born/woman (2006 est.) Solomon Islands 3.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) Somalia 6.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) South Africa 2.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) Spain 1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) Sri Lanka 1.84 children born/woman (2006 est.) Sudan 4.72 children born/woman (2006 est.) Suriname 2.32 children born/woman (2006 est.) Svalbard NA Swaziland 3.53 children born/woman (2006 est.) Sweden 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.) Switzerland 1.43 children born/woman (2006 est.) Syria 3.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Taiwan 1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.) Tajikistan 4 children born/woman (2006 est.) Tanzania 4.97 children born/woman (2006 est.) Thailand 1.64 children born/woman (2006 est.) Togo 4.96 children born/woman (2006 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga 3 children born/woman (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) Tunisia 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) Turkey 1.92 children born/woman (2006 est.) Turkmenistan 3.37 children born/woman (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 3.05 children born/woman (2006 est.) Tuvalu 2.98 children born/woman (2006 est.) Uganda 6.71 children born/woman (2006 est.) Ukraine 1.17 children born/woman (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates 2.88 children born/woman (2006 est.) United Kingdom 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.) United States 2.09 children born/woman (2006 est.) Uruguay 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) Uzbekistan 2.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) Vanuatu 2.7 children born/woman (2006 est.) Venezuela 2.23 children born/woman (2006 est.) Vietnam 1.91 children born/woman (2006 est.) Virgin Islands 2.17 children born/woman (2006 est.) Wallis and Futuna NA children born/woman West Bank 4.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) Western Sahara NA children born/woman World 2.59 children born/woman (2006 est.) Yemen 6.58 children born/woman (2006 est.) Zambia 5.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) Zimbabwe 3.13 children born/woman (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2128 Government type Afghanistan Islamic republic Albania emerging democracy Algeria republic American Samoa NA Andorra parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally by coprinces' representatives Angola republic; multiparty presidential regime Anguilla NA Antarctica Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica; the 28th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2005; at these periodic meetings, decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; at the end of 2005, there were 45 treaty member nations: 28 consultative and 17 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 21 non-claimant nations; the US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims; the US does not recognize the claims of others; Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; the years in parentheses indicate when a consultative member-nation acceded to the Treaty and when it was accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1975/1983), Bulgaria (1978/1998) China (1983/1985), Ecuador (1987/1990), Finland (1984/1989), Germany (1979/1981), India (1983/1983), Italy (1981/1987), Japan, South Korea (1986/1989), Netherlands (1967/1990), Peru (1981/1989), Poland (1961/1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1982/1988), Sweden (1984/1988), Ukraine (1992/2004), Uruguay (1980/1985), and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1962/1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1962/1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1996), and Venezuela (1999); note - Czechoslovakia acceded to the Treaty in 1962 and separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993; Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through six specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, 5) area protection and management and 6) liability arising from environmental emergencies; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina Antigua and Barbuda constitutional parliamentary democracy Argentina republic Armenia republic Aruba parliamentary democracy Australia federal parliamentary democracy Austria federal republic Azerbaijan republic Bahamas, The constitutional parliamentary democracy Bahrain constitutional hereditary monarchy Bangladesh parliamentary democracy Barbados parliamentary democracy Belarus republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship Belgium federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy Belize parliamentary democracy Benin republic Bermuda parliamentary; self-governing territory Bhutan monarchy; special treaty relationship with India Bolivia republic Bosnia and Herzegovina emerging federal democratic republic Botswana parliamentary republic Brazil federative republic British Virgin Islands NA Brunei constitutional sultanate Bulgaria parliamentary democracy Burkina Faso parliamentary republic Burma military junta Burundi republic Cambodia multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy Cameroon republic; multiparty presidential regime Canada constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation Cape Verde republic Cayman Islands British crown colony Central African Republic republic Chad republic Chile republic China Communist state Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia republic; executive branch dominates government structure Comoros republic Congo, Democratic Republic of the transitional government Congo, Republic of the republic Cook Islands self-governing parliamentary democracy Costa Rica democratic republic Cote d'Ivoire republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960 Croatia presidential/parliamentary democracy Cuba Communist state Cyprus republic note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which is recognized only by Turkey Czech Republic parliamentary democracy Denmark constitutional monarchy Djibouti republic Dominica parliamentary democracy Dominican Republic representative democracy East Timor republic Ecuador republic Egypt republic El Salvador republic Equatorial Guinea republic Eritrea transitional government note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) Estonia parliamentary republic Ethiopia federal republic Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands NA Fiji republic Finland republic France republic French Guiana NA French Polynesia NA Gabon republic; multiparty presidential regime Gambia, The republic Georgia republic Germany federal republic Ghana constitutional democracy Gibraltar NA Greece parliamentary republic Greenland parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy Grenada parliamentary democracy Guadeloupe NA Guam NA Guatemala constitutional democratic republic Guernsey NA Guinea republic Guinea-Bissau republic Guyana republic Haiti elected government Holy See (Vatican City) ecclesiastical Honduras democratic constitutional republic Hong Kong limited democracy Hungary parliamentary democracy Iceland constitutional republic India federal republic Indonesia republic Iran theocratic republic Iraq transitional democracy Ireland republic, parliamentary democracy Isle of Man parliamentary democracy Israel parliamentary democracy Italy republic Jamaica constitutional parliamentary democracy Japan constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government Jersey NA Jordan constitutional monarchy Kazakhstan republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch Kenya republic Kiribati republic Korea, North Communist state one-man dictatorship Korea, South republic Kuwait constitutional hereditary emirate Kyrgyzstan republic Laos Communist state Latvia parliamentary democracy Lebanon republic Lesotho parliamentary constitutional monarchy Liberia republic Libya Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship Liechtenstein constitutional monarchy Lithuania parliamentary democracy Luxembourg constitutional monarchy Macau limited democracy Macedonia parliamentary democracy Madagascar republic Malawi multiparty democracy Malaysia constitutional monarchy note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah holds 25 seats in House of Representatives; Sarawak holds 28 seats in House of Representatives Maldives republic Mali republic Malta republic Marshall Islands constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004 Martinique NA Mauritania republic Mauritius parliamentary democracy Mayotte NA Mexico federal republic Micronesia, Federated States of constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force May 2004 Moldova republic Monaco constitutional monarchy Mongolia mixed parliamentary/presidential Montenegro republic Montserrat NA Morocco constitutional monarchy Mozambique republic Namibia republic Nauru republic Nepal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy Netherlands constitutional monarchy Netherlands Antilles parliamentary New Caledonia NA New Zealand parliamentary democracy Nicaragua republic Niger republic Nigeria federal republic Niue self-governing parliamentary democracy Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature Norway constitutional monarchy Oman monarchy Pakistan federal republic Palau constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994 Panama constitutional democracy Papua New Guinea constitutional parliamentary democracy Paraguay constitutional republic Peru constitutional republic Philippines republic Pitcairn Islands NA Poland republic Portugal parliamentary democracy Puerto Rico commonwealth Qatar traditional emirate Reunion NA Romania republic Russia federation Rwanda republic; presidential, multiparty system Saint Helena NA Saint Kitts and Nevis parliamentary democracy Saint Lucia parliamentary democracy Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines parliamentary democracy Samoa mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy San Marino independent republic Sao Tome and Principe republic Saudi Arabia monarchy Senegal republic Serbia republic Seychelles republic Sierra Leone constitutional democracy Singapore parliamentary republic Slovakia parliamentary democracy Slovenia parliamentary republic Solomon Islands parliamentary democracy Somalia no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government South Africa republic Spain parliamentary monarchy Sri Lanka republic Sudan Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulates national elections for the 2008 - 2009 timeframe. Suriname constitutional democracy Svalbard NA Swaziland monarchy Sweden constitutional monarchy Switzerland formally a confederation, but similar in structure to a federal republic Syria republic under an authoritarian, military-dominated regime Taiwan multiparty democracy Tajikistan republic Tanzania republic Thailand constitutional monarchy Togo republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule Tokelau NA Tonga constitutional monarchy Trinidad and Tobago parliamentary democracy Tunisia republic Turkey republican parliamentary democracy Turkmenistan republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch Turks and Caicos Islands NA Tuvalu constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy Uganda republic Ukraine republic United Arab Emirates federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates United Kingdom constitutional monarchy United States Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition Uruguay constitutional republic Uzbekistan republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch Vanuatu parliamentary republic Venezuela federal republic Vietnam Communist state Virgin Islands NA Wallis and Futuna NA Western Sahara legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991 Yemen republic Zambia republic Zimbabwe parliamentary democracy This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2129 Unemployment rate (%) Afghanistan 40% (2005 est.) Albania 14.3% official rate, but may exceed 30% (2005 est.) Algeria 17.1% (2005 est.) American Samoa 29.8% (2005) Andorra 0% (1996 est.) Angola extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half the population (2001 est.) Anguilla 8% (2002) Antigua and Barbuda 11% (2001 est.) Argentina 11.6% (2005 est.) Armenia 31.6% (2004 est.) Aruba 6.9% (2005 est.) Australia 5.1% (2005 est.) Austria 5.2% (2005 est.) Azerbaijan 1.1% official rate (2005 est.) Bahamas, The 10.2% (2005 est.) Bahrain 15% (2005 est.) Bangladesh 2.5% (includes underemployment) (2005 est.) Barbados 10.7% (2003 est.) Belarus 1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005) Belgium 8.4% (2005 est.) Belize 12.9% (2003) Benin NA% Bermuda 2.1% (2004 est.) Bhutan NA% Bolivia 8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 45.5% official rate; grey economy may reduce actual unemployment to 25-30% (31 December 2004 est.) Botswana 23.8% (2004) Brazil 9.8% (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands 3.6% (1997) Brunei 4.8% (2004) Bulgaria 9.9% (2005) Burkina Faso NA% Burma 5% (2005 est.) Burundi NA% Cambodia 2.5% (2000 est.) Cameroon 30% (2001 est.) Canada 6.8% (2005 est.) Cape Verde 21% (2000 est.) Cayman Islands 4.4% (2004) Central African Republic 8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.) Chad NA% Chile 8.1% (2005 est.) China 9% official registered unemployment in urban areas in 2004; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas; an official Chinese journal estimated overall unemployment (including rural areas) for 2003 at 20% (2005 est.) Cocos (Keeling) Islands 60% (2000 est.) Colombia 11.8% (2005 est.) Comoros 20% (1996 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the NA% Congo, Republic of the NA% Cook Islands 13.1% (2005) Costa Rica 6.6% (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 13% in urban areas (1998) Croatia 18% official rate; labor force surveys indicate unemployment around 14% (2005 est.) Cuba 1.9% (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 4% (2005 est.); north Cyprus: 5.6% (2004 est.) Czech Republic 7.9% (2005) Denmark 5.7% (2005 est.) Djibouti 50% (2004 est.) Dominica 23% (2000 est.) Dominican Republic 17% (2005 est.) East Timor 50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data do not include underemployed (2001 est.) Ecuador 10.7% official rate; but underemployment of 47% (2005 est.) Egypt 9.5% (2005 est.) El Salvador 6.5% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea 30% (1998 est.) Eritrea NA% Estonia 7.8% (2005) Ethiopia NA% European Union 9.4% (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) full employment; labor shortage (2001) Faroe Islands 1% (October 2000) Fiji 7.6% (1999) Finland 8.4% (2005 est.) France 9.9% (2005 est.) French Guiana 19.2% (December 2003) French Polynesia 11.8% (1994) Gabon 21% (1997 est.) Gambia, The NA% Gaza Strip 31% (includes West Bank) (January-September 2005 avg.) Georgia 12.6% (2004 est.) Germany 11.7% (2005 est.) Ghana 20% (1997 est.) Gibraltar 2% (2001 est.) Greece 9.9% (2005 est.) Greenland 10% (2000 est.) Grenada 12.5% (2000) Guadeloupe 26.9% (2003) Guam 11.4% (2002 est.) Guatemala 7.5% (2003 est.) Guernsey 0.5% (1999 est.) Guinea NA% Guinea-Bissau NA% Guyana 9.1% (understated) (2000) Haiti widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.) Honduras 28% (2005 est.) Hong Kong 5.5% (2005 est.) Hungary 7.2% (2005) Iceland 2.1% (2005 est.) India 8.9% (2005 est.) Indonesia 11.8% (2005 est.) Iran 11.2% (2004 est.) Iraq 25% to 30% (2005 est.) Ireland 4.3% (2005 est.) Isle of Man 0.6% (2004 est.) Israel 9% (2005 est.) Italy 7.7% (2005 est.) Jamaica 11.5% (2005 est.) Japan 4.4% (2005 est.) Jersey 0.9% (2004 est.) Jordan 12.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2004 est.) Kazakhstan 8.1% (2005 est.) Kenya 40% (2001 est.) Kiribati 2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.) Korea, North NA% Korea, South 3.7% (2005 est.) Kuwait 2.2% (2004 est.) Kyrgyzstan 18% (2004 est.) Laos 2.4% (2005 est.) Latvia 7.5% (2005 est.) Lebanon 18% (1997 est.) Lesotho 45% (2002) Liberia 85% (2003 est.) Libya 30% (2004 est.) Liechtenstein 1.3% (September 2002) Lithuania 8.2% (2005) Luxembourg 4.5% (2005 est.) Macau 4.1% (3rd Quarter 2005) Macedonia 37.3% (2005 est.) Malawi NA% Malaysia 3.6% (2005 est.) Maldives NEGL% (2003 est.) Mali 14.6% (2001 est.) Malta 7.8% (2005 est.) Marshall Islands 30.9% (2000 est.) Martinique 27.2% (1998) Mauritania 20% (2004 est.) Mauritius 9.6% (2005 est.) Mayotte 32.8% (2003) Mexico 3.6% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of 22% (2000 est.) Moldova 8%; note - roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad (2002 est.) Monaco 22% (1999) Mongolia 6.7% (2003) Montenegro 27.7% (2005) Montserrat 6% (1998 est.) Morocco 11% (2005 est.) Mozambique 21% (1997 est.) Namibia 35% (1998) Nauru 90% (2004 est.) Nepal 42% (2004 est.) Netherlands 6.6% (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles 17% (2002 est.) New Caledonia 17.1% (2004) New Zealand 3.7% (2005 est.) Nicaragua 5.6% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2005 est.) Niger NA% Nigeria 2.9% (2005 est.) Niue 12% NA% Norfolk Island 0% Northern Mariana Islands 3.9% NA% Norway 4.6% (2005 est.) Oman 15% (2004 est.) Pakistan 6.6% plus substantial underemployment (2005 est.) Palau 4.2% (2005 est.) Panama 9.8% (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea 2.8% up to 80% in urban areas (2004) Paraguay 16% (2005 est.) Peru 7.6% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2005 est.) Philippines 8.7% (2005 est.) Poland 18.2% (2005 est.) Portugal 7.6% (2005 est.) Puerto Rico 12% (2002) Qatar 2.7% (2001) Reunion 31% (2002) Romania 7.7% (2005 est.) Russia 7.6% plus considerable underemployment (2005 est.) Rwanda NA% Saint Helena 14% (1998 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.5% (1997) Saint Lucia 20% (2003 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 10.3% (1999) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15% (2001 est.) Samoa NA% San Marino 2.6% (2001) Sao Tome and Principe NA% Saudi Arabia 13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some estimates range as high as 25%) (2004 est.) Senegal 48%; note - urban youth 40% (2001 est.) Serbia 31.6% note: unemployment is approximately 50% in Kosovo (2005 est.) Seychelles NA% Sierra Leone NA% Singapore 3.1% (2005 est.) Slovakia 16.4% (2005 est.) Slovenia 6.3% (2005 est.) Solomon Islands NA% Somalia NA% South Africa 26.6% (2005 est.) Spain 9.2% (2005 est.) Sri Lanka 7.7% (2005 est.) Sudan 18.7% (2002 est.) Suriname 9.5% (2004) Swaziland 40% (2005 est.) Sweden 5.8% (2005 est.) Switzerland 3.8% (2005 est.) Syria 12.3% (2004 est.) Taiwan 4.1% (2005 est.) Tajikistan 12% (2004 est.) Tanzania NA% Thailand 1.8% (2005 est.) Togo NA% Tokelau NA% Tonga 13% (FY03/04 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 8% (2005 est.) Tunisia 14.2% (2005 est.) Turkey 10.2% plus underemployment of 4% (2005 est.) Turkmenistan 60% (2004 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 10% (1997 est.) Tuvalu NA% Uganda NA% Ukraine 3.1% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is around 9-10% (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates 2.4% (2001) United Kingdom 4.7% (2005 est.) United States 5.1% (2005 est.) Uruguay 12.2% (2005 est.) Uzbekistan 0.7% officially, plus another 20% underemployed (2005 est.) Vanuatu 1.7% NA% Venezuela 12.2% (2005 est.) Vietnam 2.4% (2005 est.) Virgin Islands 6.2% (2004) Wallis and Futuna 15.2% NA% West Bank 19.9% (includes Gaza Strip) (January-September 2005) Western Sahara NA% World 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment Yemen 35% (2003 est.) Zambia 50% (2000 est.) Zimbabwe 80% (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2137 Military - note Akrotiri Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit American Samoa defense is the responsibility of the US Andorra defense is the responsibility of France and Spain Anguilla defense is the responsibility of the UK Antarctica the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes Argentina the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military is now implementing "Plan 2000," aimed at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive (2005) Aruba defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Ashmore and Cartier Islands defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force Baker Island defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard Barbados the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005) Bassas da India defense is the responsibility of France Bermuda defense is the responsibility of the UK Bouvet Island defense is the responsibility of Norway British Indian Ocean Territory defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 British Virgin Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK Cayman Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK Christmas Island defense is the responsibility of Australia Clipperton Island defense is the responsibility of France Cocos (Keeling) Islands defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force Cook Islands defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request Coral Sea Islands defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities of visitors Cuba Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993 Dhekelia includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway Europa Island defense is the responsibility of France European Union In November 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR, which took over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - commitments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. In November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating thirteen 1,500-man "battle groups" by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis. Twenty-two of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops. France, Italy, and the UK are to form the first three battle groups in 2005, with Spain to follow. In May 2005, Norway, Sweden, and Finland agreed to establish one of the battle groups, possibly to include Estonian forces. The remaining groups are to be formed by 2007. (2005) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) defense is the responsibility of the UK Faroe Islands defense is the responsibility of Denmark French Guiana defense is the responsibility of France French Polynesia defense is the responsibility of France French Southern and Antarctic Lands defense is the responsibility of France Georgia a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia Gibraltar defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last British regular infantry forces left Gibraltar in 1992, replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Glorioso Islands defense is the responsibility of France Greenland defense is the responsibility of Denmark Guadeloupe defense is the responsibility of France Guam defense is the responsibility of the US Guernsey defense is the responsibility of the UK Heard Island and McDonald Islands defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols Holy See (Vatican City) defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard Hong Kong defense is the responsibility of China Howland Island defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard Iceland under a 1951 bilateral agreement, Iceland's defense was provided by a US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered in Keflavik; in October 2006, all US military forces in Iceland were withdrawn; nonetheless, the US and Iceland signed a Joint Understanding to strengthen their bilateral defense relationship, including regular security consultations, military communications in the event of national emergencies, annual bilateral exercises on Icelandic territory, and future bilateral and NATO support to four Iceland Air Defense System (IADS) radar sites Iles Eparses defense is the responsibility of France Isle of Man defense is the responsibility of the UK Jan Mayen defense is the responsibility of Norway Jarvis Island defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard Jersey defense is the responsibility of the UK Johnston Atoll defense is the responsibility of the US Juan de Nova Island defense is the responsibility of France Kingman Reef defense is the responsibility of the US Kiribati Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ Laos Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005) Lesotho the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs Liechtenstein defense is the responsibility of Switzerland Macau defense is the responsiblity of China Marshall Islands defense is the responsibility of the US Martinique defense is the responsibility of France Mayotte defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island Micronesia, Federated States of defense is the responsibility of the US Midway Islands defense is the responsibility of the US Monaco defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003) Montenegro Montenegrin plans call for the establishment of a fully professional armed forces Montserrat defense is the responsibility of the UK Nauru Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia Navassa Island defense is the responsibility of the US Netherlands Antilles defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands New Caledonia defense is the responsibility of France Niue defense is the responsibility of New Zealand Norfolk Island defense is the responsibility of Australia Northern Mariana Islands defense is the responsibility of the US Palau defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years, but it has not stationed any military forces there (2005) Palmyra Atoll defense is the responsibility of the US Panama on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of "external aggression" Paracel Islands occupied by China Pitcairn Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK Puerto Rico defense is the responsibility of the US Reunion defense is the responsibility of France Saint Helena defense is the responsibility of the UK Saint Pierre and Miquelon defense is the responsibility of France Samoa Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship San Marino defense is the responsibility of Italy Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resources at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay and conditions have been a problem in the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance as initial steps towards the improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is exercised from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005) South Africa with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK Spratly Islands Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam Svalbard demilitarized by treaty on 9 February 1920 Tokelau defense is the responsibility of New Zealand Tromelin Island defense is the responsibility of France Turkey in the early 1990s, the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly equipped infantry force; there were 14 infantry divisions, but only one was mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were mechanized; the overhaul that has taken place since has produced highly mobile forces with greatly enhanced firepower in accordance with NATO's new strategic concept (2005) Turks and Caicos Islands defense is the responsibility of the UK United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges defense is the responsibility of the US Virgin Islands defense is the responsibility of the US Wake Island defense is the responsibility of the US; launch support facility is part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS) administered by US Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) Wallis and Futuna defense is the responsibility of France Yemen a Coast Guard was established in 2002 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2138 Communications - note Afghanistan in March 2003, 'af' was established as Afghanistan's domain name; Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public "telekiosks" in Kabul (2002) Bouvet Island automatic meteorological station Coral Sea Islands there are automatic weather stations on many of the isles and reefs relaying data to the mainland Europa Island 1 meteorological station Glorioso Islands 1 meteorological station Iles Eparses Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island: 1 meteorological station on each possession; note - meteorological station on Tromelin Island is important for forecasting cyclones Juan de Nova Island 1 meteorological station Saint Helena South Africa maintains a meteorological station on Gough Island Tromelin Island important meteorological station This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2140 Government - note French Polynesia under certain acts of France, French Polynesia has acquired autonomy in all areas except those relating to police and justice, monetary policy, tertiary education, immigration, and defense and foreign affairs; the duties of its president are fashioned after those of the French prime minister Malawi the executive exerts considerable influence over the legislature Solomon Islands June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003; by 2006, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) had been scaled back to 259 police officers and 20 military, in addition to civilian technical advisers; in response to rioting that broke out in mid-April 2006, Australia dispatched an addtional 220 troops and 70 police officers to help restore order Somalia although an interim government was created in 2004, other regional and local governing bodies continue to exist and control various cities and regions of the country, including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia, the semi-autonomous State of Puntland in northeastern Somalia, and traditional clan and faction strongholds This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2142 Country name Afghanistan conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan Akrotiri conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area conventional short form: Akrotiri Albania conventional long form: Republic of Albania conventional short form: Albania local long form: Republika e Shqiperise local short form: Shqiperia former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania Algeria conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria conventional short form: Algeria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah local short form: Al Jaza'ir American Samoa conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa conventional short form: American Samoa abbreviation: AS Andorra conventional long form: Principality of Andorra conventional short form: Andorra local long form: Principat d'Andorra local short form: Andorra Angola conventional long form: Republic of Angola conventional short form: Angola local long form: Republica de Angola local short form: Angola former: People's Republic of Angola Anguilla conventional long form: none conventional short form: Anguilla Antarctica conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda Argentina conventional long form: Argentine Republic conventional short form: Argentina local long form: Republica Argentina local short form: Argentina Armenia conventional long form: Republic of Armenia conventional short form: Armenia local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun local short form: Hayastan former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic Aruba conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands Australia conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia Austria conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich Azerbaijan conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan conventional short form: Azerbaijan local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi local short form: Azarbaycan former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic Bahamas, The conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas Bahrain conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain conventional short form: Bahrain local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn local short form: Al Bahrayn former: Dilmun Baker Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Baker Island Bangladesh conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh local short form: Banladesh former: East Bengal, East Pakistan Barbados conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados Bassas da India conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bassas da India Belarus conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus' local short form: Byelarus' former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic Belgium conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium conventional short form: Belgium local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie local short form: Belgique/Belgie Belize conventional long form: none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras Benin conventional long form: Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local long form: Republique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey Bermuda conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands Bhutan conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan conventional short form: Bhutan local long form: Druk Gyalkhap local short form: Druk Yul Bolivia conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina local long form: none local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana conventional long form: Republic of Botswana conventional short form: Botswana local long form: Republic of Botswana local short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland Bouvet Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bouvet Island Brazil conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil conventional short form: Brazil local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil local short form: Brasil British Indian Ocean Territory conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT British Virgin Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI Brunei conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam conventional short form: Brunei local long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam local short form: Brunei Bulgaria conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria local long form: Republika Balgariya local short form: Balgariya Burkina Faso conventional long form: none conventional short form: Burkina Faso local long form: none local short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta Burma conventional long form: Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw Burundi conventional long form: Republic of Burundi conventional short form: Burundi local long form: Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi local short form: Burundi former: Urundi Cambodia conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia conventional short form: Cambodia local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic pronunciation) local short form: Kampuchea former: Kingdom of Cambodia, Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, People's Republic of Kampuchea, State of Cambodia Cameroon conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon conventional short form: Cameroon local long form: Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon former: French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon Canada conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada Cape Verde conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde conventional short form: Cape Verde local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde local short form: Cabo Verde Cayman Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cayman Islands Central African Republic conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire abbreviation: CAR Chad conventional long form: Republic of Chad conventional short form: Chad local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad local short form: Tchad/Tshad Chile conventional long form: Republic of Chile conventional short form: Chile local long form: Republica de Chile local short form: Chile China conventional long form: People's Republic of China conventional short form: China local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo local short form: Zhongguo abbreviation: PRC Christmas Island conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island Clipperton Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Clipperton Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Clipperton former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia conventional long form: Republic of Colombia conventional short form: Colombia local long form: Republica de Colombia local short form: Colombia Comoros conventional long form: Union of the Comoros conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores Congo, Democratic Republic of the conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire abbreviation: DRC Congo, Republic of the conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo Cook Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands Coral Sea Islands conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands Costa Rica conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica conventional short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire local short form: Cote d'Ivoire former: Ivory Coast Croatia conventional long form: Republic of Croatia conventional short form: Croatia local long form: Republika Hrvatska local short form: Hrvatska former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia Cuba conventional long form: Republic of Cuba conventional short form: Cuba local long form: Republica de Cuba local short form: Cuba Cyprus conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus conventional short form: Cyprus local long form: Kypriaki Dimokratia/Kibris Cumhuriyeti local short form: Kypros/Kibris note: the Turkish Cypriot community (north Cyprus) refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC) Czech Republic conventional long form: Czech Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska Republika local short form: Cesko Denmark conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark conventional short form: Denmark local long form: Kongeriget Danmark local short form: Danmark Dhekelia conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area conventional short form: Dhekelia Djibouti conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland Dominica conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica conventional short form: Dominica Dominican Republic conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana East Timor conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste conventional short form: East Timor local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese] local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese] former: Portuguese Timor Ecuador conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador conventional short form: Ecuador local long form: Republica del Ecuador local short form: Ecuador Egypt conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt conventional short form: Egypt local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah local short form: Misr former: United Arab Republic (with Syria) El Salvador conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador conventional short form: El Salvador local long form: Republica de El Salvador local short form: El Salvador Equatorial Guinea conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee equatoriale local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale former: Spanish Guinea Eritrea conventional long form: State of Eritrea conventional short form: Eritrea local long form: Hagere Ertra local short form: Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia Estonia conventional long form: Republic of Estonia conventional short form: Estonia local long form: Eesti Vabariik local short form: Eesti former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Ethiopia conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia conventional short form: Ethiopia local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik local short form: Ityop'iya former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa abbreviation: FDRE Europa Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Europa Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Europa Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Faroe Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Faroe Islands local long form: none local short form: Foroyar Fiji conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands conventional short form: Fiji local long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti local short form: Fiji/Viti Finland conventional long form: Republic of Finland conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland local short form: Suomi/Finland France conventional long form: French Republic conventional short form: France local long form: Republique francaise local short form: France French Guiana conventional long form: Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane French Polynesia conventional long form: Overseas Lands of French Polynesia conventional short form: French Polynesia local long form: Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynesie Francaise local short form: Polynesie Francaise former: French Colony of Oceania French Southern and Antarctic Lands conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises abbreviation: TAAF Gabon conventional long form: Gabonese Republic conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique gabonaise local short form: Gabon Gambia, The conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia conventional short form: The Gambia Gaza Strip conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gaza Strip local long form: none local short form: Qita Ghazzah Georgia conventional long form: none conventional short form: Georgia local long form: none local short form: Sak'art'velo former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic Germany conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany conventional short form: Germany local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland local short form: Deutschland former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich Ghana conventional long form: Republic of Ghana conventional short form: Ghana former: Gold Coast Gibraltar conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gibraltar Glorioso Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Glorioso Islands local long form: none local short form: Iles Glorieuses Greece conventional long form: Hellenic Republic conventional short form: Greece local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia local short form: Ellas or Ellada former: Kingdom of Greece Greenland conventional long form: none conventional short form: Greenland local long form: none local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat Grenada conventional long form: none conventional short form: Grenada Guadeloupe conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: Guadeloupe Guam conventional long form: Territory of Guam conventional short form: Guam local long form: Guahan local short form: Guahan Guatemala conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala conventional short form: Guatemala local long form: Republica de Guatemala local short form: Guatemala Guernsey conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey conventional short form: Guernsey Guinea conventional long form: Republic of Guinea conventional short form: Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea Guinea-Bissau conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau local short form: Guine-Bissau former: Portuguese Guinea Guyana conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana Haiti conventional long form: Republic of Haiti conventional short form: Haiti local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti local short form: Haiti/Ayiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands abbreviation: HIMI Holy See (Vatican City) conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano) Honduras conventional long form: Republic of Honduras conventional short form: Honduras local long form: Republica de Honduras local short form: Honduras Hong Kong conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conventional short form: Hong Kong local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu local short form: Xianggang abbreviation: HK Howland Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Howland Island Hungary conventional long form: Republic of Hungary conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag Iceland conventional long form: Republic of Iceland conventional short form: Iceland local long form: Lydveldid Island local short form: Island Iles Eparses conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island local long form: none local short form: Bassas da India, Ile Europa, Iles Glorieuses, Ile Juan de Nova, Ile Tromelin India conventional long form: Republic of India conventional short form: India local long form: Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya local short form: India/Bharat Indonesia conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia conventional short form: Indonesia local long form: Republik Indonesia local short form: Indonesia former: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies Iran conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran conventional short form: Iran local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran local short form: Iran former: Persia Iraq conventional long form: Republic of Iraq conventional short form: Iraq local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah local short form: Al Iraq Ireland conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ireland local long form: none local short form: Eire Isle of Man conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man Israel conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el Italy conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia former: Kingdom of Italy Jamaica conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica Jan Mayen conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen Japan conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan local long form: Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku local short form: Nihon/Nippon Jarvis Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jarvis Island Jersey conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey Johnston Atoll conventional long form: none conventional short form: Johnston Atoll Jordan conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan conventional short form: Jordan local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah local short form: Al Urdun former: Transjordan Juan de Nova Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Juan de Nova Kazakhstan conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy local short form: Qazaqstan former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic Kenya conventional long form: Republic of Kenya conventional short form: Kenya local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri y Kenya local short form: Kenya former: British East Africa Kingman Reef conventional long form: none conventional short form: Kingman Reef Kiribati conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati conventional short form: Kiribati local long form: Republic of Kiribati local short form: Kiribati note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss former: Gilbert Islands Korea, North conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea conventional short form: North Korea local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk local short form: Choson abbreviation: DPRK Korea, South conventional long form: Republic of Korea conventional short form: South Korea local long form: Taehan-min'guk local short form: Han'guk abbreviation: ROK Kuwait conventional long form: State of Kuwait conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt Kyrgyzstan conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy local short form: Kyrgyzstan former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic Laos conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic conventional short form: Laos PDR or Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none Latvia conventional long form: Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local long form: Latvijas Republika local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Lebanon conventional long form: Lebanese Republic conventional short form: Lebanon local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah local short form: Lubnan former: Greater Lebanon Lesotho conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho local short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland Liberia conventional long form: Republic of Liberia conventional short form: Liberia Libya conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya conventional short form: Libya local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma local short form: none Liechtenstein conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein conventional short form: Liechtenstein local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein local short form: Liechtenstein Lithuania conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania conventional short form: Lithuania local long form: Lietuvos Respublika local short form: Lietuva former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic Luxembourg conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg Macau conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region conventional short form: Macau local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese) local short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese) Macedonia conventional long form: Republic of Macedonia conventional short form: Macedonia local long form: Republika Makedonija local short form: Makedonija note: the provisional designation used by the UN, EU, and NATO is Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) former: People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of Macedonia Madagascar conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar conventional short form: Madagascar local long form: Republique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara local short form: Madagascar/Madagasikara former: Malagasy Republic Malawi conventional long form: Republic of Malawi conventional short form: Malawi local long form: Dziko la Malawi local short form: Malawi former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland Malaysia conventional long form: none conventional short form: Malaysia local long form: none local short form: Malaysia former: Federation of Malaysia Maldives conventional long form: Republic of Maldives conventional short form: Maldives local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa local short form: Dhivehi Raajje Mali conventional long form: Republic of Mali conventional short form: Mali local long form: Republique de Mali local short form: Mali former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic Malta conventional long form: Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta local short form: Malta Marshall Islands conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands conventional short form: Marshall Islands local long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands local short form: Marshall Islands abbreviation: RMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands District Martinique conventional long form: Department of Martinique conventional short form: Martinique local long form: Departement de la Martinique local short form: Martinique Mauritania conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania conventional short form: Mauritania local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah local short form: Muritaniyah Mauritius conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius conventional short form: Mauritius local long form: Republic of Mauritius local short form: Mauritius Mayotte conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte conventional short form: Mayotte Mexico conventional long form: United Mexican States conventional short form: Mexico local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos local short form: Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia conventional short form: none local long form: Federated States of Micronesia local short form: none former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts abbreviation: FSM Midway Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Midway Islands Moldova conventional long form: Republic of Moldova conventional short form: Moldova local long form: Republica Moldova local short form: Moldova former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic Monaco conventional long form: Principality of Monaco conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco Mongolia conventional long form: none conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia Montenegro conventional long form: Republic of Montenegro conventional short form: Montenegro local long form: Republika Crna Gora local short form: Crna Gora former: People's Republic of Montenegro, Socialist Republic of Montenegro Montserrat conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montserrat Morocco conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco conventional short form: Morocco local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah local short form: Al Maghrib Mozambique conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique conventional short form: Mozambique local long form: Republica de Mocambique local short form: Mocambique former: Portuguese East Africa Namibia conventional long form: Republic of Namibia conventional short form: Namibia local long form: Republic of Namibia local short form: Namibia former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa Nauru conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru local long form: Republic of Nauru local short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island Navassa Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Navassa Island Nepal conventional long and short form: Nepal local long and short form: Nepal Netherlands conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands conventional short form: Netherlands local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden local short form: Nederland Netherlands Antilles conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen former: Curacao and Dependencies New Caledonia conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies conventional short form: New Caledonia local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie New Zealand conventional long form: none conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ Nicaragua conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua Niger conventional long form: Republic of Niger conventional short form: Niger local long form: Republique du Niger local short form: Niger Nigeria conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria conventional short form: Nigeria Niue conventional long form: none conventional short form: Niue former: Savage Island Norfolk Island conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island conventional short form: Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands abbreviation: CNMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Mariana Islands District Norway conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway conventional short form: Norway local long form: Kongeriket Norge local short form: Norge Oman conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman conventional short form: Oman local long form: Saltanat Uman local short form: Uman former: Muscat and Oman Pakistan conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan conventional short form: Pakistan local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan local short form: Pakistan former: West Pakistan Palau conventional long form: Republic of Palau conventional short form: Palau local long form: Beluu er a Belau local short form: Belau former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District Palmyra Atoll conventional long form: none conventional short form: Palmyra Atoll Panama conventional long form: Republic of Panama conventional short form: Panama local long form: Republica de Panama local short form: Panama Papua New Guinea conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea local short form: Papuaniugini former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea abbreviation: PNG Paracel Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Paracel Islands Paraguay conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay conventional short form: Paraguay local long form: Republica del Paraguay local short form: Paraguay Peru conventional long form: Republic of Peru conventional short form: Peru local long form: Republica del Peru local short form: Peru Philippines conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines conventional short form: Philippines local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas local short form: Pilipinas Pitcairn Islands conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands Poland conventional long form: Republic of Poland conventional short form: Poland local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska local short form: Polska Portugal conventional long form: Portuguese Republic conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal Puerto Rico conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico conventional short form: Puerto Rico Qatar conventional long form: State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar Reunion conventional long form: Department of Reunion conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island Romania conventional long form: none conventional short form: Romania local long form: none local short form: Romania Russia conventional long form: Russian Federation conventional short form: Russia local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya local short form: Rossiya former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Rwanda conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda conventional short form: Rwanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda local short form: Rwanda former: Ruanda, German East Africa Saint Helena conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional long form: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis Saint Lucia conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa conventional short form: Samoa local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa local short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa San Marino conventional long form: Republic of San Marino conventional short form: San Marino local long form: Repubblica di San Marino local short form: San Marino Sao Tome and Principe conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe local short form: Sao Tome e Principe Saudi Arabia conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conventional short form: Saudi Arabia local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah Senegal conventional long form: Republic of Senegal conventional short form: Senegal local long form: Republique du Senegal local short form: Senegal former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia); Mali Federation Serbia conventional long form: Republic of Serbia conventional short form: Serbia local long form: Republika Srbija local short form: Srbija former: People's Republic of Serbia, Socialist Republic of Serbia Seychelles conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles conventional short form: Seychelles local long form: Republic of Seychelles local short form: Seychelles Sierra Leone conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone conventional short form: Sierra Leone local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone local short form: Sierra Leone Singapore conventional long form: Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore local long form: Republic of Singapore local short form: Singapore Slovakia conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska Republika local short form: Slovensko Slovenia conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia conventional short form: Slovenia local long form: Republika Slovenija local short form: Slovenija former: People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia Solomon Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands local long form: none local short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands Somalia conventional long form: none conventional short form: Somalia local long form: Jamhuuriyada Demuqraadiga Soomaaliyeed local short form: Soomaaliya former: Somali Republic; Somali Democratic Republic South Africa conventional long form: Republic of South Africa conventional short form: South Africa former: Union of South Africa abbreviation: RSA South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI Spain conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain conventional short form: Spain local long form: Reino de Espana local short form: Espana Spratly Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands Sri Lanka conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai former: Serendib, Ceylon Sudan conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan conventional short form: Sudan local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan local short form: As-Sudan former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Suriname conventional long form: Republic of Suriname conventional short form: Suriname local long form: Republiek Suriname local short form: Suriname former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana Svalbard conventional long form: none conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitzbergen) Swaziland conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland conventional short form: Swaziland local long form: Umbuso weSwatini local short form: eSwatini Sweden conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige Switzerland conventional long form: Swiss Confederation conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German); Confederation Suisse (French); Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) local short form: Schweiz (German); Suisse (French); Svizzera (Italian) Syria conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic conventional short form: Syria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah local short form: Suriyah former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt) Taiwan conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa Tajikistan conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: Tojikiston former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic Tanzania conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania conventional short form: Tanzania local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania local short form: Tanzania former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar Thailand conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand conventional short form: Thailand local long form: Ratcha Anachak Thai local short form: Prathet Thai former: Siam Togo conventional long form: Togolese Republic conventional short form: Togo local long form: Republique togolaise local short form: none former: French Togoland Tokelau conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tokelau Tonga conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga conventional short form: Tonga local long form: Pule'anga Tonga local short form: Tonga former: Friendly Islands Trinidad and Tobago conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago Tromelin Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tromelin Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Tromelin Tunisia conventional long form: Tunisian Republic conventional short form: Tunisia local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah local short form: Tunis Turkey conventional long form: Republic of Turkey conventional short form: Turkey local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti local short form: Turkiye Turkmenistan conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none local short form: Turkmenistan former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic Turks and Caicos Islands conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands abbreviation: TCI Tuvalu conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tuvalu local long form: none local short form: Tuvalu former: Ellice Islands note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands Uganda conventional long form: Republic of Uganda conventional short form: Uganda Ukraine conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ukraine local long form: none local short form: Ukrayina former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic United Arab Emirates conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States abbreviation: UAE United Kingdom conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK United States conventional long form: United States of America conventional short form: United States abbreviation: US or USA United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges conventional long form: none conventional short form: Baker Island; Howland Island; Jarvis Island; Johnston Atoll; Kingman Reef; Midway Islands; Palmyra Atoll Uruguay conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay conventional short form: Uruguay local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay local short form: Uruguay former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province Uzbekistan conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan conventional short form: Uzbekistan local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi local short form: Ozbekiston former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic Vanuatu conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu conventional short form: Vanuatu local long form: Ripablik blong Vanuatu local short form: Vanuatu former: New Hebrides Venezuela conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela conventional short form: Venezuela local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela local short form: Venezuela Vietnam conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam conventional short form: Vietnam local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam local short form: Viet Nam abbreviation: SRV Virgin Islands conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies abbreviation: USVI Wake Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Wake Island Wallis and Futuna conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna local short form: Wallis et Futuna West Bank conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank Western Sahara conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara Yemen conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman former: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen] Zambia conventional long form: Republic of Zambia conventional short form: Zambia former: Northern Rhodesia Zimbabwe conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe conventional short form: Zimbabwe former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2144 Location Afghanistan Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran Akrotiri peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus Albania Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro Algeria Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia American Samoa Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand Andorra Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain Angola Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo Anguilla Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Antarctica continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle Antigua and Barbuda Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico Arctic Ocean body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle Argentina Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay Armenia Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey Aruba Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela Ashmore and Cartier Islands Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island Atlantic Ocean body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the Western Hemisphere Australia Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean Austria Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia Azerbaijan Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range Bahamas, The Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba Bahrain Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia Baker Island Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia Bangladesh Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India Barbados Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela Bassas da India Southern Africa, islands in the southern Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from Madagascar to Mozambique Belarus Eastern Europe, east of Poland Belgium Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands Belize Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Benin Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Bermuda North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US) Bhutan Southern Asia, between China and India Bolivia Central South America, southwest of Brazil Bosnia and Herzegovina Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia Botswana Southern Africa, north of South Africa Bouvet Island island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) Brazil Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean British Indian Ocean Territory archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia British Virgin Islands Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Brunei Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia Bulgaria Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey Burkina Faso Western Africa, north of Ghana Burma Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand Burundi Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo Cambodia Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos Cameroon Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria Canada Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US Cape Verde Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal Cayman Islands Caribbean, three island (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) group in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica Central African Republic Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo Chad Central Africa, south of Libya Chile Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru China Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam Christmas Island Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia Clipperton Island Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico Cocos (Keeling) Islands Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka Colombia Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Comoros Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique Congo, Democratic Republic of the Central Africa, northeast of Angola Congo, Republic of the Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon Cook Islands Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Coral Sea Islands Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia Costa Rica Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama Cote d'Ivoire Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia Croatia Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia Cuba Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida Cyprus Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey Czech Republic Central Europe, southeast of Germany Denmark Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn) Dhekelia on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta Djibouti Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia Dominica Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago Dominican Republic Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti East Timor Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - East Timor includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco Ecuador Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru Egypt Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula El Salvador Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras Equatorial Guinea Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon Eritrea Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan Estonia Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia Ethiopia Eastern Africa, west of Somalia Europa Island Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between southern Madagascar and southern Mozambique European Union Europe between Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, southeastern Europe, and the North Atlantic Ocean Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina Faroe Islands Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway Fiji Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Finland Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia France Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain French Guiana Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname French Polynesia Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean about one-half of the way from South America to Australia French Southern and Antarctic Lands southeast of Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean, about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note - French Southern and Antarctic Lands include Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Adelie Land"; the US does not recognize the French claim to "Adelie Land" Gabon Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea Gambia, The Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal Gaza Strip Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel Georgia Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia Germany Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark Ghana Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo Gibraltar Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain Glorioso Islands Southern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar Greece Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey Greenland Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada Grenada Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Guadeloupe Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico Guam Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines Guatemala Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize Guernsey Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France Guinea Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone Guinea-Bissau Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal Guyana Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela Haiti Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic Heard Island and McDonald Islands islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica Holy See (Vatican City) Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) Honduras Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua Hong Kong Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China Howland Island Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia Hungary Central Europe, northwest of Romania Iceland Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK Iles Eparses Southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean Bassas da India: atoll in the southern Mozambique Channel, about half way from Madagascar to Mozambique Europa Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between southern Madagascar and southern Mozambique Glorioso Islands: group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar Juan de Nova Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique Tromelin Island: island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar India Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan Indian Ocean body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia Indonesia Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean Iran Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan Iraq Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait Ireland Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain Isle of Man Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland Israel Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon Italy Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia Jamaica Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba Jan Mayen Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland Japan Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula Jarvis Island Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and the Cook Islands Jersey Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France Johnston Atoll Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 nm (1328 km) southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands Jordan Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia Juan de Nova Island Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique Kazakhstan Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe Kenya Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania Kingman Reef Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa Kiribati Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line Korea, North Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea Korea, South Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea Kuwait Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia Kyrgyzstan Central Asia, west of China Laos Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Latvia Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania Lebanon Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria Lesotho Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa Liberia Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone Libya Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia Liechtenstein Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland Lithuania Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia Luxembourg Western Europe, between France and Germany Macau Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China Macedonia Southeastern Europe, north of Greece Madagascar Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique Malawi Southern Africa, east of Zambia Malaysia Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam Maldives Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India Mali Western Africa, southwest of Algeria Malta Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy) Marshall Islands Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Martinique Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Mauritania Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara Mauritius Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Mayotte Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique Mexico Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US Micronesia, Federated States of Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia Midway Islands Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the way from Honolulu to Tokyo Moldova Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania Monaco Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy Mongolia Northern Asia, between China and Russia Montenegro Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia Montserrat Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico Morocco Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara Mozambique Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania Namibia Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa Nauru Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands Navassa Island Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti Nepal Southern Asia, between China and India Netherlands Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany Netherlands Antilles Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands New Caledonia Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia New Zealand Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia Nicaragua Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras Niger Western Africa, southeast of Algeria Nigeria Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon Niue Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga Norfolk Island Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia Northern Mariana Islands Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines Norway Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden Oman Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE Pacific Ocean body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere Pakistan Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north Palau Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines Palmyra Atoll Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa Panama Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica Papua New Guinea Oceania, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia Paracel Islands Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines Paraguay Central South America, northeast of Argentina Peru Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador Philippines Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam Pitcairn Islands Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand Poland Central Europe, east of Germany Portugal Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain Puerto Rico Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic Qatar Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia Reunion Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Romania Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine Russia Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part of Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean Rwanda Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo Saint Helena islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest of Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago Saint Lucia Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Saint Pierre and Miquelon Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Samoa Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand San Marino Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy Sao Tome and Principe Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon Saudi Arabia Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen Senegal Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania Serbia Southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar Sierra Leone Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia Singapore Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia Slovakia Central Europe, south of Poland Slovenia Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia Solomon Islands Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea Somalia Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia South Africa Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America Southern Ocean body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica Spain Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France Spratly Islands Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines Sri Lanka Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India Sudan Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea Suriname Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana Svalbard Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway Swaziland Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa Sweden Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway Switzerland Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy Syria Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey Taiwan Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China Tajikistan Central Asia, west of China Tanzania Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique Thailand Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma Togo Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana Tokelau Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Tonga Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela Tromelin Island Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Tunisia Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya Turkey Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria Turkmenistan Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan Turks and Caicos Islands Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti Tuvalu Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Uganda Eastern Africa, west of Kenya Ukraine Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east United Arab Emirates Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia United Kingdom Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France United States North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Oceania Baker Island: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,830 nm (3,389 km) southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia Howland Island: island in the North Pacific Ocean 1,815 nm (3,361 km) southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia Jarvis Island: island in the South Pacific Ocean 1,305 nm (2,417 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and the Cook Islands Johnston Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 nm (1,328 km) southwest of Honolulu, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands Kingman Reef: reef in the North Pacific Ocean 930 nm (1,722 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa Midway Islands: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,260 nm (2,334 km) northwest of Honolulu near the end of the Hawaiian Archipelago, about one-third of the way from Honolulu to Tokyo Palmyra Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 960 nm (1,778 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa Uruguay Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil Uzbekistan Central Asia, north of Afghanistan Vanuatu Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia Venezuela Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana Vietnam Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia Virgin Islands Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Wake Island Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands Wallis and Futuna Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand West Bank Middle East, west of Jordan Western Sahara Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Yemen Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia Zambia Southern Africa, east of Angola Zimbabwe Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2145 Map references Afghanistan Asia Akrotiri Middle East Albania Europe Algeria Africa American Samoa Oceania Andorra Europe Angola Africa Anguilla Central America and the Caribbean Antarctica Antarctic Region Antigua and Barbuda Central America and the Caribbean Arctic Ocean Arctic Region Argentina South America Armenia Asia Aruba Central America and the Caribbean Ashmore and Cartier Islands Southeast Asia Atlantic Ocean Political Map of the World Australia Oceania Austria Europe Azerbaijan Asia Bahamas, The Central America and the Caribbean Bahrain Middle East Baker Island Oceania Bangladesh Asia Barbados Central America and the Caribbean Bassas da India Africa Belarus Europe Belgium Europe Belize Central America and the Caribbean Benin Africa Bermuda North America Bhutan Asia Bolivia South America Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe Botswana Africa Bouvet Island Antarctic Region Brazil South America British Indian Ocean Territory Political Map of the World British Virgin Islands Central America and the Caribbean Brunei Southeast Asia Bulgaria Europe Burkina Faso Africa Burma Southeast Asia Burundi Africa Cambodia Southeast Asia Cameroon Africa Canada North America Cape Verde Political Map of the World Cayman Islands Central America and the Caribbean Central African Republic Africa Chad Africa Chile South America China Asia Christmas Island Southeast Asia Clipperton Island Political Map of the World Cocos (Keeling) Islands Southeast Asia Colombia South America Comoros Africa Congo, Democratic Republic of the Africa Congo, Republic of the Africa Cook Islands Oceania Coral Sea Islands Oceania Costa Rica Central America and the Caribbean Cote d'Ivoire Africa Croatia Europe Cuba Central America and the Caribbean Cyprus Middle East Czech Republic Europe Denmark Europe Dhekelia Middle East Djibouti Africa Dominica Central America and the Caribbean Dominican Republic Central America and the Caribbean East Timor Southeast Asia Ecuador South America Egypt Africa El Salvador Central America and the Caribbean Equatorial Guinea Africa Eritrea Africa Estonia Europe Ethiopia Africa Europa Island Africa European Union Europe Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) South America Faroe Islands Europe Fiji Oceania Finland Europe France Europe French Guiana South America French Polynesia Oceania French Southern and Antarctic Lands Antarctic Region Gabon Africa Gambia, The Africa Gaza Strip Middle East Georgia Asia Germany Europe Ghana Africa Gibraltar Europe Glorioso Islands Africa Greece Europe Greenland Arctic Region Grenada Central America and the Caribbean Guadeloupe Central America and the Caribbean Guam Oceania Guatemala Central America and the Caribbean Guernsey Europe Guinea Africa Guinea-Bissau Africa Guyana South America Haiti Central America and the Caribbean Heard Island and McDonald Islands Antarctic Region Holy See (Vatican City) Europe Honduras Central America and the Caribbean Hong Kong Southeast Asia Howland Island Oceania Hungary Europe Iceland Arctic Region Iles Eparses Africa India Asia Indian Ocean Political Map of the World Indonesia Southeast Asia Iran Middle East Iraq Middle East Ireland Europe Isle of Man Europe Israel Middle East Italy Europe Jamaica Central America and the Caribbean Jan Mayen Arctic Region Japan Asia Jarvis Island Oceania Jersey Europe Johnston Atoll Oceania Jordan Middle East Juan de Nova Island Africa Kazakhstan Asia Kenya Africa Kingman Reef Oceania Kiribati Oceania Korea, North Asia Korea, South Asia Kuwait Middle East Kyrgyzstan Asia Laos Southeast Asia Latvia Europe Lebanon Middle East Lesotho Africa Liberia Africa Libya Africa Liechtenstein Europe Lithuania Europe Luxembourg Europe Macau Southeast Asia Macedonia Europe Madagascar Africa Malawi Africa Malaysia Southeast Asia Maldives Asia Mali Africa Malta Europe Marshall Islands Oceania Martinique Central America and the Caribbean Mauritania Africa Mauritius Political Map of the World Mayotte Africa Mexico North America Micronesia, Federated States of Oceania Midway Islands Oceania Moldova Europe Monaco Europe Mongolia Asia Montenegro Europe Montserrat Central America and the Caribbean Morocco Africa Mozambique Africa Namibia Africa Nauru Oceania Navassa Island Central America and the Caribbean Nepal Asia Netherlands Europe Netherlands Antilles Central America and the Caribbean New Caledonia Oceania New Zealand Oceania Nicaragua Central America and the Caribbean Niger Africa Nigeria Africa Niue Oceania Norfolk Island Oceania Northern Mariana Islands Oceania Norway Europe Oman Middle East Pacific Ocean Political Map of the World Pakistan Asia Palau Oceania Palmyra Atoll Oceania Panama Central America and the Caribbean Papua New Guinea Oceania Paracel Islands Southeast Asia Paraguay South America Peru South America Philippines Southeast Asia Pitcairn Islands Oceania Poland Europe Portugal Europe Puerto Rico Central America and the Caribbean Qatar Middle East Reunion World Romania Europe Russia Asia Rwanda Africa Saint Helena Africa Saint Kitts and Nevis Central America and the Caribbean Saint Lucia Central America and the Caribbean Saint Pierre and Miquelon North America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Central America and the Caribbean Samoa Oceania San Marino Europe Sao Tome and Principe Africa Saudi Arabia Middle East Senegal Africa Serbia Europe Seychelles Africa Sierra Leone Africa Singapore Southeast Asia Slovakia Europe Slovenia Europe Solomon Islands Oceania Somalia Africa South Africa Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Antarctic Region Southern Ocean Antarctic Region Spain Europe Spratly Islands Southeast Asia Sri Lanka Asia Sudan Africa Suriname South America Svalbard Arctic Region Swaziland Africa Sweden Europe Switzerland Europe Syria Middle East Taiwan Southeast Asia Tajikistan Asia Tanzania Africa Thailand Southeast Asia Togo Africa Tokelau Oceania Tonga Oceania Trinidad and Tobago Central America and the Caribbean Tromelin Island Africa Tunisia Africa Turkey Middle East Turkmenistan Asia Turks and Caicos Islands Central America and the Caribbean Tuvalu Oceania Uganda Africa Ukraine Asia, Europe United Arab Emirates Middle East United Kingdom Europe United States North America United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Oceania Uruguay South America Uzbekistan Asia Vanuatu Oceania Venezuela South America Vietnam Southeast Asia Virgin Islands Central America and the Caribbean Wake Island Oceania Wallis and Futuna Oceania West Bank Middle East Western Sahara Africa World Physical Map of the World, Political Map of the World, Standard Time Zones of the World Yemen Middle East Zambia Africa Zimbabwe Africa This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2146 Irrigated land (sq km) Afghanistan 27,200 sq km (2003) Albania 3,530 sq km (2003) Algeria 5,690 sq km (2003) American Samoa NA Andorra NA Angola 800 sq km (2003) Anguilla NA Antigua and Barbuda NA Argentina 15,500 sq km (2003) Armenia 2,860 sq km (2003) Aruba 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) Ashmore and Cartier Islands 0 sq km Australia 25,450 sq km (2003) Austria 40 sq km (2003) Azerbaijan 14,550 sq km (2003) Bahamas, The 10 sq km (2003) Bahrain 40 sq km (2003) Baker Island 0 sq km Bangladesh 47,250 sq km (2003) Barbados 50 sq km (2003) Bassas da India 0 sq km Belarus 1,310 sq km (2003) Belgium 400 sq km (2003) Belize 30 sq km (2003) Benin 120 sq km (2003) Bermuda NA Bhutan 400 sq km (2003) Bolivia 1,320 sq km (2003) Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 sq km (2003) Botswana 10 sq km (2003) Bouvet Island 0 sq km Brazil 29,200 sq km (2003) British Indian Ocean Territory 0 sq km British Virgin Islands NA Brunei 10 sq km (2003) Bulgaria 5,880 sq km (2003) Burkina Faso 250 sq km (2003) Burma 18,700 sq km (2003) Burundi 210 sq km (2003) Cambodia 2,700 sq km (2003) Cameroon 260 sq km (2003) Canada 7,850 sq km (2003) Cape Verde 30 sq km (2003) Cayman Islands NA Central African Republic 20 sq km (2003) Chad 300 sq km (2003) Chile 19,000 sq km (2003) China 545,960 sq km (2003) Christmas Island NA Clipperton Island 0 sq km Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 9,000 sq km (2003) Comoros NA Congo, Democratic Republic of the 110 sq km (2003) Congo, Republic of the 20 sq km (2003) Cook Islands NA Coral Sea Islands 0 sq km Costa Rica 1,080 sq km (2003) Cote d'Ivoire 730 sq km (2003) Croatia 110 sq km (2003) Cuba 8,700 sq km (2003) Cyprus 400 sq km (2003) Czech Republic 240 sq km (2003) Denmark 4,490 sq km (2003) Djibouti 10 sq km (2003) Dominica NA Dominican Republic 2,750 sq km (2003) East Timor 1,065 sq km (est.) Ecuador 8,650 sq km (2003) Egypt 34,220 sq km (2003) El Salvador 450 sq km (2003) Equatorial Guinea NA Eritrea 210 sq km (2003) Estonia 40 sq km (2003) Ethiopia 2,900 sq km (2003) Europa Island 0 sq km European Union 131,250 sq km (2003) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands 0 sq km Fiji 30 sq km (2003) Finland 640 sq km (2003) France 26,000 sq km (2003) French Guiana 20 sq km (2003) French Polynesia 10 sq km (2003) French Southern and Antarctic Lands 0 sq km Gabon 70 sq km (2003) Gambia, The 20 sq km (2003) Gaza Strip 150 sq km; note - includes West Bank (2003) Georgia 4,690 sq km (2003) Germany 4,850 sq km (2003) Ghana 310 sq km (2003) Gibraltar NA Glorioso Islands 0 sq km Greece 14,530 sq km (2003) Greenland NA Grenada NA Guadeloupe 60 sq km (2003) Guam NA Guatemala 1,300 sq km (2003) Guernsey NA Guinea 950 sq km (2003) Guinea-Bissau 250 sq km (2003) Guyana 1,500 sq km (2003) Haiti 920 sq km (2003) Heard Island and McDonald Islands 0 sq km Holy See (Vatican City) 0 sq km Honduras 800 sq km (2003) Hong Kong 20 sq km (1998 est.) Howland Island 0 sq km Hungary 2,300 sq km (2003) Iceland NA India 558,080 sq km (2003) Indonesia 45,000 sq km (2003) Iran 76,500 sq km (2003) Iraq 35,250 sq km (2003) Ireland NA Isle of Man 0 sq km Israel 1,940 sq km (2003) Italy 27,500 sq km (2003) Jamaica 250 sq km (2002) Jan Mayen 0 sq km Japan 25,920 sq km (2003) Jarvis Island 0 sq km Jersey NA Johnston Atoll 0 sq km Jordan 750 sq km (2003) Juan de Nova Island 0 sq km Kazakhstan 35,560 sq km (2003) Kenya 1,030 sq km (2003) Kiribati NA Korea, North 14,600 sq km (2003) Korea, South 8,780 sq km (2003) Kuwait 130 sq km (2003) Kyrgyzstan 10,720 sq km (2003) Laos 1,750 sq km (2003) Latvia 200 sq km note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage (2003) Lebanon 1,040 sq km (2003) Lesotho 30 sq km (2003) Liberia 30 sq km (2003) Libya 4,700 sq km (2003) Liechtenstein NA Lithuania 70 sq km (2003) Luxembourg NA Macau NA Macedonia 550 sq km (2003) Madagascar 10,860 sq km (2003) Malawi 560 sq km (2003) Malaysia 3,650 sq km (2003) Maldives NA Mali 2,360 sq km (2003) Malta 20 sq km (2003) Marshall Islands 0 sq km Martinique 70 sq km (2003) Mauritania 490 sq km (2002) Mauritius 220 sq km (2003) Mayotte NA Mexico 63,200 sq km (2003) Micronesia, Federated States of NA Midway Islands 0 sq km Moldova 3,000 sq km (2003) Monaco NA Mongolia 840 sq km (2003) Montenegro NA Montserrat NA Morocco 14,450 sq km (2003) Mozambique 1,180 sq km (2003) Namibia 80 sq km (2003) Nauru NA Nepal 11,700 sq km (2003) Netherlands 5,650 sq km (2003) Netherlands Antilles NA New Caledonia 100 sq km (2003) New Zealand 2,850 sq km (2003) Nicaragua 610 sq km (2003) Niger 730 sq km (2003) Nigeria 2,820 sq km (2003) Niue NA Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands NA Norway 1,270 sq km (2003) Oman 720 sq km (2003) Pakistan 182,300 sq km (2003) Palau NA Panama 430 sq km (2003) Papua New Guinea NA Paracel Islands 0 sq km Paraguay 670 sq km (2003) Peru 12,000 sq km (2003) Philippines 15,500 sq km (2003) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland 1,000 sq km (2003) Portugal 6,500 sq km (2003) Puerto Rico 400 sq km (2003) Qatar 130 sq km (2002) Reunion 120 sq km (2003) Romania 30,770 sq km (2003) Russia 46,000 sq km (2003) Rwanda 90 sq km (2003) Saint Helena NA Saint Kitts and Nevis NA Saint Lucia 30 sq km (2003) Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10 sq km (2003) Samoa NA San Marino NA Sao Tome and Principe 100 sq km (2003) Saudi Arabia 16,200 sq km (2003) Senegal 1,200 sq km (2003) Serbia NA Seychelles NA Sierra Leone 300 sq km (2003) Singapore NA Slovakia 1,830 sq km (2003) Slovenia 30 sq km (2003) Solomon Islands NA Somalia 2,000 sq km (2003) South Africa 14,980 sq km (2003) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 0 sq km Spain 37,800 sq km (2003) Spratly Islands 0 sq km Sri Lanka 7,430 sq km (2003) Sudan 18,630 sq km (2003) Suriname 510 sq km (2003) Svalbard NA Swaziland 500 sq km (2003) Sweden 1,150 sq km (2003) Switzerland 250 sq km (2003) Syria 13,330 sq km (2003) Taiwan NA Tajikistan 7,220 sq km (2003) Tanzania 1,840 sq km (2003) Thailand 49,860 sq km (2003) Togo 70 sq km (2003) Tokelau NA Tonga NA Trinidad and Tobago 40 sq km (2003) Tromelin Island 0 sq km Tunisia 3,940 sq km (2003) Turkey 52,150 sq km (2003) Turkmenistan 18,000 sq km (2003) Turks and Caicos Islands NA Tuvalu NA Uganda 90 sq km (2003) Ukraine 22,080 sq km (2003) United Arab Emirates 760 sq km (2003) United Kingdom 1,700 sq km (2003) United States 223,850 sq km (2003) Uruguay 2,100 sq km (2003) Uzbekistan 42,810 sq km (2003) Vanuatu NA Venezuela 5,750 sq km (2003) Vietnam 30,000 sq km (2003) Virgin Islands NA Wake Island 0 sq km Wallis and Futuna NA West Bank 150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) Western Sahara NA World 2,770,980 sq km (2003) Yemen 5,500 sq km (2003) Zambia 1,560 sq km (2003) Zimbabwe 1,740 sq km (2003) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2147 Area (sq km) Afghanistan total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km Akrotiri total: 123 sq km note: includes a salt lake and wetlands Albania total: 28,748 sq km land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km Algeria total: 2,381,740 sq km land: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km American Samoa total: 199 sq km land: 199 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island Andorra total: 468 sq km land: 468 sq km water: 0 sq km Angola total: 1,246,700 sq km land: 1,246,700 sq km water: 0 sq km Anguilla total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km Antarctica total: 14 million sq km land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km ice-covered) (est.) note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe Antigua and Barbuda total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) land: 442.6 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km Arctic Ocean total: 14.056 million sq km note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies Argentina total: 2,766,890 sq km land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 30,200 sq km Armenia total: 29,800 sq km land: 28,400 sq km water: 1,400 sq km Aruba total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km Ashmore and Cartier Islands total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island Atlantic Ocean total: 76.762 million sq km note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Labrador Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies Australia total: 7,686,850 sq km land: 7,617,930 sq km water: 68,920 sq km note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island Austria total: 83,870 sq km land: 82,444 sq km water: 1,426 sq km Azerbaijan total: 86,600 sq km land: 86,100 sq km water: 500 sq km note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991 Bahamas, The total: 13,940 sq km land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km Bahrain total: 665 sq km land: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km Baker Island total: 1.4 sq km land: 1.4 sq km water: 0 sq km Bangladesh total: 144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km Barbados total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km Bassas da India total: 0.2 sq km land: 0.2 sq km water: 0 sq km Belarus total: 207,600 sq km land: 207,600 sq km water: 0 sq km Belgium total: 30,528 sq km land: 30,278 sq km water: 250 sq km Belize total: 22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km Benin total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km Bermuda total: 53.3 sq km land: 53.3 sq km water: 0 sq km Bhutan total: 47,000 sq km land: 47,000 sq km water: 0 sq km Bolivia total: 1,098,580 sq km land: 1,084,390 sq km water: 14,190 sq km Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 51,129 sq km land: 51,129 sq km water: 0 sq km Botswana total: 600,370 sq km land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km Bouvet Island total: 49 sq km land: 49 sq km water: 0 sq km Brazil total: 8,511,965 sq km land: 8,456,510 sq km water: 55,455 sq km note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo British Indian Ocean Territory total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands British Virgin Islands total: 153 sq km land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke Brunei total: 5,770 sq km land: 5,270 sq km water: 500 sq km Bulgaria total: 110,910 sq km land: 110,550 sq km water: 360 sq km Burkina Faso total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km Burma total: 678,500 sq km land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km Burundi total: 27,830 sq km land: 25,650 sq km water: 2,180 sq km Cambodia total: 181,040 sq km land: 176,520 sq km water: 4,520 sq km Cameroon total: 475,440 sq km land: 469,440 sq km water: 6,000 sq km Canada total: 9,984,670 sq km land: 9,093,507 sq km water: 891,163 sq km Cape Verde total: 4,033 sq km land: 4,033 sq km water: 0 sq km Cayman Islands total: 262 sq km land: 262 sq km water: 0 sq km Central African Republic total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km Chad total: 1.284 million sq km land: 1,259,200 sq km water: 24,800 sq km Chile total: 756,950 sq km land: 748,800 sq km water: 8,150 sq km note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez China total: 9,596,960 sq km land: 9,326,410 sq km water: 270,550 sq km Christmas Island total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km Clipperton Island total: 6 sq km land: 6 sq km water: 0 sq km Cocos (Keeling) Islands total: 14 sq km land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island Colombia total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank Comoros total: 2,170 sq km land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 2,345,410 sq km land: 2,267,600 sq km water: 77,810 sq km Congo, Republic of the total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km Cook Islands total: 236.7 sq km land: 236.7 sq km water: 0 sq km Coral Sea Islands total: less than 3 sq km land: less than 3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km, with the Willis Islets the most important Costa Rica total: 51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco Cote d'Ivoire total: 322,460 sq km land: 318,000 sq km water: 4,460 sq km Croatia total: 56,542 sq km land: 56,414 sq km water: 128 sq km Cuba total: 110,860 sq km land: 110,860 sq km water: 0 sq km Cyprus total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus) land: 9,240 sq km water: 10 sq km Czech Republic total: 78,866 sq km land: 77,276 sq km water: 1,590 sq km Denmark total: 43,094 sq km land: 42,394 sq km water: 700 sq km note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland Dhekelia total: 130.8 sq km note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves Djibouti total: 23,000 sq km land: 22,980 sq km water: 20 sq km Dominica total: 754 sq km land: 754 sq km water: 0 sq km Dominican Republic total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km East Timor total: 15,007 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km Ecuador total: 283,560 sq km land: 276,840 sq km water: 6,720 sq km note: includes Galapagos Islands Egypt total: 1,001,450 sq km land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km El Salvador total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km Equatorial Guinea total: 28,051 sq km land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km Eritrea total: 121,320 sq km land: 121,320 sq km water: 0 sq km Estonia total: 45,226 sq km land: 43,211 sq km water: 2,015 sq km note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea Ethiopia total: 1,127,127 sq km land: 1,119,683 sq km water: 7,444 sq km Europa Island total: 28 sq km land: 28 sq km water: 0 sq km European Union total: 3,976,372 sq km Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands Faroe Islands total: 1,399 sq km land: 1,399 sq km water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams) Fiji total: 18,270 sq km land: 18,270 sq km water: 0 sq km Finland total: 338,145 sq km land: 304,473 sq km water: 33,672 sq km France total: 547,030 sq km land: 545,630 sq km water: 1,400 sq km note: includes only metropolitan France; excludes the overseas administrative divisions French Guiana total: 91,000 sq km land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km French Polynesia total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 sq km French Southern and Antarctic Lands total: 7,829 sq km land: 7,829 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen; excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US Gabon total: 267,667 sq km land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km Gambia, The total: 11,300 sq km land: 10,000 sq km water: 1,300 sq km Gaza Strip total: 360 sq km land: 360 sq km water: 0 sq km Georgia total: 69,700 sq km land: 69,700 sq km water: 0 sq km Germany total: 357,021 sq km land: 349,223 sq km water: 7,798 sq km Ghana total: 239,460 sq km land: 230,940 sq km water: 8,520 sq km Gibraltar total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km Glorioso Islands total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Glorieuse, Ile du Lys, Verte Rocks, Wreck Rock, and South Rock Greece total: 131,940 sq km land: 130,800 sq km water: 1,140 sq km Greenland total: 2,166,086 sq km land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (2000 est.) Grenada total: 344 sq km land: 344 sq km water: 0 sq km Guadeloupe total: 1,780 sq km land: 1,706 sq km water: 74 sq km note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin) Guam total: 541.3 sq km land: 541.3 sq km water: 0 sq km Guatemala total: 108,890 sq km land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km Guernsey total: 78 sq km land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands Guinea total: 245,857 sq km land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km Guinea-Bissau total: 36,120 sq km land: 28,000 sq km water: 8,120 sq km Guyana total: 214,970 sq km land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km Haiti total: 27,750 sq km land: 27,560 sq km water: 190 sq km Heard Island and McDonald Islands total: 412 sq km land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km Holy See (Vatican City) total: 0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km Honduras total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km Hong Kong total: 1,092 sq km land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km Howland Island total: 1.6 sq km land: 1.6 sq km water: 0 sq km Hungary total: 93,030 sq km land: 92,340 sq km water: 690 sq km Iceland total: 103,000 sq km land: 100,250 sq km water: 2,750 sq km Iles Eparses Bassas da India: total - 80 sq km; land - 0.2 sq km; water - 79.8 sq km (lagoon) Europa Island: total - 28 sq km; land - 28 sq km; water - 0 sq km Glorioso Islands: total - 5 sq km; land - 5 sq km; water - 0 sq km Juan de Nova Island: total - 4.4 sq km; land - 4.4 sq km; water - 0 sq km Tromelin Island: total - 1 sq km; land - 1 sq km; water - 0 sq km India total: 3,287,590 sq km land: 2,973,190 sq km water: 314,400 sq km Indian Ocean total: 68.556 million sq km note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies Indonesia total: 1,919,440 sq km land: 1,826,440 sq km water: 93,000 sq km Iran total: 1.648 million sq km land: 1.636 million sq km water: 12,000 sq km Iraq total: 437,072 sq km land: 432,162 sq km water: 4,910 sq km Ireland total: 70,280 sq km land: 68,890 sq km water: 1,390 sq km Isle of Man total: 572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km Israel total: 20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km Italy total: 301,230 sq km land: 294,020 sq km water: 7,210 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily Jamaica total: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km Jan Mayen total: 377 sq km land: 377 sq km water: 0 sq km Japan total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) Jarvis Island total: 4.5 sq km land: 4.5 sq km water: 0 sq km Jersey total: 116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km Johnston Atoll total: 2.63 sq km land: 2.63 sq km water: 0 sq km Jordan total: 92,300 sq km land: 91,971 sq km water: 329 sq km Juan de Nova Island total: 4.4 sq km land: 4.4 sq km water: 0 sq km Kazakhstan total: 2,717,300 sq km land: 2,669,800 sq km water: 47,500 sq km Kenya total: 582,650 sq km land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km Kingman Reef total: 1 sq km land: 1 sq km water: 0 sq km Kiribati total: 811 sq km land: 811 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands Korea, North total: 120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km Korea, South total: 98,480 sq km land: 98,190 sq km water: 290 sq km Kuwait total: 17,820 sq km land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km Kyrgyzstan total: 198,500 sq km land: 191,300 sq km water: 7,200 sq km Laos total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km Latvia total: 64,589 sq km land: 63,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km Lebanon total: 10,400 sq km land: 10,230 sq km water: 170 sq km Lesotho total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km Liberia total: 111,370 sq km land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,050 sq km Libya total: 1,759,540 sq km land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km Liechtenstein total: 160 sq km land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km Lithuania total: 65,200 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km Luxembourg total: 2,586 sq km land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km Macau total: 28.2 sq km land: 28.2 sq km water: 0 sq km Macedonia total: 25,333 sq km land: 24,856 sq km water: 477 sq km Madagascar total: 587,040 sq km land: 581,540 sq km water: 5,500 sq km Malawi total: 118,480 sq km land: 94,080 sq km water: 24,400 sq km Malaysia total: 329,750 sq km land: 328,550 sq km water: 1,200 sq km Maldives total: 300 sq km land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km Mali total: 1.24 million sq km land: 1.22 million sq km water: 20,000 sq km Malta total: 316 sq km land: 316 sq km water: 0 sq km Marshall Islands total: 11,854.3 sq km land: 181.3 sq km water: 11,673 sq km (note - lagoon waters) note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik Martinique total: 1,100 sq km land: 1,060 sq km water: 40 sq km Mauritania total: 1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,400 sq km water: 300 sq km Mauritius total: 2,040 sq km land: 2,030 sq km water: 10 sq km note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues Mayotte total: 374 sq km land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km Mexico total: 1,972,550 sq km land: 1,923,040 sq km water: 49,510 sq km Micronesia, Federated States of total: 702 sq km land: 702 sq km water: 0 sq km (fresh water only) note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae (Kosaie) Midway Islands total: 6.2 sq km land: 6.2 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Eastern Island, Sand Island, and Spit Island Moldova total: 33,843 sq km land: 33,371 sq km water: 472 sq km Monaco total: 1.95 sq km land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km Mongolia total: 1,564,116 sq km Montenegro total: 14,026 sq km land: 13,812 sq km water: 214 sq km Montserrat total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km Morocco total: 446,550 sq km land: 446,300 sq km water: 250 sq km Mozambique total: 801,590 sq km land: 784,090 sq km water: 17,500 sq km Namibia total: 825,418 sq km land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km Nauru total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km Navassa Island total: 5.4 sq km land: 5.4 sq km water: 0 sq km Nepal total: 147,181 sq km land: 143,181 sq km water: 4,000 sq km Netherlands total: 41,526 sq km land: 33,883 sq km water: 7,643 sq km Netherlands Antilles total: 960 sq km land: 960 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin) New Caledonia total: 19,060 sq km land: 18,575 sq km water: 485 sq km New Zealand total: 268,680 sq km land: 268,021 sq km water: NA note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands Nicaragua total: 129,494 sq km land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km Niger total: 1.267 million sq km land: 1,266,700 sq km water: 300 sq km Nigeria total: 923,768 sq km land: 910,768 sq km water: 13,000 sq km Niue total: 260 sq km land: 260 sq km water: 0 sq km Norfolk Island total: 34.6 sq km land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km Northern Mariana Islands total: 477 sq km land: 477 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian Norway total: 323,802 sq km land: 307,442 sq km water: 16,360 sq km Oman total: 212,460 sq km land: 212,460 sq km water: 0 sq km Pacific Ocean total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies Pakistan total: 803,940 sq km land: 778,720 sq km water: 25,220 sq km Palau total: 458 sq km land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km Palmyra Atoll total: 11.9 sq km land: 11.9 sq km water: 0 sq km Panama total: 78,200 sq km land: 75,990 sq km water: 2,210 sq km Papua New Guinea total: 462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km Paracel Islands total: NA sq km land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km Paraguay total: 406,750 sq km land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km Peru total: 1,285,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km Philippines total: 300,000 sq km land: 298,170 sq km water: 1,830 sq km Pitcairn Islands total: 47 sq km land: 47 sq km water: 0 sq km Poland total: 312,685 sq km land: 304,465 sq km water: 8,220 sq km Portugal total: 92,391 sq km land: 91,951 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands Puerto Rico total: 13,790 sq km land: 8,870 sq km water: 4,921 sq km Qatar total: 11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km Reunion total: 2,517 sq km land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km Romania total: 237,500 sq km land: 230,340 sq km water: 7,160 sq km Russia total: 17,075,200 sq km land: 16,995,800 sq km water: 79,400 sq km Rwanda total: 26,338 sq km land: 24,948 sq km water: 1,390 sq km Saint Helena total: 413 sq km land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km water: 0 sq km Saint Kitts and Nevis total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km) land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km Saint Lucia total: 616 sq km land: 606 sq km water: 10 sq km Saint Pierre and Miquelon total: 242 sq km land: 242 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups Saint Vincent and the Grenadines total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km) land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km Samoa total: 2,944 sq km land: 2,934 sq km water: 10 sq km San Marino total: 61.2 sq km land: 61.2 sq km water: 0 sq km Sao Tome and Principe total: 1,001 sq km land: 1,001 sq km water: 0 sq km Saudi Arabia total: 1,960,582 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km Senegal total: 196,190 sq km land: 192,000 sq km water: 4,190 sq km Serbia total: 88,361 sq km land: 88,361 sq km water: 0 sq km Seychelles total: 455 sq km land: 455 sq km water: 0 sq km Sierra Leone total: 71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km Singapore total: 692.7 sq km land: 682.7 sq km water: 10 sq km Slovakia total: 48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km Slovenia total: 20,273 sq km land: 20,151 sq km water: 122 sq km Solomon Islands total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km Somalia total: 637,657 sq km land: 627,337 sq km water: 10,320 sq km South Africa total: 1,219,912 sq km land: 1,219,912 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of eleven islands Southern Ocean total: 20.327 million sq km note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies Spain total: 504,782 sq km land: 499,542 sq km water: 5,240 sq km note: there are 2 autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera Spratly Islands total: less than 5 sq km land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea Sri Lanka total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km Sudan total: 2,505,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km Suriname total: 163,270 sq km land: 161,470 sq km water: 1,800 sq km Svalbard total: 61,020 sq km land: 61,020 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island) Swaziland total: 17,363 sq km land: 17,203 sq km water: 160 sq km Sweden total: 449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km Switzerland total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km Syria total: 185,180 sq km land: 184,050 sq km water: 1,130 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory Taiwan total: 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy Tajikistan total: 143,100 sq km land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km Tanzania total: 945,087 sq km land: 886,037 sq km water: 59,050 sq km note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar Thailand total: 514,000 sq km land: 511,770 sq km water: 2,230 sq km Togo total: 56,785 sq km land: 54,385 sq km water: 2,400 sq km Tokelau total: 10 sq km land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km Tonga total: 748 sq km land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km Trinidad and Tobago total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km Tromelin Island total: 1 sq km land: 1 sq km water: 0 sq km Tunisia total: 163,610 sq km land: 155,360 sq km water: 8,250 sq km Turkey total: 780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km Turkmenistan total: 488,100 sq km land: 488,100 sq km water: NEGL Turks and Caicos Islands total: 430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km Tuvalu total: 26 sq km land: 26 sq km water: 0 sq km Uganda total: 236,040 sq km land: 199,710 sq km water: 36,330 sq km Ukraine total: 603,700 sq km land: 603,700 sq km water: 0 sq km United Arab Emirates total: 82,880 sq km land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km United Kingdom total: 244,820 sq km land: 241,590 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands United States total: 9,631,420 sq km land: 9,161,923 sq km water: 469,497 sq km note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges total - 6,959.41 sq km; emergent land - 22.41 sq km; submerged - 6,937 sq km Baker Island: total - 129 sq km; emergent land - 2.1 sq km; submerged - 127 sq km Howland Island: total - 139 sq km; emergent land - 2.6 sq km; submerged - 136 sq km Jarvis Island: total - 152 sq km; emergent land - 5 sq km; submerged - 147 sq km Johnston Atoll: total - 276.6 sq km; emergent land - 2.6 sq km; submerged - 274 sq km Kingman Reef: total - 1,958.01 sq km; emergent land - 0.01 sq km; submerged - 1,958 sq km Midway Islands: total - 2,355.2 sq km; emergent land - 6.2 sq km; submerged - 2,349 sq km Palmyra Atoll: total - 1,949.9 sq km; emergent land - 3.9 sq km; submerged - 1,946 sq km Uruguay total: 176,220 sq km land: 173,620 sq km water: 2,600 sq km Uzbekistan total: 447,400 sq km land: 425,400 sq km water: 22,000 sq km Vanuatu total: 12,200 sq km land: 12,200 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited Venezuela total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km Vietnam total: 329,560 sq km land: 325,360 sq km water: 4,200 sq km Virgin Islands total: 1,910 sq km land: 346 sq km water: 1,564 sq km Wake Island total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km Wallis and Futuna total: 274 sq km land: 274 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets West Bank total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967 Western Sahara total: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km World total: 510.072 million sq km land: 148.94 million sq km water: 361.132 million sq km note: 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land Yemen total: 527,970 sq km land: 527,970 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen) Zambia total: 752,614 sq km land: 740,724 sq km water: 11,890 sq km Zimbabwe total: 390,580 sq km land: 386,670 sq km water: 3,910 sq km This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2149 Diplomatic representation in the US Afghanistan chief of mission: Ambassador Said Tayeb JAWAD chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] 202-483-6410 FAX: [1] 202-483-6488 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Akrotiri none (overseas territory of the UK) Albania chief of mission: Ambassador Aleksander SALLABANDA chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942 FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342 Algeria chief of mission: Ambassador Amine KHERBI chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174 American Samoa none (territory of the US) Andorra chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jelena V. PIA-COMELLA chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064 FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630 Angola chief of mission: Ambassador Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKITI chancery: 2108 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1258 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York Anguilla none (overseas territory of the UK) Antigua and Barbuda chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122 FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami Argentina chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Octavio BORDON chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400 FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York Armenia chief of mission: Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles Aruba none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Ashmore and Cartier Islands none (territory of Australia) Australia chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco Austria chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Azerbaijan chief of mission: Ambassador Yashar ALIYEV chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911 Consulate(s) general: Los Angeles Bahamas, The chief of mission: vacant chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Bahrain chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Muhammad al-BALUSHI chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York Bangladesh chief of mission: Ambassador Shamsher Mobin CHOWDHURY chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Barbados chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York consulate(s): Los Angeles Belarus chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604 FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805 consulate(s) general: New York Belgium chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York consulate(s): Atlanta Belize chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles Benin chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996 Bermuda none (overseas territory of the UK) Bhutan none; note - Bhutan has a Permanent Mission to the UN; address: 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; FAX [1] (212) 826-2998; the Bhutanese mission to the UN has consular jurisdiction in the US consulate(s) general: New York Bolivia chief of mission: Ambassador Gustavo GUZMAN Saldana chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410 FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712 consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC Bosnia and Herzegovina chief of mission: Ambassador Bisera TURKOVIC chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York Botswana chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164 Brazil chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto P. ABDENUR chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700 FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco British Indian Ocean Territory none (overseas territory of the UK) British Virgin Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Brunei chief of mission: Ambassador Pengiran Anak Dato PUTEH chancery: 3520 International Court NW #300, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1838 FAX: [1] (202) 885-0560 Bulgaria chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Burkina Faso chief of mission: Ambassador Tertius ZONGO chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 Burma chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT LWIN chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351 consulate(s) general: New York Burundi chief of mission: Ambassador Celestin NIYONGABO chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574 FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578 Cambodia chief of mission: Ambassador EK SEREYWATH chancery: 4530 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7742 FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381 Cameroon chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790 FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826 Canada chief of mission: Ambassador Michael WILSON chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740 FAX: [1] (202) 682-7701 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson consulate(s): Anchorage, Houston, Philadelphia, Princeton (New Jersey), Raleigh, San Jose (California) Cape Verde chief of mission: Ambassador Jose BRITO chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 965-6820 FAX: [1] (202) 965-1207 consulate(s) general: Boston Cayman Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Central African Republic chief of mission: Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893 Chad chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Adam BECHIR chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937 Chile chief of mission: Ambassador Mariano FERNANDEZ chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 530-4104, 530-4106, 530-4107 FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) China chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco Christmas Island none (territory of Australia) Cocos (Keeling) Islands none (territory of Australia) Colombia chief of mission: Ambassador Carolina BARCO Isakson chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338 FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC Comoros chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud M. ABOUD chancery: Mission to the US, 336 East 45th Street (2nd floor), New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637 Congo, Democratic Republic of the chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009: note - Consular Office at 1726 M Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691 FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609 Congo, Republic of the chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860 Cook Islands none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) Coral Sea Islands none (territory of Australia) Costa Rica chief of mission: Ambassador Tomas DUENAS chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Hammond (temporary location in Louisiana), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa (temporarily closed), Washington, DC consulate(s): San Francisco Cote d'Ivoire chief of mission: Ambassador Daouda DIABATE chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300 FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088 Croatia chief of mission: Ambassador Neven JURICA chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899 FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Cuba none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Bernardo GUANCHE Hernandez; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521 Cyprus chief of mission: Ambassador Andreas KAKOURIS chancery: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-5772, 462-0873 FAX: [1] (202) 483-6710 consulate(s) general: New York note: representative of the Turkish Cypriot community in the US is Osman ERTUG; office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC; telephone [1] (202) 887-6198 Czech Republic chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Denmark chief of mission: Ambassador Friis Arne PETERSEN chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York Dhekelia none (overseas territory of the UK) Djibouti chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302 Dominica chief of mission: Ambassador Judith Anne ROLLE, Third Secretary chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 consulate(s) general: New York Dominican Republic chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280 FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) East Timor chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Constancio PINTO chancery: 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: 202 966-3202 FAX: 202 966-3205 consulate(s) general: New York Ecuador chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200 FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC Egypt chief of mission: Ambassador Nabil FAHMY chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco El Salvador chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671 FAX: [1] (202) 234-3834 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New Jersey), Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2), Nogales (Arizona), Santa Ana (California), San Francisco, Washington, DC consulate(s): Boston Equatorial Guinea chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252 Eritrea chief of mission: Ambassador GHIRMAI Ghebremariam chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 consulate(s) general: Oakland (California) Estonia chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108 consulate(s) general: New York Ethiopia chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200 FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York European Union chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500 FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) Faroe Islands none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Fiji chief of mission: Ambassador Jesoni VITUSAGAVULU chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996 Finland chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800 FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York France chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-David LEVITTE chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 944-6166 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco French Guiana none (overseas department of France) French Polynesia none (overseas lands of France) French Southern and Antarctic Lands none (overseas territory of France) Gabon chief of mission: Ambassador Jules Marius OGOUEBANDJA chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668 consulate(s): New York Gambia, The chief of mission: Ambassador Dodou Bammy JAGNE chancery: Suite 905, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430 Georgia chief of mission: Ambassador Vasil SIKHARULIDZE chancery: 1101 15th Street NW, Suite 602, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390 FAX: [1] (202) 393-4537 Germany chief of mission: Ambassador Klaus SCHARIOTH chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000 FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco Ghana chief of mission: Ambassador Fritz Kwabena POKU chancery: 1156 15th St. NW #905, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430 consulate(s) general: New York Gibraltar none (overseas territory of the UK) Greece chief of mission: Ambassador Alexandros P. MALLIAS chancery: 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-1300 FAX: [1] (202) 939-1324 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tampa consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans Greenland none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) Grenada chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561 FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468 consulate(s) general: New York Guadeloupe none (overseas department of France) Guam none (territory of the US) Guatemala chief of mission: Ambassador Guillermo CASTILLO chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952 FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Providence, San Francisco Guernsey none (British crown dependency) Guinea chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ibrihama Sory TRAORE chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 478-3800 Guinea-Bissau chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC; Guinea-Bissau's representative in Washington is Henrique Adriano DA SILVA, P.O. Box 33813, Washington, DC 20033, telephone: (301)947-3958 Guyana chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 consulate(s) general: New York Haiti chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH (as of October 2005) chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090 FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Heard Island and McDonald Islands none (territory of Australia) Holy See (Vatican City) chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036 Honduras chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto FLORES Bermudez chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville Hong Kong none (special administrative region of China) Hungary chief of mission: Ambassador Andras SIMONYI chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Iceland chief of mission: Ambassador Helgi AGUSTSSON chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653 FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656 consulate(s) general: New York India chief of mission: Ambassador Ranendra SEN chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Consular Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4351 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco Indonesia chief of mission: Ambassador SUDJADNAN Parnohadiningrat chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 775-5200 FAX: [1] (202) 775-5365 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco Iran none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073 Iraq chief of mission: Ambassador Samir Shakir al-SUMAYDI chancery: 1801 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7500 FAX: [1] (202) 462-5066 Ireland chief of mission: Ambassador Noel FAHEY chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco Isle of Man none (British crown dependency) Israel chief of mission: Ambassador Salai MERIDOR chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco Italy chief of mission: Ambassador Giovanni CASTELLANETA chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit Jamaica chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Japan chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo KATO chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle Jersey none (British crown dependency) Jordan chief of mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664 FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110 Kazakhstan chief of mission: Ambassador Kanat B. SAUDABAYEV chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845 consulate(s): New York Kenya chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard NGAITHE chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles Kiribati Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu Korea, North none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York Korea, South chief of mission: Ambassador LEE Tae-sik chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600 FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205 consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle Kuwait chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517 Kyrgyzstan chief of mission: Ambassador Zamira SYDYKOVA chancery: 2360 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-5141 FAX: [1] (202) 386-7550 consulate(s): New York Laos chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923 Latvia chief of mission: Ambassador Maris RIEKSTINS chancery: 2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2840 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2860 Lebanon chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324 consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles Lesotho chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815 Liberia chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. MINOR chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York Libya chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ali AUJALI chancery: 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 705, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 944-9601 FAX: [1] (202) 944-9060 Liechtenstein chief of mission: Ambassador Claudia FRITSCHE chancery: 888 17th Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0590 FAX: [1] (202) 331-3221 Lithuania chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kornelija JURGAITIENE chancery: 4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860 FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York Luxembourg chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph WEYLAND chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171/72 FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco Macau none (special administrative region of China) Macedonia chief of mission: Ambassador Ljupco JORDANOVSKI chancery: 2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-0501 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2131 consulate(s) general: Southfield (Michigan) Madagascar chief of mission: Ambassador Rajaonarivony NARISOA chancery: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526 FAX: [1] (202) 265-3034 consulate(s) general: New York Malawi chief of mission: Ambassador Bernard Herbert SANDE chancery: 1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 320, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 721-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 721-0288 Malaysia chief of mission: Ambassador GHAZZALI bin Sheikh Abdul Khalid chancery: 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700 FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Maldives chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed LATHEEF chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6195 FAX: [1] (212) 661-6405 Mali chief of mission: Ambassador Abdoulaye DIOP chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603 Malta chief of mission: Ambassador John LOWELL chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612 FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470 consulate(s): New York Marshall Islands chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu Martinique none (overseas department of France) Mauritania chief of mission: Ambassador Tijani Ould Mohamed EL KERIM chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623 Mauritius chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983 Mayotte none (territorial collectivity of France) Mexico chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Alberto DE ICAZA Gonzalez chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico) consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona) Micronesia, Federated States of chief of mission: Ambassador Jesse Bibiano MAREHALAU chancery: 1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4383 FAX: [1] (202) 223-4391 consulate(s) general: Honolulu, Tamuning (Guam) Moldova chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae CHIRTOACA chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204 Monaco Monaco does not have an embassy in the US consulate(s) general: New York Mongolia chief of mission: Ambassador Ravdan BOLD chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117 FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227 Montenegro chief of mission: Ambassador Miodrag VLAHOVIC Montserrat none (overseas territory of the UK) Morocco chief of mission: Ambassador Aziz MEKOUAR chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979 FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161 consulate(s) general: New York Mozambique chief of mission: Ambassador Armando PANGUENE chancery: 1990 M Street NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146 FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245 Namibia chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick NANDAGO chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443 Nauru chief of mission: Ambassador Vinci Niel CLODUMAR chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074 FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079 consulate(s): Agana (Guam) Nepal chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534 consulate(s) general: New York Netherlands chief of mission: Ambassador Christiaan Mark Johan KRONER chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300 FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York consulate(s): Boston Netherlands Antilles none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands New Caledonia none (overseas territory of France) New Zealand chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Nicaragua chief of mission: Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco Niger chief of mission: Ambassador Aminata Maiga Djibrilla TOURE chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227 FAX: [1] (202)483-3169 Nigeria chief of mission: Ambassador Professor George A. OBIOZOR chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400 FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, New York Niue none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) Norfolk Island none (territory of Australia) Norway chief of mission: Ambassador Knut VOLLEBAEK chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870 consulate(s) general: Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco Oman chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1981, 1988 FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933 Pakistan chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmud Ali DURRANI chancery: 3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 686-1544 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (California) Palau chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA chancery: 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814 FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281 consulate(s) general: Honolulu consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam) Panama chief of mission: Ambassador Federico HUMBERT Arias chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407 FAX: [1] (202) 483-8416 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa Papua New Guinea chief of mission: Ambassador Evan Jeremy PAKI chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680 FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679 Paraguay chief of mission: Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962 FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508 consulate(s) general: Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York Peru chief of mission: Ambassador Felipe ORTIZ de Zevallos chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869 FAX: [1] (202) 659-8124 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, Washington, DC Philippines chief of mission: Ambassador Willy C. GAA chancery: 1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-9300 FAX: [1] (202) 328-7614 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Jose (Northern Mariana Islands), Tamuning (Guam) Pitcairn Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Poland chief of mission: Ambassador Janusz REITER chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802 FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Portugal chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis Alves CATARINO chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726 consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island) Puerto Rico none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) Qatar chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Hamad bin Mubarak al-KHALIFA chancery: 2555 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603 FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061 consulate(s) general: Houston Reunion none (overseas department of France) Romania chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Daniela GITMAN chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851, 4852 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Russia chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708 FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle Rwanda chief of mission: Ambassador Zac NSENGA chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544 Saint Helena none (overseas territory of the UK) Saint Kitts and Nevis chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Izben Cordinal WILLIAMS chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636 FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740 consulate(s) general: New York Saint Lucia chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Saint Pierre and Miquelon none (territorial collectivity of France) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 consulate(s) general: New York Samoa chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 San Marino San Marino does not have an embassy in the US honorary consulate(s) general: New York, Washington, DC honorary consulate(s): Detroit, Honolulu Sao Tome and Principe chief of mission: First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA chancery: 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 317-0580 FAX: [1] (212) 935-7348 consulate(s): Atlanta Saudi Arabia chief of mission: Ambassador TURKI al-Faysal bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800 FAX: [1] (202) 944-3113 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, New York Senegal chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York Serbia chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan VUJACIC chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333 FAX: [1] (202) 332-3933 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York Seychelles chief of mission: Ambassador Jeremie BONNELAME chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785 FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786 Sierra Leone chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793 Singapore chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100 FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876 consulate(s) general: San Francisco consulate(s): New York Slovakia chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054 FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Slovenia chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ZBOGAR chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 667-5363 FAX: [1] (202) 667-4563 consulate(s) general: Cleveland, New York Solomon Islands chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925 Somalia Somalia does not have an embassy in the US (ceased operations on 8 May 1991); note - the TFG and other factions have representatives in Washington and at the United Nations South Africa chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) Spain chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340 FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Sri Lanka chief of mission: Ambassador Bernard GOONETILLEKE chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028) FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York Sudan chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad Interim Khidir HAROUN (since April 2001) chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406 Suriname chief of mission: Ambassador Henry Lothar ILLES chancery: Suite 460, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-7488 FAX: [1] (202) 244-5878 consulate(s) general: Miami Swaziland chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002 FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254 Sweden chief of mission: Ambassador Gunnar LUND chancery: 902 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York Switzerland chief of mission: Ambassador Urs ZISWILER chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco consulate(s): Boston Syria chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548 Taiwan none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 12 other US cities Tajikistan chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV chancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090 FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091 Tanzania chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew Mhando DARAJA chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6125 FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408 Thailand chief of mission: Ambassador Virasakdi FUTRAKUL chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007-3681 telephone: [1] (202) 944-3600 FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Togo chief of mission: Ambassador Akoussoulelou BODJONA chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190 Tokelau none (territory of New Zealand) Tonga chief of mission: Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025 FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024 consulate(s) general: San Francisco Trinidad and Tobago chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Tunisia chief of mission: Ambassador Nejib HACHANA chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858 Turkey chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York Turkmenistan chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOV chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697 Turks and Caicos Islands none (overseas territory of the UK) Tuvalu Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534 Uganda chief of mission: Ambassador Edith G. SSEMPALA chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727 Ukraine chief of mission: Ambassador Oleh V. SHAMSHUR chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606 FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco United Arab Emirates chief of mission: Ambassador Saqr Ghobash Said GHOBASH chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400 FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432 consulate(s): New York, Houston United Kingdom chief of mission: Ambassador David G. MANNING chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, Orlando Uruguay chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Alberto GIANELLI Derois chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York consulate(s): San Juan (Puerto Rico) Uzbekistan chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulaziz KAMILOV chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 887-5300 FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804 consulate(s) general: New York Vanuatu Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN Venezuela chief of mission: Ambassador Bernardo ALVAREZ Herrera chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214 FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) Vietnam chief of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Tam CHIEN chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737 FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917 consulate(s) general: San Francisco Virgin Islands none (territory of the US) Wallis and Futuna none (overseas territory of France) Western Sahara none Yemen chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahab Abdallah al-HAJRI chancery: 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017 Zambia chief of mission: Ambassador Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826 Zimbabwe chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. MAPURANGA chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100 FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326 This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2150 Telephones - main lines in use Afghanistan 100,000 (2005) Albania 255,000 (2003) Algeria 2.572 million (2005) American Samoa 15,000 (2001) Andorra 35,400 (2005) Angola 94,300 (2005) Anguilla 6,200 (2002) Antarctica 0; note - information for US bases only (2001) Antigua and Barbuda 38,000 (2004) Argentina 8.8 million (2005) Armenia 582,500 (2004) Aruba 37,100 (2002) Australia 11.46 million (2005) Austria 3.705 million (2005) Azerbaijan 1,091,400 (2005) Bahamas, The 139,900 (2004) Bahrain 196,500 (2005) Bangladesh 1.07 million (2005) Barbados 134,900 (2005) Belarus 3,284,300 (2005) Belgium 4.801 million (2004) Belize 33,300 (2005) Benin 76,300 (2005) Bermuda 56,000 (2002) Bhutan 32,700 (2005) Bolivia 646,300 (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina 968,900 (2005) Botswana 132,000 (2005) Brazil 42.382 million (2004) British Indian Ocean Territory NA British Virgin Islands 11,700 (2002) Brunei 90,000 (2002) Bulgaria 2,483,500 (2005) Burkina Faso 97,400 (2005) Burma 476,200 (2005) Burundi 27,700 (2004) Cambodia 36,400 (2003) Cameroon 99,400 (2004) Canada 18.276 million (2005) Cape Verde 71,400 (2005) Cayman Islands 38,000 (2002) Central African Republic 10,000 (2004) Chad 13,000 (2004) Chile 3,435,900 (2005) China 350.433 million (2005) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands 287 (1992) Colombia 7,678,800 (2005) Comoros 16,900 (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 10,600 (2005) Congo, Republic of the 13,800 (2004) Cook Islands 6,200 (2002) Costa Rica 1,388,500 (2005) Cote d'Ivoire 257,900 (2004) Croatia 1,889,500 (2005) Cuba 849,900 (2005) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 420,000 (2005); north Cyprus: 86,228 (2002) Czech Republic 3,217,300 (2005) Denmark 3.35 million (2005) Djibouti 11,100 (2004) Dominica 21,000 (2004) Dominican Republic 894,500 (2005) East Timor NA Ecuador 1,701,500 (2005) Egypt 10,396,100 (2005) El Salvador 971,500 (2005) Equatorial Guinea 10,000 (2005) Eritrea 37,700 (2005) Estonia 442,000 (2005) Ethiopia 610,300 (2005) European Union 238,763,162 (2002) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 2,400 (2002) Faroe Islands 23,800 (2005) Fiji 102,000 (2003) Finland 2.12 million (2005) France 35.7 million (2005) French Guiana 51,000 (2001) French Polynesia 53,400 (2005) Gabon 39,100 (2005) Gambia, The 44,000 (2005) Gaza Strip 349,000 (includes West Bank) (2005) Georgia 683,200 (2004) Germany 55.046 million (2005) Ghana 321,500 (2005) Gibraltar 24,512 (2002) Greece 6.303 million (2005) Greenland 25,300 (2002) Grenada 32,700 (2004) Guadeloupe 210,000 (2001) Guam 84,134 (2001) Guatemala 1,132,100 (2004) Guernsey 55,100 (2004) Guinea 26,200 (2003) Guinea-Bissau 10,600 (2003) Guyana 110,100 (2005) Haiti 140,000 (2004) Holy See (Vatican City) 5,120 (2005) Honduras 494,400 (2005) Hong Kong 3,794,600 (2005) Hungary 3.356 million (2005) Iceland 193,900 (2005) India 49.75 million (2005) Indonesia 12.772 million (2005) Iran 18.986 million (2005) Iraq 1,034,200 (2004) Ireland 2.033 million (2005) Isle of Man 51,000 (1999) Israel 2,936,300 (2005) Italy 25.049 million (2005) Jamaica 342,000 (2005) Japan 58.78 million (2005) Jersey 73,900 (2001) Jordan 617,300 (2004) Kazakhstan 2.5 million (2004) Kenya 281,800 (2005) Kiribati 4,500 (2002) Korea, North 980,000 (2003) Korea, South 23.745 million (2005) Kuwait 510,300 (2005) Kyrgyzstan 438,200 (2005) Laos 90,067 (2006) Latvia 731,000 (2005) Lebanon 990,000 (2005) Lesotho 48,000 (2005) Liberia 6,900 (2002) Libya 750,000 (2003) Liechtenstein 19,900 (2002) Lithuania 801,100 (2005) Luxembourg 244,500 (2005) Macau 174,400 (2005) Macedonia 533,200 (2005) Madagascar 66,900 (2005) Malawi 102,700 (2005) Malaysia 4.366 million (2005) Maldives 32,300 (2005) Mali 75,000 (2005) Malta 202,100 (2005) Marshall Islands 5,510 (2004) Martinique 172,000 (2001) Mauritania 41,000 (2005) Mauritius 359,000 (2005) Mayotte 10,000 (2002) Mexico 19.512 million (2005) Micronesia, Federated States of 12,400 (2005) Moldova 929,400 (2005) Monaco 33,700 (2002) Mongolia 156,000 (2005) Montenegro 177,663 (2005) Montserrat NA Morocco 1,341,200 (2005) Mozambique 69,700 (2004) Namibia 127,900 (2004) Nauru 1,900 (2002) Nepal 448,600 (2005) Netherlands 7.6 million (2005) Netherlands Antilles 81,000 (2001) New Caledonia 55,300 (2005) New Zealand 1,800,500 (2004) Nicaragua 220,900 (2005) Niger 24,000 (2005) Nigeria 1,223,300 (2005) Niue 1,100 est (2002) Norfolk Island 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) Northern Mariana Islands 21,000 (2000) Norway 2.129 million (2005) Oman 265,200 (2005) Pakistan 5,277,500 (2005) Palau 6,700 (2002) Panama 440,100 (2005) Papua New Guinea 62,000 (2002) Paraguay 320,300 (2005) Peru 2,250,500 (2005) Philippines 3,437,500 (2004) Pitcairn Islands 1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004) Poland 11.803 million (2005) Portugal 4.234 million (2005) Puerto Rico 1,111,900 (2004) Qatar 205,400 (2005) Reunion 300,000 (2001) Romania 4.391 million (2005) Russia 40.1 million (2005) Rwanda 23,000 (2004) Saint Helena 2,200 (2002) Saint Kitts and Nevis 25,000 (2004) Saint Lucia 51,100 (2002) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 4,800 (2002) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22,500 (2005) Samoa 13,300 (2003) San Marino 20,600 (2002) Sao Tome and Principe 7,000 (2004) Saudi Arabia 3.8 million (2005) Senegal 266,600 (2005) Serbia 2,685,400 (2004) Seychelles 21,400 (2005) Sierra Leone 24,000 (2002) Singapore 1.848 million (2005) Slovakia 1.197 million (2005) Slovenia 816,400 (2005) Solomon Islands 7,400 (2005) Somalia 100,000 (2005) South Africa 4.729 million (2005) Spain 18.322 million (2005) Sri Lanka 1.244 million (2005) Sudan 670,000 (2005) Suriname 81,100 (2004) Svalbard NA Swaziland 35,000 (2005) Sweden 6.447 million (2004) Switzerland 5.123 million (2005) Syria 2.903 million (2005) Taiwan 13.615 million (2005) Tajikistan 245,200 (2004) Tanzania 148,400 (2004) Thailand 7.035 million (2005) Togo 58,600 (2005) Tokelau 300 (2002) Tonga 11,200 (2002) Trinidad and Tobago 323,500 (2005) Tunisia 1,257,500 (2005) Turkey 18.978 million (2005) Turkmenistan 376,100 (2003) Turks and Caicos Islands 5,700 (2002) Tuvalu 700 (2002) Uganda 100,800 (2005) Ukraine 12.142 million (2004) United Arab Emirates 1.237 million (2005) United Kingdom 32.943 million (2005) United States 268 million (2003) Uruguay 1 million (2004) Uzbekistan 1,717,100 (2003) Vanuatu 6,800 (2004) Venezuela 3,605,500 (2005) Vietnam 15.845 million (2005) Virgin Islands 70,900 (2004) Wallis and Futuna 1,900 (2002) West Bank 357,300 (includes Gaza Strip) (2004) Western Sahara about 2,000 (1999 est.) World 1,263,367,600 (2005) Yemen 798,100 (2004) Zambia 94,700 (2005) Zimbabwe 328,000 (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2151 Telephones - mobile cellular Afghanistan 1.2 million (2005) Albania 1.259 million (2004) Algeria 13.661 million (2005) American Samoa 2,377 (1999) Andorra 64,600 (2005) Angola 1,094,100 (2005) Anguilla 1,800 (2002) Antarctica NA Antigua and Barbuda 54,000 (2004) Argentina 22.1 million (2005) Armenia 320,000 (2005) Aruba 98,400 (2004) Australia 18.42 million (2005) Austria 8.16 million (2005) Azerbaijan 2.242 million (2005) Bahamas, The 186,000 (2004) Bahrain 748,700 (2005) Bangladesh 9 million (2005) Barbados 206,200 (2005) Belarus 4.098 million (2005) Belgium 9.46 million (2005) Belize 93,100 (2005) Benin 386,700 (2005) Bermuda 49,000 (2004) Bhutan 37,800 (2005) Bolivia 2.421 million (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.594 million (2005) Botswana 823,100 (2005) Brazil 86.21 million (2005) British Virgin Islands 8,000 (2002) Brunei 205,900 (2004) Bulgaria 6.245 million (2005) Burkina Faso 572,200 (2005) Burma 183,400 (2005) Burundi 153,000 (2005) Cambodia 1.062 million (2005) Cameroon 2.259 million (2005) Canada 16.6 million (2005) Cape Verde 81,700 (2005) Cayman Islands 17,000 (2002) Central African Republic 60,000 (2004) Chad 210,000 (2005) Chile 10.57 million (2005) China 393.428 million (2005) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands note - analog cellular service available Colombia 21.85 million (2005) Comoros 16,100 (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 2.746 million (2005) Congo, Republic of the 490,000 (2005) Cook Islands 1,500 (2002) Costa Rica 1.101 million (2005) Cote d'Ivoire 2.19 million (2005) Croatia 2.984 million (2005) Cuba 134,500 (2005) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 718,800 (2005); north Cyprus: 143,178 (2002) Czech Republic 11.776 million (2005) Denmark 5.469 million (2005) Djibouti 34,500 (2004) Dominica 41,800 (2004) Dominican Republic 3.623 million (2005) East Timor NA Ecuador 6.246 million (2005) Egypt 14,045,134 (2005) El Salvador 2.412 million (2005) Equatorial Guinea 96,900 (2005) Eritrea 40,400 (2005) Estonia 1.445 million (2005) Ethiopia 410,600 (2005) European Union 314,644,700 (2002) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 (2001) Faroe Islands 42,500 (2005) Fiji 142,200 (2004) Finland 5.231 million (2005) France 48.058 million (2005) French Guiana 98,000 (2004) French Polynesia 87,000 (2005) Gabon 649,800 (2005) Gambia, The 247,500 (2005) Gaza Strip 1.095 million (includes West Bank) (2005) Georgia 1.459 million (2005) Germany 79.2 million (2005) Ghana 2.842 million (2005) Gibraltar 9,797 (2002) Greece 10.043 million (2005) Greenland 32,200 (2004) Grenada 43,300 (2004) Guadeloupe 314,700 (2004) Guam 98,000 (2004) Guatemala 3,168,300 (2004) Guernsey 43,800 (2004) Guinea 189,000 (2005) Guinea-Bissau 67,000 (2005) Guyana 281,400 (2005) Haiti 400,000 (2004) Holy See (Vatican City) NA Honduras 1.282 million (2005) Hong Kong 8.693 million (2005) Hungary 9.32 million (2005) Iceland 304,000 (2005) India 69,193,321 (2006) Indonesia 46.91 million (2005) Iran 7.222 million (2005) Iraq 574,000 (2004) Ireland 4.21 million (2005) Isle of Man NA Israel 7.757 million (2005) Italy 72.2 million (2005) Jamaica 2.7 million (2005) Japan 94.745 million (2005) Jersey 83,900 (2004) Jordan 1,594,500 (2004) Kazakhstan 4.955 million (2005) Kenya 4.612 million (2005) Kiribati 600 (2004) Korea, North NA Korea, South 38.342 million (2005) Kuwait 2.38 million (2005) Kyrgyzstan 541,700 (2005) Laos 520,546 (2006) Latvia 1.872 million (2005) Lebanon 990,000 (2005) Lesotho 245,100 (2005) Liberia 160,000 (2005) Libya 234,800 (2004) Liechtenstein 11,400 (2002) Lithuania 4.353 million (2005) Luxembourg 720,000 (2005) Macau 532,800 (2005) Macedonia 1.261 million (2005) Madagascar 504,700 (2005) Malawi 429,300 (2005) Malaysia 19.545 million (2005) Maldives 153,400 (2005) Mali 869,600 (2005) Malta 324,000 (2005) Marshall Islands 1,198 (2004) Martinique 319,900 (2002) Mauritania 745,600 (2005) Mauritius 713,300 (2005) Mayotte 48,100 (2004) Mexico 47.462 million (2005) Micronesia, Federated States of 14,100 (2005) Moldova 1.09 million (2005) Monaco 19,300 (2002) Mongolia 557,200 (2005) Montenegro 543,220 (2005) Montserrat 70 (1994) Morocco 12.393 million (2005) Mozambique 1.22 million (2005) Namibia 495,000 (2005) Nauru 1,500 (2002) Nepal 248,800 (2005) Netherlands 15.834 million (2005) Netherlands Antilles 200,000 (2004) New Caledonia 134,300 (2005) New Zealand 3.53 million (2005) Nicaragua 1.119 million (2005) Niger 299,900 (2005) Nigeria 21,571,131 (2006) Niue 400 (2002) Norfolk Island 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) Northern Mariana Islands 20,500 (2004) Norway 4.755 million (2005) Oman 1.333 million (2005) Pakistan 12.771 million (2005) Palau 1,000 (2002) Panama 1.352 million (2005) Papua New Guinea 26,000 (2005) Paraguay 1.887 million (2005) Peru 5.583 million (2005) Philippines 32.81 million (2005) Poland 29,166,400 (2005) Portugal 11.448 million (2005) Puerto Rico 2.682 million (2004) Qatar 716,800 (2005) Reunion 579,200 (2004) Romania 13.354 million (2005) Russia 120 million (2005) Rwanda 290,000 note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several provincial capitals (2005) Saint Helena NA Saint Kitts and Nevis 10,000 (2004) Saint Lucia 93,000 (2004) Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 70,600 (2005) Samoa 24,000 (2005) San Marino 16,800 (2002) Sao Tome and Principe 12,000 (2005) Saudi Arabia 13.3 million (2005) Senegal 1.73 million (2005) Serbia 5.229 million (2005) Seychelles 57,000 (2005) Sierra Leone 113,200 (2003) Singapore 4.385 million (2005) Slovakia 4.54 million (2005) Slovenia 1.759 million (2005) Solomon Islands 6,000 (2005) Somalia 500,000 (2005) South Africa 33.96 million (2005) Spain 41.328 million (2005) Sri Lanka 3.362 million (2005) Sudan 1.828 million (2005) Suriname 232,800 (2005) Svalbard NA Swaziland 200,000 (2005) Sweden 8.436 million (2005) Switzerland 6.847 million (2005) Syria 2.95 million (2005) Taiwan 22.17 million (2005) Tajikistan 265,000 (2005) Tanzania 1.942 million (2005) Thailand 27.379 million (2005) Togo 443,600 (2005) Tokelau 0 (2001) Tonga 16,400 (2004) Trinidad and Tobago 800,000 (2005) Tunisia 5.681 million (2005) Turkey 43.609 million (2005) Turkmenistan 52,000 (2004) Turks and Caicos Islands 1,700 (1999) Tuvalu 0 (2004) Uganda 1.525 million (2005) Ukraine 17.214 million (2005) United Arab Emirates 4.535 million (2005) United Kingdom 61.091 million (2004) United States 219.4 million (2005) Uruguay 600,000 (2004) Uzbekistan 720,000 (2005) Vanuatu 12,700 (2005) Venezuela 12.496 million (2005) Vietnam 9.593 million (2005) Virgin Islands 64,200 (2004) Wallis and Futuna 0 (1994) West Bank 1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) Western Sahara 0 (1999) World 2,168,433,600 (2005) Yemen 2 million (2005) Zambia 946,600 (2005) Zimbabwe 699,000 (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2153 Internet users Afghanistan 30,000 (2005) Albania 75,000 (2005) Algeria 1.92 million (2005) American Samoa NA Andorra 21,900 (2005) Angola 172,000 (2005) Anguilla 3,000 (2002) Antigua and Barbuda 20,000 (2005) Argentina 10 million (2005) Armenia 150,000 (2005) Aruba 24,000 (2002) Australia 14,663,622 (2006) Austria 4.65 million (2005) Azerbaijan 678,800 (2005) Bahamas, The 93,000 (2005) Bahrain 152,700 (2005) Bangladesh 300,000 (2005) Barbados 160,000 (2005) Belarus 3,394,400 (2005) Belgium 5.1 million (2005) Belize 35,000 (2005) Benin 425,000 (2005) Bermuda 39,000 (2005) Bhutan 25,000 (2005) Bolivia 480,000 (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina 806,400 (2005) Botswana 60,000 (2002) Brazil 25.9 million (2005) British Virgin Islands 4,000 (2002) Brunei 56,000 (2005) Bulgaria 2.2 million (2005) Burkina Faso 64,600 (2005) Burma 78,000 (2005) Burundi 25,000 (2005) Cambodia 41,000 (2005) Cameroon 167,000 (2005) Canada 21.9 million (2005) Cape Verde 25,000 (2005) Cayman Islands 9,909 (2003) Central African Republic 9,000 (2005) Chad 35,000 (2005) Chile 6.7 million (2005) China 123 million (2006) Christmas Island 464 (2001) Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 4.739 million (2005) Comoros 20,000 (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 140,600 (2005) Congo, Republic of the 36,000 (2005) Cook Islands 3,600 (2002) Costa Rica 1 million (2005) Cote d'Ivoire 160,000 (2005) Croatia 1,451,100 (2005) Cuba 190,000 note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets, to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet" (2005) Cyprus 298,000 (2005) Czech Republic 5.1 million (2005) Denmark 3,762,500 (2005) Djibouti 9,000 (2005) Dominica 20,500 (2005) Dominican Republic 938,300 (2005) East Timor 1,000 (2004) Ecuador 616,000 (2005) Egypt 5 million (2005) El Salvador 637,100 (2005) Equatorial Guinea 5,000 (2005) Eritrea 70,000 (2005) Estonia 690,000 (2005) Ethiopia 113,000 (2005) European Union 239,881,917 (2006) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1,900 (2002) Faroe Islands 33,000 (2005) Fiji 61,000 (2004) Finland 3.286 million (2005) France 29.521 million (2006) French Guiana 38,000 (2005) French Polynesia 55,000 (2005) Gabon 67,000 (2005) Gambia, The 49,000 (2005) Gaza Strip 243,000 (includes West Bank) (2005) Georgia 175,600 (2005) Germany 50.616 million (2006) Ghana 401,300 (2005) Gibraltar 6,200 (2002) Greece 3.8 million (2005) Greenland 38,000 (2005) Grenada 19,000 (2005) Guadeloupe 79,000 (2005) Guam 79,000 (2004) Guatemala 756,000 (2005) Guernsey 36,000 (2005) Guinea 46,000 (2005) Guinea-Bissau 26,000 (2005) Guyana 160,000 (2005) Haiti 500,000 (2005) Holy See (Vatican City) 93 (2000) Honduras 223,000 (2005) Hong Kong 4,878,713 (2005) Hungary 3.05 million (2005) Iceland 258,000 (2005) India 60 million (2005) Indonesia 16 million (2005) Iran 7.5 million (2005) Iraq 36,000 (2005) Ireland 2.06 million (2005) Isle of Man NA Israel 3.7 million (2006) Italy 28.87 million (2005) Jamaica 1.067 million (2005) Japan 86.3 million (2005) Jersey 27,000 (2005) Jordan 629,500 (2005) Kazakhstan 400,000 (2005) Kenya 1,054,900 (2005) Kiribati 2,000 (2004) Korea, North NA Korea, South 33.9 million (2005) Kuwait 700,000 (2005) Kyrgyzstan 280,000 (2005) Laos 25,000 (2005) Latvia 1.03 million (2005) Lebanon 700,000 (2005) Lesotho 43,000 (2005) Liberia 1,000 (2002) Libya 205,000 (2005) Liechtenstein 20,000 (2002) Lithuania 1,221,700 (2005) Luxembourg 315,000 (2005) Macau 201,000 (2004) Macedonia 392,671 (2005) Madagascar 90,000 (2005) Malawi 52,500 (2005) Malaysia 11.016 million (2005) Maldives 19,000 (2005) Mali 60,000 (2005) Malta 127,200 (2005) Marshall Islands 2,000 (2005) Martinique 107,000 (2005) Mauritania 14,000 (2005) Mauritius 180,000 (2005) Mayotte NA Mexico 18,622,500 (2005) Micronesia, Federated States of 14,000 (2005) Moldova 406,000 (2005) Monaco 16,000 (2002) Mongolia 268,300 (2005) Montenegro 50,000 (2004) Montserrat NA Morocco 4.6 million (2005) Mozambique 138,000 (2005) Namibia 75,000 (2005) Nauru 300 (2002) Nepal 175,000 (2005) Netherlands 10,806,328 (2004) Netherlands Antilles 2,000 (2000) New Caledonia 76,000 (2005) New Zealand 3.2 million (2005) Nicaragua 140,000 (2005) Niger 24,000 (2005) Nigeria 5 million (2005) Niue 900 (2002) Norfolk Island 700 Northern Mariana Islands 10,000 (2003) Norway 3.14 million (2005) Oman 245,000 (2005) Pakistan 10.5 million (2005) Panama 300,000 (2005) Papua New Guinea 170,000 (2005) Paraguay 200,000 (2005) Peru 4.6 million (2005) Philippines 7.82 million (2005) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland 10.6 million (2005) Portugal 7,782,700 (2006) Puerto Rico 1 million (2005) Qatar 219,000 (2005) Reunion 200,000 (2005) Romania 4.94 million (2005) Russia 23.7 million (2005) Rwanda 38,000 (2005) Saint Helena 1,000 note - includes Ascension Island (2003) Saint Kitts and Nevis 10,000 (2002) Saint Lucia 55,000 (2005) Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8,000 (2005) Samoa 6,000 (2004) San Marino 14,300 (2002) Sao Tome and Principe 20,000 (2005) Saudi Arabia 2.54 million (2005) Senegal 540,000 (2005) Serbia 1.4 million (2006) Seychelles 20,000 (2005) Sierra Leone 10,000 (2005) Singapore 2,421,800 (2005) Slovakia 2.5 million (2005) Slovenia 1.09 million (2005) Solomon Islands 8,400 (2005) Somalia 90,000 (2005) South Africa 5.1 million (2005) Spain 19,204,771 (2006) Sri Lanka 280,000 (2005) Sudan 2.8 million (2005) Suriname 30,000 (2005) Svalbard NA Swaziland 36,000 (2005) Sweden 6.8 million (2005) Switzerland 5,097,822 (2005) Syria 1.1 million (2005) Taiwan 13.21 million (2005) Tajikistan 5,000 (2005) Tanzania 333,000 (2005) Thailand 8.42 million (2005) Togo 300,000 (2005) Tokelau NA Tonga 3,000 (2004) Trinidad and Tobago 160,000 (2005) Tunisia 953,800 (2005) Turkey 16 million (2005) Turkmenistan 36,000 (2005) Turks and Caicos Islands NA Tuvalu 1,300 (2002) Uganda 500,000 (2005) Ukraine 5,278,100 (2005) United Arab Emirates 1,397,200 (2005) United Kingdom 37.6 million (2005) United States 205,326,680 (2005) Uruguay 680,000 (2005) Uzbekistan 880,000 (2005) Vanuatu 7,500 (2004) Venezuela 3.04 million (2005) Vietnam 13.1 million (2006) Virgin Islands 30,000 (2002) Wallis and Futuna 900 (2002) West Bank 243,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) Western Sahara NA World 1,018,057,389 (2005) Yemen 220,000 (2005) Zambia 231,000 (2005) Zimbabwe 1 million (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2154 Internet country code Afghanistan .af Albania .al Algeria .dz American Samoa .as Andorra .ad Angola .ao Anguilla .ai Antarctica .aq Antigua and Barbuda .ag Argentina .ar Armenia .am Aruba .aw Australia .au Austria .at Azerbaijan .az Bahamas, The .bs Bahrain .bh Bangladesh .bd Barbados .bb Belarus .by Belgium .be Belize .bz Benin .bj Bermuda .bm Bhutan .bt Bolivia .bo Bosnia and Herzegovina .ba Botswana .bw Bouvet Island .bv Brazil .br British Indian Ocean Territory .io British Virgin Islands .vg Brunei .bn Bulgaria .bg Burkina Faso .bf Burma .mm Burundi .bi Cambodia .kh Cameroon .cm Canada .ca Cape Verde .cv Cayman Islands .ky Central African Republic .cf Chad .td Chile .cl China .cn Christmas Island .cx Cocos (Keeling) Islands .cc Colombia .co Comoros .km Congo, Democratic Republic of the .cd Congo, Republic of the .cg Cook Islands .ck Costa Rica .cr Cote d'Ivoire .ci Croatia .hr Cuba .cu Cyprus .cy Czech Republic .cz Denmark .dk Djibouti .dj Dominica .dm Dominican Republic .do East Timor .tl; note - ICANN approved the change from .tp in January 2005 Ecuador .ec Egypt .eg El Salvador .sv Equatorial Guinea .gq Eritrea .er Estonia .ee Ethiopia .et European Union .eu (effective 2005); note - see country entries of member states for individual country codes Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) .fk Faroe Islands .fo Fiji .fj Finland .fi; note - the IANA has assigned the ccTLD of .ax to the Aland Islands France .fr French Guiana .gf French Polynesia .pf French Southern and Antarctic Lands .tf Gabon .ga Gambia, The .gm Gaza Strip .ps Georgia .ge Germany .de Ghana .gh Gibraltar .gi Greece .gr Greenland .gl Grenada .gd Guadeloupe .gp Guam .gu Guatemala .gt Guernsey .gg Guinea .gn Guinea-Bissau .gw Guyana .gy Haiti .ht Heard Island and McDonald Islands .hm Holy See (Vatican City) .va Honduras .hn Hong Kong .hk Hungary .hu Iceland .is India .in Indonesia .id Iran .ir Iraq .iq Ireland .ie Isle of Man .im Israel .il Italy .it Jamaica .jm Japan .jp Jersey .je Jordan .jo Kazakhstan .kz Kenya .ke Kiribati .ki Korea, North .kp Korea, South .kr Kuwait .kw Kyrgyzstan .kg Laos .la Latvia .lv Lebanon .lb Lesotho .ls Liberia .lr Libya .ly Liechtenstein .li Lithuania .lt Luxembourg .lu Macau .mo Macedonia .mk Madagascar .mg Malawi .mw Malaysia .my Maldives .mv Mali .ml Malta .mt Marshall Islands .mh Martinique .mq Mauritania .mr Mauritius .mu Mayotte .yt Mexico .mx Micronesia, Federated States of .fm Moldova .md Monaco .mc Mongolia .mn Montenegro .me Montserrat .ms Morocco .ma Mozambique .mz Namibia .na Nauru .nr Nepal .np Netherlands .nl Netherlands Antilles .an New Caledonia .nc New Zealand .nz Nicaragua .ni Niger .ne Nigeria .ng Niue .nu Norfolk Island .nf Northern Mariana Islands .mp Norway .no Oman .om Pakistan .pk Palau .pw Panama .pa Papua New Guinea .pg Paraguay .py Peru .pe Philippines .ph Pitcairn Islands .pn Poland .pl Portugal .pt Puerto Rico .pr Qatar .qa Reunion .re Romania .ro Russia .ru; note - Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" that was allocated to the Soviet Union, and whose legal status and ownership are contested by the Russian Government, ICANN, and several Russian commercial entities Rwanda .rw Saint Helena .sh; note - the IANA has assigned .ac as the ccTLD for Ascension Island Saint Kitts and Nevis .kn Saint Lucia .lc Saint Pierre and Miquelon .pm Saint Vincent and the Grenadines .vc Samoa .ws San Marino .sm Sao Tome and Principe .st Saudi Arabia .sa Senegal .sn Serbia .rs; note - former ccTLD .yu will remain in service until the end of 2006 Seychelles .sc Sierra Leone .sl Singapore .sg Slovakia .sk Slovenia .si Solomon Islands .sb Somalia .so South Africa .za South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands .gs Spain .es Sri Lanka .lk Sudan .sd Suriname .sr Svalbard .sj Swaziland .sz Sweden .se Switzerland .ch Syria .sy Taiwan .tw Tajikistan .tj Tanzania .tz Thailand .th Togo .tg Tokelau .tk Tonga .to Trinidad and Tobago .tt Tunisia .tn Turkey .tr Turkmenistan .tm Turks and Caicos Islands .tc Tuvalu .tv Uganda .ug Ukraine .ua United Arab Emirates .ae United Kingdom .uk United States .us Uruguay .uy Uzbekistan .uz Vanuatu .vu Venezuela .ve Vietnam .vn Virgin Islands .vi Wallis and Futuna .wf West Bank .ps Western Sahara .eh Yemen .ye Zambia .zm Zimbabwe .zw This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2155 HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) Afghanistan 0.01% (2001 est.) Albania NA Algeria 0.1% ; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) American Samoa NA Andorra NA Angola 3.9% (2003 est.) Anguilla NA Antigua and Barbuda NA Argentina 0.7% (2001 est.) Armenia 0.1% (2003 est.) Aruba NA Australia 0.1% (2003 est.) Austria 0.3% (2003 est.) Azerbaijan less than 0.1% (2003 est.) Bahamas, The 3% (2003 est.) Bahrain 0.2% (2001 est.) Bangladesh less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Barbados 1.5% (2003 est.) Belarus 0.3% (2001 est.) Belgium 0.2% (2003 est.) Belize 2.4% (2003 est.) Benin 1.9% (2003 est.) Bermuda 0.297% (2005) Bhutan less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Bolivia 0.1% (2003 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Botswana 37.3% (2003 est.) Brazil 0.7% (2003 est.) British Virgin Islands NA Brunei less than 0.1% (2003 est.) Bulgaria less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Burkina Faso 4.2% (2003 est.) Burma 1.2% (2003 est.) Burundi 6% (2003 est.) Cambodia 2.6% (2003 est.) Cameroon 6.9% (2003 est.) Canada 0.3% (2003 est.) Cape Verde 0.035% (2001 est.) Cayman Islands NA Central African Republic 13.5% (2003 est.) Chad 4.8% (2003 est.) Chile 0.3% (2003 est.) China 0.1% (2003 est.) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 0.7% (2003 est.) Comoros 0.12% (2001 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4.2% (2003 est.) Congo, Republic of the 4.9% (2003 est.) Cook Islands NA Costa Rica 0.6% (2003 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 7% (2003 est.) Croatia less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Cuba less than 0.1% (2003 est.) Cyprus 0.1% (2003 est.) Czech Republic less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Denmark 0.2% (2003 est.) Djibouti 2.9% (2003 est.) Dominica NA Dominican Republic 1.7% (2003 est.) East Timor NA Ecuador 0.3% (2003 est.) Egypt less than 0.1% (2001 est.) El Salvador 0.7% (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea 3.4% (2001 est.) Eritrea 2.7% (2003 est.) Estonia 1.1% (2001 est.) Ethiopia 4.4% (2003 est.) European Union NA Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands NA Fiji 0.1% (2003 est.) Finland less than 0.1% (2003 est.) France 0.4% (2003 est.) French Guiana NA French Polynesia NA Gabon 8.1% (2003 est.) Gambia, The 1.2% (2003 est.) Gaza Strip NA Georgia less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Germany 0.1% (2001 est.) Ghana 3.1% (2003 est.) Gibraltar NA Greece 0.2% (2001 est.) Greenland NA Grenada NA Guadeloupe NA Guam NA Guatemala 1.1% (2003 est.) Guernsey NA Guinea 3.2% (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau 10% (2003 est.) Guyana 2.5% (2003 est.) Haiti 5.6% (2003 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) NA Honduras 1.8% (2003 est.) Hong Kong 0.1% (2003 est.) Hungary 0.1% (2001 est.) Iceland 0.2% (2001 est.) India 0.9% (2001 est.) Indonesia 0.1% (2003 est.) Iran less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Iraq less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Ireland 0.1% (2001 est.) Isle of Man NA Israel 0.1% (2001 est.) Italy 0.5% (2001 est.) Jamaica 1.2% (2003 est.) Japan less than 0.1% (2003 est.) Jersey NA Jordan less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Kazakhstan 0.2% (2001 est.) Kenya 6.7% (2003 est.) Kiribati NA Korea, North NA Korea, South less than 0.1% (2003 est.) Kuwait 0.12% (2001 est.) Kyrgyzstan less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Laos 0.1% (2003 est.) Latvia 0.6% (2001 est.) Lebanon 0.1% (2001 est.) Lesotho 28.9% (2003 est.) Liberia 5.9% (2003 est.) Libya 0.3% (2001 est.) Liechtenstein NA Lithuania 0.1% (2001 est.) Luxembourg 0.2% (2001 est.) Macau NA Macedonia less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Madagascar 1.7% (2003 est.) Malawi 14.2% (2003 est.) Malaysia 0.4% (2003 est.) Maldives 0.1% (2001 est.) Mali 1.9% (2003 est.) Malta 0.2% (2001 est.) Marshall Islands NA Martinique NA Mauritania 0.6% (2003 est.) Mauritius 0.1% (2001 est.) Mayotte NA Mexico 0.3% (2003 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of NA Moldova 0.2% (2001 est.) Monaco NA Mongolia less than 0.1% (2003 est.) Montserrat NA Morocco 0.1% (2001 est.) Mozambique 12.2% (2003 est.) Namibia 21.3% (2003 est.) Nauru NA Nepal 0.5% (2001 est.) Netherlands 0.2% (2001 est.) Netherlands Antilles NA New Caledonia NA New Zealand 0.1% (2003 est.) Nicaragua 0.2% (2003 est.) Niger 1.2% (2003 est.) Nigeria 5.4% (2003 est.) Niue NA Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands NA Norway 0.1% (2001 est.) Oman 0.1% (2001 est.) Pakistan 0.1% (2001 est.) Palau NA Panama 0.9% (2003 est.) Papua New Guinea 0.6% (2003 est.) Paraguay 0.5% (2003 est.) Peru 0.5% (2003 est.) Philippines less than 0.1% (2003 est.) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland 0.1% ; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) Portugal 0.4% (2001 est.) Puerto Rico NA Qatar 0.09% (2001 est.) Reunion NA Romania less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Russia 1.1% (2001 est.) Rwanda 5.1% (2003 est.) Saint Helena NA Saint Kitts and Nevis NA Saint Lucia NA Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA Samoa NA San Marino NA Sao Tome and Principe NA Saudi Arabia 0.01% (2001 est.) Senegal 0.8% (2003 est.) Seychelles NA Sierra Leone 7% (2001 est.) Singapore 0.2% (2003 est.) Slovakia less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Slovenia less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Solomon Islands NA Somalia 1% (2001 est.) South Africa 21.5% (2003 est.) Spain 0.7% (2001 est.) Sri Lanka less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Sudan 2.3% (2001 est.) Suriname 1.7% (2001 est.) Svalbard 0% (2001) Swaziland 38.8% (2003 est.) Sweden 0.1% (2001 est.) Switzerland 0.4% (2001 est.) Syria less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Taiwan NA Tajikistan less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Tanzania 8.8% (2003 est.) Thailand 1.5% (2003 est.) Togo 4.1% (2003 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga NA Trinidad and Tobago 3.2% (2003 est.) Tunisia less than 0.1% (2005 est.) Turkey less than 0.1% - note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) Turkmenistan less than 0.1% (2004 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands NA Tuvalu NA Uganda 4.1% (2003 est.) Ukraine 1.4% (2003 est.) United Arab Emirates 0.18% (2001 est.) United Kingdom 0.2% (2001 est.) United States 0.6% (2003 est.) Uruguay 0.3% (2001 est.) Uzbekistan less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Vanuatu NA Venezuela 0.7% - note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) Vietnam 0.4% (2003 est.) Virgin Islands NA Wallis and Futuna NA West Bank NA Western Sahara NA World NA Yemen 0.1% (2001 est.) Zambia 16.5% (2003 est.) Zimbabwe 24.6% (2001 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2156 HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS Afghanistan NA Albania NA Algeria 9,100 (2003 est.) American Samoa NA Andorra NA Angola 240,000 (2003 est.) Anguilla NA Antigua and Barbuda NA Argentina 130,000 (2001 est.) Armenia 2,600 (2003 est.) Aruba NA Australia 14,000 (2003 est.) Austria 10,000 (2003 est.) Azerbaijan 1,400 (2003 est.) Bahamas, The 5,600 (2003 est.) Bahrain less than 600 (2003 est.) Bangladesh 13,000 (2001 est.) Barbados 2,500 (2003 est.) Belarus 15,000 (2001 est.) Belgium 10,000 (2003 est.) Belize 3,600 (2003 est.) Benin 68,000 (2003 est.) Bermuda 163 (2005) Bhutan less than 100 (1999 est.) Bolivia 4,900 (2003 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 900 (2003 est.) Botswana 350,000 (2003 est.) Brazil 660,000 (2003 est.) British Virgin Islands NA Brunei less than 200 (2003 est.) Bulgaria 346 (2001 est.) Burkina Faso 300,000 (2003 est.) Burma 330,000 (2003 est.) Burundi 250,000 (2003 est.) Cambodia 170,000 (2003 est.) Cameroon 560,000 (2003 est.) Canada 56,000 (2003 est.) Cape Verde 775 (2001) Cayman Islands NA Central African Republic 260,000 (2003 est.) Chad 200,000 (2003 est.) Chile 26,000 (2003 est.) China 840,000 (2003 est.) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 190,000 (2003 est.) Comoros NA Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.1 million (2003 est.) Congo, Republic of the 90,000 (2003 est.) Cook Islands NA Costa Rica 12,000 (2003 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 570,000 (2003 est.) Croatia 200 (2001 est.) Cuba 3,300 (2003 est.) Cyprus less than 1,000 (1999 est.) Czech Republic 2,500 (2001 est.) Denmark 5,000 (2003 est.) Djibouti 9,100 (2003 est.) Dominica NA Dominican Republic 88,000 (2003 est.) East Timor NA Ecuador 21,000 (2003 est.) Egypt 12,000 (2001 est.) El Salvador 29,000 (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea 5,900 (2001 est.) Eritrea 60,000 (2003 est.) Estonia 7,800 (2003 est.) Ethiopia 1.5 million (2003 est.) European Union NA Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands NA Fiji 600 (2003 est.) Finland 1,500 (2003 est.) France 120,000 (2003 est.) French Guiana NA French Polynesia NA Gabon 48,000 (2003 est.) Gambia, The 6,800 (2003 est.) Gaza Strip NA Georgia 3,000 (2003 est.) Germany 43,000 (2001 est.) Ghana 350,000 (2003 est.) Gibraltar NA Greece 9,100 (2001 est.) Greenland 100 (1999) Grenada NA Guadeloupe NA Guam NA Guatemala 78,000 (2003 est.) Guernsey NA Guinea 140,000 (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau 17,000 (2001 est.) Guyana 11,000 (2003 est.) Haiti 280,000 (2003 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) NA Honduras 63,000 (2003 est.) Hong Kong 2,600 (2003 est.) Hungary 2,800 (2001 est.) Iceland 220 (2001 est.) India 5.1 million (2001 est.) Indonesia 110,000 (2003 est.) Iran 31,000 (2001 est.) Iraq less than 500 (2003 est.) Ireland 2,800 (2001 est.) Isle of Man NA Israel 3,000 (1999 est.) Italy 140,000 (2001 est.) Jamaica 22,000 (2003 est.) Japan 12,000 (2003 est.) Jersey NA Jordan 600 (2003 est.) Kazakhstan 16,500 (2001 est.) Kenya 1.2 million (2003 est.) Kiribati NA Korea, North NA Korea, South 8,300 (2003 est.) Kuwait NA Kyrgyzstan 3,900 (2003 est.) Laos 1,700 (2003 est.) Latvia 7,600 (2001 est.) Lebanon 2,800 (2003 est.) Lesotho 320,000 (2003 est.) Liberia 100,000 (2003 est.) Libya 10,000 (2001 est.) Liechtenstein NA Lithuania 1,300 (2003 est.) Luxembourg less than 500 (2003 est.) Macau NA Macedonia less than 200 (2003 est.) Madagascar 140,000 (2003 est.) Malawi 900,000 (2003 est.) Malaysia 52,000 (2003 est.) Maldives less than 100 (2001 est.) Mali 140,000 (2003 est.) Malta less than 500 (2003 est.) Marshall Islands NA Martinique NA Mauritania 9,500 (2003 est.) Mauritius 700 (2001 est.) Mayotte NA Mexico 160,000 (2003 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of NA Moldova 5,500 (2001 est.) Monaco NA Mongolia less than 500 (2003 est) Montserrat NA Morocco 15,000 (2001 est.) Mozambique 1.3 million (2003 est.) Namibia 210,000 (2001 est.) Nauru NA Nepal 61,000 (2001 est.) Netherlands 19,000 (2001 est.) Netherlands Antilles NA New Caledonia NA New Zealand 1,400 (2003 est.) Nicaragua 6,400 (2003 est.) Niger 70,000 (2003 est.) Nigeria 3.6 million (2003 est.) Niue NA Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands NA Norway 2,100 (2001 est.) Oman 1,300 (2001 est.) Pakistan 74,000 (2001 est.) Palau NA Panama 16,000 (2003 est.) Papua New Guinea 16,000 (2003 est.) Paraguay 15,000 (1999 est.) Peru 82,000 (2003 est.) Philippines 9,000 (2003 est.) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland 14,000 (2003 est.) Portugal 22,000 (2001 est.) Puerto Rico 7,397 (1997) Qatar NA Reunion NA Romania 6,500 (2001 est.) Russia 860,000 (2001 est.) Rwanda 250,000 (2003 est.) Saint Helena NA Saint Kitts and Nevis NA Saint Lucia NA Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA Samoa 12 San Marino NA Sao Tome and Principe NA Saudi Arabia NA Senegal 44,000 (2003 est.) Seychelles NA Sierra Leone 170,000 (2001 est.) Singapore 4,100 (2003 est.) Slovakia less than 200 (2003 est.) Slovenia 280 (2001 est.) Solomon Islands NA Somalia 43,000 (2001 est.) South Africa 5.3 million (2003 est.) Spain 140,000 (2001 est.) Sri Lanka 3,500 (2001 est.) Sudan 400,000 (2001 est.) Suriname 5,200 (2001 est.) Svalbard 0 (2001) Swaziland 220,000 (2003 est.) Sweden 3,600 (2001 est.) Switzerland 13,000 (2001 est.) Syria less than 500 (2003 est.) Taiwan NA Tajikistan less than 200 (2003 est.) Tanzania 1.6 million (2003 est.) Thailand 570,000 (2003 est.) Togo 110,000 (2003 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga NA Trinidad and Tobago 29,000 (2003 est.) Tunisia 1,000 (2003 est.) Turkey NA Turkmenistan less than 200 (2003 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands NA Tuvalu NA Uganda 530,000 (2001 est.) Ukraine 360,000 (2001 est.) United Arab Emirates NA United Kingdom 51,000 (2001 est.) United States 950,000 (2003 est.) Uruguay 6,000 (2001 est.) Uzbekistan 11,000 (2003 est.) Vanuatu NA Venezuela 110,000 (1999 est.) Vietnam 220,000 (2003 est.) Virgin Islands NA Wallis and Futuna NA West Bank NA Western Sahara NA World NA Yemen 12,000 (2001 est.) Zambia 920,000 (2003 est.) Zimbabwe 1.8 million (2001 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2157 HIV/AIDS - deaths Afghanistan NA Albania NA Algeria less than 500 (2003 est.) American Samoa NA Andorra NA Angola 21,000 (2003 est.) Anguilla NA Antigua and Barbuda NA Argentina 1,500 (2003 est.) Armenia less than 200 (2003 est.) Aruba NA Australia less than 200 (2003 est.) Austria less than 100 (2003 est.) Azerbaijan less than 100 (2001 est.) Bahamas, The less than 200 (2003 est.) Bahrain less than 200 (2003 est.) Bangladesh 650 (2001 est.) Barbados less than 200 (2003 est.) Belarus 1,000 (2001 est.) Belgium less than 100 (2003 est.) Belize less than 200 (2003 est.) Benin 5,800 (2003 est.) Bermuda 392 (2005) Bhutan NA Bolivia less than 500 (2003 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 100 (2001 est.) Botswana 33,000 (2003 est.) Brazil 15,000 (2003 est.) British Virgin Islands NA Brunei less than 200 (2003 est.) Bulgaria 100 (2001 est.) Burkina Faso 29,000 (2003 est.) Burma 20,000 (2003 est.) Burundi 25,000 (2003 est.) Cambodia 15,000 (2003 est.) Cameroon 49,000 (2003 est.) Canada 1,500 (2003 est.) Cape Verde 225 (as of 2001) Cayman Islands NA Central African Republic 23,000 (2003 est.) Chad 18,000 (2003 est.) Chile 1,400 (2003 est.) China 44,000 (2003 est.) Christmas Island NA Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA Colombia 3,600 (2003 est.) Comoros NA Congo, Democratic Republic of the 100,000 (2003 est.) Congo, Republic of the 9,700 (2003 est.) Cook Islands NA Costa Rica 900 (2003 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 47,000 (2003 est.) Croatia less than 10 (2001 est.) Cuba less than 200 (2003 est.) Cyprus NA Czech Republic less than 10 (2001 est.) Denmark less than 100 (2003 est.) Djibouti 690 (2003 est.) Dominica NA Dominican Republic 7,900 (2003 est.) East Timor NA Ecuador 1,700 (2003 est.) Egypt 700 (2003 est.) El Salvador 2,200 (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea 370 (2001 est.) Eritrea 6,300 (2003 est.) Estonia less than 200 (2003 est.) Ethiopia 120,000 (2003 est.) European Union NA Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands NA Fiji less than 200 (2003 est.) Finland less than 100 (2003 est.) France less than 1,000 (2003 est.) French Guiana NA French Polynesia NA Gabon 3,000 (2003 est.) Gambia, The 600 (2003 est.) Gaza Strip NA Georgia less than 200 (2003 est.) Germany less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Ghana 30,000 (2003 est.) Gibraltar NA Greece less than 100 (2003 est.) Greenland NA Grenada NA Guadeloupe NA Guam NA Guatemala 5,800 (2003 est.) Guernsey NA Guinea 9,000 (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau 1,200 (2001 est.) Guyana 1,100 (2003 est.) Haiti 24,000 (2003 est.) Holy See (Vatican City) NA Honduras 4,100 (2003 est.) Hong Kong less than 200 (2003 est.) Hungary less than 100 (2001 est.) Iceland less than 100 (2003 est.) India 310,000 (2001 est.) Indonesia 2,400 (2003 est.) Iran 800 (2003 est.) Iraq NA Ireland less than 100 (2003 est.) Isle of Man NA Israel 100 (2001 est.) Italy less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Jamaica 900 (2003 est.) Japan 500 (2003 est.) Jersey NA Jordan less than 500 (2003 est.) Kazakhstan less than 200 (2003 est.) Kenya 150,000 (2003 est.) Kiribati NA Korea, North NA Korea, South less than 200 (2003 est.) Kuwait NA Kyrgyzstan less than 200 (2003 est.) Laos less than 200 (2003 est.) Latvia less than 500 (2003 est.) Lebanon less than 200 (2003 est.) Lesotho 29,000 (2003 est.) Liberia 7,200 (2003 est.) Libya NA Liechtenstein NA Lithuania less than 200 (2003 est.) Luxembourg less than 100 (2003 est.) Macau NA Macedonia less than 100 (2003 est.) Madagascar 7,500 (2003 est.) Malawi 84,000 (2003 est.) Malaysia 2,000 (2003 est.) Maldives NA Mali 12,000 (2003 est.) Malta less than 100 (2003 est.) Marshall Islands NA Martinique NA Mauritania less than 500 (2003 est.) Mauritius less than 100 (2001 est.) Mayotte NA Mexico 5,000 (2003 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of NA Moldova less than 300 (2001 est.) Monaco NA Mongolia less than 200 (2003 est.) Montserrat NA Morocco NA Mozambique 110,000 (2003 est.) Namibia 16,000 (2003 est.) Nauru NA Nepal 3,100 (2003 est.) Netherlands less than 100 (2003 est.) Netherlands Antilles NA New Caledonia NA New Zealand less than 200 (2003 est.) Nicaragua less than 500 (2003 est.) Niger 4,800 (2003 est.) Nigeria 310,000 (2003 est.) Niue NA Norfolk Island NA Northern Mariana Islands NA Norway less than 100 (2003 est.) Oman less than 200 (2003 est.) Pakistan 4,900 (2003 est.) Palau NA Panama less than 500 (2003 est.) Papua New Guinea 600 (2003 est.) Paraguay 600 (2003 est.) Peru 4,200 (2003 est.) Philippines less than 500 (2003 est.) Pitcairn Islands NA Poland 100 (2001 est.) Portugal less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Puerto Rico NA Qatar NA Reunion NA Romania 350 (2001 est.) Russia 9,000 (2001 est.) Rwanda 22,000 (2003 est.) Saint Helena NA Saint Kitts and Nevis NA Saint Lucia NA Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA Samoa 3 San Marino NA Sao Tome and Principe NA Saudi Arabia NA Senegal 3,500 (2003 est.) Seychelles NA Sierra Leone 11,000 (2001 est.) Singapore less than 200 (2003 est.) Slovakia less than 100 (2001 est.) Slovenia less than 100 (2003 est.) Solomon Islands NA Somalia NA South Africa 370,000 (2003 est.) Spain less than 1,000 (2003 est.) Sri Lanka less than 200 (2003 est.) Sudan 23,000 (2003 est.) Suriname less than 500 (2003 est.) Svalbard 0 (2001) Swaziland 17,000 (2003 est.) Sweden less than 100 (2003 est.) Switzerland less than 100 (2003 est.) Syria less than 200 (2003 est.) Taiwan NA Tajikistan less than 100 (2001 est.) Tanzania 160,000 (2003 est.) Thailand 58,000 (2003 est.) Togo 10,000 (2003 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga NA Trinidad and Tobago 1,900 (2003 est.) Tunisia less than 200 (2003 est.) Turkey NA Turkmenistan less than 100 (2004 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands NA Tuvalu NA Uganda 78,000 (2003 est.) Ukraine 20,000 (2003 est.) United Arab Emirates NA United Kingdom less than 500 (2003 est.) United States 14,000 (2003 est.) Uruguay less than 500 (2003 est.) Uzbekistan less than 500 (2003 est.) Vanuatu NA Venezuela 4,100 (2003 est.) Vietnam 9,000 (2003 est.) Virgin Islands NA Wallis and Futuna NA West Bank NA Western Sahara NA World NA Yemen NA Zambia 89,000 (2003 est.) Zimbabwe 170,000 (2003 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2172 Distribution of family income - Gini index Albania 28.2 (2002) Algeria 35.3 (1995) Argentina 52.2 (2001) Armenia 41.3 (2004) Australia 35.2 (1994) Austria 31 (2002) Azerbaijan 36.5 (2001) Bangladesh 31.8 (2000) Belarus 30.4 (2000) Belgium 25 (1996) Bolivia 60.6 (2002) Bosnia and Herzegovina 26.2 (2001) Botswana 63 (1993) Brazil 59.7 (2004) Bulgaria 31.9 (2001) Burkina Faso 48.2 (1998) Burundi 33.3 (1998) Cambodia 40 (2004 est.) Cameroon 44.6 (2001) Canada 33.1 (1998) Central African Republic 61.3 (1993) Chile 57.1 (2000) China 44 (2002) Colombia 53.8 (2005) Costa Rica 46.5 (2000) Cote d'Ivoire 45.2 (1998) Croatia 29 (2001) Czech Republic 27.3 (2003) Denmark 23.2 (2002) Dominican Republic 47.4 (1998) East Timor 38 (2002 est.) Ecuador 42 note: data are for urban households (2003) Egypt 34.4 (2001) El Salvador 52.5 (2001) Estonia 33 (2003) Ethiopia 30 (2000) European Union 32 (2003 est.) Finland 26.9 (2000) France 32.7 (1995) Georgia 38 (2003) Germany 28.3 (2000) Ghana 30 (1999) Greece 35.1 (2003) Guatemala 48.3 (2000) Guinea 40.3 (1994) Honduras 55 (1999) Hong Kong 43.4 (1996) Hungary 24.96 (2002) India 32.5 (2000) Indonesia 34.3 (2002) Iran 43 (1998) Ireland 35.9 (1996) Israel 34 (2005) Italy 36 (2000) Jamaica 37.9 (2003) Japan 37.9 (2000) Jordan 36.4 (1997) Kazakhstan 31.5 (2003) Kenya 44.5 (1997) Korea, South 35.8 (2000) Kyrgyzstan 29 (2001) Laos 37 (1997) Latvia 35 (2003) Lesotho 63.2 (1995) Lithuania 32.5 (2003) Macedonia 28.2 (1998) Madagascar 47.5 (2001) Malawi 50.3 (1997) Malaysia 49.2 (1997) Mali 50.5 (1994) Mauritania 39 (2000) Mauritius 37 (1987 est.) Mexico 54.6 (2000) Moldova 36.2 (2001) Mongolia 44 (1998) Morocco 40 (2005 est.) Mozambique 39.6 (1996-97) Namibia 70.7 (2003) Nepal 37.7 (FY04/05) Netherlands 30.9 (2005) New Zealand 36.2 (1997) Nicaragua 55.1 (2001) Niger 50.5 (1995) Nigeria 50.6 (1996-97) Norway 25.8 (2000) Pakistan 41 (FY98/99) Panama 56.4 (2000) Papua New Guinea 50.9 (1996) Paraguay 56.8 (1999) Peru 49.8 (2000) Philippines 46.6 (2003) Poland 34.1 (2002) Portugal 38.5 (1997) Romania 28.8 (2003) Russia 40 (2002) Rwanda 28.9 (1985) Senegal 41.3 (1995) Sierra Leone 62.9 (1989) Singapore 42.5 (1998) Slovakia 25.8 (1996) Slovenia 28.4 (1998) South Africa 59.3 (1995) Spain 32.5 (1990) Sri Lanka 34.4 (1995) Sweden 25 (2000) Switzerland 33.1 (1992) Tajikistan 34.7 (1998) Tanzania 38.2 (1993) Thailand 51.1 (2002) Tunisia 40 (2005 est.) Turkey 42 (2003) Turkmenistan 40.8 (1998) Uganda 43 (1999) Ukraine 29 (1999) United Kingdom 36.8 (1999) United States 45 (2004) Uruguay 44.6 (2000) Uzbekistan 26.8 (2000) Venezuela 49.1 (1998) Vietnam 36.1 (1998) Yemen 33.4 (1998) Zambia 52.6 (1998) Zimbabwe 56.8 (2003) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2173 Oil - production (bbl/day) Afghanistan 0 bbl/day (2003) Albania 3,600 bbl/day (2005 est.) Algeria 1.373 million bbl/day (2005 est.) American Samoa 0 bbl/day (2003) Angola 1.6 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 0 bbl/day (2003) Argentina 745,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Armenia 0 bbl/day (2005) Aruba 2,363 bbl/day (2003) Australia 530,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Austria 17,810 bbl/day (2004) Azerbaijan 477,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Bahamas, The 0 bbl/day (2003) Bahrain 188,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Bangladesh 6,825 bbl/day (2003) Barbados 1,000 bbl/day (2003) Belarus 36,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Belgium 13,060 bbl/day (2003) Belize 0 bbl/day (2003) Benin 400 bbl/day (2003) Bermuda 0 bbl/day (2003) Bhutan 0 bbl/day (2003) Bolivia 42,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 bbl/day (2003) Botswana 0 bbl/day (2003) Brazil 2.01 million bbl/day (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands 0 bbl/day (2003) Brunei 200,800 bbl/day (2005) Bulgaria 1,000 bbl/day (2004) Burkina Faso 0 bbl/day (2003) Burma 18,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Burundi 0 bbl/day (2003) Cambodia 0 bbl/day (2003) Cameroon 82,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Canada 2.4 million bbl/day (2004) Cape Verde 0 bbl/day (2003) Cayman Islands 0 bbl/day (2003) Central African Republic 0 bbl/day (2003) Chad 225,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Chile 4,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) China 3.504 million bbl/day (2004) Colombia 512,400 bbl/day (2005 est.) Comoros 0 bbl/day (2003) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 22,000 bbl/day (2003) Congo, Republic of the 267,100 bbl/day (2005 est.) Cook Islands 0 bbl/day (2003) Costa Rica 0 bbl/day (2003) Cote d'Ivoire 32,900 bbl/day (2005 est.) Croatia 20,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Cuba 72,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Czech Republic 15,240 bbl/day (2005) Denmark 376,900 bbl/day (2003) Djibouti 0 bbl/day (2003) Dominica 0 bbl/day (2003) Dominican Republic 0 bbl/day (2003) Ecuador 493,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) Egypt 700,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) El Salvador 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea 420,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Eritrea 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Estonia 6,000 bbl/day (2004) Ethiopia 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) European Union 3.424 million bbl/day (2001) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Faroe Islands 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Fiji 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Finland 9,013 bbl/day (2003 est.) France 76,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) French Guiana 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) French Polynesia 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Gabon 268,900 bbl/day (2005 est.) Gambia, The 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Georgia 1,982 bbl/day (2003) Germany 158,700 bbl/day (2003) Ghana 7,433 bbl/day (2003 est.) Gibraltar 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Greece 5,805 bbl/day (2003 est.) Greenland 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Grenada 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guadeloupe 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guam 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guatemala 22,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Guinea 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guyana 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Haiti 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Honduras 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Hong Kong 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Hungary 45,190 bbl/day (2005) Iceland 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) India 785,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Indonesia 1.061 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Iran 3.979 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Iraq 2.093 million bbl/day; note - prewar production (in 2002) was 2.03 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Ireland 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Israel 2,740 bbl/day (2003 est.) Italy 136,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Jamaica 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Japan 120,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Jordan 40 bbl/day (2004 est.) Kazakhstan 1.3 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Kenya 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Kiribati 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Korea, North 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Korea, South 0 bbl/day (2004) Kuwait 2.418 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan 1,990 bbl/day (2003) Laos 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Latvia 0 bbl/day (2004) Lebanon 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Lesotho 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Liberia 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Libya 1.643 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Lithuania 14,000 bbl/day (2004) Luxembourg 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Macau 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Macedonia 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) Madagascar 89.27 bbl/day (2003 est.) Malawi 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Malaysia 770,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Maldives 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mali 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Malta 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Martinique 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mauritania 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) Mauritius 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mexico 3.42 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Moldova 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mongolia 548.8 bbl/day (2005 est.) Montenegro NA Montserrat 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Morocco 300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Mozambique 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Namibia 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Nauru 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Nepal 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) Netherlands 94,870 bbl/day (2003) Netherlands Antilles 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) New Caledonia 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) New Zealand 31,740 bbl/day (2003 est.) Nicaragua 14,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Niger 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Nigeria 2.451 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Niue 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Norway 3.22 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Oman 769,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Pakistan 63,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Panama 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Papua New Guinea 50,000 bbl/day (January 2006 est.) Paraguay 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Peru 120,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Philippines 14,360 bbl/day (2003 est.) Poland 24,530 bbl/day (2003 est.) Portugal 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Puerto Rico 436.1 bbl/day (2003 est.) Qatar 790,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Reunion 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Romania 119,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Russia 9.15 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Rwanda 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Helena 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Lucia 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Samoa 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saudi Arabia 9.475 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Senegal 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Serbia 14,660 bbl/day (2003) Seychelles 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Sierra Leone 0.8361 bbl/day (2003 est.) Singapore 8,290 bbl/day (2003 est.) Slovakia 11,480 bbl/day (2005 est.) Slovenia 11.05 bbl/day (2003 est.) Solomon Islands 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Somalia 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) South Africa 216,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Spain 24,540 bbl/day (2003 est.) Sri Lanka 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Sudan 401,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) Suriname 12,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Swaziland 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Sweden 2,441 bbl/day (2003 est.) Switzerland 1,950 bbl/day (2003 est.) Syria 403,800 bbl/day (2005 est.) Taiwan 8,354 bbl/day (2003 est.) Tajikistan 354.8 bbl/day (2003 est.) Tanzania 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Thailand 230,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Togo 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Tonga 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Tunisia 76,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Turkey 50,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Turkmenistan 203,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Uganda 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Ukraine 85,660 bbl/day (2004) United Arab Emirates 2.396 million bbl/day (2005 est.) United Kingdom 2.393 million bbl/day (2003 est.) United States 7.61 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Uruguay 435 bbl/day (2003 est.) Uzbekistan 152,000 bbl/day (2004) Vanuatu 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) Venezuela 3.081 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Vietnam 400,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Virgin Islands 14,650 bbl/day (2003 est.) Western Sahara 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) World 79.65 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Yemen 387,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Zambia 130.2 bbl/day (2003 est.) Zimbabwe 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2174 Oil - consumption (bbl/day) Afghanistan 5,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Albania 25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) Algeria 246,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) American Samoa 4,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Angola 46,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 3,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Argentina 450,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) Armenia 40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Aruba 6,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Australia 875,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Austria 249,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Azerbaijan 123,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Bahamas, The 23,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Bahrain 26,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Bangladesh 84,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Barbados 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Belarus 252,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Belgium 624,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Belize 6,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Benin 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Bermuda 4,658 bbl/day (2005 est.) Bhutan 1,100 bbl/day (2003 est.) Bolivia 48,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 21,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Botswana 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Brazil 1.61 million bbl/day (2004) British Virgin Islands 410 bbl/day (2003 est.) Brunei 10,770 bbl/day (2005 est.) Bulgaria 98,000 bbl/day (2004) Burkina Faso 8,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Burma 32,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Burundi 3,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Cambodia 3,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Cameroon 23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) Canada 2.3 million bbl/day (2004) Cape Verde 1,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Cayman Islands 2,450 bbl/day (2003 est.) Central African Republic 2,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Chad 1,450 bbl/day (2003 est.) Chile 228,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) China 6.391 million bbl/day (2004) Colombia 270,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Comoros 700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 8,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Congo, Republic of the 5,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Cook Islands 400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Costa Rica 40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 20,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Croatia 90,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Cuba 205,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 52,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Czech Republic 202,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Denmark 188,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Djibouti 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Dominica 800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Dominican Republic 128,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Ecuador 155,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Egypt 566,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) El Salvador 40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea 1,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Eritrea 4,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Estonia 60,000 bbl/day (2004) Ethiopia 27,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) European Union 14.59 million bbl/day (2001) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Faroe Islands 4,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Fiji 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Finland 219,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) France 2.06 million bbl/day (2003 est.) French Guiana 6,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) French Polynesia 4,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Gabon 12,250 bbl/day (2003 est.) Gambia, The 2,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Georgia 13,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Germany 2.677 million bbl/day (2003) Ghana 39,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Gibraltar 23,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Greece 435,700 bbl/day (2005 est.) Greenland 3,850 bbl/day (2003 est.) Grenada 1,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guadeloupe 13,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guam 19,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guatemala 66,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guinea 8,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau 2,450 bbl/day (2003 est.) Guyana 11,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Haiti 11,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Honduras 37,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Hong Kong 293,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Hungary 136,000 bbl/day (2004) Iceland 17,280 bbl/day (2003 est.) India 2.32 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Indonesia 1.084 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Iran 1.425 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Iraq 351,500 bbl/day (2005 est.) Ireland 175,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Israel 270,100 bbl/day (2003 est.) Italy 1.874 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Jamaica 69,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Japan 5.578 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Jordan 103,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Kazakhstan 221,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Kenya 52,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Kiribati 200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Korea, North 25,000 bbl/day (2003) Korea, South 2.061 million bbl/day (2004) Kuwait 305,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Kyrgyzstan 11,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Laos 2,950 bbl/day (2003 est.) Latvia 47,000 bbl/day (2004) Lebanon 102,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Lesotho 1,400 bbl/day (2003) Liberia 3,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Libya 237,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Lithuania 52,000 bbl/day (2004) Luxembourg 55,700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Macau 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Macedonia 23,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Madagascar 15,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Malawi 5,450 bbl/day (2003 est.) Malaysia 510,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Maldives 4,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mali 4,250 bbl/day (2003 est.) Malta 18,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Martinique 13,800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mauritania 24,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mauritius 21,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mexico 1.752 million bbl/day (2004 est.) Moldova 37,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mongolia 11,220 bbl/day (2005 est.) Montenegro NA Montserrat 380 bbl/day (2003 est.) Morocco 158,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Mozambique 11,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Namibia 16,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Nauru 1,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Nepal 11,980 bbl/day (2005 est.) Netherlands 920,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Netherlands Antilles 72,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) New Caledonia 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) New Zealand 151,900 bbl/day (2003 est.) Nicaragua 25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) Niger 5,400 bbl/day (2003 est.) Nigeria 310,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Niue 20 bbl/day (2003 est.) Norway 257,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oman 62,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Pakistan 365,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Panama 78,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Papua New Guinea 18,000 bbl/day (January 2006 est.) Paraguay 25,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Peru 157,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Philippines 335,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Poland 476,200 bbl/day (2003 est.) Portugal 326,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Puerto Rico 218,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Qatar 33,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Reunion 18,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Romania 212,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Russia 2.8 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Rwanda 6,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Helena 100 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 700 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Lucia 2,520 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 480 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1,300 bbl/day (2003 est.) Samoa 1,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 650 bbl/day (2003 est.) Saudi Arabia 1.775 million bbl/day (2003) Senegal 31,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Serbia 85,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Seychelles 7,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) Sierra Leone 6,510 bbl/day (2003 est.) Singapore 800,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Slovakia 74,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Slovenia 52,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Solomon Islands 1,270 bbl/day (2003 est.) Somalia 5,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) South Africa 484,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Spain 1.544 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Sri Lanka 79,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Sudan 70,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Suriname 14,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Swaziland 3,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Sweden 346,100 bbl/day (2003 est.) Switzerland 258,900 bbl/day (2003 est.) Syria 240,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Taiwan 915,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Tajikistan 25,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Tanzania 22,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Thailand 851,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Togo 8,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Tonga 800 bbl/day (2003 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 29,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Tunisia 90,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Turkey 715,100 bbl/day (2005 est.) Turkmenistan 80,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 80 bbl/day (2003 est.) Uganda 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Ukraine 491,700 bbl/day (2004) United Arab Emirates 310,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) United Kingdom 1.722 million bbl/day (2003 est.) United States 20.03 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Uruguay 38,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Uzbekistan 120,000 bbl/day (2004) Vanuatu 620 bbl/day (2003 est.) Venezuela 530,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Vietnam 216,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Virgin Islands 105,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Western Sahara 1,750 bbl/day (2003 est.) World 80.1 million bbl/day (2003 est.) Yemen 80,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Zambia 12,250 bbl/day (2003 est.) Zimbabwe 22,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2175 Oil - imports (bbl/day) Afghanistan NA bbl/day Albania 21,600 bbl/day (2005 est.) Algeria 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) American Samoa NA bbl/day Angola NA bbl/day Antigua and Barbuda NA bbl/day Argentina NA bbl/day Armenia NA bbl/day Aruba NA bbl/day Australia 530,800 bbl/day (2001) Austria 152,600 bbl/day (2004) Azerbaijan NA bbl/day Bahamas, The NA bbl/day Bahrain NA bbl/day Bangladesh NA bbl/day Barbados NA bbl/day Belarus 360,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Belgium 1.042 million bbl/day (2001) Belize NA bbl/day Benin NA bbl/day Bermuda NA bbl/day Bhutan NA bbl/day Bolivia NA bbl/day Bosnia and Herzegovina NA bbl/day Botswana 16,000 bbl/day (2001) Brazil 572,600 bbl/day NA bbl/day British Virgin Islands NA bbl/day Brunei NA bbl/day Bulgaria 85,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Burkina Faso NA bbl/day Burma 49,230 bbl/day (2003) Burundi NA bbl/day Cambodia NA bbl/day Cameroon NA bbl/day Canada 963,000 bbl/day (2004) Cape Verde NA bbl/day Cayman Islands NA bbl/day Central African Republic NA bbl/day Chad NA bbl/day Chile 221,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) China 3.226 million bbl/day (2004) Colombia NA bbl/day Comoros NA bbl/day Congo, Democratic Republic of the NA bbl/day Congo, Republic of the NA bbl/day Cook Islands NA bbl/day Costa Rica NA bbl/day Cote d'Ivoire NA bbl/day Croatia NA bbl/day Cuba NA bbl/day Cyprus NA bbl/day Czech Republic 182,000 bbl/day (2004) Denmark 195,000 bbl/day (2001) Djibouti NA bbl/day Dominica NA bbl/day Dominican Republic 129,900 bbl/day (2003) Ecuador NA bbl/day Egypt NA bbl/day El Salvador NA bbl/day Equatorial Guinea NA bbl/day Eritrea NA bbl/day Estonia 54,000 bbl/day (2004) Ethiopia NA bbl/day European Union 15.69 million bbl/day (2001) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA bbl/day Faroe Islands NA bbl/day Fiji NA bbl/day Finland 318,300 bbl/day (2001) France 2.281 million bbl/day (2001) French Guiana NA bbl/day French Polynesia NA bbl/day Gabon NA bbl/day Gambia, The NA bbl/day Georgia NA bbl/day Germany 2.135 million bbl/day (2003) Ghana NA bbl/day Gibraltar NA bbl/day Greece 468,300 bbl/day (2001) Greenland NA bbl/day Grenada NA bbl/day Guadeloupe NA bbl/day Guam NA bbl/day Guatemala NA bbl/day Guinea NA bbl/day Guinea-Bissau NA bbl/day Guyana NA bbl/day Haiti NA bbl/day Honduras NA bbl/day Hong Kong NA bbl/day Hungary 94,000 bbl/day (2004) Iceland 15,470 bbl/day (2001) India 2.09 million bbl/day Indonesia 345,700 bbl/day (2005 est.) Iran NA bbl/day Iraq NA bbl/day Ireland 178,600 bbl/day (2001) Israel NA bbl/day Italy 2.158 million bbl/day (2001) Jamaica NA bbl/day Japan 5.449 million bbl/day (2001) Jordan 100,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Kazakhstan 47,000 bbl/day (2003) Kenya NA bbl/day Kiribati NA bbl/day Korea, North 22,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Korea, South 2.263 million bbl/day (2004) Kuwait NA bbl/day Kyrgyzstan NA bbl/day Laos NA bbl/day Latvia 47,000 bbl/day (2004) Lebanon NA bbl/day Lesotho NA bbl/day Liberia NA bbl/day Libya 0 bbl/day NA bbl/day Lithuania 93,000 bbl/day bbl/day (2004) Luxembourg 50,700 bbl/day (2001) Macau NA bbl/day Macedonia NA bbl/day Madagascar NA bbl/day Malawi NA bbl/day Malaysia NA bbl/day Maldives NA bbl/day Mali NA bbl/day Malta NEGL (2001) Martinique NA bbl/day Mauritania NA bbl/day Mauritius NA bbl/day Mexico 205,000 bbl/day (2004) Moldova NA bbl/day Mongolia 11,210 bbl/day (2005 est.) Montserrat NA bbl/day Morocco 147,800 bbl/day NA bbl/day Mozambique NA bbl/day Namibia 12,770 bbl/day NA bbl/day Nauru NA bbl/day Nepal 11,760 bbl/day NA bbl/day Netherlands 2.284 million bbl/day (2001) Netherlands Antilles NA bbl/day New Caledonia NA bbl/day New Zealand 119,700 bbl/day (2001) Nicaragua 15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.) Niger NA bbl/day Nigeria NA bbl/day Niue NA bbl/day Norway 88,870 bbl/day (2001) Oman NA bbl/day Pakistan NA bbl/day Panama NA bbl/day; note - imports oil Papua New Guinea NA bbl/day Paraguay NA bbl/day Peru NA bbl/day Philippines 312,000 bbl/day (2003) Poland 413,700 bbl/day (2001) Portugal 357,300 bbl/day (2001) Puerto Rico NA bbl/day Qatar NA bbl/day Reunion NA bbl/day Romania 163,000 bbl/day bbl/day (2004) Russia 75,000 bbl/day Rwanda NA bbl/day Saint Helena NA bbl/day Saint Kitts and Nevis NA bbl/day Saint Lucia NA bbl/day Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA bbl/day Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA bbl/day Samoa NA bbl/day Sao Tome and Principe NA bbl/day Saudi Arabia 0 bbl/day (2003) Senegal NA bbl/day Seychelles NA bbl/day Sierra Leone NA bbl/day Singapore NA bbl/day Slovakia 59,000 bbl/day bbl/day Slovenia NA bbl/day Solomon Islands NA bbl/day Somalia NA bbl/day South Africa NA bbl/day Spain 1.582 million bbl/day (2001) Sri Lanka NA bbl/day Sudan 0 bbl/day (2004) Suriname 1,644 bbl/day (2003) Swaziland NA bbl/day Sweden 553,100 bbl/day (2001) Switzerland 289,500 bbl/day (2001) Syria NA bbl/day Taiwan NA bbl/day Tajikistan NA bbl/day Tanzania NA bbl/day Thailand NA bbl/day Togo NA bbl/day Tonga NA bbl/day Trinidad and Tobago NA bbl/day Tunisia NA bbl/day Turkey 616,500 bbl/day (2001) Turkmenistan NA bbl/day Turks and Caicos Islands NA bbl/day Uganda NA bbl/day Ukraine 444,600 bbl/day NA bbl/day United Arab Emirates 0 bbl/day (2004) United Kingdom 1.084 million bbl/day (2003) United States 13.15 million bbl/day (2004) Uruguay NA bbl/day Uzbekistan NA bbl/day Vanuatu NA bbl/day Venezuela NA bbl/day Vietnam NA bbl/day Virgin Islands NA bbl/day Western Sahara NA bbl/day Yemen NA bbl/day Zambia NA bbl/day Zimbabwe 23,000 bbl/day This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2176 Oil - exports (bbl/day) Afghanistan NA bbl/day Albania 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) Algeria 1.127 million bbl/day (2004 est.) American Samoa NA bbl/day Angola NA bbl/day Antigua and Barbuda NA bbl/day Argentina NA bbl/day Armenia NA bbl/day Aruba NA bbl/day Australia 523,400 bbl/day (2001) Austria 30,140 bbl/day (2004) Azerbaijan NA bbl/day Bahamas, The transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003) Bahrain NA bbl/day Bangladesh NA bbl/day Barbados NA bbl/day Belarus 14,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) Belgium 450,000 bbl/day (2001) Belize NA bbl/day Benin NA bbl/day Bermuda 0 bbl/day NA bbl/day Bhutan NA bbl/day Bolivia NA bbl/day Bosnia and Herzegovina NA bbl/day Botswana NA bbl/day Brazil 241,700 bbl/day NA bbl/day British Virgin Islands NA bbl/day Brunei 192,700 bbl/day (2005) Bulgaria NA bbl/day Burkina Faso NA bbl/day Burma 3,356 bbl/day (2003) Burundi NA bbl/day Cambodia NA bbl/day Cameroon NA bbl/day Canada 1.6 million bbl/day (2004) Cape Verde NA bbl/day Cayman Islands NA bbl/day Central African Republic NA bbl/day Chad NA bbl/day Chile 0 bbl/day China 340,300 bbl/day (2004) Colombia NA bbl/day Comoros NA bbl/day Congo, Democratic Republic of the NA bbl/day Congo, Republic of the NA bbl/day Cook Islands NA bbl/day Costa Rica NA bbl/day Cote d'Ivoire NA bbl/day Croatia NA bbl/day Cuba NA bbl/day Cyprus NA bbl/day Czech Republic 26,670 bbl/day (2001) Denmark 332,100 bbl/day (2001) Djibouti NA bbl/day Dominica NA bbl/day Dominican Republic NA bbl/day Ecuador 387,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Egypt 134,000 bbl/day NA bbl/day El Salvador NA bbl/day Equatorial Guinea NA bbl/day Eritrea NA bbl/day Estonia 0 bbl/day (2004) Ethiopia NA bbl/day European Union 5.322 million bbl/day (2001) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA bbl/day Faroe Islands NA bbl/day Fiji NA bbl/day Finland 101,000 bbl/day (2001) France 409,600 bbl/day (2001) French Guiana NA bbl/day French Polynesia NA bbl/day Gabon NA bbl/day Gambia, The NA bbl/day Georgia NA bbl/day Germany 12,990 bbl/day (2003) Ghana NA bbl/day Gibraltar NA bbl/day Greece 84,720 bbl/day (2001) Greenland NA bbl/day Grenada NA bbl/day Guadeloupe NA bbl/day Guam NA bbl/day Guatemala 3,104 bbl/day (2003) Guinea NA bbl/day Guinea-Bissau NA bbl/day Guyana NA bbl/day Haiti NA bbl/day Honduras NA bbl/day Hong Kong NA bbl/day Hungary 47,180 bbl/day (2001) Iceland 0 bbl/day (2001) India 350,000 bbl/day Indonesia 431,500 bbl/day (2004 est.) Iran 2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.) Iraq 1.42 million bbl/day (2005 est.) Ireland 27,450 bbl/day (2001) Israel NA bbl/day Italy 456,600 bbl/day (2001) Jamaica NA bbl/day Japan 93,360 bbl/day (2001) Jordan 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) Kazakhstan 890,000 bbl/day (2003) Kenya NA bbl/day Kiribati NA bbl/day Korea, North NA bbl/day Korea, South 645,200 bbl/day (2004) Kuwait 1.97 million bbl/day (2003) Kyrgyzstan NA bbl/day Laos NA bbl/day Latvia 0 bbl/day (2004) Lebanon NA bbl/day Lesotho NA bbl/day Libya 1.34 million bbl/day NA bbl/day Lithuania NA bbl/day Luxembourg 634 bbl/day (2001) Macau NA bbl/day Macedonia NA bbl/day Madagascar NA bbl/day Malawi NA bbl/day Malaysia 230,200 bbl/day (2003) Maldives NA bbl/day Mali NA bbl/day Malta NA bbl/day Martinique NA bbl/day Mauritania NA bbl/day Mauritius NA bbl/day Mexico 1.863 million bbl/day (2004) Moldova NA bbl/day Mongolia 515 bbl/day (2005 est.) Montserrat NA bbl/day Morocco 0 bbl/day NA bbl/day Mozambique NA bbl/day Namibia NA bbl/day Nauru NA bbl/day Nepal NA bbl/day Netherlands 1.418 million bbl/day (2001) Netherlands Antilles NA bbl/day New Caledonia NA bbl/day New Zealand 30,220 bbl/day (2001) Nicaragua 758.9 bbl/day (2004) Niger NA bbl/day Nigeria NA bbl/day Niue NA bbl/day Norway 3.466 million bbl/day (2001) Oman 721,000 bbl/day (2004) Pakistan NA bbl/day Panama NA bbl/day Papua New Guinea NA bbl/day Paraguay NA bbl/day Peru 49,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) Philippines 0 bbl/day (2001) Poland 53,000 bbl/day (2001) Portugal 28,830 bbl/day (2001) Puerto Rico NA bbl/day Qatar NA bbl/day Reunion NA bbl/day Romania NA bbl/day Russia 5.15 million bbl/day (2004) Rwanda NA bbl/day Saint Helena NA bbl/day Saint Kitts and Nevis NA bbl/day Saint Lucia NA bbl/day Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA bbl/day Saint Vincent and the Grenadines NA bbl/day Samoa NA bbl/day Sao Tome and Principe NA bbl/day Saudi Arabia 7.92 million bbl/day (2003) Senegal NA bbl/day Seychelles NA bbl/day Sierra Leone NA bbl/day Singapore NA bbl/day Slovakia 2,160 bbl/day NA bbl/day Slovenia NA bbl/day Solomon Islands NA bbl/day Somalia NA bbl/day South Africa NA bbl/day Spain 135,100 bbl/day (2001) Sri Lanka NA bbl/day Sudan 275,000 bbl/day (2004) Suriname 1,370 bbl/day (2003) Swaziland NA bbl/day Sweden 203,700 bbl/day (2001) Switzerland 10,420 bbl/day (2001) Syria 285,000 bbl/day (2004) Taiwan NA bbl/day Tajikistan NA bbl/day Tanzania NA bbl/day Thailand NA bbl/day Togo NA bbl/day Tonga NA bbl/day Trinidad and Tobago NA bbl/day Tunisia NA bbl/day Turkey 46,110 bbl/day (2001) Turkmenistan NA bbl/day Turks and Caicos Islands NA bbl/day Uganda NA bbl/day Ukraine 8,891 bbl/day NA bbl/day United Arab Emirates 2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.) United Kingdom 1.498 million bbl/day (2001) United States 1.048 million bbl/day (2004) Uruguay NA bbl/day Uzbekistan NA bbl/day Vanuatu NA bbl/day Venezuela 2.1 million bbl/day (2004 est.) Vietnam NA bbl/day Virgin Islands NA bbl/day Western Sahara NA bbl/day Yemen 370,300 bbl/day (2003) Zambia NA bbl/day Zimbabwe 0 bbl/day This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2177 Median age (years) Afghanistan total: 17.6 years male: 17.6 years female: 17.6 years (2006 est.) Albania total: 28.9 years male: 28.3 years female: 29.5 years (2006 est.) Algeria total: 24.9 years male: 24.7 years female: 25.1 years (2006 est.) American Samoa total: 23.2 years male: 22.9 years female: 23.4 years (2006 est.) Andorra total: 40.9 years male: 41.2 years female: 40.7 years (2006 est.) Angola total: 18 years male: 18 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Anguilla total: 31.2 years male: 31.2 years female: 31.1 years (2006 est.) Antigua and Barbuda total: 30 years male: 29.5 years female: 30.5 years (2006 est.) Argentina total: 29.7 years male: 28.8 years female: 30.7 years (2006 est.) Armenia total: 30.4 years male: 27.8 years female: 33.2 years (2006 est.) Aruba total: 38.5 years male: 36.4 years female: 40.3 years (2006 est.) Australia total: 36.9 years male: 36 years female: 37.7 years (2006 est.) Austria total: 40.9 years male: 39.8 years female: 42 years (2006 est.) Azerbaijan total: 27.7 years male: 26.3 years female: 29.2 years (2006 est.) Bahamas, The total: 27.8 years male: 27.1 years female: 28.6 years (2006 est.) Bahrain total: 29.4 years male: 32.4 years female: 25.8 years (2006 est.) Bangladesh total: 22.2 years male: 22.2 years female: 22.2 years (2006 est.) Barbados total: 34.6 years male: 33.4 years female: 35.6 years (2006 est.) Belarus total: 37.2 years male: 34.5 years female: 39.9 years (2006 est.) Belgium total: 40.9 years male: 39.6 years female: 42.1 years (2006 est.) Belize total: 19.6 years male: 19.5 years female: 19.8 years (2006 est.) Benin total: 17.6 years male: 17.2 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Bermuda total: 40.2 years male: 39.3 years female: 41 years (2006 est.) Bhutan total: 20.4 years male: 20.2 years female: 20.6 years (2006 est.) Bolivia total: 21.8 years male: 21.2 years female: 22.5 years (2006 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina total: 38.4 years male: 37.2 years female: 39.5 years (2006 est.) Botswana total: 19.4 years male: 18.8 years female: 20 years (2006 est.) Brazil total: 28.2 years male: 27.5 years female: 29 years (2006 est.) British Virgin Islands total: 31.4 years male: 31.6 years female: 31.2 years (2006 est.) Brunei total: 27.4 years male: 28 years female: 26.7 years (2006 est.) Bulgaria total: 40.8 years male: 38.7 years female: 42.9 years (2006 est.) Burkina Faso total: 16.5 years male: 16.3 years female: 16.7 years (2006 est.) Burma total: 27 years male: 26.4 years female: 27.6 years (2006 est.) Burundi total: 16.6 years male: 16.4 years female: 16.9 years (2006 est.) Cambodia total: 20.6 years male: 19.9 years female: 21.4 years (2006 est.) Cameroon total: 18.9 years male: 18.7 years female: 19 years (2006 est.) Canada total: 38.9 years male: 37.8 years female: 39.9 years (2006 est.) Cape Verde total: 19.8 years male: 19 years female: 20.7 years (2006 est.) Cayman Islands total: 37.2 years male: 36.8 years female: 37.5 years (2006 est.) Central African Republic total: 18.4 years male: 18 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.) Chad total: 16 years male: 15.3 years female: 16.6 years (2006 est.) Chile total: 30.4 years male: 29.5 years female: 31.4 years (2006 est.) China total: 32.7 years male: 32.3 years female: 33.2 years (2006 est.) Colombia total: 26.3 years male: 25.4 years female: 27.2 years (2006 est.) Comoros total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.9 years (2006 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 16.2 years male: 16 years female: 16.4 years (2006 est.) Congo, Republic of the total: 16.6 years male: 16.4 years female: 16.9 years (2006 est.) Cook Islands total: 25.3 years male: 24.7 years female: 25.9 years (2001 census) Costa Rica total: 26.4 years male: 26 years female: 26.9 years (2006 est.) Cote d'Ivoire total: 19.2 years male: 19.4 years female: 18.9 years (2006 est.) Croatia total: 40.3 years male: 38.3 years female: 42.1 years (2006 est.) Cuba total: 35.9 years male: 35.2 years female: 36.5 years (2006 est.) Cyprus total: 34.9 years male: 33.9 years female: 35.9 years (2006 est.) Czech Republic total: 39.3 years male: 37.5 years female: 41.1 years (2006 est.) Denmark total: 39.8 years male: 38.9 years female: 40.7 years (2006 est.) Djibouti total: 18.2 years male: 18.7 years female: 17.7 years (2006 est.) Dominica total: 30.1 years male: 29.8 years female: 30.4 years (2006 est.) Dominican Republic total: 24.1 years male: 24 years female: 24.3 years (2006 est.) East Timor total: 20.8 years male: 20.8 years female: 20.7 years (2006 est.) Ecuador total: 23.6 years male: 23.1 years female: 24 years (2006 est.) Egypt total: 24 years male: 23.6 years female: 24.3 years (2006 est.) El Salvador total: 21.8 years male: 20.7 years female: 22.9 years (2006 est.) Equatorial Guinea total: 18.8 years male: 18.2 years female: 19.4 years (2006 est.) Eritrea total: 17.8 years male: 17.6 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Estonia total: 39.3 years male: 35.8 years female: 42.6 years (2006 est.) Ethiopia total: 17.8 years male: 17.7 years female: 17.9 years (2006 est.) European Union NA Faroe Islands total: 35 years male: 34.7 years female: 35.5 years (2006 est.) Fiji total: 24.6 years male: 24.1 years female: 25 years (2006 est.) Finland total: 41.3 years male: 39.7 years female: 42.8 years (2006 est.) France total: 39.1 years male: 37.6 years female: 40.7 years (2006 est.) French Guiana total: 28.6 years male: 29.6 years female: 27.4 years (2006 est.) French Polynesia total: 27.9 years male: 28.2 years female: 27.5 years (2006 est.) Gabon total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.) Gambia, The total: 17.7 years male: 17.6 years female: 17.8 years (2006 est.) Gaza Strip total: 15.8 years male: 15.7 years female: 16 years (2006 est.) Georgia total: 37.7 years male: 35.3 years female: 40.1 years (2006 est.) Germany total: 42.6 years male: 41.3 years female: 43.9 years (2006 est.) Ghana total: 19.9 years male: 19.7 years female: 20.1 years (2006 est.) Gibraltar total: 39.8 years male: 39.4 years female: 40.1 years (2006 est.) Greece total: 40.8 years male: 39.7 years female: 42 years (2006 est.) Greenland total: 34 years male: 35.3 years female: 32.3 years (2006 est.) Grenada total: 21.7 years male: 22.1 years female: 21.2 years (2006 est.) Guadeloupe total: 32.2 years male: 31.3 years female: 33.2 years (2006 est.) Guam total: 28.6 years male: 28.3 years female: 28.8 years (2006 est.) Guatemala total: 18.9 years male: 18.5 years female: 19.4 years (2006 est.) Guernsey total: 41.3 years male: 40.4 years female: 42.2 years (2006 est.) Guinea total: 17.7 years male: 17.4 years female: 17.9 years (2006 est.) Guinea-Bissau total: 19 years male: 18.4 years female: 19.6 years (2006 est.) Guyana total: 27.4 years male: 26.9 years female: 27.9 years (2006 est.) Haiti total: 18.2 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.6 years (2006 est.) Honduras total: 19.5 years male: 19.1 years female: 19.8 years (2006 est.) Hong Kong total: 40.7 years male: 40.4 years female: 40.9 years (2006 est.) Hungary total: 38.7 years male: 36.3 years female: 41.4 years (2006 est.) Iceland total: 34.2 years male: 33.8 years female: 34.7 years (2006 est.) India total: 24.9 years male: 24.9 years female: 24.9 years (2006 est.) Indonesia total: 26.8 years male: 26.4 years female: 27.3 years (2006 est.) Iran total: 24.8 years male: 24.6 years female: 25 years (2006 est.) Iraq total: 19.7 years male: 19.6 years female: 19.8 years (2006 est.) Ireland total: 34 years male: 33.2 years female: 34.8 years (2006 est.) Isle of Man total: 39.6 years male: 38.4 years female: 41 years (2006 est.) Israel total: 29.6 years male: 28.8 years female: 30.5 years (2006 est.) Italy total: 42.2 years male: 40.7 years female: 43.7 years (2006 est.) Jamaica total: 23 years male: 22.4 years female: 23.5 years (2006 est.) Japan total: 42.9 years male: 41.1 years female: 44.7 years (2006 est.) Jersey total: 41.4 years male: 40.7 years female: 42.1 years (2006 est.) Jordan total: 23 years male: 23.7 years female: 22.4 years (2006 est.) Kazakhstan total: 28.8 years male: 27.2 years female: 30.5 years (2006 est.) Kenya total: 18.2 years male: 18.1 years female: 18.3 years (2006 est.) Kiribati total: 20.2 years male: 19.8 years female: 20.8 years (2006 est.) Korea, North total: 32 years male: 30.7 years female: 33.4 years (2006 est.) Korea, South total: 35.2 years male: 34.2 years female: 36.3 years (2006 est.) Kuwait total: 25.9 years male: 28 years female: 22.3 years (2006 est.) Kyrgyzstan total: 23.6 years male: 22.8 years female: 24.5 years (2006 est.) Laos total: 18.9 years male: 18.6 years female: 19.2 years (2006 est.) Latvia total: 39.4 years male: 36.3 years female: 42.4 years (2006 est.) Lebanon total: 27.8 years male: 26.7 years female: 28.9 years (2006 est.) Lesotho total: 20.3 years male: 19.7 years female: 21 years (2006 est.) Liberia total: 18.1 years male: 18 years female: 18.3 years (2006 est.) Libya total: 23 years male: 23.1 years female: 22.9 years (2006 est.) Liechtenstein total: 39.6 years male: 39.2 years female: 40.1 years (2006 est.) Lithuania total: 38.2 years male: 35.7 years female: 40.8 years (2006 est.) Luxembourg total: 38.7 years male: 37.7 years female: 39.7 years (2006 est.) Macau total: 36.1 years male: 35.7 years female: 36.4 years (2006 est.) Macedonia total: 34.1 years male: 33.2 years female: 35.1 years (2006 est.) Madagascar total: 17.5 years male: 17.3 years female: 17.7 years (2006 est.) Malawi total: 16.5 years male: 16.2 years female: 16.8 years (2006 est.) Malaysia total: 24.1 years male: 23.6 years female: 24.8 years (2006 est.) Maldives total: 17.9 years male: 17.8 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Mali total: 15.8 years male: 15.4 years female: 16.3 years (2006 est.) Malta total: 38.7 years male: 37.2 years female: 40.1 years (2006 est.) Marshall Islands total: 20.3 years male: 20.4 years female: 20.3 years (2006 est.) Martinique total: 34.1 years male: 33.4 years female: 34.8 years (2006 est.) Mauritania total: 17 years male: 16.8 years female: 17.3 years (2006 est.) Mauritius total: 30.8 years male: 30 years female: 31.8 years (2006 est.) Mayotte total: 17 years male: 18 years female: 16 years (2006 est.) Mexico total: 25.3 years male: 24.3 years female: 26.2 years (2006 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of total: 20.9 years male: 20.5 years female: 21.4 years (2006 est.) Moldova total: 32.3 years male: 30.3 years female: 34.3 years (2006 est.) Monaco total: 45.4 years male: 43.3 years female: 47.3 years (2006 est.) Mongolia total: 24.6 years male: 24.3 years female: 25 years (2006 est.) Montserrat total: 28.9 years male: 28.6 years female: 29.2 years (2006 est.) Morocco total: 23.9 years male: 23.4 years female: 24.5 years (2006 est.) Mozambique total: 18.3 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.) Namibia total: 20 years male: 19.8 years female: 20.1 years (2006 est.) Nauru total: 20.6 years male: 20 years female: 21.2 years (2006 est.) Nepal total: 20.3 years male: 20.1 years female: 20.4 years (2006 est.) Netherlands total: 39.4 years male: 38.6 years female: 40.2 years (2006 est.) Netherlands Antilles total: 32.8 years male: 31.1 years female: 34.4 years (2006 est.) New Caledonia total: 27.8 years male: 27.4 years female: 28.2 years (2006 est.) New Zealand total: 33.9 years male: 33.2 years female: 34.7 years (2006 est.) Nicaragua total: 20.9 years male: 20.5 years female: 21.4 years (2006 est.) Niger total: 16.5 years male: 16.5 years female: 16.4 years (2006 est.) Nigeria total: 18.7 years male: 18.7 years female: 18.6 years (2006 est.) Northern Mariana Islands total: 29.5 years male: 31.7 years female: 28.5 years (2006 est.) Norway total: 38.4 years male: 37.6 years female: 39.3 years (2006 est.) Oman total: 19 years male: 21.7 years female: 16.5 years (2006 est.) Pakistan total: 19.8 years male: 19.7 years female: 20 years (2006 est.) Palau total: 31.7 years male: 32.7 years female: 30.7 years (2006 est.) Panama total: 26.1 years male: 25.8 years female: 26.5 years (2006 est.) Papua New Guinea total: 21.2 years male: 21.4 years female: 21.1 years (2006 est.) Paraguay total: 21.3 years male: 21.1 years female: 21.6 years (2006 est.) Peru total: 25.3 years male: 25 years female: 25.5 years (2006 est.) Philippines total: 22.5 years male: 22 years female: 23 years (2006 est.) Poland total: 37 years male: 35.1 years female: 39 years (2006 est.) Portugal total: 38.5 years male: 36.4 years female: 40.6 years (2006 est.) Puerto Rico total: 34.7 years male: 33 years female: 36.4 years (2006 est.) Qatar total: 31.7 years male: 37.1 years female: 22.7 years (2006 est.) Reunion total: 26.9 years male: 25.7 years female: 28.1 years (2006 est.) Romania total: 36.6 years male: 35.3 years female: 37.9 years (2006 est.) Russia total: 38.4 years male: 35.2 years female: 41.3 years (2006 est.) Rwanda total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.8 years (2006 est.) Saint Helena total: 36 years male: 36.2 years female: 35.8 years (2006 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis total: 27.8 years male: 27.1 years female: 28.6 years (2006 est.) Saint Lucia total: 25.2 years male: 24.4 years female: 26.1 years (2006 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon total: 34.1 years male: 33.7 years female: 34.5 years (2006 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines total: 26.9 years male: 26.7 years female: 27.1 years (2006 est.) Samoa total: 25.2 years male: 28.1 years female: 22 years (2006 est.) San Marino total: 40.6 years male: 40.3 years female: 41 years (2006 est.) Sao Tome and Principe total: 16.2 years male: 15.6 years female: 16.8 years (2006 est.) Saudi Arabia total: 21.4 years male: 22.9 years female: 19.4 years (2006 est.) Senegal total: 19.1 years male: 18.9 years female: 19.3 years (2006 est.) Serbia total: 40.4 years male: 39.1 years female: 41.7 years Seychelles total: 28.1 years male: 27 years female: 29.1 years (2006 est.) Sierra Leone total: 17.4 years male: 17.1 years female: 17.7 years (2006 est.) Singapore total: 37.3 years male: 36.9 years female: 37.6 years (2006 est.) Slovakia total: 35.8 years male: 34.2 years female: 37.6 years (2006 est.) Slovenia total: 40.6 years male: 39 years female: 42.2 years (2006 est.) Solomon Islands total: 18.9 years male: 18.7 years female: 19 years (2006 est.) Somalia total: 17.6 years male: 17.5 years female: 17.7 years (2006 est.) South Africa total: 24.1 years male: 23.3 years female: 25 years (2006 est.) Spain total: 39.9 years male: 38.6 years female: 41.3 years (2006 est.) Sri Lanka total: 29.8 years male: 28.7 years female: 30.9 years (2006 est.) Sudan total: 18.3 years male: 18.1 years female: 18.5 years (2006 est.) Suriname total: 26.5 years male: 26 years female: 26.9 years (2006 est.) Swaziland total: 18.5 years male: 17.8 years female: 19.2 years (2006 est.) Sweden total: 40.9 years male: 39.8 years female: 42 years (2006 est.) Switzerland total: 40.1 years male: 39 years female: 41.1 years (2006 est.) Syria total: 20.7 years male: 20.6 years female: 20.9 years (2006 est.) Taiwan total: 34.6 years male: 34.1 years female: 35 years (2006 est.) Tajikistan total: 20 years male: 19.7 years female: 20.4 years (2006 est.) Tanzania total: 17.7 years male: 17.5 years female: 18 years (2006 est.) Thailand total: 31.9 years male: 31.1 years female: 32.8 years (2006 est.) Togo total: 18.3 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.7 years (2006 est.) Tonga total: 20.7 years male: 20.1 years female: 21.3 years (2006 est.) Trinidad and Tobago total: 31.2 years male: 30.8 years female: 31.7 years (2006 est.) Tunisia total: 27.8 years male: 27.3 years female: 28.3 years (2006 est.) Turkey total: 28.1 years male: 27.9 years female: 28.3 years (2006 est.) Turkmenistan total: 21.8 years male: 20.9 years female: 22.7 years (2006 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands total: 27.5 years male: 28.3 years female: 26.8 years (2006 est.) Tuvalu total: 24.6 years male: 23.6 years female: 26 years (2006 est.) Uganda total: 15 years male: 14.9 years female: 15.1 years (2006 est.) Ukraine total: 39.2 years male: 35.9 years female: 42.2 years (2006 est.) United Arab Emirates total: 28.1 years male: 34.8 years female: 23.3 years (2006 est.) United Kingdom total: 39.3 years male: 38.2 years female: 40.4 years (2006 est.) United States total: 36.5 years male: 35.1 years female: 37.8 years (2006 est.) Uruguay total: 32.7 years male: 31.3 years female: 34.2 years (2006 est.) Uzbekistan total: 22.7 years male: 22 years female: 23.3 years (2006 est.) Vanuatu total: 23 years male: 23 years female: 23 years (2006 est.) Venezuela total: 26 years male: 25.4 years female: 26.6 years (2006 est.) Vietnam total: 25.9 years male: 24.8 years female: 27.1 years (2006 est.) Virgin Islands total: 37.1 years male: 36.2 years female: 38 years (2006 est.) West Bank total: 18.3 years male: 18.2 years female: 18.5 years (2006 est.) World total: 27.6 years male: 27 years female: 28.2 years (2006 est.) Yemen total: 16.6 years male: 16.6 years female: 16.6 years (2006 est.) Zambia total: 16.5 years male: 16.3 years female: 16.7 years (2006 est.) Zimbabwe total: 19.9 years male: 19.7 years female: 20 years (2006 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2178 Oil - proved reserves (bbl) Afghanistan 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Albania 185.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Algeria 12.46 billion bbl (2005 est.) Angola 25 billion bbl (2005 est.) Argentina 2.95 billion bbl (2005 est.) Australia 3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Austria 84.3 million bbl (2004) Azerbaijan 589 million bbl (1 January 2002) Bahrain 124 million bbl (2005 est.) Bangladesh 28.45 million bbl (1 January 2002) Barbados 1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002) Benin 4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002) Bolivia 458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002) Brazil 15.12 billion bbl (2005 est.) Brunei 1.255 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Bulgaria 15 million bbl (1 January 2005) Burma less than 1 billion bbl (2005) Cameroon 85 million bbl (2005 est.) Canada 178.9 billion bbl note: includes oil sands (2004 est.) Chile 150 million bbl (1 January 2004) China 18.26 billion bbl (2004) Colombia 1.492 billion bbl (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.538 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Congo, Republic of the 93.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Cote d'Ivoire 220 million bbl (2005 est.) Croatia 93.6 million bbl (1 January 2002) Cuba 532 million bbl (1 January 2002) Czech Republic 15 million bbl (1 January 2006) Denmark 1.23 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Ecuador 4.512 billion bbl (2005 est.) Egypt 2.7 billion bbl (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea 563.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Ethiopia 214,000 bbl (1 January 2002) European Union 7.294 billion bbl (1 January 2002) France 144.3 million bbl (1 January 2002) Gabon 1.921 billion bbl (2005 est.) Germany 395.8 million bbl (1 January 2004) Ghana 8.255 million bbl (1 January 2002) Greece 4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Guatemala 263 million bbl (1 January 2002) Hungary 102 million bbl (1 January 2006) India 5.7 billion bbl (2005 est.) Indonesia 4.6 billion bbl (2005 est.) Iran 133.3 billion bbl (2005 est.) Iraq 112.5 billion bbl (2005 est.) Ireland 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Israel 1.92 million bbl (1 January 2002) Italy 586.6 million bbl (1 January 2002) Japan 29.29 million bbl (1 January 2002) Jordan 445,000 bbl (1 January 2002) Kazakhstan 26 billion bbl (1 January 2004) Kuwait 96.5 billion bbl (2005 est.) Libya 40 billion bbl (2005 est.) Lithuania 12 million bbl (2004) Madagascar 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Malaysia 3.1 billion bbl (2005 est.) Mauritania 1 billion bbl (2005) Mexico 33.31 billion bbl (2005 est.) Morocco 100 million bbl (2005 est.) Mozambique 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Namibia 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Netherlands 88.06 million bbl (1 January 2002) New Zealand 89.62 million bbl (1 January 2002) Nigeria 36 billion bbl (2005 est.) Norway 9.859 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Oman 6.1 billion bbl (2005 est.) Pakistan 341.8 million bbl (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea 170 million bbl (2005 est.) Peru 370 million bbl (2005 est.) Philippines 152 million bbl (1 January 2004) Poland 142.4 million bbl (December 2004) Qatar 16 billion bbl (2005 est.) Romania 500 million bbl (yearend 2004) Russia 69 billion bbl (2003 est.) Rwanda 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Saudi Arabia 262.7 billion bbl (2005 est.) Serbia 38.75 million bbl (1 January 2002) Slovakia 9 million bbl (1 January 2006) Somalia 0 bbl (1 January 2002) South Africa 7.84 million bbl (1 January 2002) Spain 10.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) Sudan 1.6 billion bbl (2005 est.) Suriname 150 million bbl (2005) Syria 2.5 billion bbl (2005 est.) Taiwan 2.9 million bbl (2005 est.) Tanzania 0 bbl (1 January 2002) Thailand 583 million bbl (November 2003) Trinidad and Tobago 990 million bbl (1 January 2004) Tunisia 1.7 billion bbl (2005 est.) Turkey 288.4 million bbl (1 January 2002) Turkmenistan 273 million bbl (1 January 2002) Ukraine 395 million bbl (9 November 2004) United Arab Emirates 97.8 billion bbl (2005 est.) United Kingdom 4.5 billion bbl (31 December 2004) United States 22.45 billion bbl (1 January 2002) Uzbekistan 600 million bbl (1 January 2005) Venezuela 75.59 billion bbl (2005 est.) Vietnam 600 million bbl (2005 est.) World 1.349 trillion bbl (1 January 2002 est.) Yemen 4.37 billion bbl (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2179 Natural gas - proved reserves (cu m) Afghanistan 99.96 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Albania 2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Algeria 4.531 trillion cu m (2005) Angola 45.87 billion cu m (2005) Argentina 663.5 billion cu m (2005) Australia 2.549 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Austria 23.2 billion cu m (2004) Azerbaijan 849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Bahrain 92.03 billion cu m (2005) Bangladesh 300.2 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Barbados 141.6 million cu m (1 January 2002) Benin 1.218 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Bolivia 679.6 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Brazil 240 billion cu m (2005) Brunei 390.8 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Bulgaria 5.67 billion cu m (1 January 2005) Burma 283.2 billion cu m (2005) Cameroon 110.4 billion cu m (2005) Canada 1.673 trillion cu m (2004) Chile 97.98 billion cu m (1 January 2004) China 2.53 trillion cu m (2004) Colombia 127.6 billion cu m (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 991.1 million cu m (1 January 2002) Congo, Republic of the 90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Cote d'Ivoire 29.73 billion cu m (2005) Croatia 24.72 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Cuba 70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Czech Republic 3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2003) Denmark 73.51 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Ecuador 9.769 billion cu m (2005) Egypt 1.9 trillion cu m (2005) Equatorial Guinea 36.81 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Ethiopia 24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2002) European Union 3.256 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) France 14.33 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Gabon 33.98 billion cu m (2005) Germany 305.8 billion cu m (1 January 2004) Ghana 23.79 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Greece 991.1 million cu m (1 January 2002) Guatemala 3.087 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Hungary 33.98 billion cu m (1 January 2003) India 853.5 billion cu m (2005) Indonesia 2.557 trillion cu m (2005) Iran 26.62 trillion cu m (2005) Iraq 3.115 trillion cu m (2005) Ireland 19.82 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Israel 38.94 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Italy 226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Japan 39.64 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Jordan 6.23 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Kazakhstan 3 trillion cu m (1 January 2004) Kuwait 1.572 trillion cu m (2005) Libya 1.321 trillion cu m (2005) Madagascar 0 cu m (1 January 2002) Malaysia 2.124 trillion cu m (2005) Mauritania 0 cu m (2005) Mexico 424.3 billion cu m (2005) Morocco 1.218 billion cu m (2005) Mozambique 127.4 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Namibia 62.3 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Netherlands 1.756 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) New Zealand 37.38 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Nigeria 4.502 trillion cu m (2005) Norway 2.118 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Oman 829.1 billion cu m (2005) Pakistan 759.7 billion cu m (2005) Papua New Guinea 345.5 billion cu m (2005) Peru 247.1 billion cu m (2005) Philippines 106.8 billion cu m (1 January 2004) Poland 154.4 billion cu m (December 2004) Qatar 25.77 trillion cu m (2005) Romania 300 billion cu m (yearend 2004) Russia 47.57 trillion cu m (2003) Rwanda 56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Saudi Arabia 6.544 trillion cu m (2005) Serbia 48.14 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Slovakia 15.01 billion cu m (1 January 2003) Somalia 5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2002) South Africa 28.32 million cu m (1 January 2002) Spain 2.662 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Sudan 84.95 billion cu m (2005) Suriname 0 cu m (2005) Syria 240.7 billion cu m (2005) Taiwan 76.46 billion cu m (2005) Tanzania 22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Thailand 377.7 billion cu m (November 2003) Trinidad and Tobago 733 billion cu m (1 January 2004) Tunisia 77.87 billion cu m (2005) Turkey 8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Turkmenistan 2.01 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Ukraine 1.121 trillion cu m (9 November 2004) United Arab Emirates 6.006 trillion cu m (2005) United Kingdom 628.6 billion cu m (31 December 2004) United States 5.353 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Uzbekistan 1.875 trillion cu m (1 January 2005) Venezuela 4.191 trillion cu m (2005) Vietnam 192.6 billion cu m (2005) World 174.6 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) Yemen 478.6 billion cu m (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2180 Natural gas - production (cu m) Afghanistan 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Albania 30 million cu m (2003 est.) Algeria 82.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) American Samoa 0 cu m (2003 est.) Angola 720 million cu m (2003 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 0 cu m (2003 est.) Argentina 41.04 billion cu m (2003 est.) Armenia 0 cu m (2005 est.) Aruba 0 cu m (2003 est.) Australia 35.6 billion cu m (2003 est.) Austria 1.96 billion cu m (2004) Azerbaijan 5.13 billion cu m (2003 est.) Bahamas, The 0 cu m (2003 est.) Bahrain 9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.) Bangladesh 11.9 billion cu m (2003 est.) Barbados 29.17 million cu m (2003 est.) Belarus 250 million cu m (2004 est.) Belgium 0 cu m (2003 est.) Belize 0 cu m (2003 est.) Benin 0 cu m (2003 est.) Bermuda 0 cu m (2003 est.) Bhutan 0 cu m (2003 est.) Bolivia 6.72 billion cu m (2003 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 cu m (2003 est.) Botswana 0 cu m (2003 est.) Brazil 15.79 billion cu m (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Brunei 11.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Bulgaria 1.13 million cu m (2003) Burkina Faso 0 cu m (2003 est.) Burma 9.98 billion cu m (2003 est.) Burundi 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cambodia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cameroon 0 cu m (2003 est.) Canada 165.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Cape Verde 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cayman Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Central African Republic 0 cu m (2003 est.) Chad 0 cu m (2003 est.) Chile 1 billion cu m (2003 est.) China 35.02 billion cu m (2003) Colombia 6.08 billion cu m (2003 est.) Comoros 0 cu m (2003 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 cu m (2003 est.) Congo, Republic of the 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cook Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Costa Rica 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 1.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Croatia 1.85 billion cu m (2003 est.) Cuba 704 million cu m (2004) Cyprus 0 cu m (2003 est.) Czech Republic 133 million cu m (2003 est.) Denmark 7.965 billion cu m (2003 est.) Djibouti 0 cu m (2003 est.) Dominica 0 cu m (2003 est.) Dominican Republic 0 cu m (2003 est.) Ecuador 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Egypt 27 billion cu m (2003 est.) El Salvador 0 cu m (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea 1.27 billion cu m (2003 est.) Eritrea 0 cu m (2003 est.) Estonia 0 cu m (2004) Ethiopia 0 cu m (2003 est.) European Union 239.2 billion cu m (2001) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 cu m (2003 est.) Faroe Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Fiji 0 cu m (2003 est.) Finland 0 cu m (2003 est.) France 1.566 billion cu m (2003 est.) French Guiana 0 cu m (2003 est.) French Polynesia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Gabon 90 million cu m (2003 est.) Gambia, The 0 cu m (2003 est.) Georgia 20 million cu m (2003 est.) Germany 22.22 billion cu m (2003 est.) Ghana 0 cu m (2003 est.) Gibraltar 0 cu m (2003 est.) Greece 27 million cu m (2003 est.) Greenland 0 cu m (2003 est.) Grenada 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guadeloupe 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guam 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guatemala 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guinea 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guyana 0 cu m (2003 est.) Haiti 0 cu m (2003 est.) Honduras 0 cu m (2003 est.) Hong Kong 0 cu m NA cu m Hungary 3.1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Iceland 0 cu m (2003 est.) India 27.1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Indonesia 83.4 billion cu m (2005 est.) Iran 79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Iraq 1.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) Ireland 673 million cu m (2003 est.) Israel 200 million cu m (2003 est.) Italy 13.55 billion cu m (2003 est.) Jamaica 0 cu m (2003 est.) Japan 2.814 billion cu m (2003 est.) Jordan 390 million cu m (2003 est.) Kazakhstan 18.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) Kenya 0 cu m (2003 est.) Kiribati 0 cu m (2003 est.) Korea, North 0 cu m (2003 est.) Korea, South 0 cu m (2003 est.) Kuwait 8.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Kyrgyzstan 6 million cu m (2003 est.) Laos 0 cu m (2003 est.) Latvia 0 cu m NA (2003) Lebanon 0 cu m (2003 est.) Lesotho 0 cu m (2003 est.) Liberia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Libya 7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Lithuania 0 cu m (2004) Luxembourg 0 cu m (2003 est.) Macau 0 cu m (2003 est.) Macedonia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Madagascar 0 cu m (2003 est.) Malawi 0 cu m (2003 est.) Malaysia 53.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) Maldives 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mali 0 cu m (2003 est.) Malta 0 cu m (2003 est.) Martinique 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mauritania 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mauritius 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mexico 47.3 billion cu m (2004 est.) Moldova 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mongolia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Montserrat 0 cu m (2003 est.) Morocco 5 million cu m (2003 est.) Mozambique 60 million cu m (2003 est.) Namibia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Nauru 0 cu m (2003 est.) Nepal 0 cu m (2003 est.) Netherlands 73.13 billion cu m (2003 est.) Netherlands Antilles 0 cu m (2003 est.) New Caledonia 0 cu m (2003 est.) New Zealand 4.773 billion cu m (2003 est.) Nicaragua 0 cu m (2003 est.) Niger 0 cu m (2003 est.) Nigeria 19.2 billion cu m (2003 est.) Niue 0 cu m (2003 est.) Norway 73.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Oman 16.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) Pakistan 23.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Panama 0 cu m (2003 est.) Papua New Guinea 140 million cu m (2003 est.) Paraguay 0 cu m (2003 est.) Peru 560 million cu m (2003 est.) Philippines 2.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Poland 4.33 billion cu m (2004) Portugal 0 cu m (2003 est.) Puerto Rico 0 cu m (2003 est.) Qatar 30.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Reunion 0 cu m (2003 est.) Romania 13.2 billion cu m (2004 est.) Russia 587 billion cu m (2005 est.) Rwanda 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Helena 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Lucia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 cu m (2003 est.) Samoa 0 cu m (2003 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saudi Arabia 60.06 billion cu m (2003 est.) Senegal 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Serbia 650 million cu m (2003 est.) Seychelles 0 cu m (2003 est.) Sierra Leone 0 cu m (2003 est.) Singapore 0 cu m (2004 est.) Slovakia 165 million cu m (2004 est.) Slovenia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Solomon Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Somalia 0 cu m (2003 est.) South Africa 2.35 billion cu m (2003 est.) Spain 216 million cu m (2003 est.) Sri Lanka 0 cu m (2003 est.) Sudan 0 cu m (2003 est.) Suriname 0 cu m (2003 est.) Swaziland 0 cu m (2003 est.) Sweden 0 cu m (2003 est.) Switzerland 0 cu m (2003 est.) Syria 6.95 billion cu m (2003 est.) Taiwan 970 million cu m (2003 est.) Tajikistan 30 million cu m (2004 est.) Tanzania 0 cu m (2003 est.) Thailand 22.28 billion cu m (2003 est.) Togo 0 cu m (2003 est.) Tonga 0 cu m (2003 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 24.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Tunisia 2.15 billion cu m (2003 est.) Turkey 560 million cu m (2003 est.) Turkmenistan 54.6 billion cu m (2004 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Uganda 0 cu m (2003 est.) Ukraine 20.3 billion cu m (2004) United Arab Emirates 44.79 billion cu m (2003 est.) United Kingdom 102.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) United States 539 billion cu m (2003 est.) Uruguay 0 cu m (2003 est.) Uzbekistan 55.8 billion cu m (2004) Vanuatu 0 cu m (2003 est.) Venezuela 29.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Vietnam 6.342 billion cu m (2005 est.) Virgin Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Western Sahara 0 cu m (2003 est.) World 2.674 trillion cu m (2003 est.) Yemen 0 cu m (2003 est.) Zambia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Zimbabwe 0 cu m (2003 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2181 Natural gas - consumption (cu m) Afghanistan 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Albania 30 million cu m (2003 est.) Algeria 21.32 billion cu m (2003 est.) American Samoa 0 cu m (2003 est.) Angola 720 million cu m (2003 est.) Antigua and Barbuda 0 cu m (2003 est.) Argentina 34.58 billion cu m (2003 est.) Armenia 1.685 billion cu m (2005 est.) Aruba 0 cu m (2003 est.) Australia 25.08 billion cu m (2003 est.) Austria 9.01 billion cu m (2004) Azerbaijan 9.2 billion cu m (2003 est.) Bahamas, The 0 cu m (2003 est.) Bahrain 9.65 billion cu m (2003 est.) Bangladesh 11.9 billion cu m (2003 est.) Barbados 29.17 million cu m (2003 est.) Belarus 20.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Belgium 15.48 billion cu m (2003 est.) Belize 0 cu m (2003 est.) Benin 0 cu m (2003 est.) Bermuda 0 cu m (2003 est.) Bhutan 0 cu m (2003 est.) Bolivia 1.74 billion cu m (2003 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 160 million cu m (2003 est.) Botswana 0 cu m (2003 est.) Brazil 21.74 billion cu m (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Brunei 1.73 billion cu m (2003 est.) Bulgaria 3.1 billion cu m (2004) Burkina Faso 0 cu m (2003 est.) Burma 1.569 billion cu m (2003 est.) Burundi 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cambodia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cameroon 0 cu m (2003 est.) Canada 90.95 billion cu m (2003 est.) Cape Verde 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cayman Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Central African Republic 0 cu m (2003 est.) Chad 0 cu m (2003 est.) Chile 7.06 billion cu m (2003 est.) China 33.44 billion cu m (2003 est.) Colombia 6.08 billion cu m (2003 est.) Comoros 0 cu m (2003 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 cu m (2003 est.) Congo, Republic of the 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cook Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Costa Rica 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 1.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Croatia 2.99 billion cu m (2003 est.) Cuba 704 million cu m (2004) Cyprus 0 cu m (2003 est.) Czech Republic 9.623 billion cu m (2003 est.) Denmark 5.173 billion cu m (2003 est.) Djibouti 0 cu m (2003 est.) Dominica 0 cu m (2003 est.) Dominican Republic 300 million cu m (2003 est.) Ecuador 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Egypt 27 billion cu m (2003 est.) El Salvador 0 cu m (2003 est.) Equatorial Guinea 1.27 billion cu m (2003 est.) Eritrea 0 cu m (2003 est.) Estonia 1.42 billion cu m (2004) Ethiopia 0 cu m (2003 est.) European Union 465.6 billion cu m (2001) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 cu m (2003 est.) Faroe Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Fiji 0 cu m (2003 est.) Finland 5.028 billion cu m (2003 est.) France 43.74 billion cu m (2003 est.) French Guiana 0 cu m (2003 est.) French Polynesia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Gabon 90 million cu m (2003 est.) Gambia, The 0 cu m (2003 est.) Georgia 1.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Germany 93.88 billion cu m (2003 est.) Ghana 0 cu m (2003 est.) Gibraltar 0 cu m (2003 est.) Greece 2.34 billion cu m (2005 est.) Greenland 0 cu m (2003 est.) Grenada 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guadeloupe 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guam 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guatemala 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guinea 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guinea-Bissau 0 cu m (2003 est.) Guyana 0 cu m (2003 est.) Haiti 0 cu m (2003 est.) Honduras 0 cu m (2003 est.) Hong Kong 692.2 million cu m (2003 est.) Hungary 13 billion cu m (2004) Iceland 0 cu m (2003 est.) India 27.1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Indonesia 22.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Iran 79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Iraq 1.5 billion cu m (2003 est.) Ireland 4.298 billion cu m (2003 est.) Israel 200 million cu m (2003 est.) Italy 76.88 billion cu m (2003 est.) Jamaica 0 cu m (2003 est.) Japan 86.51 billion cu m (2003 est.) Jordan 390 million cu m (2003 est.) Kazakhstan 15.2 billion cu m (2004 est.) Kenya 0 cu m (2003 est.) Kiribati 0 cu m (2003 est.) Korea, North 0 cu m (2003 est.) Korea, South 24.09 billion cu m (2003 est.) Kuwait 8.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Kyrgyzstan 1.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) Laos 0 cu m (2003 est.) Latvia 1.76 billion cu m (2004 est.) Lebanon 0 cu m (2003 est.) Lesotho 0 cu m (2003 est.) Liberia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Libya 6.25 billion cu m (2003 est.) Lithuania 3.1 billion cu m (2004) Luxembourg 1.205 billion cu m (2003 est.) Macau 0 cu m (2003 est.) Macedonia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Madagascar 0 cu m (2003 est.) Malawi 0 cu m (2003 est.) Malaysia 28.53 billion cu m (2003 est.) Maldives 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mali 0 cu m (2003 est.) Malta 0 cu m (2003 est.) Martinique 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mauritania 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mauritius 0 cu m (2003 est.) Mexico 55.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) Moldova 2.38 billion cu m (2003 est.) Mongolia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Montenegro NA Montserrat 0 cu m (2003 est.) Morocco 650 million cu m (2003 est.) Mozambique 60 million cu m (2003 est.) Namibia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Nauru 0 cu m (2003 est.) Nepal 0 cu m (2003 est.) Netherlands 50.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Netherlands Antilles 0 cu m (2003 est.) New Caledonia 0 cu m (2003 est.) New Zealand 4.773 billion cu m (2003 est.) Nicaragua 0 cu m (2003 est.) Niger 0 cu m (2003 est.) Nigeria 7.41 billion cu m (2003 est.) Niue 0 cu m (2003 est.) Norway 4.14 billion cu m (2003 est.) Oman 7.09 billion cu m (2003 est.) Pakistan 23.8 billion cu m (2003 est.) Panama 0 cu m (2003 est.) Papua New Guinea 140 million cu m (2003 est.) Paraguay 0 cu m (2003 est.) Peru 910 million cu m (2004 est.) Philippines 2.3 billion cu m (2003 est.) Poland 14.97 billion cu m (2003 est.) Portugal 2.983 billion cu m (2003 est.) Puerto Rico 740 million cu m (2003 est.) Qatar 11.61 billion cu m (2003 est.) Reunion 0 cu m (2003 est.) Romania 18.8 billion cu m (2004 est.) Russia 402.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) Rwanda 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Helena 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Lucia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 cu m (2003 est.) Samoa 0 cu m (2003 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 0 cu m (2003 est.) Saudi Arabia 60.06 billion cu m (2003 est.) Senegal 50 million cu m (2003 est.) Serbia 2.55 billion cu m (2003 est.) Seychelles 0 cu m (2003 est.) Sierra Leone 0 cu m (2003 est.) Singapore 5.32 billion cu m (2003 est.) Slovakia 6.8 billion cu m (2004 est.) Slovenia 1.1 billion cu m (2003 est.) Solomon Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Somalia 0 cu m (2003 est.) South Africa 2.35 billion cu m (2003 est.) Spain 23.27 billion cu m (2003 est.) Sri Lanka 0 cu m (2003 est.) Sudan 0 cu m (2003 est.) Suriname 0 cu m (2003 est.) Swaziland 0 cu m (2003 est.) Sweden 980 million cu m (2003 est.) Switzerland 3.209 billion cu m (2003 est.) Syria 6.95 billion cu m (2003 est.) Taiwan 8.45 billion cu m (2003 est.) Tajikistan 1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.) Tanzania 0 cu m (2003 est.) Thailand 29.15 billion cu m (2003 est.) Togo 0 cu m (2003 est.) Tonga 0 cu m (2003 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 12.79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Tunisia 3.84 billion cu m (2003 est.) Turkey 22.6 billion cu m (2005 est.) Turkmenistan 15.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Uganda 0 cu m (2003 est.) Ukraine 75.8 billion cu m (2004) United Arab Emirates 37.88 billion cu m (2003 est.) United Kingdom 95.15 billion cu m (2003 est.) United States 633.6 billion cu m (2003 est.) Uruguay 60 million cu m (2003 est.) Uzbekistan 49.3 billion cu m (2004) Vanuatu 0 cu m (2003 est.) Venezuela 29.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Vietnam 6.342 billion cu m (2005 est.) Virgin Islands 0 cu m (2003 est.) Western Sahara 0 cu m (2003 est.) World 2.675 trillion cu m (2003 est.) Yemen 0 cu m (2003 est.) Zambia 0 cu m (2003 est.) Zimbabwe 0 cu m (2003 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2182 Natural gas - imports (cu m) Afghanistan 0 cu m (2001 est.) Albania 0 cu m (2001 est.) Algeria 0 cu m (2005 est.) Angola 0 cu m (2001 est.) Argentina 0 cu m (2001 est.) Armenia 1.685 billion cu m (2005 est.) Australia 0 cu m (2001 est.) Austria 7.05 billion cu m (2004) Azerbaijan 1 billion cu m (2001 est.) Bahrain 0 cu m (2002 est.) Bangladesh 0 cu m (2001 est.) Barbados 0 cu m (2001 est.) Belarus 20.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Belgium 15.4 billion cu m (2001 est.) Bolivia 0 cu m (2001 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 300 million cu m (2001 est.) Brazil 5.947 billion cu m (2005 est.) Brunei 0 cu m (2001 est.) Bulgaria 2.9 billion cu m (2004) Burma 0 cu m (2003 est.) Cameroon 0 cu m NA cu m Canada 8.73 billion cu m (2003 est.) Chile 5.337 billion cu m (2002 est.) China 0 cu m (2004) Colombia 0 cu m (2004 est.) Congo, Republic of the 0 cu m Cote d'Ivoire 0 cu m (2001 est.) Croatia 1.08 billion cu m (2001 est.) Cuba 0 cu m (2004) Czech Republic 9.8 billion cu m (2004) Denmark 0 cu m (2001 est.) Dominican Republic NA cu m Ecuador 0 cu m (2001 est.) Egypt 0 cu m (2001 est.) Equatorial Guinea 0 cu m (2001 est.) Estonia 1.42 billion cu m (2004) European Union 297.8 billion cu m (2001) Finland 4.567 billion cu m (2001 est.) France 40.26 billion cu m (2001 est.) Gabon 0 cu m (2001 est.) Georgia 1.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Germany 85.02 billion cu m (2003) Greece 2.018 billion cu m (2001 est.) Hong Kong 71.15 million cu m (2004 est.) Hungary 10.95 billion cu m (2004) India 0 cu m (2001 est.) Indonesia 0 cu m (2005 est.) Iran 4.92 billion cu m (2003 est.) Iraq 0 cu m (2004 est.) Ireland 3.384 billion cu m (2001 est.) Israel 0 cu m (2001 est.) Italy 54.78 billion cu m (2001 est.) Japan 77.73 billion cu m (2001 est.) Jordan 0 cu m (2001 est.) Kazakhstan NA cu m Korea, South 21.11 billion cu m (2003 est.) Kuwait 0 cu m (2002 est.) Kyrgyzstan 1.5 billion cu m (2004 est.) Latvia 1.76 billion cu m (2004) Libya 0 cu m (2001 est.) Lithuania 3.1 billion cu m (2004) Luxembourg 867 million cu m (2001 est.) Malaysia 0 cu m (2001 est.) Mexico 7.85 billion cu m (2004 est.) Moldova 2.05 billion cu m (2001 est.) Morocco NA cu m Mozambique 0 cu m (2001 est.) Netherlands 20.78 billion cu m (2001 est.) New Zealand 0 cu m (2001 est.) Nigeria 0 cu m (2001 est.) Norway 0 cu m (2001 est.) Oman 0 cu m (2001 est.) Pakistan 0 cu m (2001 est.) Papua New Guinea 0 cu m (2001 est.) Peru 0 cu m (2004 est.) Philippines 0 cu m (2004 est.) Poland 9.45 billion cu m (2004) Portugal 2.553 billion cu m (2001 est.) Puerto Rico 630 million cu m (2001 est.) Qatar 0 cu m (2001 est.) Romania 5.9 billion cu m (2004 est.) Russia 12 billion cu m (2004 est.) Saudi Arabia 0 cu m (2002) Senegal 0 cu m (2001 est.) Serbia 0 cu m Singapore 2.5 billion cu m note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2001 est.) Slovakia 7.3 billion cu m (2004 est.) Slovenia 963 million cu m (2002) South Africa 0 cu m (2001 est.) Spain 17.26 billion cu m (2001 est.) Sweden 968 million cu m (2001 est.) Switzerland 3.093 billion cu m (2001 est.) Syria 0 cu m (2001 est.) Taiwan 7.48 billion cu m (2005 est.) Tajikistan 1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.) Thailand 5.2 billion cu m (2001 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 0 cu m (2001 est.) Tunisia 1.58 billion cu m (2001 est.) Turkey 15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.) Turkmenistan 0 cu m (2004 est.) Ukraine 59.8 billion cu m (2004) United Arab Emirates 0 cu m (2003 est.) United Kingdom 2.7 billion cu m (2001 est.) United States 114.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) Uruguay 65 million cu m (2003 est.) Uzbekistan 0 cu m (2004) Venezuela 0 cu m (2004 est.) Vietnam NA cu m World 696 billion cu m (2001 est.) Yemen 0 cu m (2003 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2183 Natural gas - exports (cu m) Afghanistan 0 cu m (2001 est.) Albania 0 cu m (2001 est.) Algeria 57.98 billion cu m (2001 est.) Angola 0 cu m (2001 est.) Argentina 6.05 billion cu m (2001 est.) Armenia 0 cu m (2005 est.) Australia 9.744 billion cu m (2001 est.) Austria 0 cu m (2004) Azerbaijan 0 cu m (2001 est.) Bahrain 0 cu m (2002 est.) Bangladesh 0 cu m (2001 est.) Barbados 0 cu m (2001 est.) Belarus 0 cu m (2004 est.) Belgium 0 cu m (2001 est.) Bolivia 2.9 billion cu m (2001 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 cu m (2001 est.) Brazil 0 cu m (2005 est.) Brunei 9 billion cu m (2001 est.) Bulgaria 0 cu m (2003) Burma 8.424 billion cu m (2003 est.) Cameroon 0 cu m NA cu m Canada 91.52 billion cu m (2003 est.) Chile 0 cu m (2002) China 2.79 billion cu m (2004) Colombia 0 cu m (2004 est.) Congo, Republic of the 0 cu m Cote d'Ivoire 0 cu m (2001 est.) Croatia 0 cu m (2001 est.) Cuba 0 cu m (2004) Czech Republic 1 million cu m (2001 est.) Denmark 3.1 billion cu m (2001 est.) Ecuador 0 cu m (2001 est.) Egypt 0 cu m (2001 est.) Equatorial Guinea 0 cu m (2001 est.) Estonia 0 cu m (2004) European Union 78.1 billion cu m (2001) Finland 0 cu m (2001 est.) France 1.725 billion cu m (2001 est.) Gabon 0 cu m (2001 est.) Georgia NA cu m Germany 7.731 billion cu m (2003) Greece 0 cu m (2001 est.) Hong Kong 0 cu m (2004 est.) Hungary 4 million cu m (2001 est.) India 0 cu m (2001 est.) Indonesia 37.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) Iran 3.4 billion cu m (2003 est.) Iraq 0 cu m (2004 est.) Ireland 0 cu m (2001 est.) Israel 0 cu m (2001 est.) Italy 61 million cu m (2001 est.) Japan 0 cu m (2001 est.) Jordan 0 cu m (2001 est.) Kazakhstan 4.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) Korea, South 0 cu m (2003 est.) Kuwait 0 cu m (2002 est.) Kyrgyzstan 0 cu m (2004 est.) Latvia 0 cu m (2004 est.) Libya 770 million cu m (2001 est.) Lithuania 0 cu m (2004) Luxembourg 0 cu m (2001 est.) Malaysia 22.41 billion cu m (2001 est.) Mexico 0 cu m (2004 est.) Moldova 0 cu m (2001 est.) Morocco NA cu m Mozambique 0 cu m (2001 est.) Netherlands 49.28 billion cu m (2001 est.) New Zealand 0 cu m (2001 est.) Nigeria 7.83 billion cu m (2001 est.) Norway 50.5 billion cu m (2001 est.) Oman 7.43 billion cu m (2001 est.) Pakistan 0 cu m (2001 est.) Papua New Guinea 0 cu m (2001 est.) Peru 0 cu m (2004 est.) Philippines 0 cu m (2004 est.) Poland 44 million cu m (2004) Portugal 0 cu m (2001 est.) Puerto Rico 0 cu m (2001 est.) Qatar 18.2 billion cu m (2004 est.) Romania 0 cu m (2003 est.) Russia 157.2 billion cu m (2004 est.) Saudi Arabia 0 cu m (2002) Senegal 0 cu m (2001 est.) Serbia 0 cu m Singapore 0 cu m (2001 est.) Slovakia 1 million cu m (2004 est.) Slovenia 0 cu m (2003) South Africa 0 cu m (2001 est.) Spain 0 cu m (2001 est.) Sweden 0 cu m (2001 est.) Switzerland 0 cu m (2001 est.) Syria 0 cu m (2001 est.) Taiwan 0 cu m (2005 est.) Tajikistan 0 cu m (2004 est.) Thailand 0 cu m (2001 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 11.79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Tunisia 0 cu m (2001 est.) Turkey 0 cu m (2001 est.) Turkmenistan 38.6 billion cu m (2004 est.) Ukraine 3.9 billion cu m (2004) United Arab Emirates 7.19 billion cu m (2003 est.) United Kingdom 15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.) United States 24.19 billion cu m (2004) Uruguay 0 cu m (2003 est.) Uzbekistan 6.5 billion cu m (2004) Venezuela 0 cu m (2004 est.) Vietnam 0 cu m (2005 est.) World 667.6 billion cu m (2001 est.) Yemen 0 cu m (2003 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2184 Internet hosts Afghanistan 22 (2006) Albania 430 (2006) Algeria 1,202 (2006) American Samoa 1,456 (2006) Andorra 14,944 (2006) Angola 2,525 (2006) Anguilla 403 (2006) Antarctica 7,757 (2006) Antigua and Barbuda 2,231 (2006) Argentina 1,612,423 (2006) Armenia 8,163 (2006) Aruba 11,548 (2006) Australia 7,772,888 (2006) Austria 2,062,035 (2006) Azerbaijan 880 (2006) Bahamas, The 591 (2006) Bahrain 2,165 (2006) Bangladesh 469 (2006) Barbados 282 (2006) Belarus 33,641 (2006) Belgium 2,870,770 (2006) Belize 3,905 (2006) Benin 867 (2006) Bermuda 8,114 (2006) Bhutan 7,567 (2006) Bolivia 20,085 (2006) Bosnia and Herzegovina 31,490 (2006) Botswana 5,499 (2006) Bouvet Island 6 (2006) Brazil 6,508,431 (2006) British Indian Ocean Territory 65 (2006) British Virgin Islands 525 (2006) Brunei 27 (2005) Bulgaria 184,975 (2006) Burkina Faso 399 (2006) Burma 42 (2006) Burundi 160 (2006) Cambodia 1,378 (2006) Cameroon 39 (2006) Canada 3,934,223 (2006) Cape Verde 234 (2006) Cayman Islands 8,611 (2006) Central African Republic 10 (2006) Chad 9 (2006) Chile 506,055 (2006) China 232,780 (2006) Christmas Island 2,368 (2006) Colombia 581,877 (2006) Comoros 5 (2006) Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1,778 (2006) Congo, Republic of the 46 (2004) Cook Islands 1,456 (2006) Costa Rica 12,751 (2006) Cote d'Ivoire 2,534 (2006) Croatia 18,825 (2006) Cuba 2,234 (2006) Cyprus 67,589 (2006) Czech Republic 1,267,265 (2006) Denmark 2,415,530 (2006) Djibouti 1,540 (2006) Dominica 263 (2006) Dominican Republic 91,895 (2006) East Timor 68 (2006) Ecuador 19,027 (2006) Egypt 2,254 (2006) El Salvador 4,682 (2006) Equatorial Guinea 19 (2006) Eritrea 1,088 (2006) Estonia 52,241 (2006) Ethiopia 88 (2006) European Union 22,000,414 (2004); note - sum of individual country Internet hosts Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 103 (2006) Faroe Islands 6,915 (2006) Fiji 8,987 (2006) Finland 1,633,614 (2006) France 3,148,379 (2006) French Guiana 106 (2006) French Polynesia 14,047 (2006) French Southern and Antarctic Lands 38 (2006) Gabon 322 (2006) Gambia, The 14 (2006) Georgia 10,752 (2006) Germany 11,859,131 (2006) Ghana 380 (2006) Gibraltar 641 (2006) Greece 587,717 (2006) Greenland 8,851 (2006) Grenada 17 (2006) Guadeloupe 422 (2006) Guam 76 (2006) Guatemala 49,026 (2006) Guernsey 1,245 (2006) Guinea 367 (2006) Guinea-Bissau 5 (2006) Guyana 1,046 (2006) Haiti 6 (2006) Holy See (Vatican City) 45 (2006) Honduras 3,973 (2006) Hong Kong 800,834 (2006) Hungary 608,085 (2006) Iceland 212,897 (2006) India 1,543,289 (2006) Indonesia 170,834 (2006) Iran 5,242 (2006) Iraq 5 (2006) Ireland 238,191 (2006) Isle of Man 290 (2006) Israel 1,251,881 (2006) Italy 1,731,165 (2006) Jamaica 1,402 (2006) Japan 28,321,846 (2006) Jersey 1,240 (2006) Jordan 3,441 (2006) Kazakhstan 21,187 (2006) Kenya 13,274 (2006) Kiribati 42 (2006) Korea, South 5,433,591 (2005) Kuwait 2,310 (2006) Kyrgyzstan 18,928 (2006) Laos 1,108 (2006) Latvia 65,858 (2006) Lebanon 3,307 (2006) Lesotho 168 (2006) Liberia 8 (2006) Libya 31 (2006) Liechtenstein 4,697 (2006) Lithuania 148,675 (2006) Luxembourg 88,661 (2006) Macau 108 (2006) Macedonia 3,716 (2006) Madagascar 1,504 (2006) Malawi 377 (2006) Malaysia 158,650 (2006) Maldives 1,357 (2006) Mali 278 (2006) Malta 14,025 (2006) Marshall Islands 6 (2006) Martinique 72 (2006) Mauritania 32 (2006) Mauritius 4,997 (2006) Mayotte 1 (2006) Mexico 3,426,680 (2006) Micronesia, Federated States of 550 (2006) Moldova 58,886 (2006) Monaco 12,720 (2006) Mongolia 272 (2006) Montserrat 386 (2006) Morocco 3,218 (2006) Mozambique 6,985 (2006) Namibia 3,527 (2006) Nauru 52 (2006) Nepal 17,789 (2006) Netherlands 8,363,158 (2006) Netherlands Antilles 19,204 (2006) New Caledonia 13,962 (2006) New Zealand 1,050,197 (2006) Nicaragua 24,452 (2006) Niger 189 (2006) Nigeria 1,549 (2006) Norfolk Island 100 (2006) Northern Mariana Islands 20 (2005) Norway 1,364,448 (2006) Oman 3,555 (2006) Pakistan 72,765 (2006) Palau 3 (2006) Panama 7,149 (2006) Papua New Guinea 1,573 (2006) Paraguay 13,178 (2006) Peru 269,981 (2006) Philippines 111,262 (2006) Pitcairn Islands 8 (2006) Poland 358,476 (2006) Portugal 845,980 (2005) Puerto Rico 404 (2006) Qatar 301 (2006) Reunion 29 (2006) Romania 57,470 (2006) Russia 1,979,924 (2006) Rwanda 1,590 (2006) Saint Helena 329 (2006) Saint Kitts and Nevis 50 (2006) Saint Lucia 21 (2006) Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 (2006) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 94 (2006) Samoa 10,680 (2006) San Marino 3,140 (2006) Sao Tome and Principe 735 (2006) Saudi Arabia 10,931 (2006) Senegal 412 (2006) Serbia NA Seychelles 72 (2006) Sierra Leone 20 (2006) Singapore 898,762 (2006) Slovakia 210,758 (2006) Slovenia 61,735 (2006) Solomon Islands 2,658 (2006) Somalia 3 (2006) South Africa 645,179 (2006) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 271 (2006) Spain 2,520,711 (2006) Sri Lanka 6,526 (2006) Sudan 16 (2006) Suriname 126 (2006) Swaziland 2,472 (2006) Sweden 2,958,435 (2006) Switzerland 2,442,659 (2006) Syria 66 (2006) Taiwan 4,320,310 (2006) Tajikistan 98 (2006) Tanzania 8,609 (2006) Thailand 938,784 (2006) Togo 520 (2006) Tokelau 298 (2006) Tonga 18,775 (2006) Trinidad and Tobago 30,732 (2006) Tunisia 428 (2006) Turkey 1,313,135 (2006) Turkmenistan 585 (2006) Turks and Caicos Islands 2,735 (2006) Uganda 1,365 (2006) Ukraine 229,110 (2006) United Arab Emirates 337,092 (2006) United Kingdom 6,064,860 (2006) United States 195,138,696 (2005) Uruguay 145,774 (2006) Uzbekistan 9,058 (2006) Vanuatu 413 (2006) Venezuela 51,968 (2006) Vietnam 12,114 (2006) Virgin Islands 3,855 (2006) Wallis and Futuna 1 (2006) Yemen 171 (2006) Zambia 3,227 (2006) Zimbabwe 7,954 (2006) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2185 Investment (gross fixed) (% of GDP) Albania 22.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Algeria 22.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Angola 30.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Argentina 21.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Armenia 21.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Australia 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Austria 20.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Azerbaijan 54.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Bahrain 19.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Bangladesh 24.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Belarus 24.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Belgium 19.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Belize 17.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Benin 19.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Bolivia 12.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Botswana 20.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Brazil 19.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Bulgaria 23.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Burkina Faso 20.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Burma 11.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Burundi 11.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Cambodia 23.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Cameroon 17.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Canada 20.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Cape Verde 24.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Chad 18.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Chile 22.1% of GDP (2005 est.) China 44.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Colombia 18.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the 21.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Costa Rica 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 8.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Croatia 28.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Cuba 11.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 19.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Czech Republic 26.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Denmark 20.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Dominican Republic 24.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Ecuador 22.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Egypt 17.2% of GDP (2005 est.) El Salvador 15.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea 39.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Eritrea 25.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Estonia 29.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Ethiopia 21.9% of GDP (2005 est.) European Union 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Finland 19.2% of GDP (2005 est.) France 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Gabon 24.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Gambia, The 20% of GDP (2005 est.) Georgia 24% of GDP (2005 est.) Germany 17.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Ghana 23.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Greece 24.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Guatemala 15.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Guinea 17.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Guyana 34.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Haiti 27.4% of GDP (2004 est.) Honduras 23.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Hong Kong 20.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Hungary 23.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Iceland 28.7% of GDP (2005 est.) India 28.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Indonesia 22% of GDP (2005 est.) Iran 30.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Ireland 27% of GDP (2005 est.) Israel 17.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Italy 20.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Jamaica 32.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Japan 23.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Jordan 20.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Kazakhstan 26.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Kenya 17% of GDP (2005 est.) Korea, South 29.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Kuwait 14.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan 12.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Latvia 27.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Lebanon 18.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Lesotho 29.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Libya 11.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Lithuania 21.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Luxembourg 20.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Macedonia 18.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Madagascar 26.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Malawi 10.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Malaysia 20% of GDP (2005 est.) Malta 22.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Mauritius 21.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Mexico 19.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Moldova 24.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Montenegro % of GDP NA Morocco 23.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Mozambique 29.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Namibia 24.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Netherlands 19.5% of GDP (2005 est.) New Zealand 23.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Nicaragua 27% of GDP (2005 est.) Nigeria 21.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Norway 18.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Oman 14.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Pakistan 15.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Panama 16.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea 19.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Paraguay 19.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Peru 18.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Philippines 15.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Poland 18.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Portugal 21.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Qatar 21.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Romania 24.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Russia 18.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Rwanda 18.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Sao Tome and Principe 32.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia 16.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Senegal 20.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Serbia 14.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Seychelles 42% of GDP (2005 est.) Singapore 21.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Slovakia 26% of GDP (2005 est.) Slovenia 24.8% of GDP (2005 est.) South Africa 16.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Spain 29.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Sri Lanka 26.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Sudan 16.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Swaziland 10.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Sweden 17% of GDP (2005 est.) Switzerland 21.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Syria 21.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Taiwan 20.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Tajikistan 19.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Tanzania 18.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Thailand 29% of GDP (2005 est.) Togo 21.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Tunisia 22.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Turkey 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Turkmenistan 35.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Uganda 23.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Ukraine 20.9% of GDP (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates 20.7% of GDP (2005 est.) United Kingdom 16.6% of GDP (2005 est.) United States 16.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Uruguay 12.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Venezuela 19% of GDP (2005 est.) Vietnam 33.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Yemen 14.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Zambia 27.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Zimbabwe 7.9% of GDP (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2186 Public debt (% of GDP) Algeria 30.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Angola 38.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Argentina 72.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Aruba 46.3% of GDP Australia 16.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Austria 65.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Azerbaijan 11.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Bahrain 33.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Bangladesh 44.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Belgium 94.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Bhutan 81.4% of GDP Bosnia and Herzegovina 29% of GDP Botswana 6.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Brazil 51.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Bulgaria 31.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Cameroon 65.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Canada 69.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Chile 7.5% of GDP (2005 est.) China 24.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Colombia 49.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Costa Rica 56.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire 64.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Croatia 49.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: 70.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Czech Republic 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Denmark 37% of GDP (2005 est.) Dominican Republic 45.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Ecuador 40.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Egypt 104.7% of GDP (2005 est.) El Salvador 46.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea 6.4% of GDP Estonia 4.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Ethiopia 106.2% of GDP Finland 39.6% of GDP (2005 est.) France 66.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Gabon 33.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Germany 67.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Ghana 75.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Greece 106.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Guatemala 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Honduras 68.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Hong Kong 1.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Hungary 58.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Iceland 31.6% of GDP (2005 est.) India 53.8% of GDP (federal and state debt combined) (2005 est.) Indonesia 49.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Iran 28.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Ireland 26.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Israel 99.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Italy 108.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Jamaica 128.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Japan 158% of GDP (2005 est.) Jordan 79.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Kazakhstan 10.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Kenya 50.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Korea, South 20% of GDP (2005 est.) Kuwait 12.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Latvia 10.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Lebanon 180.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Libya 8.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Lithuania 18.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Macedonia 33.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Malawi 195.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Malaysia 46.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Mauritius 67.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Mexico 17.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Moldova 79.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Montenegro % of GDP NA Morocco 72% of GDP (2005 est.) Mozambique 21% of GDP Namibia 32.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Netherlands 52.7% of GDP (2005 est.) New Zealand 21.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Nicaragua 82.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Nigeria 11% of GDP (2005 est.) Norway 50.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Oman 8.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Pakistan 53.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Panama 64.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea 42.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Paraguay 36% of GDP (2005 est.) Peru 38% of GDP (2005 est.) Philippines 72.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Poland 47.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Portugal 63.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Qatar 35.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Romania 20.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Russia 12.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia 44.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Senegal 46% of GDP (2005 est.) Serbia 53.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Seychelles 167% of GDP (2005 est.) Singapore 102.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Slovakia 42.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Slovenia 28.5% of GDP (2005 est.) South Africa 35.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Spain 42.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Sri Lanka 92.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Sudan 107% of GDP (2005 est.) Sweden 50.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Switzerland 52% of GDP (2005 est.) Syria 40.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Taiwan 33.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Tanzania 65.8% of GDP (2005 est.) Thailand 47.6% of GDP (2005 est.) Trinidad and Tobago 43% of GDP (2005 est.) Tunisia 59.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Turkey 68% of GDP (2005 est.) Uganda 64.3% of GDP (2005 est.) Ukraine 17% of GDP (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates 17.5% of GDP (2005 est.) United Kingdom 43.1% of GDP (2005 est.) United States 64.7% of GDP (2005 est.) Uruguay 81.9% of GDP (2005 est.) Uzbekistan 36.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Venezuela 34.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Vietnam 48.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Wallis and Futuna 5.6% of GDP Yemen 34.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Zambia 71.5% of GDP (2005 est.) Zimbabwe 109.8% of GDP (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2187 Current account balance Albania $-416 million (2005 est.) Algeria $18.79 billion (2005 est.) Angola $4.054 billion (2005 est.) Anguilla $-42.87 million Antigua and Barbuda $-83.4 million Argentina $5.448 billion (2005 est.) Armenia $-118 million (2005 est.) Australia $-42.09 billion (2005 est.) Austria $1.467 billion (2005 est.) Azerbaijan $167.3 million (2005 est.) Bahrain $1.531 billion (2005 est.) Bangladesh $37 million (2005 est.) Belarus $852 million (2005 est.) Belgium $6.305 billion (2005 est.) Belize $-180 million (2005 est.) Benin $-400 million (2005 est.) Bolivia $462 million (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $-2.087 billion (2005 est.) Botswana $1.584 billion (2005 est.) Brazil $14.19 billion (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands $134.3 million Bulgaria $-3.919 billion (2005) Burkina Faso $-460 million (2005 est.) Burma $700 million (2005 est.) Burundi $-29 million (2005 est.) Cambodia $-166 million (2005 est.) Cameroon $39 million (2005 est.) Canada $24.96 billion (2005 est.) Cape Verde $-82 million (2005 est.) Chad $-602 million (2005 est.) Chile $702.7 million (2005 est.) China $160.8 billion (2005 est.) Colombia $-1.931 billion (2005 est.) Comoros $-17 million (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the $493 million (2005 est.) Cook Islands $26.67 million Costa Rica $-955 million (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $-193 million (2005 est.) Croatia $-2.541 billion (2005 est.) Cuba $49 million (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: $-962.3 million (2005 est.) Czech Republic $-2.496 billion (2005 est.) Denmark $7.753 billion (2005 est.) Dominican Republic $-143 million (2005 est.) Ecuador $-566 million (2005 est.) Egypt $2.207 billion (2005 est.) El Salvador $-778 million (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $264 million (2005 est.) Eritrea $-291 million (2005 est.) Estonia $-1.375 billion (2005 est.) Ethiopia $-844 million (2005 est.) European Union $NA Fiji $-465.8 million Finland $5.043 billion (2005 est.) France $-38.78 billion (2005 est.) Gabon $675 million (2005 est.) Gambia, The $-53 million (2005 est.) Georgia $-625 million (2005 est.) Germany $115.5 billion (2005 est.) Ghana $-790 million (2005 est.) Greece $-17.86 billion (2005 est.) Guatemala $-1.341 billion (2005 est.) Guinea $-268.4 million (2005 est.) Guyana $-112 million (2005 est.) Haiti $23 million (2005 est.) Honduras $-42.3 million (2005 est.) Hong Kong $19.7 billion (2005 est.) Hungary $-7.963 billion (2005 est.) Iceland $-2.607 billion (2005 est.) India $-12.95 billion (2005 est.) Indonesia $2.016 billion (2005 est.) Iran $13.27 billion (2005 est.) Iraq $-9.447 billion (2004 est.) Ireland $-3.833 billion (2005 est.) Israel $2.385 billion (2005 est.) Italy $-26.38 billion (2005 est.) Jamaica $-974 million (2005 est.) Japan $165.6 billion (2005 est.) Jordan $-1.613 billion (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $-485.7 million (2005 est.) Kenya $-1.543 billion (2005 est.) Kiribati $-19.87 million Korea, South $16.56 billion (2005 est.) Kuwait $26.92 billion (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $-134 million (2005 est.) Laos $-134 million (2005 est.) Latvia $-1.959 billion (2005 est.) Lebanon $-4.239 billion (2005 est.) Lesotho $-92 million (2005 est.) Libya $10.73 billion (2005 est.) Lithuania $-1.771 billion (2005) Luxembourg $3.56 billion Macedonia $-81.1 million (2005 est.) Madagascar $-438 million (2005 est.) Malawi $-218 million (2005 est.) Malaysia $14.06 billion (2005 est.) Malta $-598 million (2005 est.) Mauritius $-342 million (2005 est.) Mexico $-5.708 billion (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of $-34.3 million Moldova $-285 million (2005 est.) Montenegro NA Morocco $1.255 billion (2005 est.) Mozambique $-639 million (2005 est.) Namibia $509.2 million (2005 est.) Netherlands $39.95 billion (2005 est.) New Zealand $-9.688 billion (2005 est.) Nicaragua $-835 million (2005 est.) Nigeria $5.597 billion (2005 est.) Norway $49.49 billion (2005 est.) Oman $4.796 billion (2005 est.) Pakistan $-1.109 billion (2005 est.) Palau $15.09 million Panama $-705.7 million (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $482.1 million (2005 est.) Paraguay $-255 million (2005 est.) Peru $1.03 billion (2005 est.) Philippines $2.354 billion (2005 est.) Poland $-4.364 billion (2005 est.) Portugal $-17.1 billion (2005 est.) Qatar $9.27 billion (2005 est.) Romania $-8.2 billion (2005) Russia $84.25 billion (2005 est.) Rwanda $-166 million (2005 est.) Samoa $-2.428 million Sao Tome and Principe $-20 million (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia $90.73 billion (2005 est.) Senegal $-848 million (2005 est.) Serbia $-2.451 billion (2005 est.) Seychelles $-32 million (2005 est.) Singapore $32.74 billion (2005 est.) Slovakia $-4.066 billion (2005 est.) Slovenia $-303 million (2005 est.) South Africa $-11.08 billion (2005 est.) Spain $-83.14 billion (2005 est.) Sri Lanka $-776 million (2005 est.) Sudan $-3.013 billion (2005 est.) Swaziland $7 million (2005 est.) Sweden $25.62 billion (2005 est.) Switzerland $58.24 billion (2005 est.) Syria $1.097 billion (2005 est.) Taiwan $16.22 billion (2005 est.) Tajikistan $-44 million (2005 est.) Tanzania $-558 million (2005 est.) Thailand $-3.689 billion (2005 est.) Togo $-199 million (2005 est.) Tonga $-4.321 million Trinidad and Tobago $2.88 billion (2005 est.) Tunisia $-359.2 million (2005 est.) Turkey $-23.08 billion (2005 est.) Turkmenistan $236 million (2005 est.) Tuvalu $2.323 million Uganda $-355 million (2005 est.) Ukraine $2.531 billion (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates $18.54 billion (2005 est.) United Kingdom $-57.61 billion (2005 est.) United States $-829.1 billion (2005 est.) Uruguay $-87.9 million (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $1.082 billion (2005 est.) Vanuatu $-28.35 million Venezuela $25.36 billion (2005 est.) Vietnam $-309 million (2005 est.) Yemen $1.224 billion (2005 est.) Zambia $-420 million (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $-519 million (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2188 Reserves of foreign exchange and gold Albania $1.461 billion (2005 est.) Algeria $56.58 billion (2005 est.) Angola $3.197 billion (2005 est.) Argentina $28.09 billion (2005 est.) Armenia $754.9 million (2005 est.) Australia $43.26 billion (2005 est.) Austria $11.83 billion (2005 est.) Azerbaijan $1.192 billion (2005 est.) Bahrain $2.432 billion (2005 est.) Bangladesh $2.825 billion (2005 est.) Belarus $1.215 billion (2005 est.) Belgium $12 billion (2005 est.) Belize $87 million (2005 est.) Benin $676 million (2005 est.) Bolivia $1.798 billion (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $2.531 billion (2005 est.) Botswana $6.309 billion (2005 est.) Brazil $53.8 billion (2005 est.) Bulgaria $8.695 billion (2005) Burkina Faso $764 million (2005 est.) Burma $763 million (2005 est.) Burundi $105 million (2005 est.) Cambodia $1.145 billion (2005 est.) Cameroon $964.8 million (2005 est.) Canada $33.02 billion (2005 est.) Cape Verde $150 million (2005 est.) Chad $297 million (2005 est.) Chile $16.93 billion (2005 est.) China $825.6 billion (2005 est.) Colombia $14.96 billion (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the $273 million (2005 est.) Costa Rica $2.313 billion (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $1.42 billion (2005 est.) Croatia $8.8 billion (2005 est.) Cuba $2.618 billion (2005 est.) Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: $4.429 billion; north Cyprus $NA (2005 est.) Czech Republic $29.36 billion (2005 est.) Denmark $34.03 billion (2005 est.) Dominican Republic $1.853 billion (2005 est.) Ecuador $2.148 billion (2005 est.) Egypt $21.39 billion (2005 est.) El Salvador $1.833 billion (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $2.103 billion (2005 est.) Eritrea $30 million (2005 est.) Estonia $1.948 billion (2005 est.) Ethiopia $1.226 billion (2005 est.) European Union $NA Finland $11.4 billion (2005 est.) France $74.36 billion (2005 est.) Gabon $675.2 million (2005 est.) Gambia, The $82 million (2005 est.) Georgia $474.2 million (2005 est.) Germany $101.7 billion (2005 est.) Ghana $1.897 billion (2005 est.) Greece $2.287 billion (2005 est.) Guatemala $3.673 billion (2005 est.) Guinea $69.83 million (2005 est.) Guyana $261 million (2005 est.) Haiti $100 million (2005 est.) Honduras $2.339 billion (2005 est.) Hong Kong $124.3 billion (2005 est.) Hungary $18.59 billion (2005 est.) Iceland $1.069 billion (2005 est.) India $136 billion (2005 est.) Indonesia $34.58 billion (2005 est.) Iran $45.46 billion (2005 est.) Iraq $9.161 billion (2005 est.) Ireland $869.3 million (2005 est.) Israel $28.06 billion (2005 est.) Italy $65.95 billion (2005 est.) Jamaica $2.17 billion (2005 est.) Japan $835.5 billion (2005 est.) Jordan $5.463 billion (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $7.07 billion (2005 est.) Kenya $1.799 billion (2005 est.) Korea, South $210.4 billion (2005 est.) Kuwait $8.972 billion (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $612.3 million (2005 est.) Laos $249 million (2005 est.) Latvia $2.361 billion (2005 est.) Lebanon $16.62 billion (2005 est.) Lesotho $573 million (2005 est.) Libya $39.7 billion (2005 est.) Lithuania $3.815 billion (2005) Luxembourg $279.1 million (2005 est.) Macedonia $1.341 billion (2005 est.) Madagascar $572 million (2005 est.) Malawi $151 million (2005 est.) Malaysia $70.23 billion (2005 est.) Malta $2.579 billion (2005 est.) Mauritius $1.366 billion (2005 est.) Mexico $74.1 billion (2005 est.) Moldova $597.5 million (2005 est.) Montenegro NA Morocco $16.47 billion (2005 est.) Mozambique $1.051 billion (2005 est.) Namibia $312.1 million (2005 est.) Netherlands $20.54 billion (2005 est.) New Zealand $8.893 billion (2005 est.) Nicaragua $727.8 million (2005 est.) Nigeria $28.28 billion (2005 est.) Norway $46.99 billion (2005 est.) Oman $4.358 billion (2005 est.) Pakistan $10.95 billion (2005 est.) Panama $1.211 billion (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $748.8 million (2005 est.) Paraguay $1.297 billion (2005 est.) Peru $14.18 billion (2005 est.) Philippines $18.5 billion (2005 est.) Poland $42.56 billion (2005 est.) Portugal $10.36 billion (2005 est.) Qatar $4.552 billion (2005 est.) Romania $21.6 billion (2005 est.) Russia $182.2 billion (2005 est.) Rwanda $357 million (2005 est.) Samoa $70.15 million Sao Tome and Principe $20 million (2005 est.) Saudi Arabia $26.76 billion (2005 est.) Senegal $1.191 billion (2005 est.) Serbia $5.35 billion Seychelles $41 million (2005 est.) Singapore $115.8 billion (2005 est.) Slovakia $14.97 billion (2005 est.) Slovenia $8.16 billion (2005 est.) South Africa $20.63 billion (2005 est.) Spain $17.23 billion (2005 est.) Sri Lanka $2.737 billion (2005 est.) Sudan $2.45 billion (2005 est.) Swaziland $311 million (2005 est.) Sweden $22.33 billion (2005 est.) Switzerland $57.64 billion (2005 est.) Syria $5.363 billion (2005 est.) Taiwan $258 billion (2005 est.) Tajikistan $186.8 million (2005 est.) Tanzania $2.074 billion (2005 est.) Thailand $52.07 billion (2005 est.) Togo $318 million (2005 est.) Tonga $40.83 million Trinidad and Tobago $4.888 billion (2005 est.) Tunisia $4.375 billion (2005 est.) Turkey $52.49 billion (2005 est.) Turkmenistan $2.963 billion (2005 est.) Uganda $1.286 billion (2005 est.) Ukraine $19.39 billion (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates $23.53 billion (2005 est.) United Kingdom $48.66 billion (2005 est.) United States $86.94 billion (2004 est.) Uruguay $3.079 billion (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $2.681 billion (2005 est.) Vanuatu $40.54 million Venezuela $29.64 billion (2005 est.) Vietnam $8.863 billion (2005 est.) Yemen $6.143 billion (2005 est.) Zambia $559.8 million (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $160 million (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2193 Major infectious diseases Afghanistan degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk countrywide below 2,000 meters from March through November animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Algeria degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: cutaneous leishmaniasis is a high risk in some locations (2005) Angola degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Bangladesh degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations water contact disease: leptospirosis animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Benin degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Botswana degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Burkina Faso degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Burma degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2005) Burundi degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Cambodia degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis are high risks in some locations note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US citizens who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005) Cameroon degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Central African Republic degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Chad degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Congo, Democratic Republic of the degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Congo, Republic of the degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Cote d'Ivoire degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations water contact: schistosomiasis (2005) Djibouti degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Equatorial Guinea degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Eritrea degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations (2005) Ethiopia degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and hepatitis E vectorborne diseases: malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Gabon degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Gambia, The degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Ghana degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Guinea degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005) Guinea-Bissau degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) India degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Indonesia degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and chikungunya are high risks in some locations note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US citizens who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005) Kenya degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Liberia degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005) Libya degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through October) (2005) Madagascar degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Malawi degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Malaysia degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2005) Mali degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Mauritania degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and Rift Valley fever are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Morocco degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2005) Mozambique degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Namibia degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Niger degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Nigeria degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever (2005) Pakistan degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and cutaneous leishmaniasis are high risks depending on location animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Papua New Guinea degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2005) Philippines degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Rwanda degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Sao Tome and Principe degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2005) Senegal degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and Rift Valley fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Sierra Leone degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2005) Somalia degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2005) Sudan degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Tanzania degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Thailand degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: leptospirosis note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US personnel who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005) Togo degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005) Tunisia degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2005) Uganda degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Vietnam degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: leptospirosis note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US personnel who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005) Western Sahara degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2005) Zambia degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) Zimbabwe degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2194 Refugees and internally displaced persons Afghanistan IDPs: 200,000-300,000 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and west due to drought and instability) (2005) Algeria refugees (country of origin): 102,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf) IDPs: 400,000-600,000 (conflict between government forces, Islamic insurgents) (2005) Angola refugees (country of origin): 13,510 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 40,000-60,000 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs already have returned) (2005) Armenia refugees (country of origin): 235,101 (Azerbaijan) IDPs: 50,000 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005) Azerbaijan refugees (country of origin): 8,367 (Russia) IDPs: 528,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005) Bangladesh refugees (country of origin): 20,402 (Burma) IDPs: 61,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2005) Bosnia and Herzegovina refugees (country of origin): 19,213 (Croatia) IDPs: 309,200 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Muslims displaced in 1992-95 war) (2005) Burma IDPs: 550,000-1,000,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent groups near borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon) (2005) Burundi refugees (country of origin): 48,424 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 145,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2005) Cameroon refugees (country of origin): 39,290 (Chad) 16,686 (Nigeria) 9,634 (Cote d'Ivoire) (2005) Central African Republic refugees (country of origin): 19,470 (Sudan) 1,864 (Chad) 6,484 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 200,000 (unrest following coup in 2003) (2005) Chad refugees (country of origin): 224,924 (Sudan), 29,683 (Central African Republic) (2005) China refugees (country of origin): 299,287 (Vietnam) estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea) (2005) Colombia IDPs: 2,900,000 - 3,400,000 (conflict between government and FARC; drug wars) (2004) Congo, Democratic Republic of the refugees (country of origin): 5,277 (Republic of Congo) 11,816 (Rwanda) 18,953 (Uganda) 19,400 (Burundi) 45,226 (Sudan) 98,383 (Angola) IDPs: 2.33 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2005) Congo, Republic of the refugees (country of origin): 53,834 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 60,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic Lari) (2005) Costa Rica refugees (country of origin): 8,266 (Colombia) (2005) Cote d'Ivoire refugees (country of origin): 70,402 (Liberia) IDPs: 500,000-800,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2005) Croatia IDPs: 12,600 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95 war) (2005) Cyprus IDPs: 265,000 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced for over 30 years) (2005) Djibouti refugees (country of origin): 17,331 (Somalia) (2005) Ecuador refugees (country of origin): 8,270 (Colombia) (2005) Egypt refugees (country of origin): 70,245 (Palestinian Territories) 14,904 (Sudan) (2005) Eritrea IDPs: 59,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most IDPs are near the central border region) (2005) Ethiopia refugees (country of origin): 90,451 (Sudan) 16,470 (Somalia) 8,719 (Eritrea) IDPs: 132,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000 and ethnic clashes in Gambela; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2005) Gaza Strip refugees (country of origin): 986,034 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2005) Georgia IDPs: 260,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2005) Ghana refugees (country of origin): 40,853 (Liberia) (2005) Guatemala IDPs: 250,000 (government's scorched-earth offensive in 1980s against indigenous people) 30,000 (Hurricane "Stan" October 2005) (2005) Guinea refugees (country of origin): 127,256 (Liberia) 7,165 (Sierra Leone) 7,064 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 82,000 (cross-border incursions from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire) (2005) India refugees (country of origin): 92,394 (Tibet/China) 57,274 (Sri Lanka) 9,761 (Afghanistan) IDPs: 600,000 (resulting from 26 December 2004 tsunami); 500,000 (Jammu and Kashmir conflicts; most IDPs are Kashmiri Hindus) (2005) Indonesia IDPs: 570,000 (resulting from 26 December 2004 tsunami) 500,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Maluku, and Central Sulawesi Provinces); (2005) Iran refugees (country of origin): 952,802 (Afghanistan) 93,173 (Iraq) (2005) Iraq refugees (country of origin): 22,711 (Palestinian Territories) IDPs: 1 million (ongoing US-led war and Kurds' subsequent return) (2005) Israel IDPs: 276,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2005) Jordan refugees (country of origin): 1,827,877 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 168,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2005) Kazakhstan refugees (country of origin): 13,684 (Russia) (2005) Kenya refugees (country of origin): 153,627 (Somalia) 12,595 (Ethiopia) 67,556 (Sudan) IDPs: 360,000 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2005) Korea, North IDPs: 50,000-250,000 (government repression and famine) (2005) Lebanon refugees (country of origin): 404,170 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 300,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions) (2005) Liberia refugees (country of origin): 13,941 (Sierra Leone) 12,408 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 464,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2005) Macedonia IDPs: 2,678 (ethnic conflict in 2001) (2005) Malaysia refugees (country of origin): 15,181 (Indonesia) 9,601 (Burma) (2005) Maldives IDPs: 11,000 (December 2004 tsunami victims) (2005) Mali refugees (country of origin): 6,185 (Mauritania) (2005) Mexico IDPs: 12,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2005) Moldova IDPs: 1,000 (internal secessionist uprising in Transnistrian region in 1991) (2005) Namibia refugees (country of origin): 12,618 (Angola) (2005) Nepal refugees (country of origin): 104,915 (Bhutan) IDPs: 100,000-200,000 (ongoing conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels; displacement spread across the country) (2005) Nigeria IDPs: 200,000 - 250,000 (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999) (2005) Pakistan refugees (country of origin): 960,041 (Afghanistan) IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan); 3 million (October 2005 earthquake) (2005) Peru IDPs: 60,000 (civil war from 1980-2000; most IDPs are indigenous peasants in Andean and Amazonian regions) (2005) Philippines IDPs: 150,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu Sayyaf groups) (2005) Russia IDPs: 339,000 (displacement from Chechnya and North Ossetia) (2005) Rwanda refugees (country of origin): 45,460 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 4,158 (incursions by Hutu rebels from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997-99; most IDPs in northwest) (2005) Saudi Arabia refugees (country of origin): 240,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2005) Senegal refugees (country of origin): 19,778 (Mauritania) IDPs: 17,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2005) Serbia refugees (country of origin): 180,117 (Croatia); 95,297 (Bosnia and Herzegovina) IDPs: 225,000 - 251,000 (mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999) (2005) Sierra Leone refugees (country of origin): 65,433 (Liberia) (2005) Somalia IDPs: 400,000 (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources) 5,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005) South Africa refugees (country of origin): 5,774 (Angola) 9,516 (Democratic Republic of Congo) 7,118 (Somalia) (2005) Sri Lanka IDPs: 353,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to Tamil conflict); 450,000 (resulting from 2004 tsunami) (2005) Sudan refugees (country of origin): 110,927 (Eritrea) 5,023 (Chad) 7,983 (Uganda) 14,812 (Ethiopia) IDPs: 5,300,000 - 6,200,000 (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing genocide) (2005) Syria refugees (country of origin): 432,048 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) 14,391 (Iraq) IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2005) Tanzania refugees (country of origin): 443,706 (Burundi) 153,474 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 3,036 (Somalia) (2005) Thailand refugees (country of origin): 120,814 (Burma) IDPs: 6,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005) Turkey IDPs: 350,000-1,000,000 (fighting from 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2005) Turkmenistan refugees (country of origin): 12,085 (Tajikistan) (2005) Uganda refugees (country of origin): 214,673 (Sudan) 18,902 (Rwanda) 14,982 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 1,330,000-2,000,000 note - ongoing Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion, mainly in the north; LRA frequently attacks IDP camps (2005) United States refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 52,868 refugees during FY03/04 including: 13,331 (Somalia), 6,000 (Laos), 3,482 (Ukraine), 2,959 (Cuba), 1,787 (Iran); note - 32,229 refugees had been admitted as of 30 June 2005 Uzbekistan refugees (country of origin): 39,202 (Tajikistan) 5,238 (Afghanistan) IDPs: 3,000 (forced population transfers by government from villages near Tajikistan border) (2005) West Bank refugees (country of origin): 699,817 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2005) World the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that in December 2004 there was a global population of 9.2 million refugees, the lowest number in 25 years, and as many as 25 million IDPs in over 49 countries (2005) Yemen refugees (country of origin): 63,511 (Somalia) (2005) Zambia refugees (country of origin): 88,842 (Angola) 66,248 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 5,791 (Rwanda) (2005) Zimbabwe IDPs: 400,000-450,000 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2005) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2195 GDP (official exchange rate) Afghanistan $7.095 billion Albania $8.657 billion (2005 est.) Algeria $85.31 billion (2005 est.) American Samoa $333.8 million Andorra NA Angola $24.35 billion (2005 est.) Anguilla $108.9 million Antigua and Barbuda $905 million Argentina $182 billion (2005 est.) Armenia $4.868 billion (2005 est.) Aruba $2.258 billion Australia $612.8 billion (2005 est.) Austria $293.4 billion (2005 est.) Azerbaijan $10.4 billion (2005 est.) Bahamas, The $5.783 billion (2005 est.) Bahrain $11.01 billion (2005 est.) Bangladesh $63.56 billion (2005 est.) Barbados $2.964 billion (2005 est.) Belarus $26.69 billion (2005 est.) Belgium $350.3 billion (2005 est.) Belize $908 million (2005 est.) Benin $4.34 billion (2005 est.) Bermuda NA Bhutan $840.5 million Bolivia $9.657 billion (2005 est.) Bosnia and Herzegovina $8.495 billion (2005 est.) Botswana $9.046 billion (2005 est.) Brazil $619.7 billion (2005 est.) British Virgin Islands $839.7 million Brunei $5.486 billion Bulgaria $25.79 billion (2005 est.) Burkina Faso $5.405 billion (2005 est.) Burma $7.464 billion (2005 est.) Burundi $730 million (2005 est.) Cambodia $4.729 billion (2005 est.) Cameroon $15.35 billion (2005 est.) Canada $1.035 trillion (2005 est.) Cape Verde $1.128 billion (2005 est.) Cayman Islands NA Central African Republic $1.462 billion (2005 est.) Chad $4.799 billion (2005 est.) Chile $115.6 billion (2005 est.) China $2.225 trillion (2005 est.) Colombia $97.73 billion (2005 est.) Comoros $402 million (2005 est.) Congo, Democratic Republic of the $7.328 billion (2005 est.) Congo, Republic of the $4.694 billion (2005 est.) Cook Islands $183.2 million Costa Rica $19.38 billion (2005 est.) Cote d'Ivoire $16.57 billion (2005 est.) Croatia $34.94 billion (2005 est.) Cuba $39.51 billion Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: $15.4 billion (2005 est.) Czech Republic $109.4 billion (2005 est.) Denmark $243.4 billion (2005 est.) Djibouti $702 million Dominica $279 million Dominican Republic $18.15 billion (2005 est.) East Timor $349 million Ecuador $30.7 billion (2005 est.) Egypt $92.6 billion (2005 est.) El Salvador $16.52 billion (2005 est.) Equatorial Guinea $7.644 billion (2005 est.) Eritrea $1.244 billion (2005 est.) Estonia $12.19 billion (2005 est.) Ethiopia $8.819 billion (2005 est.) European Union $13.31 trillion (2005 est.) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA Faroe Islands NA Fiji $2.81 billion (2005 est.) Finland $184.2 billion (2005 est.) France $2.055 trillion (2005 est.) French Guiana NA French Polynesia NA Gabon $6.697 billion (2005 est.) Gambia, The $429 million (2005 est.) Gaza Strip NA Georgia $6.4 billion (2005 est.) Germany $2.73 trillion (2005 est.) Ghana $9.413 billion (2005 est.) Gibraltar NA Greece $209.7 billion (2005 est.) Greenland NA Grenada $454 million Guadeloupe NA Guam $2.773 billion Guatemala $26.98 billion (2005 est.) Guernsey NA Guinea $3.576 billion (2005 est.) Guinea-Bissau $280 million (2005 est.) Guyana $782 million (2005 est.) Haiti $4.321 billion (2005 est.) Honduras $7.812 billion (2005 est.) Hong Kong $172.6 billion (2005 est.) Hungary $106.4 billion (2005 est.) Iceland $13.05 billion (2005 est.) India $719.8 billion (2005 est.) Indonesia $270 billion (2005 est.) Iran $181.2 billion (2005 est.) Iraq $46.5 billion (2005 est.) Ireland $188.4 billion (2005 est.) Isle of Man $2.26 billion Israel $114.3 billion (2005 est.) Italy $1.71 trillion (2005 est.) Jamaica $9.127 billion (2005 est.) Japan $4.664 trillion (2005 est.) Jersey NA Jordan $11.51 billion (2005 est.) Kazakhstan $47.39 billion (2005 est.) Kenya $16.11 billion (2005 est.) Kiribati $76.4 million Korea, North NA Korea, South $801.2 billion (2005 est.) Kuwait $52.76 billion (2005 est.) Kyrgyzstan $2.144 billion (2005 est.) Laos $2.523 billion (2005 est.) Latvia $14.43 billion (2005 est.) Lebanon $20.7 billion (2005 est.) Lesotho $1.362 billion (2005 est.) Liberia $902.9 million Libya $31.49 billion (2005 est.) Liechtenstein $2.487 billion Lithuania $23.5 billion (2005 est.) Luxembourg $31.76 billion (2005 est.) Macau $10.05 billion (2004) Macedonia $5.304 billion (2005 est.) Madagascar $4.719 billion (2005 est.) Malawi $1.984 billion (2005 est.) Malaysia $122 billion (2005 est.) Maldives $817 million Mali $5.434 billion (2005 est.) Malta $5.193 billion (2005 est.) Marshall Islands $144 million Martinique NA Mauritania $1.346 billion (2005 est.) Mauritius $6.681 billion (2005 est.) Mayotte NA Mexico $693 billion (2005 est.) Micronesia, Federated States of $232 million Moldova $2.416 billion (2005 est.) Monaco NA Mongolia $1.4 billion (2005 est.) Montenegro $1.125 billion (2005 est.) Montserrat NA Morocco $51.94 billion (2005 est.) Mozambique $5.727 billion (2005 est.) Namibia $4.976 billion (2005 est.) Nauru NA Nepal $6.655 billion (2005 est.) Netherlands $581.3 billion (2005 est.) Netherlands Antilles NA New Caledonia NA New Zealand $94.6 billion (2005 est.) Nicaragua $5.03 billion (2005 est.) Niger $3.432 billion (2005 est.) Nigeria $77.33 billion (2005 est.) Niue $10.01 million Northern Mariana Islands $633.4 million Norway $246.9 billion (2005 est.) Oman $24.98 billion (2005 est.) Pakistan $89.55 billion (2005 est.) Palau $145 million Panama $14.89 billion (2005 est.) Papua New Guinea $3.924 billion (2005 est.) Paraguay $7.281 billion (2005 est.) Peru $69.81 billion (2005 est.) Philippines $91.36 billion (2005 est.) Poland $246.2 billion (2005 est.) Portugal $170.3 billion (2005 est.) Puerto Rico NA Qatar $28.07 billion (2005 est.) Reunion NA Romania $72.7 billion (2005 est.) Russia $740.7 billion (2005 est.) Rwanda $1.817 billion (2005 est.) Saint Helena NA Saint Kitts and Nevis $453 million Saint Lucia $825 million Saint Pierre and Miquelon NA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $428 million Samoa $399 million San Marino $880 million Sao Tome and Principe $71.38 million Saudi Arabia $264 billion (2005 est.) Senegal $7.972 billion (2005 est.) Serbia $19.19 billion for Serbia alone (excluding Kosovo) (2005 est.) Seychelles $722 million (2005 est.) Sierra Leone $1.128 billion (2005 est.) Singapore $110.6 billion (2005 est.) Slovakia $43.07 billion (2005 est.) Slovenia $35.21 billion (2005 est.) Solomon Islands $286 million Somalia $2.483 billion South Africa $187.3 billion (2005 est.) Spain $1.019 trillion (2005 est.) Sri Lanka $21.62 billion (2005 est.) Sudan $22.75 billion (2005 est.) Suriname $1.3 billion (2005 est.) Swaziland $2.117 billion (2005 est.) Sweden $348.1 billion (2005 est.) Switzerland $367 billion (2005 est.) Syria $25.84 billion (2005 est.) Taiwan $323.4 billion (2005 est.) Tajikistan $1.887 billion (2005 est.) Tanzania $12.12 billion (2005 est.) Thailand $183.9 billion (2005 est.) Togo $1.999 billion (2005 est.) Tokelau NA Tonga $244 million Trinidad and Tobago $13.02 billion (2005 est.) Tunisia $30.94 billion (2005 est.) Turkey $332.5 billion (2005 est.) Turkmenistan $13.99 billion (2005 est.) Turks and Caicos Islands NA Tuvalu $14.94 million Uganda $7.909 billion (2005 est.) Ukraine $75.14 billion (2005 est.) United Arab Emirates $98.1 billion (2005 est.) United Kingdom $2.228 trillion (2005 est.) United States $12.49 trillion (2005 est.) Uruguay $13.24 billion (2005 est.) Uzbekistan $9.86 billion (2005 est.) Vanuatu $341 million Venezuela $106.1 billion (2005 est.) Vietnam $43.75 billion (2005 est.) Virgin Islands NA Wallis and Futuna NA West Bank $3.45 billion Western Sahara NA World $43.07 trillion (2005 est.) Yemen $14.34 billion (2005 est.) Zambia $5.351 billion (2005 est.) Zimbabwe $3.207 billion (2005 est.) This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== @2196 Trafficking in persons Algeria current situation: Algeria is a transit and destination country for men, women, and children from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; many victims willingly migrate to Algeria en route to European countries with the help of smugglers, where they are often forced into prostitution, labor, and begging to pay off their smuggling debt; armed militants reportedly traffic women for sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude, and children may be trafficked for forced labor as domestic servants or street vendors tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Algeria took no steps to assess the scope of trafficking in the country and reported no investigations or prosecutions for trafficking offenses this year Argentina current situation: Argentina is primarily a destination country for women and children trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation with most victims trafficked internally, from rural to urban areas, for exploitation in prostitution; foreign women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation come primarily from Paraguay, but also from Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Chile; Bolivians are trafficked for forced labor; Argentine women and girls are also trafficked to neighboring countries for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Argentina failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking particularly in the key area of prosecutions; government efforts to improve interagency anti-trafficking coordination did not achieve significant progress in moving cases against traffickers through the judicial system; the government made progress in other areas, by submitting anti-trafficking legislation to Congress in August 2005 and sensitizing provincial and municipal government officials to the trafficking problem Armenia current situation: Armenia is a major source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to the UAE and Turkey; traffickers, many of them women, route victims directly into Dubai or through Moscow; profits derived from the trafficking of Armenian victims reportedly increased dramatically from 2005 tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Armenia has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts, particularly in the areas of enforcement, trafficking-related corruption, and victim protection; the government increased implementation of its anti-trafficking law, but failed to impose significant penalties for convicted traffickers and failed to vigorously investigate and prosecute ongoing and widespread allegations of public officials' complicity in trafficking; victim protection efforts remain in early, formative stages and a lack of sensitivity for victims remains a problem, particularly in the judiciary Bahrain current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men and women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly to work as laborers or domestic servants, but may be subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude when faced with exorbitant recruitment and transportation fees, withholding of their passports, restrictions on their movement, non-payment of wages, and physical or sexual abuse; Eastern European women are also believed to be trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain's efforts to address trafficking in persons are based largely on pledges of future efforts; the government did not enact a comprehensive anti-trafficking law extending labor protection to domestic workers Belize current situation: Belize is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked mainly from Central America, and exploited in prostitution; children are trafficked to Belize for labor exploitation; Belize's largely unmonitored borders with Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico facilitate the movement of illegal migrants who are vulnerable to traffickers; girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, sometimes with the consent and complicity of their close relatives; there are unconfirmed reports that Indian and Chinese migrants are trafficked for involuntary servitude in homes and shops tier rating: Tier 3 - Belize has failed to show evidence of significant law enforcement or victim protection efforts Bolivia current situation: Bolivia is a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, as well as to Spain; children are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation, forced mining, and agricultural labor; illegal migrants from Asia transiting Bolivia are vulnerable as trafficking victims tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bolivia has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in the areas of prosecutions and victim protection Brazil current situation: Brazil is a source and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation within Brazil and to destinations in South America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Japan, the US, and the Middle East, and for men trafficked within the country for forced agricultural labor; child sex tourism is a problem within the country, particularly in the resort areas and coastal cities of Brazil's northeast; foreign victims from Bolivia, Peru, China, and Korea are trafficked to Brazil for labor exploitation in factories tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Brazil has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to fight trafficking, specifically for its failure to apply effective criminal penalties against traffickers who exploit forced labor Burma current situation: Burma is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for sexual exploitation, domestic service, and forced commercial labor; a significant number of victims are economic migrants who wind up in forced or bonded labor and forced prostitution; to a lesser extent, Burma is a country of transit and destination for women trafficked from China for sexual exploitation; internal trafficking of persons occurs primarily for labor in industrial zones and agricultural estates; internal trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation occurs from villages to urban centers and other areas; the military junta's economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and policy of using forced labor are driving factors behind Burma's large trafficking problem tier rating: Tier 3 - Burma does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Cambodia current situation: Cambodia is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant number of women and children are trafficked to Thailand and Malaysia for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; men are trafficked primarily to Thailand for forced labor in the construction and agricultural sectors, particularly the fishing industry, while women and girls are trafficked for factory and domestic work; children are trafficked to Vietnam and Thailand for the purpose of forced begging; Cambodia is a transit and destination point for women from Vietnam trafficked for sexual exploitation; trafficking for sexual exploitation also occurs within Cambodia's borders, from rural areas to the cities tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cambodia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is committed to making significant efforts to sustain progress over the coming year Central African Republic current situation: Central African Republic is a source and destination country for children trafficked for domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and forced labor in shops and commercial labor activities; while the majority of child victims are trafficked within the country, some are also trafficked to and from Cameroon and Nigeria tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - the Central African Republic failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons during 2005, specifically its inadequate law enforcement response to trafficking crimes China current situation: China is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking in China is internal, but there is also international trafficking of Chinese citizens; women are lured through false promises of legitimate employment into commercial sexual exploitation in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan; Chinese men and women are smuggled to countries throughout the world at enormous personal expense and then forced into commercial sexual exploitation or exploitative labor to repay debts to traffickers; women and children are trafficked into China from Mongolia, Burma, North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage, and sexual slavery; most North Koreans enter northeastern China voluntarily, but others reportedly are trafficked into China from North Korea; domestic trafficking remains the most significant problem in China, with an estimated minimum of 10,000-20,000 victims trafficked each year; the actual number of victims could be much greater; some experts believe that the serious and prolonged imbalance in the male-female birth ratio may now be contributing to Chinese and foreign girls and women being trafficked as potential brides tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to address transnational trafficking; while the government provides reasonable protection to internal victims of trafficking, protection for Chinese and foreign victims of transnational trafficking remain inadequate Cuba current situation: Cuba is a source country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced child labor; Cuba is a major destination for sex tourism, which largely caters to European, Canadian, and Latin American tourists and involves large numbers of minors; there are reports that Cuban women have been trafficked to Mexico for sexual exploitation; forced labor victims also include children coerced into working in commercial agriculture tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Cyprus current situation: Cyprus is primarily a destination country for a large number of women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic for the purpose of sexual exploitation; traffickers continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas; there were credible reports of female domestic workers from India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines forced to work excessively long hours and denied proper compensation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to address its serious trafficking for sexual exploitation problem; however, it is making significant efforts to do so Djibouti current situation: Djibouti is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and possibly forced labor; small numbers are trafficked from Ethiopia and Somalia for sexual exploitation; economic migrants from these countries also fall victim to trafficking upon reaching Djibouti City or the Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor; women and children from neighboring countries reportedly transit Djibouti to Arab countries and Somalia for ultimate use in forced labor or sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Djibouti does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so based partly on the government's commitments to undertake future action Egypt current situation: Egypt is a transit country for women trafficked from Eastern Europe to Israel for the purpose of sexual exploitation; these women generally arrive as tourists and are subsequently trafficked through the Sinai Desert by Bedouin tribes; men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are believed to be trafficked through the Sinai Desert to Israel and Europe for labor exploitation; some Egyptian children from rural areas are trafficked within the country to work as domestic servants or laborers in the agriculture industry tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking over the past year, particularly in the area of law enforcement Equatorial Guinea current situation: Equatorial Guinea is a transit and destination country for women and children trafficked for forced labor, involuntary domestic servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation from surrounding countries - primarily Benin, Nigeria, Mali, and Cameroon; victims work in the agricultural and commercial sectors of Malabo and Bata, where demand is high due to a booming oil sector; children work as farmhands, street vendors, or household servants; girls and women are also trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide adequate evidence of concrete measures to address trafficking over the past year India current situation: India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced or bonded labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the large population of men, women, and children - numbering in the millions - in debt bondage face involuntary servitude in brick kilns, rice mills, and embroidery factories, while some children endure involuntary servitude as domestic servants; internal trafficking of women and girls for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage also occurs; the government estimates that 90 percent of India's sex trafficking is internal; India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; boys from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are trafficked through India to the Gulf states for involuntary servitude as child camel jockeys; Indian men and women migrate willingly to the Persian Gulf region for work as domestic servants and low-skilled laborers, but some later find themselves in situations of involuntary servitude including extended working hours, nonpayment of wages, restrictions on their movement by withholding of their passports or confinement to the home, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - India has been on the Tier 2 Watch List since 2004 for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking in persons Indonesia current situation: Indonesia is a source, transit, and destination country for women, children and men trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; Indonesian victims are trafficked to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore; a significant number of Indonesian women who go overseas each year to work as domestic servants or "cultural performers" are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; to a minimal extent, Indonesia is a destination for women from East Asia, Europe, and South America who are trafficked for sexual exploitation; there is extensive trafficking within Indonesia from rural to urban metropolitan areas particularly for sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Indonesia is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking Iran current situation: Iran is a source, transit, and destination country for women and girls trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; according to foreign observers, women and girls are trafficked to Pakistan, Turkey, the Persian Gulf, and Europe for sexual exploitation, while boys from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are trafficked through Iran en route to Persian Gulf states where they are ultimately forced to work as camel jockeys, beggars, or laborers; Afghan women and girls are trafficked to the country for forced marriages and sexual exploitation; women and children are also trafficked internally for the purposes of forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and involuntary servitude tier rating: Tier 3 - Iran is downgraded to Tier 3 after persistent, credible reports of Iranian authorities punishing victims of trafficking with beatings, imprisonment, and execution Israel current situation: Israel is a destination country for low-skilled workers from Eastern Europe and Asia who migrate voluntarily for contract labor in the construction, agriculture, and health care industries, some of whom are subsequently subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude; many labor recruitment agencies in source countries and in Israel require workers to pay large up-front fees that often lead to debt bondage and vulnerability to forced labor; Israel is also a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Israel is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking, namely the conditions of involuntary servitude allegedly facing thousands of foreign migrant workers Jamaica current situation: Jamaica is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and labor; information suggests that women from the Dominican Republic and Eastern Europe are also trafficked to Jamaica for sexual exploitation; women and children are trafficked internally from rural to urban and tourist areas for sexual exploitation; there may also be trafficking for domestic servitude and forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jamaica is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List based on the determination that it is making significant efforts to undertake future action Kenya current situation: Kenya is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; children are trafficked within the country for domestic servitude, street vending, agricultural labor, and sexual exploitation; men, women, and girls are trafficked to the Middle East, other African nations, Western Europe, and North America for domestic servitude, enslavement in massage parlors and brothels, and manual labor; Chinese women trafficked for sexual exploitation reportedly transit Nairobi and Bangladeshis may transit Kenya for forced labor in other countries tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Kenya is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List due to a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking Korea, North current situation: North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; North Korea's own system of political repression includes forced labor in a network of prison camps where an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 persons are incarcerated; the illegal status of North Koreans in China and other countries increases their vulnerability to trafficking schemes and sexual and physical abuse; North Koreans forcibly returned from China may be subject to hard labor in prison camps operated by the government tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Kuwait current situation: Kuwait is a destination country for men and women who migrate legally from South and Southeast Asia for domestic or low-skilled labor, but are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by employers in Kuwait including conditions of physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement to the home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of movement; Kuwait is reportedly a transit point for South and East Asian workers recruited for low-skilled work in Iraq; some of these workers are deceived as to the true location and nature of this work, and others are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in Iraq; in past years, Kuwait was also a destination country for children exploited as camel jockeys, but this form of trafficking appears to have ceased tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Kuwait is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List because its efforts are based largely on pledges of future actions Laos current situation: Laos is a source country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; a significant number are economic migrants who are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation or conditions of forced or bonded labor in Thailand; to a lesser extent, Laos is a transit and destination country for women who are trafficked for sexual exploitation including a small number of victims from China and Vietnam trafficked to work as street vendors and for sexual exploitation in prostitution tier rating: Tier 3 - Laos does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Libya current situation: Libya is a transit and destination country for men, women, and children from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; many victims willingly migrate to Libya en route to Europe with the help of smugglers, but may be forced into prostitution or work as laborers and beggars to pay off their $800-$1,200 smuggling debt; laborers from Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia are reportedly trafficked to Libya for the purpose of labor exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Libya is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its lack of evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking since 2004 Macau current situation: Macau is a transit and destination territory for women trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; most females in Macau's sizeable sex industry come from the interior regions of China or Mongolia, though a significant number also come from Russia, Eastern Europe, Thailand, and Vietnam; the majority of women in Macau's prostitution trade appear to have entered Macau and the sex trade voluntarily, though there is evidence that some are deceived or coerced into sexual servitude, often through the use of debt bondage; organized criminal syndicates are reportedly involved in bringing women to Macau, and fear of reprisals from these groups may prevent some women from seeking help tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Macau is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking since 2004 Malaysia current situation: Malaysia is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; foreign victims, mostly women and girls from China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam, are trafficked to Malaysia for commercial sexual exploitation; economic migrants from countries in the region who work as domestic servants or laborers in the construction and agricultural sectors face exploitative conditions in Malaysia that meet the definition of involuntary servitude; some Malaysian women, primarily of Chinese ethnicity, are trafficked abroad for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Malaysia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly its failure to provide protection for victims of trafficking Mauritania current situation: Mauritania is a source and destination country for children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor, begging, and domestic servitude; adults and children are subjected to slavery-related practices rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships in isolated parts of the country where a barter economy exists tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Mauritania is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increased efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement Mexico current situation: Mexico is a source, transit, and destination country for persons trafficked for sexual exploitation and labor; while the vast majority of victims are Central Americans trafficked along Mexico's southern border, other source regions include South America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia; women and children are trafficked from rural regions to urban centers and tourist areas for sexual exploitation, often through fraudulent offers of employment or through threats of physical violence; the Mexican trafficking problem is often conflated with alien smuggling, and frequently the same criminal networks are involved; pervasive corruption among state and local law enforcement often impedes investigations tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Mexico remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year based on future commitments to undertake additional efforts in prosecution, protection, and prevention of trafficking in persons, and the failure of the government to provide critical law enforcement data Oman current situation: Oman is a destination country for men and women primarily from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India who migrate willingly, but may subsequently become victims of trafficking when subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers; there have been occasional reports that expatriate children engaged in camel racing may transit or reside in Omani territory tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Oman is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List because of a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons in 2005 Peru current situation: Peru is primarily a source country for women and children trafficked internally for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced domestic labor; most victims are girls and young women moved internally from rural to urban areas, or from city to city, and lured or coerced into prostitution in nightclubs, bars, and brothels; Peruvians have also been trafficked for sexual exploitation to Spain, Japan, the United States, and Venezuela; the government acknowledges that sex tourism occurs, particularly in the Amazon region of the country tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Peru is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking in 2005 Qatar current situation: Qatar is a destination country for men and women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly, but are subsequently trafficked into involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers; the problem of trafficking of foreign children as camel jockeys was thoroughly addressed by government action in 2005, but independent confirmation of the problem's complete elimination is not yet available tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Qatar has made noticeable progress in rescuing and repatriating child camel jockeys, establishing a shelter for abused domestic workers, and creating hotlines to register complaints; however, Qatar is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide sufficient evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2005, particularly with regard to labor exploitation Russia current situation: Russia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for various purposes; it remains a significant source of women trafficked to over 50 countries for commercial sexual exploitation; Russia is also a transit and destination country for men and women trafficked from Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Korea to Central and Western Europe and the Middle East for purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; internal trafficking remains a problem in Russia with women trafficked from rural areas to urban centers for commercial sexual exploitation, and men are trafficked internally and from Central Asia for forced labor in the construction and agricultural industries; debt bondage is common among trafficking victims, and child sex tourism remains a concern tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Russia is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for a third consecutive year for its continued failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of victim protection and assistance Saudi Arabia current situation: Saudi Arabia is a destination country for workers from South and Southeast Asia who are subjected to conditions that constitute involuntary servitude including being subjected to physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement, and withholding of passports as a restriction on their movement; domestic workers are particularly vulnerable because some are confined to the house in which they work, unable to seek help; Saudi Arabia is also a destination country for Nigerian, Yemeni, Pakistani, Afghan, Somali, Malian, and Sudanese children trafficked for forced begging and involuntary servitude as street vendors; some Nigerian women were reportedly trafficked into Saudi Arabia for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 3 - Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so South Africa current situation: South Africa is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked internally - and occasionally to European and Asian countries - for sexual exploitation; women from other African countries are trafficked to South Africa and, less frequently, onward to Europe for sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked from neighboring countries for forced agricultural labor; Asian and Eastern European women are trafficked to South Africa for debt-bonded sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - South Africa is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show increasing efforts to address trafficking in 2005 Sudan current situation: Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan may also be a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked for domestic servitude; boys are trafficked to the Middle East, particularly Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, for use as camel jockeys; small numbers of girls are reportedly trafficked within Sudan for domestic servitude, as well as for commercial sexual exploitation in small brothels in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps; the terrorist rebel organization "Lord's Resistance Army" (LRA) continues to abduct and forcibly conscript small numbers of children in Southern Sudan for use as cooks, porters, and combatants in its ongoing war against Uganda; some of these children are then trafficked across borders into Uganda or possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo; children are utilized by rebel groups and the Sudanese Armed Forces and associated militias in the ongoing conflict in Darfur; during the decades of civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were enslaved by members of Baggara tribes and subjected to various forms of forced labor without remuneration, as well as physical and sexual abuse; with the cessation of the North-South conflict and the ongoing peace process, there were no known new abductions of Dinka by Baggara tribes during 2005; however, inter-tribal abductions of a different nature continue in Southern Sudan and warrant further investigation tier rating: Tier 3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Syria current situation: Syria is a destination country for women from South and Southeast Asia and Africa for domestic servitude and from Eastern Europe and Iraq for sexual exploitation; women are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of exploitation and involuntary servitude including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports and other restrictions on movement, and physical and sexual abuse; Eastern European women recruited for work in Syria as cabaret dancers are not permitted to leave their work premises without permission and have their passports withheld; some displaced Iraqi women and children are reportedly forced into sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so Taiwan current situation: Taiwan is primarily a destination for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; women from China and Southeast Asian countries are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and children, primarily from Vietnam, are trafficked through the use of fraudulent marriages, deceptive employment offers, and illegal smuggling for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant share of foreign workers - primarily from Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines - are recruited legally for low-skilled jobs, and are subjected to forced labor or involuntary servitude by labor agencies or employers upon arrival in Taiwan; to a much lesser extent, there is internal trafficking of children for sexual exploitation and trafficking of a small and declining number of Taiwanese women to Japan for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Taiwan is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts over the past year to address trafficking, despite ample resources to do so, particularly the serious level of forced labor and sexual servitude among legally migrating Southeast Asian contract workers and brides Togo current situation: Togo is a source, transit, and destination country for children, women, and men trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; the majority of victims are children, and trafficking within the country is more prevalent than international trafficking; children are trafficked to work as domestic servants, produce porters, roadside sellers, agricultural laborers, and for sexual exploitation; Togolese women may be trafficked to Europe for forced labor and sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Togo is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for failure to show evidence of increased efforts to combat trafficking over the past year, particularly in the areas of prosecution and protection United Arab Emirates current situation: the United Arab Emirates is a destination country for men, women, and children trafficked from South and East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for involuntary servitude and for sexual exploitation; an estimated 10,000 women from sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, South and East Asia, Iraq, Iran, and Morocco may be victims of sex trafficking in the UAE; women also migrate from Africa, and South and Southeast Asia to work as domestic servants, but may have their passports confiscated, be denied permission to leave the place of employment in the home, or face sexual or physical abuse by their employers; men from South Asia come to the UAE to work in the construction industry, but may be subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as they are coerced to pay off recruitment and travel costs, sometimes having their wages denied for months at a time; victims of child camel jockey trafficking may still remain in the UAE, despite a July 2005 law banning the practice; while all identified victims were repatriated at the government's expense to their home countries, questions persist as to the effectiveness of the ban and the true number of victims tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - UAE is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show increased efforts to combat trafficking in 2005, particularly in its efforts to address the large-scale trafficking of foreign girls and women for commercial sexual exploitation Uzbekistan current situation: Uzbekistan is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit country for women trafficked to Asia and the Middle East for the purpose of sexual exploitation; women from other Central Asian countries and China are trafficked through Uzbekistan; men are trafficked for purposes of forced labor in the construction and agricultural industries to Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan; men and women are also trafficked within the country tier rating: Tier 3 - Uzbekistan is placed on Tier 3 because it failed to fulfill commitments by the country to take additional steps during 2005, including the adoption of comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation, criminal code amendments to raise trafficking penalties, support to the country's first trafficking shelter, and approval of a national action plan Venezuela current situation: Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and children from Colombia, China, Peru, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic are trafficked to and through Venezuela and subjected to commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor; Venezuelans are trafficked internally and to Western Europe, particularly Spain and the Netherlands, and to countries in the Caribbean region for commercial sexual exploitation; Venezuela is a transit country for illegal migrants from other countries in the region and for Asian nationals, some are believed to be trafficking victims tier rating: Tier 3 - Venezuela does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so World current situation: about 600,000 to 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually across national borders, not including millions trafficked within their own countries; at least 80% of the victims are female; 75% of all victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation; roughly two-thirds of the global victims are trafficked intra-regionally within East Asia and the Pacific (260,000 to 280,000 people) and Europe and Eurasia (170,000 to 210,000 people) Zimbabwe current situation: Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; children may be trafficked internally for forced agricultural labor, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation; women and girls are lured out of the country to South Africa, China, Egypt, and Zambia with false job or scholarship promises that result in domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation; there are reports of South African employers demanding sex from undocumented Zimbabwean workers under threat of deportation; women and children from Malawi, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo transit Zimbabwe en route to South Africa; small numbers of South African girls are trafficked to Zimbabwe for domestic labor tier rating: Tier 3 - Zimbabwe does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2001 Rank Country GDP (purchasing power parity) Date of Information 1 World $ 60,630,000,000,000 2005 est. 2 United States $ 12,310,000,000,000 2005 est. 3 European Union $ 12,180,000,000,000 2005 est. 4 China $ 8,883,000,000,000 2005 est. 5 Japan $ 4,025,000,000,000 2005 est. 6 India $ 3,666,000,000,000 2005 est. 7 Germany $ 2,480,000,000,000 2005 est. 8 United Kingdom $ 1,818,000,000,000 2005 est. 9 France $ 1,794,000,000,000 2005 est. 10 Italy $ 1,667,000,000,000 2005 est. 11 Russia $ 1,584,000,000,000 2005 est. 12 Brazil $ 1,536,000,000,000 2005 est. 13 Canada $ 1,111,000,000,000 2005 est. 14 Korea, South $ 1,101,000,000,000 2005 est. 15 Mexico $ 1,064,000,000,000 2005 est. 16 Spain $ 1,033,000,000,000 2005 est. 17 Indonesia $ 869,700,000,000 2005 est. 18 Australia $ 635,500,000,000 2005 est. 19 Taiwan $ 630,000,000,000 2005 est. 20 Turkey $ 584,500,000,000 2005 est. 21 Iran $ 569,900,000,000 2005 est. 22 Thailand $ 550,200,000,000 2005 est. 23 Argentina $ 543,400,000,000 2005 est. 24 South Africa $ 540,800,000,000 2005 est. 25 Poland $ 505,200,000,000 2005 est. 26 Netherlands $ 497,900,000,000 2005 est. 27 Philippines $ 412,500,000,000 2005 est. 28 Pakistan $ 395,200,000,000 2005 est. 29 Saudi Arabia $ 346,300,000,000 2005 est. 30 Colombia $ 341,100,000,000 2005 est. 31 Ukraine $ 329,100,000,000 2005 est. 32 Belgium $ 322,300,000,000 2005 est. 33 Bangladesh $ 305,900,000,000 2005 est. 34 Egypt $ 304,300,000,000 2005 est. 35 Malaysia $ 287,000,000,000 2005 est. 36 Sweden $ 268,300,000,000 2005 est. 37 Austria $ 265,800,000,000 2005 est. 38 Switzerland $ 240,900,000,000 2005 est. 39 Greece $ 238,200,000,000 2005 est. 40 Algeria $ 235,500,000,000 2005 est. 41 Vietnam $ 235,200,000,000 2005 est. 42 Hong Kong $ 234,300,000,000 2005 est. 43 Czech Republic $ 204,400,000,000 2005 est. 44 Portugal $ 200,600,000,000 2005 est. 45 Norway $ 196,400,000,000 2005 est. 46 Chile $ 189,900,000,000 2005 est. 47 Denmark $ 189,300,000,000 2005 est. 48 Romania $ 181,800,000,000 2005 est. 49 Nigeria $ 175,500,000,000 2005 est. 50 Peru $ 167,300,000,000 2005 est. 51 Ireland $ 165,100,000,000 2005 est. 52 Hungary $ 163,100,000,000 2005 est. 53 Venezuela $ 162,100,000,000 2005 est. 54 Finland $ 161,900,000,000 2005 est. 55 Israel $ 156,900,000,000 2005 est. 56 Morocco $ 135,100,000,000 2005 est. 57 Singapore $ 126,500,000,000 2005 est. 58 Kazakhstan $ 125,300,000,000 2005 est. 59 United Arab Emirates $ 115,800,000,000 2005 est. 60 New Zealand $ 102,000,000,000 2005 est. 61 Iraq $ 94,100,000,000 2005 est. 62 Slovakia $ 88,780,000,000 2005 est. 63 Sri Lanka $ 86,070,000,000 2005 est. 64 Sudan $ 85,890,000,000 2005 est. 65 Tunisia $ 82,850,000,000 2005 est. 66 Burma $ 80,110,000,000 2005 est. 67 Puerto Rico $ 73,270,000,000 2005 est. 68 Belarus $ 73,090,000,000 2005 est. 69 Bulgaria $ 71,670,000,000 2005 est. 70 Syria $ 71,420,000,000 2005 est. 71 Libya $ 68,000,000,000 2005 est. 72 Dominican Republic $ 67,440,000,000 2005 est. 73 Ethiopia $ 64,730,000,000 2005 est. 74 Ecuador $ 57,230,000,000 2005 est. 75 Guatemala $ 56,860,000,000 2005 est. 76 Croatia $ 55,790,000,000 2005 est. 77 Ghana $ 54,860,000,000 2005 est. 78 Uzbekistan $ 50,310,000,000 2005 est. 79 Lithuania $ 49,410,000,000 2005 est. 80 Uganda $ 47,760,000,000 2005 est. 81 Kuwait $ 47,360,000,000 2005 est. 82 Costa Rica $ 45,670,000,000 2005 est. 83 Angola $ 45,320,000,000 2005 est. 84 Slovenia $ 43,270,000,000 2005 est. 85 Azerbaijan $ 42,990,000,000 2005 est. 86 Serbia $ 41,150,000,000 2005 est. 87 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 40,670,000,000 2005 est. 88 Oman $ 40,390,000,000 2005 est. 89 Cuba $ 40,060,000,000 2005 est. 90 Korea, North $ 40,000,000,000 2005 est. 91 Cameroon $ 39,750,000,000 2005 est. 92 Nepal $ 39,140,000,000 2005 est. 93 Turkmenistan $ 39,140,000,000 2005 est. 94 Kenya $ 37,890,000,000 2005 est. 95 Cambodia $ 34,080,000,000 2005 est. 96 Uruguay $ 33,980,000,000 2005 est. 97 Latvia $ 31,460,000,000 2005 est. 98 El Salvador $ 31,300,000,000 2005 est. 99 Luxembourg $ 30,900,000,000 2005 est. 100 Paraguay $ 29,110,000,000 2005 est. 101 Cote d'Ivoire $ 27,580,000,000 2005 est. 102 Tanzania $ 27,110,000,000 2005 est. 103 Jordan $ 26,850,000,000 2005 est. 104 Mozambique $ 26,180,000,000 2005 est. 105 Bolivia $ 25,820,000,000 2005 est. 106 Equatorial Guinea $ 25,690,000,000 2005 est. 107 Zimbabwe $ 25,690,000,000 2005 est. 108 Qatar $ 24,460,000,000 2005 est. 109 Estonia $ 23,340,000,000 2005 est. 110 Panama $ 23,330,000,000 2005 est. 111 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 23,090,000,000 2005 est. 112 Lebanon $ 22,780,000,000 2005 est. 113 Afghanistan $ 21,500,000,000 2004 est. 114 Honduras $ 20,610,000,000 2005 est. 115 Senegal $ 20,570,000,000 2005 est. 116 Yemen $ 19,360,000,000 2005 est. 117 Albania $ 18,870,000,000 2005 est. 118 Guinea $ 18,650,000,000 2005 est. 119 Trinidad and Tobago $ 18,110,000,000 2005 est. 120 Botswana $ 17,530,000,000 2005 est. 121 Cyprus $ 16,810,000,000 2005 est. 122 Burkina Faso $ 16,660,000,000 2005 est. 123 Nicaragua $ 16,100,000,000 2005 est. 124 Madagascar $ 16,050,000,000 2005 est. 125 Georgia $ 16,030,000,000 2005 est. 126 Macedonia $ 15,940,000,000 2005 est. 127 Bahrain $ 15,900,000,000 2005 est. 128 Mauritius $ 15,730,000,000 2005 est. 129 Armenia $ 14,450,000,000 2005 est. 130 Papua New Guinea $ 14,370,000,000 2005 est. 131 Namibia $ 14,160,000,000 2005 est. 132 Chad $ 13,980,000,000 2005 est. 133 Haiti $ 13,970,000,000 2005 est. 134 Mali $ 13,610,000,000 2005 est. 135 Rwanda $ 12,540,000,000 2005 est. 136 Laos $ 12,290,000,000 2005 est. 137 Jamaica $ 12,180,000,000 2005 est. 138 Niger $ 11,590,000,000 2005 est. 139 Zambia $ 10,630,000,000 2005 est. 140 Iceland $ 10,590,000,000 2005 est. 141 Kyrgyzstan $ 10,080,000,000 2005 est. 142 Macau $ 10,000,000,000 2004 143 Gabon $ 9,739,000,000 2005 est. 144 Togo $ 8,802,000,000 2005 est. 145 Tajikistan $ 8,617,000,000 2005 est. 146 Benin $ 8,419,000,000 2005 est. 147 Moldova $ 8,410,000,000 2005 est. 148 Malta $ 7,861,000,000 2005 est. 149 Malawi $ 7,364,000,000 2005 est. 150 Mauritania $ 6,901,000,000 2005 est. 151 Brunei $ 6,842,000,000 2003 est. 152 Martinique $ 6,117,000,000 2003 est. 153 Bahamas, The $ 6,105,000,000 2005 est. 154 Swaziland $ 5,680,000,000 2005 est. 155 Burundi $ 5,404,000,000 2005 est. 156 Mongolia $ 5,272,000,000 2005 est. 157 Fiji $ 5,255,000,000 2005 est. 158 Lesotho $ 5,008,000,000 2005 est. 159 Sierra Leone $ 4,939,000,000 2005 est. 160 Barbados $ 4,815,000,000 2005 est. 161 Somalia $ 4,809,000,000 2005 est. 162 Reunion $ 4,790,000,000 2005 est. 163 Central African Republic $ 4,677,000,000 2005 est. 164 Congo, Republic of the $ 4,585,000,000 2005 est. 165 French Polynesia $ 4,580,000,000 2003 est. 166 Cyprus $ 4,540,000,000 2005 est. 167 Bermuda $ 4,500,000,000 2004 est. 168 Eritrea $ 4,471,000,000 2005 est. 169 Jersey $ 3,600,000,000 2003 est. 170 Guadeloupe $ 3,513,000,000 2003 est. 171 Guyana $ 3,439,000,000 2005 est. 172 New Caledonia $ 3,158,000,000 2003 est. 173 Gambia, The $ 3,034,000,000 2005 est. 174 Cape Verde $ 2,990,000,000 2005 est. 175 Bhutan $ 2,900,000,000 2003 est. 176 Suriname $ 2,893,000,000 2005 est. 177 Netherlands Antilles $ 2,800,000,000 2004 est. 178 Liberia $ 2,643,000,000 2005 est. 179 Guernsey $ 2,590,000,000 2003 est. 180 Guam $ 2,500,000,000 2005 est. 181 Montenegro $ 2,412,000,000 2005 est. 182 Aruba $ 2,258,000,000 2005 est. 183 Isle of Man $ 2,113,000,000 2003 est. 184 Cayman Islands $ 1,939,000,000 2004 est. 185 Andorra $ 1,840,000,000 2004 186 West Bank $ 1,800,000,000 2003 est. 187 Liechtenstein $ 1,786,000,000 2001 est. 188 Belize $ 1,778,000,000 2004 est. 189 Virgin Islands $ 1,577,000,000 2004 est. 190 French Guiana $ 1,551,000,000 2003 est. 191 Maldives $ 1,250,000,000 2002 est. 192 Guinea-Bissau $ 1,171,000,000 2005 est. 193 Greenland $ 1,100,000,000 2001 est. 194 Faroe Islands $ 1,000,000,000 2001 est. 195 Samoa $ 1,000,000,000 2002 est. 196 San Marino $ 940,000,000 2001 est. 197 Northern Mariana Islands $ 900,000,000 2000 est. 198 Monaco $ 870,000,000 2000 est. 199 Saint Lucia $ 866,000,000 2002 est. 200 British Virgin Islands $ 853,400,000 2004 est. 201 Solomon Islands $ 800,000,000 2002 est. 202 Gibraltar $ 769,000,000 2000 est. 203 Gaza Strip $ 768,000,000 2003 est. 204 Antigua and Barbuda $ 750,000,000 2002 est. 205 Seychelles $ 626,000,000 2002 est. 206 Djibouti $ 619,000,000 2002 est. 207 American Samoa $ 510,100,000 2003 est. 208 Mayotte $ 466,800,000 2003 est. 209 Comoros $ 441,000,000 2002 est. 210 Grenada $ 440,000,000 2002 est. 211 Dominica $ 384,000,000 2003 est. 212 East Timor $ 370,000,000 2004 est. 213 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 342,000,000 2002 est. 214 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 339,000,000 2002 est. 215 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 277,000,000 2002 est. 216 Vanuatu $ 276,300,000 2003 est. 217 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 216,000,000 2002 est. 218 Sao Tome and Principe $ 214,000,000 2003 est. 219 Cook Islands $ 183,200,000 2005 est. 220 Tonga $ 178,500,000 2004 est. 221 Kiribati $ 142,900,000 2004 est. 222 Palau $ 124,500,000 2004 est. 223 Marshall Islands $ 115,000,000 2001 est. 224 Anguilla $ 108,900,000 2004 est. 225 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 75,000,000 2002 est. 226 Nauru $ 60,000,000 2005 est. 227 Wallis and Futuna $ 60,000,000 2004 est. 228 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 48,300,000 2003 est. 229 Montserrat $ 29,000,000 2002 est. 230 Saint Helena $ 18,000,000 1998 est. 231 Tuvalu $ 14,940,000 2002 est. 232 Niue $ 7,600,000 2000 est. 233 Tokelau $ 1,500,000 1993 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2003 Rank Country GDP - real growth rate(%) Date of Information 1 Azerbaijan 26.40 2005 est. 2 Angola 19.90 2005 est. 3 Equatorial Guinea 18.60 2005 est. 4 Afghanistan 14.00 2005 est. 5 Armenia 13.90 2005 est. 6 Cambodia 13.40 2005 est. 7 Liechtenstein 11.00 1999 est. 8 Cyprus 10.60 2005 est. 9 Estonia 10.50 2005 est. 10 Anguilla 10.20 2004 est. 11 Latvia 10.20 2005 est. 12 China 10.20 2005 est. 13 Faroe Islands 10.00 2001 est. 14 Liberia 9.80 2005 est. 15 Kazakhstan 9.50 2005 est. 16 Dominican Republic 9.30 2005 est. 17 Georgia 9.30 2005 est. 18 Venezuela 9.30 2005 est. 19 Argentina 9.20 2005 est. 20 Belarus 9.20 2005 est. 21 Ethiopia 8.90 2005 est. 22 United Arab Emirates 8.80 2005 est. 23 Qatar 8.80 2005 est. 24 Vietnam 8.50 2005 est. 25 India 8.40 2005 est. 26 Libya 8.40 2005 est. 27 Kuwait 8.30 2005 est. 28 Congo, Republic of the 8.20 2005 est. 29 Cuba 8.00 2005 est. 30 Sudan 8.00 2005 est. 31 Lithuania 7.50 2005 est. 32 Mozambique 7.50 2005 est. 33 Sierra Leone 7.50 2005 est. 34 Turkey 7.40 2005 est. 35 Hong Kong 7.30 2005 est. 36 Laos 7.30 2005 est. 37 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 7.10 2005 est. 38 Moldova 7.10 2005 est. 39 Niger 7.00 2005 est. 40 Uzbekistan 7.00 2005 est. 41 Trinidad and Tobago 7.00 2005 est. 42 Iran 6.90 2005 est. 43 Nigeria 6.90 2005 est. 44 Vanuatu 6.80 2005 est. 45 Tanzania 6.80 2005 est. 46 Uruguay 6.80 2005 est. 47 Tajikistan 6.70 2005 est. 48 Pakistan 6.60 2005 est. 49 Saudi Arabia 6.50 2005 est. 50 Bangladesh 6.40 2005 est. 51 Singapore 6.40 2005 est. 52 Russia 6.40 2005 est. 53 Panama 6.40 2005 est. 54 Peru 6.40 2005 est. 55 Chile 6.30 2005 est. 56 Isle of Man 6.30 57 Mongolia 6.20 2005 est. 58 Niue 6.20 59 West Bank 6.20 2004 est. 60 Czech Republic 6.10 2005 est. 61 Senegal 6.10 2005 est. 62 Mali 6.10 2005 est. 63 Chad 6.00 2005 est. 64 Turkmenistan 6.00 2005 est. 65 Sao Tome and Principe 6.00 2004 est. 66 Slovakia 6.00 2005 est. 67 Sri Lanka 6.00 2005 est. 68 Bahrain 5.90 2005 est. 69 Ghana 5.90 2005 est. 70 Costa Rica 5.90 2005 est. 71 Bhutan 5.90 2005 est. 72 Serbia 5.90 2005 est. 73 Jordan 5.80 2005 est. 74 Kenya 5.80 2005 est. 75 Iceland 5.60 2005 est. 76 Indonesia 5.60 2005 est. 77 Oman 5.60 2005 est. 78 Algeria 5.50 2005 est. 79 Samoa 5.50 2005 est. 80 Palau 5.50 2005 est. 81 Mauritania 5.50 2005 est. 82 Gambia, The 5.50 2005 est. 83 Ireland 5.50 2005 est. 84 Cape Verde 5.50 2005 est. 85 Bulgaria 5.50 2005 est. 86 Botswana 5.50 2005 est. 87 Albania 5.50 2005 est. 88 Burma 5.20 2005 est. 89 Israel 5.20 2005 est. 90 Malaysia 5.20 2005 est. 91 Rwanda 5.20 2005 est. 92 Colombia 5.20 2005 est. 93 Madagascar 5.10 2005 est. 94 Saint Lucia 5.10 2005 est. 95 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.00 2005 est. 96 Zambia 5.00 2005 est. 97 Suriname 5.00 2005 est. 98 Egypt 4.90 2005 est. 99 South Africa 4.90 2005 est. 100 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.90 2005 est. 101 Turks and Caicos Islands 4.90 2000 est. 102 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.90 2005 est. 103 Philippines 4.80 2005 est. 104 Ecuador 4.70 2005 est. 105 World 4.70 2005 est. 106 Bermuda 4.60 2004 est. 107 Gaza Strip 4.50 2003 est. 108 Thailand 4.50 2005 est. 109 Solomon Islands 4.40 2005 est. 110 Croatia 4.30 2005 est. 111 Honduras 4.20 2005 est. 112 Tunisia 4.20 2005 est. 113 Barbados 4.10 2005 est. 114 Romania 4.10 2005 est. 115 Hungary 4.10 2005 est. 116 Bolivia 4.10 2005 est. 117 Andorra 4.00 2004 est. 118 Norway 4.00 2005 est. 119 Taiwan 4.00 2005 est. 120 Uganda 4.00 2005 est. 121 Slovenia 4.00 2005 est. 122 Nicaragua 4.00 2005 est. 123 Macedonia 4.00 2005 est. 124 Korea, South 4.00 2005 est. 125 Luxembourg 4.00 2005 est. 126 Antigua and Barbuda 3.80 2005 est. 127 Cyprus 3.80 2005 est. 128 Belize 3.80 2005 est. 129 Bahamas, The 3.70 2005 est. 130 Greece 3.70 2005 est. 131 Benin 3.50 2005 est. 132 Marshall Islands 3.50 2005 est. 133 Spain 3.50 2005 est. 134 Burkina Faso 3.50 2005 est. 135 Poland 3.40 2005 est. 136 Denmark 3.20 2005 est. 137 Djibouti 3.20 2005 est. 138 Namibia 3.20 2005 est. 139 United States 3.20 2005 est. 140 Guatemala 3.20 2005 est. 141 Dominica 3.10 2005 est. 142 American Samoa 3.00 143 Papua New Guinea 3.00 2005 est. 144 Mexico 3.00 2005 est. 145 Finland 3.00 2005 est. 146 Guernsey 3.00 2003 est. 147 Comoros 3.00 2005 est. 148 Canada 2.90 2005 est. 149 Gabon 2.90 2005 est. 150 El Salvador 2.80 2005 est. 151 Yemen 2.80 2005 est. 152 Syria 2.80 2005 est. 153 Macau 2.80 3rd Quarter 2005 154 Australia 2.70 2005 est. 155 Nepal 2.70 2005 est. 156 Paraguay 2.70 2005 est. 157 Sweden 2.70 2005 est. 158 Japan 2.60 2005 est. 159 Ukraine 2.60 2005 est. 160 Mauritius 2.50 2005 est. 161 Puerto Rico 2.50 2005 est. 162 Reunion 2.50 2005 est. 163 Aruba 2.40 2005 est. 164 Tonga 2.40 2005 est. 165 Somalia 2.40 2005 est. 166 Cameroon 2.40 2005 est. 167 Brazil 2.30 2005 est. 168 New Zealand 2.30 2005 est. 169 San Marino 2.30 2002 est. 170 Guinea-Bissau 2.30 2005 est. 171 Central African Republic 2.20 2005 est. 172 Eritrea 2.00 2005 est. 173 Guinea 2.00 2005 est. 174 Virgin Islands 2.00 2002 est. 175 Malawi 1.90 2005 est. 176 Switzerland 1.90 2005 est. 177 United Kingdom 1.90 2005 est. 178 Austria 1.80 2005 est. 179 Greenland 1.80 2001 est. 180 Swaziland 1.80 2005 est. 181 East Timor 1.80 2005 est. 182 Haiti 1.80 2005 est. 183 Jamaica 1.80 2005 est. 184 Brunei 1.70 2004 est. 185 Fiji 1.70 2005 est. 186 European Union 1.70 2005 est. 187 Morocco 1.70 2005 est. 188 Belgium 1.50 2005 est. 189 Netherlands 1.50 2005 est. 190 France 1.20 2005 est. 191 Lesotho 1.20 2005 est. 192 Tuvalu 1.20 2002 est. 193 Burundi 1.10 2005 est. 194 Cote d'Ivoire 1.00 2005 est. 195 Korea, North 1.00 2005 est. 196 Malta 1.00 2005 est. 197 Netherlands Antilles 1.00 2004 est. 198 British Virgin Islands 1.00 2002 est. 199 Togo 1.00 2005 est. 200 Cayman Islands 0.90 2004 est. 201 Germany 0.90 2005 est. 202 Grenada 0.90 2005 est. 203 Monaco 0.90 2000 est. 204 Portugal 0.40 2005 est. 205 Micronesia, Federated States of 0.30 2005 est. 206 Kiribati 0.30 2005 207 Cook Islands 0.10 2005 est. 208 Italy 0.10 2005 est. 209 Lebanon 0.10 2005 est. 210 Kyrgyzstan -0.60 2005 est. 211 Montserrat -1.00 2002 est. 212 Guyana -3.00 2005 est. 213 Seychelles -3.00 2005 est. 214 Iraq -3.00 2005 est. 215 Maldives -3.60 2005 est. 216 Zimbabwe -7.70 2005 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2004 Rank Country GDP - per capita (PPP) Date of Information 1 Bermuda $ 69,900 2004 est. 2 Luxembourg $ 65,900 2005 est. 3 Equatorial Guinea $ 50,200 2005 est. 4 United Arab Emirates $ 45,200 2005 est. 5 Cayman Islands $ 43,800 2004 est. 6 Norway $ 42,800 2005 est. 7 United States $ 41,600 2005 est. 8 Ireland $ 41,100 2005 est. 9 Guernsey $ 40,000 2003 est. 10 Jersey $ 40,000 2003 est. 11 British Virgin Islands $ 38,500 2004 est. 12 Iceland $ 35,700 2005 est. 13 Denmark $ 34,800 2005 est. 14 San Marino $ 34,600 2001 est. 15 Hong Kong $ 34,000 2005 est. 16 Canada $ 33,900 2005 est. 17 Austria $ 32,500 2005 est. 18 Switzerland $ 32,200 2005 est. 19 Australia $ 31,600 2005 est. 20 Japan $ 31,600 2005 est. 21 Belgium $ 31,100 2005 est. 22 Finland $ 31,000 2005 est. 23 Netherlands $ 30,300 2005 est. 24 Germany $ 30,100 2005 est. 25 United Kingdom $ 30,100 2005 est. 26 Sweden $ 29,800 2005 est. 27 France $ 29,600 2005 est. 28 Italy $ 28,700 2005 est. 29 Singapore $ 28,600 2005 est. 30 Qatar $ 28,300 2005 est. 31 European Union $ 28,100 2005 est. 32 Gibraltar $ 27,900 2000 est. 33 Isle of Man $ 27,800 2003 est. 34 Taiwan $ 27,500 2005 est. 35 Monaco $ 27,000 2000 est. 36 Spain $ 25,600 2005 est. 37 New Zealand $ 25,300 2005 est. 38 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 25,000 2002 est. 39 Israel $ 25,000 2005 est. 40 Liechtenstein $ 25,000 1999 est. 41 Andorra $ 24,000 2004 42 Brunei $ 23,600 2003 est. 43 Bahrain $ 23,100 2005 est. 44 Korea, South $ 22,600 2005 est. 45 Greece $ 22,300 2005 est. 46 Faroe Islands $ 22,000 2001 est. 47 Macau $ 22,000 2004 48 Aruba $ 21,800 2004 est. 49 Cyprus $ 21,600 50 Slovenia $ 21,500 2005 est. 51 Kuwait $ 20,300 2005 est. 52 Bahamas, The $ 20,200 2005 est. 53 Czech Republic $ 20,000 2005 est. 54 Greenland $ 20,000 2001 est. 55 Malta $ 19,700 2005 est. 56 Portugal $ 19,000 2005 est. 57 Puerto Rico $ 18,700 2005 est. 58 Estonia $ 17,500 2005 est. 59 French Polynesia $ 17,500 2003 est. 60 Barbados $ 17,300 2005 est. 61 Trinidad and Tobago $ 16,800 2005 est. 62 Hungary $ 16,300 2005 est. 63 Slovakia $ 16,300 2005 est. 64 Netherlands Antilles $ 16,000 2004 est. 65 Guam $ 15,000 2005 est. 66 New Caledonia $ 15,000 2003 est. 67 Virgin Islands $ 14,500 2004 est. 68 Martinique $ 14,400 2003 est. 69 Lithuania $ 14,100 2005 est. 70 Argentina $ 13,700 2005 est. 71 Latvia $ 13,700 2005 est. 72 Oman $ 13,500 2005 est. 73 Poland $ 13,100 2005 est. 74 Saudi Arabia $ 13,100 2005 est. 75 Mauritius $ 12,800 2005 est. 76 Northern Mariana Islands $ 12,500 2000 est. 77 Croatia $ 12,400 2005 est. 78 South Africa $ 12,200 2005 est. 79 Malaysia $ 12,000 2005 est. 80 Chile $ 11,900 2005 est. 81 Libya $ 11,800 2005 est. 82 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 11,500 2002 est. 83 Costa Rica $ 11,400 2005 est. 84 Russia $ 11,000 2005 est. 85 Antigua and Barbuda $ 10,900 2005 est. 86 Botswana $ 10,700 2005 est. 87 Mexico $ 10,000 2005 est. 88 Uruguay $ 9,900 2005 est. 89 Bulgaria $ 9,600 2005 est. 90 World $ 9,500 2005 est. 91 Cook Islands $ 9,100 2005 est. 92 Anguilla $ 8,800 2004 est. 93 Thailand $ 8,600 2005 est. 94 Iran $ 8,400 2005 est. 95 Turkey $ 8,400 2005 est. 96 Brazil $ 8,300 2005 est. 97 Kazakhstan $ 8,300 2005 est. 98 French Guiana $ 8,300 2003 est. 99 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 8,200 2005 est. 100 Tunisia $ 8,200 2005 est. 101 Romania $ 8,100 2005 est. 102 Colombia $ 7,900 2005 est. 103 Guadeloupe $ 7,900 2003 est. 104 Turkmenistan $ 7,900 2005 est. 105 Macedonia $ 7,800 2005 est. 106 Seychelles $ 7,800 2002 est. 107 Palau $ 7,600 2005 est. 108 Dominican Republic $ 7,500 2005 est. 109 Panama $ 7,400 2005 est. 110 Algeria $ 7,200 2005 est. 111 Cyprus $ 7,135 112 Belarus $ 7,100 2005 est. 113 Gabon $ 7,000 2005 est. 114 Namibia $ 7,000 2005 est. 115 Ukraine $ 7,000 2005 est. 116 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 7,000 2001 est. 117 Belize $ 6,800 2005 est. 118 China $ 6,800 2005 est. 119 Suriname $ 6,600 2005 est. 120 Venezuela $ 6,400 2005 est. 121 Cape Verde $ 6,200 2005 est. 122 Reunion $ 6,200 2005 est. 123 Lebanon $ 6,000 2005 est. 124 Peru $ 6,000 2005 est. 125 Fiji $ 5,900 2005 est. 126 American Samoa $ 5,800 2005 est. 127 Niue $ 5,800 2003 est. 128 Azerbaijan $ 5,400 2005 est. 129 Albania $ 5,300 2005 est. 130 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 5,200 2005 est. 131 Nauru $ 5,000 2005 est. 132 Swaziland $ 5,000 2005 est. 133 Armenia $ 4,800 2005 est. 134 Saint Lucia $ 4,800 2005 est. 135 El Salvador $ 4,700 2005 est. 136 Jordan $ 4,700 2005 est. 137 Philippines $ 4,700 2005 est. 138 Guatemala $ 4,700 2005 est. 139 Paraguay $ 4,600 2005 est. 140 Guyana $ 4,500 2005 est. 141 Jamaica $ 4,500 2005 est. 142 Serbia $ 4,400 2005 est. 143 Sri Lanka $ 4,300 2005 est. 144 Ecuador $ 4,300 2005 est. 145 Morocco $ 4,100 2005 est. 146 Egypt $ 3,900 2005 est. 147 Grenada $ 3,900 2005 est. 148 Syria $ 3,900 2005 est. 149 Maldives $ 3,900 2002 est. 150 Angola $ 3,800 2005 est. 151 Wallis and Futuna $ 3,800 2004 est. 152 Dominica $ 3,800 2005 est. 153 Montenegro $ 3,800 2005 est. 154 Indonesia $ 3,600 2005 est. 155 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 3,600 2005 est. 156 Cuba $ 3,500 2005 est. 157 Georgia $ 3,400 2005 est. 158 Montserrat $ 3,400 2002 est. 159 India $ 3,400 2005 est. 160 Bolivia $ 2,900 2005 est. 161 Nicaragua $ 2,900 2005 est. 162 Marshall Islands $ 2,900 2005 est. 163 Vanuatu $ 2,900 2003 est. 164 Honduras $ 2,900 2005 est. 165 Vietnam $ 2,800 2005 est. 166 Mayotte $ 2,600 2003 est. 167 Papua New Guinea $ 2,600 2005 est. 168 Cambodia $ 2,500 2005 est. 169 Lesotho $ 2,500 2005 est. 170 Saint Helena $ 2,500 1998 est. 171 Ghana $ 2,500 2005 est. 172 Pakistan $ 2,400 2005 est. 173 Cameroon $ 2,300 2005 est. 174 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 2,300 2005 est. 175 Mauritania $ 2,200 2005 est. 176 Tonga $ 2,200 2005 est. 177 Bangladesh $ 2,100 2005 est. 178 Zimbabwe $ 2,100 2005 est. 179 Samoa $ 2,100 2005 est. 180 Sudan $ 2,100 2005 est. 181 Guinea $ 2,000 2005 est. 182 Kyrgyzstan $ 2,000 2005 est. 183 Laos $ 2,000 2005 est. 184 Gambia, The $ 1,900 2005 est. 185 Kiribati $ 1,900 2004 est. 186 Moldova $ 1,900 2005 est. 187 Mongolia $ 1,900 2005 est. 188 Uzbekistan $ 1,900 2005 est. 189 Iraq $ 1,800 2005 est. 190 Senegal $ 1,800 2005 est. 191 Uganda $ 1,800 2005 est. 192 Burma $ 1,700 2005 est. 193 Haiti $ 1,700 2005 est. 194 Korea, North $ 1,700 2005 est. 195 Cote d'Ivoire $ 1,600 2005 est. 196 Togo $ 1,600 2005 est. 197 Tuvalu $ 1,600 2002 est. 198 Rwanda $ 1,500 2005 est. 199 Bhutan $ 1,400 2003 est. 200 Nepal $ 1,400 2005 est. 201 Nigeria $ 1,400 2005 est. 202 Chad $ 1,400 2005 est. 203 Congo, Republic of the $ 1,300 2005 est. 204 Mozambique $ 1,300 2005 est. 205 Mali $ 1,200 2005 est. 206 Burkina Faso $ 1,200 2005 est. 207 Sao Tome and Principe $ 1,200 2003 est. 208 Tajikistan $ 1,200 2005 est. 209 Benin $ 1,100 2005 est. 210 Kenya $ 1,100 2005 est. 211 West Bank $ 1,100 2003 est. 212 Central African Republic $ 1,100 2005 est. 213 Djibouti $ 1,000 2005 est. 214 Eritrea $ 1,000 2005 est. 215 Tokelau $ 1,000 1993 est. 216 Niger $ 1,000 2005 est. 217 Ethiopia $ 900 2005 est. 218 Zambia $ 900 2005 est. 219 Yemen $ 900 2005 est. 220 Liberia $ 900 2005 est. 221 Madagascar $ 900 2005 est. 222 Afghanistan $ 800 2004 est. 223 East Timor $ 800 2005 est. 224 Sierra Leone $ 800 2005 est. 225 Guinea-Bissau $ 800 2005 est. 226 Burundi $ 700 2005 est. 227 Tanzania $ 700 2005 est. 228 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 700 2005 est. 229 Solomon Islands $ 600 2005 est. 230 Comoros $ 600 2005 est. 231 Somalia $ 600 2005 est. 232 Malawi $ 600 2005 est. 233 Gaza Strip $ 600 2003 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2034 Rank Country Military expenditures - percent of GDP(%) Date of Information 1 Eritrea 17.70 2005 est. 2 Jordan 11.40 2005 est. 3 Oman 11.40 2003 4 Qatar 10.00 5 Saudi Arabia 10.00 2002 6 Angola 8.80 2005 est. 7 Israel 7.70 2005 est. 8 Liberia 7.50 2005 est. 9 Madagascar 7.20 2005 est. 10 Armenia 6.50 FY01 11 Yemen 6.40 2005 est. 12 Macedonia 6.00 13 Syria 5.90 14 Burundi 5.60 2005 est. 15 Maldives 5.50 2005 est. 16 Turkey 5.30 2003 17 Brunei 5.10 2003 est. 18 Morocco 5.00 2003 est. 19 Bahrain 4.90 2005 est. 20 Singapore 4.90 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.50 22 China 4.30 2005 est. 23 Djibouti 4.30 2005 est. 24 Greece 4.30 2003 25 Kuwait 4.20 2005 est. 26 United States 4.06 2005 est. 27 Zimbabwe 4.00 2005 est. 28 Libya 3.90 29 Tajikistan 3.90 FY01 30 Pakistan 3.90 2005 est. 31 Cyprus 3.80 32 Chile 3.50 2005 est. 33 Botswana 3.40 2005 est. 34 Ethiopia 3.40 2005 est. 35 Gabon 3.40 2005 est. 36 Egypt 3.40 2004 37 Turkmenistan 3.40 38 Colombia 3.40 FY01 39 Iran 3.30 2003 est. 40 Algeria 3.20 2005 est. 41 United Arab Emirates 3.10 42 Guinea-Bissau 3.10 2005 est. 43 Lebanon 3.10 2004 44 Cambodia 3.00 45 Comoros 3.00 2005 est. 46 Sudan 3.00 2004 47 Indonesia 3.00 2004 48 Guinea 2.90 2005 est. 49 Rwanda 2.90 2005 est. 50 Australia 2.70 2005 est. 51 Azerbaijan 2.60 52 Korea, South 2.60 2005 est. 53 Sri Lanka 2.60 2005 est. 54 France 2.60 2005 est. 55 Bulgaria 2.60 2003 56 Honduras 2.55 2005 est. 57 India 2.50 2005 est. 58 Vietnam 2.50 59 Romania 2.47 2002 60 Taiwan 2.40 2005 est. 61 United Kingdom 2.40 2003 62 Croatia 2.39 2002 est. 63 Benin 2.30 2005 est. 64 Namibia 2.30 2005 est. 65 Portugal 2.30 2003 66 Fiji 2.20 FY02 67 Uganda 2.20 2005 est. 68 Mongolia 2.20 FY02 69 Burma 2.10 70 Uruguay 2.10 2005 est. 71 Seychelles 2.10 2005 est. 72 Lesotho 2.10 2005 est. 73 Equatorial Guinea 2.10 2005 est. 74 Malaysia 2.03 75 Ecuador 2.00 2005 est. 76 World 2.00 77 Uzbekistan 2.00 78 Finland 2.00 FY98/99 79 Estonia 2.00 2002 est. 80 Lithuania 1.90 FY01 81 Mali 1.90 2005 est. 82 Norway 1.90 2003 83 Slovakia 1.87 2005 84 Czech Republic 1.81 85 Bangladesh 1.80 2005 est. 86 Zambia 1.80 2005 est. 87 Thailand 1.80 2003 88 Italy 1.80 2004 89 Cuba 1.80 2005 est. 90 Hungary 1.75 2002 est. 91 Poland 1.71 2002 92 Afghanistan 1.70 2005 est. 93 Sierra Leone 1.70 2005 est. 94 Slovenia 1.70 FY00 95 Belize 1.70 2005 est. 96 Cote d'Ivoire 1.60 2005 est. 97 Togo 1.60 2005 est. 98 Netherlands 1.60 2004 99 Kenya 1.60 2005 est. 100 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.50 2005 est. 101 Tunisia 1.50 102 Sweden 1.50 2005 est. 103 South Africa 1.50 2005 est. 104 Nepal 1.50 2005 est. 105 Cameroon 1.50 2005 est. 106 Germany 1.50 2003 107 Denmark 1.50 2004 108 Albania 1.49 FY02 109 Bolivia 1.40 2005 est. 110 Senegal 1.40 2005 est. 111 Swaziland 1.40 2005 est. 112 Ukraine 1.40 FY02 113 Papua New Guinea 1.40 FY02 114 Peru 1.40 2003 est. 115 Niger 1.40 2005 est. 116 Belarus 1.40 FY02 117 Kyrgyzstan 1.40 FY01 118 Mauritania 1.40 2005 est. 119 Congo, Republic of the 1.40 2005 est. 120 Argentina 1.30 FY00 121 Burkina Faso 1.30 2005 est. 122 Mozambique 1.30 2005 est. 123 Belgium 1.30 2003 124 Brazil 1.30 2005 est. 125 Latvia 1.20 FY01 126 Spain 1.20 2003 127 Venezuela 1.20 2005 est. 128 Canada 1.10 2003 129 Bhutan 1.00 2005 est. 130 Switzerland 1.00 FY01 131 Panama 1.00 2005 est. 132 New Zealand 1.00 FY02 133 Malta 1.00 2005 est. 134 Japan 1.00 2005 est. 135 Central African Republic 1.00 2005 est. 136 Chad 1.00 2005 est. 137 El Salvador 1.00 2005 est. 138 Austria 0.90 2004 139 Somalia 0.90 2005 est. 140 Philippines 0.90 2005 est. 141 Paraguay 0.90 2003 est. 142 Luxembourg 0.90 2003 143 Kazakhstan 0.90 FY02 144 Haiti 0.90 2003 est. 145 Guyana 0.90 2003 est. 146 Ireland 0.90 FY00/01 147 Ghana 0.80 2005 est. 148 Sao Tome and Principe 0.80 2005 est. 149 Malawi 0.80 2005 est. 150 Mexico 0.80 2005 est. 151 Nigeria 0.80 2005 est. 152 Cape Verde 0.70 2005 est. 153 Nicaragua 0.70 2005 est. 154 Suriname 0.70 2003 est. 155 Trinidad and Tobago 0.60 2003 est. 156 Georgia 0.59 157 Guatemala 0.50 2005 est. 158 Costa Rica 0.40 2005 est. 159 Jamaica 0.40 2003 est. 160 Gambia, The 0.40 2005 est. 161 Laos 0.40 2005 est. 162 Moldova 0.40 FY02 163 Mauritius 0.20 2005 est. 164 Tanzania 0.20 2005 est. 165 Bermuda 0.11 166 Dominican Republic 0.00 2002 est. 167 Iceland 0.00 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2038 Rank Country Electricity - production(kWh) Date of Information 1 World 16,540,000,000,000 2003 est. 2 United States 3,892,000,000,000 2003 3 European Union 2,925,000,000,000 2002 est. 4 China 2,190,000,000,000 2004 5 Japan 1,017,000,000,000 2003 6 Russia 931,000,000,000 2004 7 Canada 566,300,000,000 2003 8 Germany 558,100,000,000 2003 9 India 556,800,000,000 2003 10 France 536,900,000,000 2003 11 Brazil 387,500,000,000 2004 12 United Kingdom 369,900,000,000 2003 13 Korea, South 342,100,000,000 2004 14 Italy 270,100,000,000 2003 15 Spain 247,300,000,000 2003 16 Australia 237,000,000,000 2004 17 Taiwan 218,300,000,000 2004 18 South Africa 215,900,000,000 2003 19 Mexico 209,200,000,000 2003 20 Ukraine 181,300,000,000 2004 21 Poland 150,800,000,000 2004 22 Saudi Arabia 145,100,000,000 2003 23 Iran 142,300,000,000 2003 24 Turkey 133,600,000,000 2003 25 Sweden 127,900,000,000 2003 26 Indonesia 120,200,000,000 2004 27 Thailand 114,700,000,000 2003 28 Norway 105,600,000,000 2003 29 Netherlands 95,000,000,000 2004 30 Venezuela 87,440,000,000 2003 31 Argentina 87,160,000,000 2004 32 Czech Republic 84,330,000,000 2004 33 Egypt 84,260,000,000 2003 34 Finland 79,610,000,000 2003 35 Malaysia 79,280,000,000 2003 36 Belgium 78,770,000,000 2003 37 Pakistan 76,920,000,000 2003 38 Austria 63,690,000,000 2004 39 Switzerland 63,400,000,000 2003 40 Kazakhstan 60,330,000,000 2003 41 Romania 57,000,000,000 2004 42 Greece 54,560,000,000 2003 43 Paraguay 51,290,000,000 2003 44 Colombia 50,430,000,000 2003 45 Philippines 47,820,000,000 2003 46 Uzbekistan 46,520,000,000 2003 47 Vietnam 46,200,000,000 2004 48 Chile 45,300,000,000 2003 49 United Arab Emirates 45,120,000,000 2004 50 Bulgaria 45,000,000,000 2004 51 Portugal 44,320,000,000 2003 52 Israel 44,240,000,000 2003 53 Denmark 43,320,000,000 2003 54 New Zealand 39,820,000,000 2003 55 Kuwait 38,190,000,000 2003 56 Hong Kong 37,300,000,000 2004 57 Singapore 36,800,000,000 2004 58 Serbia 33,870,000,000 2004 59 Hungary 32,210,000,000 2003 60 Iraq 31,700,000,000 2005 61 Slovakia 30,570,000,000 2004 62 Belarus 30,000,000,000 2004 63 Syria 29,530,000,000 2003 est. 64 Algeria 26,990,000,000 2003 est. 65 Ireland 23,410,000,000 2003 66 Puerto Rico 23,030,000,000 2003 67 Peru 22,680,000,000 2003 est. 68 Azerbaijan 20,000,000,000 2003 69 Lithuania 19,000,000,000 2004 70 Korea, North 18,750,000,000 2003 71 Bangladesh 17,420,000,000 2003 72 Morocco 17,350,000,000 2003 73 Tajikistan 16,500,000,000 2004 74 Cuba 15,650,000,000 2004 75 Nigeria 15,590,000,000 2003 76 Mozambique 15,140,000,000 2003 77 Libya 14,400,000,000 2003 78 Slovenia 14,020,000,000 2003 79 Kyrgyzstan 13,770,000,000 2003 80 Dominican Republic 12,600,000,000 2003 81 Tunisia 11,560,000,000 2003 82 Turkmenistan 11,410,000,000 2004 est. 83 Ecuador 11,270,000,000 2003 84 Croatia 11,150,000,000 2003 85 Lebanon 10,670,000,000 2003 86 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10,510,000,000 2003 87 Estonia 10,304,000,000 2004 88 Oman 10,300,000,000 2003 89 Qatar 9,735,000,000 2003 90 Zimbabwe 8,877,000,000 2003 91 Georgia 8,634,000,000 2003 92 Iceland 8,619,000,000 2004 93 Uruguay 8,611,000,000 2003 94 Zambia 8,347,000,000 2003 95 Costa Rica 7,726,000,000 2003 96 Jordan 7,517,000,000 2003 97 Burma 7,393,000,000 2003 98 Bahrain 7,345,000,000 2003 99 Sri Lanka 7,308,000,000 2003 100 Guatemala 6,898,000,000 2003 101 Armenia 6,317,000,000 2005 102 Macedonia 6,271,000,000 2005 103 Trinidad and Tobago 6,076,000,000 2003 104 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6,036,000,000 2003 105 Albania 5,680,000,000 2004 106 Panama 5,398,000,000 2003 107 Ghana 5,356,000,000 2003 108 Cote d'Ivoire 5,127,000,000 2003 109 Kenya 4,342,000,000 2003 110 Honduras 4,338,000,000 2003 111 Bolivia 4,250,000,000 2003 112 El Salvador 4,158,000,000 2004 113 Latvia 3,970,000,000 2003 114 Yemen 3,848,000,000 2003 est. 115 Cyprus 3,801,000,000 2003 116 Laos 3,767,000,000 2003 117 Jamaica 3,717,000,000 2004 118 Mongolia 3,240,000,000 2005 est. 119 Luxembourg 3,203,000,000 2005 est. 120 Sudan 3,165,000,000 2003 121 Tanzania 3,152,000,000 2003 122 Cameroon 2,988,000,000 2003 123 Moldova 2,942,000,000 2003 124 Brunei 2,906,000,000 2004 125 Nicaragua 2,887,000,000 2004 126 Montenegro 2,864,000,000 2005 est. 127 Nepal 2,565,000,000 2005 128 Angola 2,240,000,000 2004 129 Malta 2,082,000,000 2003 130 Ethiopia 2,058,000,000 2003 131 Suriname 2,014,000,000 2003 132 Mauritius 1,941,000,000 2003 133 Macau 1,893,000,000 2004 134 Bhutan 1,882,000,000 2003 135 Bahamas, The 1,810,000,000 2003 136 Uganda 1,729,000,000 2003 137 Papua New Guinea 1,592,000,000 2003 138 New Caledonia 1,581,000,000 2003 139 Gabon 1,487,000,000 2003 140 Namibia 1,464,000,000 2003 141 Senegal 1,332,000,000 2003 142 Malawi 1,296,000,000 2003 143 Martinique 1,205,000,000 2003 144 Reunion 1,190,000,000 2003 145 Guadeloupe 1,165,000,000 2003 146 Virgin Islands 1,040,000,000 2003 147 Netherlands Antilles 1,017,000,000 2003 148 Afghanistan 905,000,000 2003 149 Botswana 891,000,000 2004 150 Guam 840,100,000 2003 151 Madagascar 825,400,000 2003 152 Mali 820,000,000 2003 153 Barbados 819,000,000 2003 154 Guyana 779,000,000 2003 155 Fiji 775,700,000 2003 156 Guinea 775,000,000 2003 157 Aruba 770,000,000 2003 158 Bermuda 682,500,000 2005 159 Haiti 546,000,000 2003 160 Liberia 509,400,000 2003 161 French Polynesia 493,700,000 2003 162 French Guiana 465,200,000 2003 163 Cayman Islands 441,900,000 2003 164 Swaziland 392,000,000 2003 165 Burkina Faso 375,600,000 2003 166 Lesotho 350,000,000 2003 167 Congo, Republic of the 343,000,000 2003 168 Saint Lucia 281,000,000 2003 169 Eritrea 270,900,000 2003 170 Sierra Leone 260,600,000 2003 171 Faroe Islands 260,200,000 2003 172 Greenland 242,200,000 2003 173 Seychelles 241,300,000 2003 174 Djibouti 240,000,000 2003 175 Somalia 235,600,000 2003 176 Niger 230,000,000 2003 177 Micronesia, Federated States of 192,000,000 2002 178 Mauritania 185,600,000 2003 179 Togo 165,900,000 2003 180 Grenada 159,800,000 2003 181 Burundi 141,300,000 2003 182 Gambia, The 140,000,000 2003 183 Maldives 135,000,000 2003 184 American Samoa 130,000,000 2003 185 Cambodia 123,700,000 2003 186 Belize 120,000,000 2003 187 Chad 120,000,000 2003 188 Samoa 116,000,000 2003 189 Saint Kitts and Nevis 111,700,000 2003 190 Gibraltar 106,100,000 2003 191 Central African Republic 106,000,000 2003 192 Antigua and Barbuda 100,000,000 2003 193 Rwanda 98,000,000 2003 194 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 95,000,000 2003 195 Western Sahara 85,000,000 2003 196 Dominica 69,980,000 2003 197 Benin 69,000,000 2003 198 Guinea-Bissau 56,000,000 2003 199 Solomon Islands 55,000,000 2003 200 Cape Verde 44,150,000 2003 201 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 44,150,000 2003 202 Vanuatu 41,000,000 2003 203 British Virgin Islands 34,550,000 2003 204 Tonga 34,000,000 2003 205 Equatorial Guinea 29,430,000 2003 206 Cook Islands 28,000,000 2003 207 Nauru 23,000,000 2003 208 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 22,230,000 2003 209 Comoros 18,000,000 2003 210 Sao Tome and Principe 15,000,000 2003 211 Kiribati 12,000,000 2003 212 Saint Helena 5,000,000 2003 213 Turks and Caicos Islands 5,000,000 2003 214 Niue 3,000,000 2003 215 Montserrat 2,000,000 2003 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2042 Rank Country Electricity - consumption(kWh) Date of Information 1 World 15,450,000,000,000 2003 est. 2 United States 3,656,000,000,000 2003 3 European Union 2,711,000,000,000 2002 est. 4 China 2,170,000,000,000 2004 5 Japan 946,300,000,000 2003 6 Russia 811,500,000,000 2004 7 Canada 520,900,000,000 2003 8 India 519,000,000,000 2003 9 Germany 510,400,000,000 2003 10 France 433,300,000,000 2003 11 Brazil 359,600,000,000 2004 12 United Kingdom 346,100,000,000 2003 13 Korea, South 321,100,000,000 2004 14 Italy 302,200,000,000 2003 15 Spain 231,200,000,000 2003 16 Australia 221,000,000,000 2004 17 Taiwan 206,100,000,000 2004 18 South Africa 197,400,000,000 2003 19 Mexico 193,900,000,000 2003 20 Ukraine 176,000,000,000 2004 21 Turkey 140,300,000,000 2005 22 Saudi Arabia 134,900,000,000 2003 23 Iran 132,100,000,000 2003 24 Sweden 131,800,000,000 2003 25 Poland 121,300,000,000 2004 26 Thailand 107,300,000,000 2003 27 Norway 106,100,000,000 2003 28 Indonesia 105,400,000,000 2004 29 Netherlands 101,600,000,000 2003 30 Argentina 82,970,000,000 2004 31 Venezuela 81,320,000,000 2003 32 Belgium 79,660,000,000 2003 33 Finland 78,940,000,000 2003 34 Egypt 78,160,000,000 2003 35 Malaysia 73,630,000,000 2003 36 Pakistan 71,540,000,000 2003 37 Austria 64,780,000,000 2004 38 Czech Republic 57,120,000,000 2004 39 Switzerland 55,860,000,000 2003 40 Greece 53,500,000,000 2005 est. 41 Kazakhstan 52,550,000,000 2003 42 Vietnam 52,000,000,000 2004 43 Colombia 48,830,000,000 2003 44 Uzbekistan 48,450,000,000 2003 45 Philippines 44,480,000,000 2003 46 Chile 44,130,000,000 2003 47 Portugal 44,010,000,000 2003 48 Israel 39,670,000,000 2003 49 Hong Kong 39,220,000,000 2004 50 United Arab Emirates 38,320,000,000 2002 51 Romania 37,500,000,000 2003 52 New Zealand 37,030,000,000 2003 53 Hungary 36,960,000,000 2003 54 Kuwait 35,520,000,000 2003 55 Belarus 34,300,000,000 2004 56 Iraq 33,300,000,000 2005 57 Singapore 33,200,000,000 2004 58 Denmark 31,680,000,000 2003 59 Syria 28,260,000,000 2003 est. 60 Bulgaria 25,100,000,000 2004 61 Algeria 24,900,000,000 2003 est. 62 Slovakia 24,800,000,000 2004 63 Ireland 22,970,000,000 2003 64 Puerto Rico 21,420,000,000 2003 65 Peru 21,090,000,000 2003 66 Azerbaijan 20,250,000,000 2003 67 Morocco 17,580,000,000 2003 68 Korea, North 17,430,000,000 2003 69 Bangladesh 16,200,000,000 2003 70 Croatia 15,810,000,000 2003 71 Tajikistan 15,050,000,000 2003 72 Nigeria 14,460,000,000 2003 73 Libya 13,390,000,000 2003 74 Cuba 13,270,000,000 2004 75 Slovenia 12,520,000,000 2003 76 Lithuania 12,079,000,000 2004 77 Dominican Republic 11,710,000,000 2003 78 Zimbabwe 11,220,000,000 2003 79 Tunisia 10,760,000,000 2003 80 Lebanon 10,670,000,000 2003 81 Ecuador 10,550,000,000 2003 82 Mozambique 10,460,000,000 2003 83 Georgia 9,800,000,000 2005 84 Oman 9,582,000,000 2003 85 Qatar 9,053,000,000 2003 86 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8,849,000,000 2003 87 Turkmenistan 8,847,000,000 2002 88 Kyrgyzstan 8,783,000,000 2003 89 Iceland 8,619,000,000 2004 90 Jordan 7,959,000,000 2003 91 Macedonia 7,933,000,000 2005 92 Uruguay 7,762,000,000 2003 93 Costa Rica 7,120,000,000 2003 94 Burma 6,875,000,000 2003 95 Bahrain 6,830,000,000 2003 96 Sri Lanka 6,796,000,000 2003 97 Albania 6,760,000,000 2004 98 Estonia 6,260,000,000 2004 99 Luxembourg 6,140,000,000 2005 est. 100 Guatemala 6,025,000,000 2003 101 Latvia 5,839,000,000 2003 102 Trinidad and Tobago 5,651,000,000 2003 103 Zambia 5,345,000,000 2003 104 Ghana 5,081,000,000 2003 105 Panama 4,870,000,000 2003 106 El Salvador 4,450,000,000 2004 107 Armenia 4,374,000,000 2005 108 Honduras 4,369,000,000 2003 109 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4,324,000,000 2003 110 Kenya 4,238,000,000 2003 111 Bolivia 3,963,000,000 2003 112 Cyprus 3,535,000,000 2003 113 Paraguay 3,528,000,000 2003 114 Cote d'Ivoire 3,418,000,000 2003 115 Mongolia 3,370,000,000 2005 est. 116 Laos 3,298,000,000 2003 117 Moldova 3,036,000,000 2003 118 Jamaica 2,974,000,000 2004 119 Tanzania 2,959,000,000 2003 120 Sudan 2,943,000,000 2003 121 Yemen 2,827,000,000 2003 est. 122 Cameroon 2,779,000,000 2003 123 Brunei 2,726,000,000 2004 124 Botswana 2,641,000,000 2004 125 Namibia 2,372,000,000 2003 126 Malta 1,936,000,000 2003 127 Ethiopia 1,914,000,000 2003 128 Angola 1,900,000,000 2004 129 Macau 1,899,000,000 2004 130 Suriname 1,873,000,000 2003 131 Nepal 1,850,000,000 2005 132 Nicaragua 1,848,000,000 2004 133 Mauritius 1,805,000,000 2003 134 Bahamas, The 1,683,000,000 2003 135 Papua New Guinea 1,481,000,000 2003 136 New Caledonia 1,470,000,000 2003 137 Uganda 1,448,000,000 2003 138 Gabon 1,383,000,000 2003 139 Senegal 1,239,000,000 2003 140 Malawi 1,206,000,000 2003 141 Swaziland 1,161,000,000 2003 142 Martinique 1,120,000,000 2003 143 Reunion 1,107,000,000 2003 144 Guadeloupe 1,084,000,000 2003 145 Afghanistan 1,042,000,000 2003 146 Virgin Islands 967,300,000 2003 147 Netherlands Antilles 945,800,000 2003 148 Guam 781,300,000 2003 149 Madagascar 767,700,000 2003 150 Mali 762,600,000 2003 151 Barbados 761,700,000 2003 152 Guyana 724,500,000 2003 153 Fiji 721,400,000 2003 154 Guinea 720,800,000 2003 155 Aruba 716,100,000 2003 156 Togo 654,300,000 2003 157 Jersey 630,100,000 2004 est. 158 Congo, Republic of the 619,000,000 2003 159 Bermuda 616,700,000 2005 160 Benin 538,200,000 2003 161 Haiti 507,800,000 2003 162 Liberia 473,800,000 2003 163 French Polynesia 459,200,000 2003 164 French Guiana 432,600,000 2003 165 Cayman Islands 411,000,000 2003 166 Lesotho 363,500,000 2003 167 Burkina Faso 349,300,000 2003 168 Niger 263,900,000 2003 169 Saint Lucia 261,400,000 2003 170 Eritrea 251,900,000 2003 171 Bhutan 250,300,000 2003 172 Sierra Leone 242,400,000 2003 173 Faroe Islands 242,000,000 2003 174 Greenland 225,300,000 2003 175 Seychelles 224,400,000 2003 176 Djibouti 223,200,000 2003 177 Somalia 219,100,000 2003 178 Micronesia, Federated States of 178,600,000 2002 179 Mauritania 172,600,000 2003 180 Grenada 148,600,000 2003 181 Burundi 141,400,000 2003 182 Gambia, The 130,200,000 2003 183 Maldives 125,600,000 2003 184 Rwanda 121,100,000 2003 185 American Samoa 120,900,000 2003 186 Cambodia 115,000,000 2003 187 Belize 111,600,000 2003 188 Chad 111,600,000 2003 189 Samoa 107,900,000 2003 190 Saint Kitts and Nevis 103,900,000 2003 191 Gibraltar 98,690,000 2003 192 Central African Republic 98,580,000 2003 193 Antigua and Barbuda 93,000,000 2003 194 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 88,350,000 2003 195 Mayotte 87,790,000 196 Western Sahara 83,700,000 2003 197 Dominica 65,090,000 2003 198 Guinea-Bissau 52,080,000 2003 199 Solomon Islands 51,150,000 2003 200 Anguilla 42,600,000 201 Cape Verde 41,060,000 2003 202 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 41,060,000 2003 203 Vanuatu 38,130,000 2003 204 Cook Islands 34,460,000 2005 est. 205 British Virgin Islands 32,130,000 2003 206 Tonga 31,620,000 2003 207 Equatorial Guinea 27,370,000 2003 208 Nauru 21,390,000 2003 209 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 20,680,000 2003 210 Comoros 16,740,000 2003 211 Sao Tome and Principe 13,950,000 2003 212 Kiribati 11,160,000 2003 213 Saint Helena 4,650,000 2003 214 Turks and Caicos Islands 4,650,000 2003 215 Niue 2,790,000 2003 216 Montserrat 1,860,000 2003 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2053 Rank Country Airports Date of Information 1 World 49,024 2006 2 United States 14,858 2006 3 Brazil 4,276 2006 4 Mexico 1,839 2006 5 Russia 1,623 2006 6 Argentina 1,381 2006 7 Canada 1,337 2006 8 Bolivia 1,084 2006 9 Colombia 984 2006 10 Paraguay 881 2006 11 South Africa 731 2006 12 Indonesia 662 2006 13 Papua New Guinea 582 2006 14 Germany 554 2006 15 Ukraine 499 2006 16 China 486 2006 17 France 477 2006 18 United Kingdom 471 2006 19 Australia 455 2006 20 Guatemala 450 2006 21 Zimbabwe 403 2006 22 Venezuela 375 2006 23 Chile 363 2006 24 Ecuador 359 2006 25 India 341 2006 26 Iran 321 2006 27 Peru 268 2006 28 Philippines 256 2006 29 Sweden 255 2006 30 Angola 244 2006 31 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 234 2006 32 Kenya 225 2006 33 Bulgaria 217 2006 34 Saudi Arabia 208 2006 35 Nicaragua 176 2006 36 Japan 175 2006 37 Cuba 170 2006 38 Mozambique 158 2006 39 Costa Rica 157 2006 40 Spain 157 2006 41 Kazakhstan 150 2006 42 Finland 148 2006 43 Algeria 142 2006 44 Libya 141 2006 45 Pakistan 139 2006 46 Oman 137 2006 47 Namibia 137 2006 48 Italy 133 2006 49 Tanzania 124 2006 50 Poland 122 2006 51 Czech Republic 121 2006 52 New Zealand 118 2006 53 Malaysia 117 2006 54 Panama 117 2006 55 Turkey 117 2006 56 Honduras 116 2006 57 Madagascar 116 2006 58 Zambia 111 2006 59 Iraq 110 2006 60 Thailand 108 2006 61 Korea, South 107 2006 62 Norway 99 2006 63 Iceland 98 2006 64 Denmark 92 2006 65 Syria 92 2006 66 Lithuania 91 2006 67 Guyana 90 2006 68 Egypt 88 2006 69 Sudan 88 2006 70 Belarus 86 2006 71 Botswana 85 2006 72 Burma 85 2006 73 Ethiopia 84 2006 74 Greece 82 2006 75 Korea, North 77 2006 76 El Salvador 75 2006 77 Nigeria 69 2006 78 Croatia 68 2006 79 Portugal 66 2006 80 Somalia 65 2006 81 Switzerland 65 2006 82 Bahamas, The 64 2006 83 Uruguay 64 2006 84 Romania 61 2006 85 Uzbekistan 61 2006 86 Morocco 60 2006 87 Gabon 56 2006 88 Austria 55 2006 89 Israel 53 2006 90 Liberia 53 2006 91 Chad 52 2006 92 French Polynesia 51 2006 93 Central African Republic 50 2006 94 Nepal 48 2006 95 Cameroon 47 2006 96 Suriname 47 2006 97 Afghanistan 46 2006 98 Latvia 46 2006 99 Yemen 46 2006 100 Hungary 46 2006 101 Laos 44 2006 102 Mongolia 44 2006 103 Belgium 43 2006 104 Belize 43 2006 105 Malawi 42 2006 106 Taiwan 42 2006 107 Tajikistan 40 2006 108 Serbia 39 2006 109 United Arab Emirates 37 2006 110 Kyrgyzstan 37 2006 111 Azerbaijan 36 2006 112 Ireland 36 2006 113 Slovakia 36 2006 114 Solomon Islands 35 2006 115 Cote d'Ivoire 35 2006 116 Jamaica 35 2006 117 Burkina Faso 34 2006 118 Dominican Republic 33 2006 119 Congo, Republic of the 32 2006 120 Vietnam 32 2006 121 Vanuatu 31 2006 122 Uganda 31 2006 123 Puerto Rico 30 2006 124 Tunisia 30 2006 125 Mali 29 2006 126 Turkmenistan 29 2006 127 Bosnia and Herzegovina 28 2006 128 Fiji 28 2006 129 Lesotho 28 2006 130 Guinea-Bissau 28 2006 131 Niger 28 2006 132 Netherlands 27 2006 133 Mauritania 25 2006 134 New Caledonia 25 2006 135 Estonia 24 2006 136 Georgia 23 2006 137 Antarctica 20 2006 138 Senegal 20 2006 139 Cambodia 20 2006 140 Kiribati 19 2006 141 Swaziland 18 2006 142 Eritrea 17 2006 143 Macedonia 17 2006 144 Jordan 17 2006 145 Bangladesh 16 2006 146 Sri Lanka 16 2006 147 Cyprus 16 2006 148 Guinea 16 2006 149 Marshall Islands 15 2006 150 Seychelles 15 2006 151 Greenland 14 2006 152 Slovenia 14 2006 153 Armenia 13 2006 154 Djibouti 13 2006 155 Ghana 12 2006 156 Haiti 12 2006 157 Moldova 12 2006 158 Albania 11 2006 159 Western Sahara 11 2006 160 French Guiana 11 2006 161 Sierra Leone 10 2006 162 Cook Islands 9 2006 163 Rwanda 9 2006 164 Guadeloupe 9 2006 165 Singapore 9 2006 166 Togo 9 2006 167 Burundi 8 2006 168 East Timor 8 2006 169 Turks and Caicos Islands 8 2006 170 Cape Verde 7 2006 171 Lebanon 7 2006 172 Kuwait 7 2006 173 Micronesia, Federated States of 6 2006 174 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 2006 175 Tonga 6 2006 176 Trinidad and Tobago 6 2006 177 Mauritius 6 2006 178 Benin 5 2006 179 Northern Mariana Islands 5 2006 180 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 5 2006 181 Maldives 5 2006 182 Qatar 5 2006 183 Netherlands Antilles 5 2006 184 Montenegro 5 2006 185 Guam 5 2006 186 Comoros 4 2006 187 Equatorial Guinea 4 2006 188 Samoa 4 2006 189 Svalbard 4 2006 190 Antigua and Barbuda 3 2006 191 West Bank 3 2006 192 British Virgin Islands 3 2006 193 Palau 3 2006 194 Spratly Islands 3 2006 195 Midway Islands 3 2006 196 Hong Kong 3 2006 197 Grenada 3 2006 198 Bahrain 3 2006 199 Anguilla 3 2006 200 American Samoa 3 2006 201 Cayman Islands 3 2006 202 Bhutan 2 2006 203 Montserrat 2 2006 204 Wallis and Futuna 2 2006 205 Virgin Islands 2 2006 206 Sao Tome and Principe 2 2006 207 Saint Lucia 2 2006 208 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 2006 209 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2 2006 210 Reunion 2 2006 211 Martinique 2 2006 212 Brunei 2 2006 213 Dominica 2 2006 214 Gaza Strip 2 2006 215 Luxembourg 2 2006 216 Guernsey 2 2006 217 Aruba 1 2006 218 Barbados 1 2006 219 Wake Island 1 2006 220 Tuvalu 1 2006 221 Tromelin Island 1 2006 222 Saint Helena 1 2006 223 Paracel Islands 1 2006 224 Mayotte 1 2006 225 Macau 1 2006 226 Palmyra Atoll 1 2006 227 Christmas Island 1 2006 228 Juan de Nova Island 1 2006 229 Johnston Atoll 1 2006 230 Jan Mayen 1 2006 231 Jersey 1 2006 232 British Indian Ocean Territory 1 2006 233 Isle of Man 1 2006 234 Nauru 1 2006 235 Norfolk Island 1 2006 236 Niue 1 2006 237 Malta 1 2006 238 Glorioso Islands 1 2006 239 Gibraltar 1 2006 240 Gambia, The 1 2006 241 Faroe Islands 1 2006 242 Europa Island 1 2006 243 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 1 2006 244 Bermuda 1 2006 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2054 Rank Country Birth rate(births/1,000 population) Date of Information 1 Niger 50.73 2006 est. 2 Mali 49.82 2006 est. 3 Uganda 47.35 2006 est. 4 Afghanistan 46.60 2006 est. 5 Sierra Leone 45.76 2006 est. 6 Chad 45.73 2006 est. 7 Burkina Faso 45.62 2006 est. 8 Somalia 45.13 2006 est. 9 Angola 45.11 2006 est. 10 Liberia 44.77 2006 est. 11 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 43.69 2006 est. 12 Malawi 43.13 2006 est. 13 Yemen 42.89 2006 est. 14 Congo, Republic of the 42.57 2006 est. 15 Burundi 42.22 2006 est. 16 Guinea 41.76 2006 est. 17 Madagascar 41.41 2006 est. 18 Zambia 41.00 2006 est. 19 Mauritania 40.99 2006 est. 20 Mayotte 40.95 2006 est. 21 Nigeria 40.43 2006 est. 22 Rwanda 40.37 2006 est. 23 Sao Tome and Principe 40.25 2006 est. 24 Kenya 39.72 2006 est. 25 Djibouti 39.53 2006 est. 26 Gaza Strip 39.45 2006 est. 27 Gambia, The 39.37 2006 est. 28 Benin 38.85 2006 est. 29 Ethiopia 37.98 2006 est. 30 Tanzania 37.71 2006 est. 31 Guinea-Bissau 37.22 2006 est. 32 Togo 37.01 2006 est. 33 Comoros 36.93 2006 est. 34 Haiti 36.44 2006 est. 35 Oman 36.24 2006 est. 36 Gabon 36.16 2006 est. 37 Equatorial Guinea 35.59 2006 est. 38 Laos 35.49 2006 est. 39 Mozambique 35.18 2006 est. 40 Cote d'Ivoire 35.11 2006 est. 41 Maldives 34.81 2006 est. 42 Sudan 34.53 2006 est. 43 Eritrea 34.33 2006 est. 44 Central African Republic 33.91 2006 est. 45 Cameroon 33.89 2006 est. 46 Bhutan 33.65 2006 est. 47 Marshall Islands 33.05 2006 est. 48 Senegal 32.78 2006 est. 49 Tajikistan 32.65 2006 est. 50 Iraq 31.98 2006 est. 51 West Bank 31.67 2006 est. 52 Nepal 30.98 2006 est. 53 Kiribati 30.65 2006 est. 54 Ghana 30.52 2006 est. 55 Solomon Islands 30.01 2006 est. 56 Guatemala 29.88 2006 est. 57 Bangladesh 29.80 2006 est. 58 Pakistan 29.74 2006 est. 59 Papua New Guinea 29.36 2006 est. 60 Saudi Arabia 29.34 2006 est. 61 Paraguay 29.10 2006 est. 62 Belize 28.84 2006 est. 63 Honduras 28.24 2006 est. 64 Zimbabwe 28.01 2006 est. 65 Syria 27.76 2006 est. 66 Turkmenistan 27.61 2006 est. 67 Swaziland 27.41 2006 est. 68 East Timor 26.99 2006 est. 69 Cambodia 26.90 2006 est. 70 El Salvador 26.61 2006 est. 71 Libya 26.49 2006 est. 72 Uzbekistan 26.36 2006 est. 73 Tonga 25.37 2006 est. 74 Philippines 24.89 2006 est. 75 Cape Verde 24.87 2006 est. 76 Nauru 24.76 2006 est. 77 Lesotho 24.75 2006 est. 78 Micronesia, Federated States of 24.68 2006 est. 79 Nicaragua 24.51 2006 est. 80 Namibia 24.32 2006 est. 81 Bolivia 23.30 2006 est. 82 Dominican Republic 23.22 2006 est. 83 Botswana 23.08 2006 est. 84 Egypt 22.94 2006 est. 85 Malaysia 22.86 2006 est. 86 Kyrgyzstan 22.80 2006 est. 87 Vanuatu 22.72 2006 est. 88 Fiji 22.55 2006 est. 89 American Samoa 22.46 2006 est. 90 Ecuador 22.29 2006 est. 91 Tuvalu 22.18 2006 est. 92 Grenada 22.08 2006 est. 93 India 22.01 2006 est. 94 Morocco 21.98 2006 est. 95 Kuwait 21.94 2006 est. 96 Turks and Caicos Islands 21.84 2006 est. 97 Panama 21.74 2006 est. 98 Mongolia 21.59 2006 est. 99 Jordan 21.25 2006 est. 100 Cook Islands 21.00 2001 census 101 Jamaica 20.82 2006 est. 102 Azerbaijan 20.74 2006 est. 103 Mexico 20.69 2006 est. 104 Colombia 20.48 2006 est. 105 Peru 20.48 2006 est. 106 French Guiana 20.46 2006 est. 107 Indonesia 20.34 2006 est. 108 World 20.05 2006 est. 109 Saint Lucia 19.68 2006 est. 110 Northern Mariana Islands 19.43 2006 est. 111 United Arab Emirates 18.96 2006 est. 112 Reunion 18.90 2006 est. 113 Brunei 18.79 2006 est. 114 Guam 18.79 2006 est. 115 Venezuela 18.71 2006 est. 116 Lebanon 18.52 2006 est. 117 Costa Rica 18.32 2006 est. 118 Guyana 18.28 2006 est. 119 South Africa 18.20 2006 est. 120 New Caledonia 18.11 2006 est. 121 Palau 18.03 2006 est. 122 Suriname 18.02 2006 est. 123 Saint Kitts and Nevis 18.02 2006 est. 124 Israel 17.97 2006 est. 125 Burma 17.91 2006 est. 126 Bahrain 17.80 2006 est. 127 Montserrat 17.59 2006 est. 128 Bahamas, The 17.57 2006 est. 129 Algeria 17.14 2006 est. 130 Iran 17.00 2006 est. 131 Antigua and Barbuda 16.93 2006 est. 132 Vietnam 16.86 2006 est. 133 Argentina 16.73 2006 est. 134 French Polynesia 16.68 2006 est. 135 Turkey 16.62 2006 est. 136 Brazil 16.56 2006 est. 137 Samoa 16.43 2006 est. 138 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16.18 2006 est. 139 Seychelles 16.03 2006 est. 140 Kazakhstan 16.00 2006 est. 141 Greenland 15.93 2006 est. 142 Moldova 15.70 2006 est. 143 Qatar 15.56 2006 est. 144 Korea, North 15.54 2006 est. 145 Tunisia 15.52 2006 est. 146 Sri Lanka 15.51 2006 est. 147 Mauritius 15.43 2006 est. 148 Dominica 15.27 2006 est. 149 Chile 15.23 2006 est. 150 Albania 15.11 2006 est. 151 Guadeloupe 15.05 2006 est. 152 British Virgin Islands 14.89 2006 est. 153 Netherlands Antilles 14.78 2006 est. 154 Ireland 14.45 2006 est. 155 Anguilla 14.17 2006 est. 156 United States 14.14 2006 est. 157 Faroe Islands 14.05 2006 est. 158 Virgin Islands 13.96 2006 est. 159 Uruguay 13.91 2006 est. 160 Thailand 13.87 2006 est. 161 New Zealand 13.76 2006 est. 162 Martinique 13.74 2006 est. 163 Iceland 13.64 2006 est. 164 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 13.52 2006 est. 165 China 13.25 2006 est. 166 Trinidad and Tobago 12.90 2006 est. 167 Puerto Rico 12.77 2006 est. 168 Cayman Islands 12.74 2006 est. 169 Barbados 12.71 2006 est. 170 Montenegro 12.60 2004 171 Cyprus 12.56 2006 est. 172 Taiwan 12.56 2006 est. 173 Australia 12.14 2006 est. 174 Saint Helena 12.13 2006 est. 175 Armenia 12.07 2006 est. 176 Macedonia 12.02 2006 est. 177 France 11.99 2006 est. 178 Luxembourg 11.94 2006 est. 179 Cuba 11.89 2006 est. 180 Norway 11.46 2006 est. 181 Bermuda 11.40 2006 est. 182 Belarus 11.16 2006 est. 183 Denmark 11.13 2006 est. 184 Isle of Man 11.05 2006 est. 185 Aruba 11.03 2006 est. 186 Netherlands 10.90 2006 est. 187 Canada 10.78 2006 est. 188 Gibraltar 10.74 2006 est. 189 Portugal 10.72 2006 est. 190 United Kingdom 10.71 2006 est. 191 Romania 10.70 2006 est. 192 Slovakia 10.65 2006 est. 193 Finland 10.45 2006 est. 194 Georgia 10.41 2006 est. 195 Belgium 10.38 2006 est. 196 Sweden 10.27 2006 est. 197 Malta 10.22 2006 est. 198 Liechtenstein 10.21 2006 est. 199 Spain 10.06 2006 est. 200 Estonia 10.04 2006 est. 201 San Marino 10.02 2006 est. 202 European Union 10.00 2006 est. 203 Korea, South 10.00 2006 est. 204 Russia 9.95 2006 est. 205 Poland 9.85 2006 est. 206 Hungary 9.72 2006 est. 207 Switzerland 9.71 2006 est. 208 Greece 9.68 2006 est. 209 Bulgaria 9.65 2006 est. 210 Croatia 9.61 2006 est. 211 Japan 9.37 2006 est. 212 Singapore 9.34 2006 est. 213 Jersey 9.30 2006 est. 214 Latvia 9.24 2006 est. 215 Monaco 9.19 2006 est. 216 Czech Republic 9.02 2006 est. 217 Slovenia 8.98 2006 est. 218 Ukraine 8.82 2006 est. 219 Guernsey 8.81 2006 est. 220 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.77 2006 est. 221 Lithuania 8.75 2006 est. 222 Austria 8.74 2006 est. 223 Italy 8.72 2006 est. 224 Andorra 8.71 2006 est. 225 Macau 8.48 2006 est. 226 Germany 8.25 2006 est. 227 Hong Kong 7.29 2006 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2066 Rank Country Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) Date of Information 1 Swaziland 29.74 2006 est. 2 Botswana 29.50 2006 est. 3 Lesotho 28.71 2006 est. 4 Angola 24.20 2006 est. 5 Liberia 23.10 2006 est. 6 Sierra Leone 23.03 2006 est. 7 South Africa 22.00 2006 est. 8 Zimbabwe 21.84 2006 est. 9 Mozambique 21.35 2006 est. 10 Niger 20.91 2006 est. 11 Afghanistan 20.34 2006 est. 12 Zambia 19.93 2006 est. 13 Malawi 19.33 2006 est. 14 Djibouti 19.31 2006 est. 15 Namibia 18.86 2006 est. 16 Central African Republic 18.65 2006 est. 17 Nigeria 16.94 2006 est. 18 Mali 16.89 2006 est. 19 Somalia 16.63 2006 est. 20 Guinea-Bissau 16.53 2006 est. 21 Tanzania 16.39 2006 est. 22 Chad 16.38 2006 est. 23 Rwanda 16.09 2006 est. 24 Burkina Faso 15.60 2006 est. 25 Guinea 15.48 2006 est. 26 Equatorial Guinea 15.06 2006 est. 27 Ethiopia 14.86 2006 est. 28 Cote d'Ivoire 14.84 2006 est. 29 Russia 14.65 2006 est. 30 Ukraine 14.39 2006 est. 31 Bulgaria 14.27 2006 est. 32 Belarus 14.02 2006 est. 33 Kenya 14.02 2006 est. 34 Latvia 13.66 2006 est. 35 Cameroon 13.47 2006 est. 36 Burundi 13.46 2006 est. 37 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 13.27 2006 est. 38 Estonia 13.25 2006 est. 39 Hungary 13.11 2006 est. 40 Congo, Republic of the 12.93 2006 est. 41 Monaco 12.91 2006 est. 42 Bhutan 12.70 2006 est. 43 Moldova 12.64 2006 est. 44 Gambia, The 12.25 2006 est. 45 Gabon 12.25 2006 est. 46 Uganda 12.24 2006 est. 47 Benin 12.22 2006 est. 48 Haiti 12.17 2006 est. 49 Mauritania 12.16 2006 est. 50 Romania 11.77 2006 est. 51 Laos 11.55 2006 est. 52 Croatia 11.48 2006 est. 53 Isle of Man 11.19 2006 est. 54 Madagascar 11.11 2006 est. 55 Lithuania 10.98 2006 est. 56 Germany 10.62 2006 est. 57 Czech Republic 10.59 2006 est. 58 Trinidad and Tobago 10.57 2006 est. 59 Portugal 10.50 2006 est. 60 Italy 10.40 2006 est. 61 Denmark 10.36 2006 est. 62 Slovenia 10.31 2006 est. 63 Sweden 10.31 2006 est. 64 Belgium 10.27 2006 est. 65 Greece 10.24 2006 est. 66 United Kingdom 10.13 2006 est. 67 European Union 10.10 2006 est. 68 Guernsey 10.01 2006 est. 69 Poland 9.89 2006 est. 70 Finland 9.86 2006 est. 71 Burma 9.83 2006 est. 72 Togo 9.83 2006 est. 73 Austria 9.76 2006 est. 74 Azerbaijan 9.75 2006 est. 75 Ghana 9.72 2006 est. 76 Spain 9.72 2006 est. 77 Eritrea 9.60 2006 est. 78 Slovakia 9.45 2006 est. 79 Kazakhstan 9.42 2006 est. 80 Senegal 9.42 2006 est. 81 Norway 9.40 2006 est. 82 Gibraltar 9.31 2006 est. 83 Nepal 9.31 2006 est. 84 Jersey 9.28 2006 est. 85 Georgia 9.23 2006 est. 86 Montenegro 9.20 2004 87 Japan 9.16 2006 est. 88 France 9.14 2006 est. 89 Cambodia 9.06 2006 est. 90 Bahamas, The 9.05 2006 est. 91 Uruguay 9.05 2006 est. 92 Sudan 8.97 2006 est. 93 Macedonia 8.77 2006 est. 94 Faroe Islands 8.70 2006 est. 95 Netherlands 8.68 2006 est. 96 Barbados 8.67 2006 est. 97 World 8.67 2006 est. 98 Turkmenistan 8.60 2006 est. 99 Switzerland 8.49 2006 est. 100 Luxembourg 8.41 2006 est. 101 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.33 2006 est. 102 Yemen 8.30 2006 est. 103 Guyana 8.28 2006 est. 104 Bangladesh 8.27 2006 est. 105 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.27 2006 est. 106 Kiribati 8.26 2006 est. 107 United States 8.26 2006 est. 108 Tajikistan 8.25 2006 est. 109 Armenia 8.23 2006 est. 110 Pakistan 8.23 2006 est. 111 Comoros 8.20 2006 est. 112 India 8.18 2006 est. 113 San Marino 8.17 2006 est. 114 Malta 8.10 2006 est. 115 Greenland 7.84 2006 est. 116 Uzbekistan 7.84 2006 est. 117 Ireland 7.82 2006 est. 118 Vanuatu 7.82 2006 est. 119 Canada 7.80 2006 est. 120 Bermuda 7.74 2006 est. 121 Mayotte 7.70 2006 est. 122 Cyprus 7.68 2006 est. 123 Puerto Rico 7.65 2006 est. 124 Argentina 7.55 2006 est. 125 Bolivia 7.53 2006 est. 126 New Zealand 7.53 2006 est. 127 Australia 7.51 2006 est. 128 Suriname 7.27 2006 est. 129 Papua New Guinea 7.25 2006 est. 130 Cuba 7.22 2006 est. 131 Liechtenstein 7.18 2006 est. 132 Korea, North 7.13 2006 est. 133 Tuvalu 7.11 2006 est. 134 Montserrat 7.10 2006 est. 135 Kyrgyzstan 7.08 2006 est. 136 Maldives 7.06 2006 est. 137 Thailand 7.04 2006 est. 138 China 6.97 2006 est. 139 Mongolia 6.95 2006 est. 140 Grenada 6.88 2006 est. 141 Mauritius 6.86 2006 est. 142 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 6.83 2006 est. 143 Palau 6.80 2006 est. 144 Dominica 6.73 2006 est. 145 Iceland 6.72 2006 est. 146 Nauru 6.70 2006 est. 147 Aruba 6.68 2006 est. 148 Samoa 6.62 2006 est. 149 Cape Verde 6.55 2006 est. 150 Saint Helena 6.53 2006 est. 151 Sri Lanka 6.52 2006 est. 152 Jamaica 6.52 2006 est. 153 Martinique 6.48 2006 est. 154 Taiwan 6.48 2006 est. 155 Sao Tome and Principe 6.47 2006 est. 156 Netherlands Antilles 6.45 2006 est. 157 Virgin Islands 6.43 2006 est. 158 Hong Kong 6.29 2006 est. 159 Seychelles 6.29 2006 est. 160 Andorra 6.25 2006 est. 161 Indonesia 6.25 2006 est. 162 East Timor 6.24 2006 est. 163 Peru 6.23 2006 est. 164 Vietnam 6.22 2006 est. 165 Lebanon 6.21 2006 est. 166 Israel 6.18 2006 est. 167 Brazil 6.17 2006 est. 168 Guadeloupe 6.09 2006 est. 169 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.98 2006 est. 170 Turkey 5.97 2006 est. 171 Korea, South 5.85 2006 est. 172 Chile 5.81 2006 est. 173 El Salvador 5.78 2006 est. 174 Dominican Republic 5.73 2006 est. 175 Belize 5.72 2006 est. 176 New Caledonia 5.69 2006 est. 177 Fiji 5.65 2006 est. 178 Colombia 5.58 2006 est. 179 Morocco 5.58 2006 est. 180 Iran 5.55 2006 est. 181 Reunion 5.49 2006 est. 182 Philippines 5.41 2006 est. 183 Antigua and Barbuda 5.37 2006 est. 184 Iraq 5.37 2006 est. 185 Panama 5.36 2006 est. 186 Anguilla 5.34 2006 est. 187 Honduras 5.28 2006 est. 188 Tonga 5.28 2006 est. 189 Egypt 5.23 2006 est. 190 Albania 5.22 2006 est. 191 Guatemala 5.20 2006 est. 192 Tunisia 5.13 2006 est. 193 Saint Lucia 5.08 2006 est. 194 Malaysia 5.05 2006 est. 195 Venezuela 4.92 2006 est. 196 Cayman Islands 4.89 2006 est. 197 French Guiana 4.88 2006 est. 198 Syria 4.81 2006 est. 199 Marshall Islands 4.78 2006 est. 200 Micronesia, Federated States of 4.75 2006 est. 201 Mexico 4.74 2006 est. 202 Qatar 4.72 2006 est. 203 French Polynesia 4.69 2006 est. 204 Algeria 4.61 2006 est. 205 Paraguay 4.49 2006 est. 206 Guam 4.48 2006 est. 207 Macau 4.47 2006 est. 208 Nicaragua 4.45 2006 est. 209 British Virgin Islands 4.42 2006 est. 210 United Arab Emirates 4.40 2006 est. 211 Costa Rica 4.36 2006 est. 212 Singapore 4.28 2006 est. 213 Ecuador 4.23 2006 est. 214 Turks and Caicos Islands 4.21 2006 est. 215 Bahrain 4.14 2006 est. 216 Solomon Islands 3.92 2006 est. 217 West Bank 3.92 2006 est. 218 Oman 3.81 2006 est. 219 Gaza Strip 3.80 2006 est. 220 Libya 3.48 2006 est. 221 Brunei 3.45 2006 est. 222 American Samoa 3.27 2006 est. 223 Jordan 2.65 2006 est. 224 Saudi Arabia 2.58 2006 est. 225 Kuwait 2.41 2006 est. 226 Northern Mariana Islands 2.29 2006 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2067 Rank Country Military expenditures - dollar figure Date of Information 1 United States $ 518,100,000,000 2005 est. 2 China $ 81,480,000,000 2005 est. 3 France $ 45,000,000,000 2005 4 Japan $ 44,310,000,000 2005 est. 5 United Kingdom $ 42,836,500,000 2003 6 Germany $ 35,063,000,000 2003 7 Italy $ 28,182,800,000 2003 8 Korea, South $ 21,060,000,000 2005 est. 9 India $ 19,040,000,000 2005 est. 10 Saudi Arabia $ 18,000,000,000 2002 11 Australia $ 17,840,000,000 2005 est. 12 Turkey $ 12,155,000,000 2003 13 Brazil $ 9,940,000,000 2005 est. 14 Spain $ 9,906,500,000 2003 15 Canada $ 9,801,700,000 2003 16 Israel $ 9,450,000,000 2005 est. 17 Netherlands $ 9,408,000,000 2004 18 Taiwan $ 7,930,000,000 2005 est. 19 Mexico $ 6,070,000,000 2005 est. 20 Greece $ 5,890,000,000 2004 21 Sweden $ 5,510,000,000 2005 est. 22 Svalbard $ 5,501,000,000 23 Korea, North $ 5,217,400,000 FY02 24 Singapore $ 4,470,000,000 25 Argentina $ 4,300,000,000 26 Iran $ 4,300,000,000 2003 est. 27 Pakistan $ 4,260,000,000 2005 est. 28 Norway $ 4,033,500,000 2003 29 Belgium $ 3,999,000,000 2003 30 Chile $ 3,910,000,000 2005 est. 31 South Africa $ 3,550,000,000 2005 est. 32 Poland $ 3,500,000,000 2002 33 Portugal $ 3,497,800,000 2003 34 Colombia $ 3,300,000,000 35 Denmark $ 3,271,600,000 2003 36 Kuwait $ 3,010,000,000 2005 est. 37 Algeria $ 3,000,000,000 2005 est. 38 Switzerland $ 2,548,000,000 FY01 39 Egypt $ 2,440,000,000 2003 40 Morocco $ 2,310,000,000 2003 est. 41 Montenegro $ 2,306,000,000 42 Czech Republic $ 2,170,000,000 2004 43 Angola $ 2,000,000,000 2005 est. 44 Finland $ 1,800,000,000 FY98/99 45 Thailand $ 1,775,000,000 46 Malaysia $ 1,690,000,000 47 Venezuela $ 1,610,000,000 2005 est. 48 United Arab Emirates $ 1,600,000,000 49 Austria $ 1,497,000,000 FY01/02 50 Jordan $ 1,400,000,000 2005 est. 51 Iraq $ 1,340,000,000 2005 est. 52 Indonesia $ 1,300,000,000 2004 53 Libya $ 1,300,000,000 54 New Zealand $ 1,147,000,000 FY03/04 55 Hungary $ 1,080,000,000 2002 est. 56 Bangladesh $ 1,010,000,000 2005 est. 57 Western Sahara $ 992,200,000 58 Yemen $ 992,200,000 2005 est. 59 Romania $ 985,000,000 2002 60 Syria $ 858,000,000 61 Philippines $ 836,900,000 2005 est. 62 Peru $ 829,300,000 2003 est. 63 Nigeria $ 737,600,000 2005 est. 64 Qatar $ 723,000,000 65 Ireland $ 700,000,000 FY00/01 66 Cuba $ 694,000,000 2005 est. 67 Ecuador $ 650,000,000 2005 est. 68 Vietnam $ 650,000,000 69 Bahrain $ 627,700,000 2005 est. 70 Croatia $ 620,000,000 2004 71 Ukraine $ 617,900,000 FY02 72 Sri Lanka $ 606,200,000 2005 est. 73 Sudan $ 587,000,000 2004 74 Lebanon $ 540,600,000 2004 75 Belarus $ 420,500,000 2006 76 Slovakia $ 406,000,000 2002 77 Cyprus $ 384,000,000 78 Uruguay $ 371,200,000 2005 est. 79 Slovenia $ 370,000,000 FY00 80 Bulgaria $ 356,000,000 FY02 81 Tunisia $ 356,000,000 82 Madagascar $ 329,000,000 2005 est. 83 Botswana $ 325,500,000 2005 est. 84 Ethiopia $ 295,900,000 2005 est. 85 Brunei $ 290,700,000 2003 est. 86 Kenya $ 280,500,000 2005 est. 87 Gabon $ 253,500,000 2005 est. 88 Oman $ 252,990,000 2004 89 Cote d'Ivoire $ 246,600,000 2005 est. 90 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 234,300,000 91 Luxembourg $ 231,600,000 2003 92 Lithuania $ 230,800,000 FY01 93 Cameroon $ 230,200,000 2005 est. 94 Kazakhstan $ 221,800,000 FY02 95 Eritrea $ 220,100,000 2005 est. 96 Macedonia $ 200,000,000 97 Uzbekistan $ 200,000,000 98 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 192,800,000 99 Uganda $ 192,800,000 2005 est. 100 Guatemala $ 169,800,000 2005 est. 101 El Salvador $ 161,700,000 2005 est. 102 Estonia $ 155,000,000 2002 est. 103 Equatorial Guinea $ 152,200,000 2005 est. 104 Panama $ 150,000,000 2005 est. 105 Namibia $ 149,500,000 2005 est. 106 Armenia $ 135,000,000 FY01 107 Bolivia $ 130,000,000 2005 est. 108 Zimbabwe $ 124,700,000 2005 est. 109 Afghanistan $ 122,400,000 2005 est. 110 Zambia $ 121,700,000 2005 est. 111 Azerbaijan $ 121,000,000 112 Guinea $ 119,700,000 2005 est. 113 Senegal $ 117,300,000 2005 est. 114 Cambodia $ 112,000,000 115 Mali $ 106,300,000 2005 est. 116 Nepal $ 104,900,000 2005 est. 117 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 103,700,000 2005 est. 118 Benin $ 100,900,000 2005 est. 119 Turkmenistan $ 90,000,000 120 Latvia $ 87,000,000 FY01 121 Congo, Republic of the $ 85,220,000 2005 est. 122 Ghana $ 83,650,000 2005 est. 123 Costa Rica $ 83,460,000 2005 est. 124 Mozambique $ 78,030,000 2005 est. 125 Burkina Faso $ 74,830,000 2005 est. 126 Chad $ 68,950,000 2005 est. 127 Liberia $ 67,400,000 2005 est. 128 Trinidad and Tobago $ 66,720,000 2003 est. 129 Tokelau $ 66,720,000 130 Albania $ 56,500,000 FY02 131 Rwanda $ 53,660,000 2005 est. 132 Paraguay $ 53,100,000 2003 est. 133 Honduras $ 52,800,000 2005 est. 134 Maldives $ 45,070,000 2005 est. 135 Niger $ 44,780,000 2005 est. 136 Burundi $ 43,900,000 2005 est. 137 Swaziland $ 41,600,000 2005 est. 138 Lesotho $ 41,100,000 2005 est. 139 Burma $ 39,000,000 140 Malta $ 38,168,000 2005 est. 141 Fiji $ 36,000,000 2004 142 Tajikistan $ 35,400,000 FY01 143 Nicaragua $ 32,270,000 2005 est. 144 Jamaica $ 31,170,000 2003 est. 145 Togo $ 29,980,000 2005 est. 146 Djibouti $ 29,050,000 2005 est. 147 Haiti $ 25,960,000 2003 est. 148 Mongolia $ 23,100,000 FY02 149 Georgia $ 23,000,000 150 Somalia $ 22,340,000 2005 est. 151 Tanzania $ 21,200,000 2005 est. 152 Mauritania $ 19,320,000 2005 est. 153 Kyrgyzstan $ 19,200,000 FY01 154 Belize $ 19,000,000 2005 est. 155 Papua New Guinea $ 16,900,000 2003 156 Central African Republic $ 16,370,000 2005 est. 157 Malawi $ 15,810,000 2005 est. 158 Serbia $ 14,850,000 159 Seychelles $ 14,850,000 2005 est. 160 Sierra Leone $ 14,250,000 2005 est. 161 Comoros $ 12,870,000 2005 est. 162 Mauritius $ 12,040,000 2005 est. 163 Laos $ 11,040,000 2005 est. 164 Guinea-Bissau $ 9,460,000 2005 est. 165 Moldova $ 8,700,000 2004 166 Bhutan $ 8,290,000 2005 est. 167 Suriname $ 7,500,000 2003 est. 168 Cape Verde $ 7,180,000 2005 est. 169 Guyana $ 6,480,000 2003 est. 170 East Timor $ 4,400,000 FY03 171 Bermuda $ 4,030,000 2001 172 Gambia, The $ 1,550,000 2005 est. 173 San Marino $ 700,000 FY00/01 174 Sao Tome and Principe $ 581,729 2005 est. 175 Dominican Republic $ 0 2002 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2078 Rank Country Exports Date of Information 1 World $ 10,330,000,000,000 2004 est. 2 European Union $ 1,318,000,000,000 2004 3 Germany $ 1,016,000,000,000 2005 est. 4 United States $ 927,500,000,000 2005 est. 5 China $ 752,200,000,000 2005 est. 6 Japan $ 550,500,000,000 2005 est. 7 France $ 443,400,000,000 2005 est. 8 United Kingdom $ 372,700,000,000 2005 est. 9 Italy $ 371,900,000,000 2005 est. 10 Netherlands $ 365,100,000,000 2005 est. 11 Canada $ 364,800,000,000 2005 est. 12 Korea, South $ 288,200,000,000 2005 est. 13 Hong Kong $ 286,300,000,000 2005 est. 14 Belgium $ 269,600,000,000 2005 est. 15 Russia $ 245,000,000,000 2005 est. 16 Mexico $ 213,700,000,000 2005 est. 17 Singapore $ 204,800,000,000 2005 est. 18 Spain $ 194,300,000,000 2005 est. 19 Taiwan $ 189,400,000,000 2005 est. 20 Saudi Arabia $ 165,000,000,000 2005 est. 21 Switzerland $ 148,600,000,000 2005 est. 22 Malaysia $ 147,100,000,000 2005 est. 23 Sweden $ 126,600,000,000 2005 est. 24 Austria $ 122,500,000,000 2005 est. 25 Brazil $ 115,100,000,000 2005 est. 26 Norway $ 111,200,000,000 2005 est. 27 Thailand $ 105,800,000,000 2005 est. 28 United Arab Emirates $ 103,100,000,000 2005 est. 29 Australia $ 103,000,000,000 2005 est. 30 Ireland $ 102,000,000,000 2005 est. 31 Poland $ 92,720,000,000 2005 est. 32 Denmark $ 84,950,000,000 2005 est. 33 Indonesia $ 83,640,000,000 2005 est. 34 Czech Republic $ 78,370,000,000 2005 est. 35 India $ 76,230,000,000 2005 est. 36 Turkey $ 72,490,000,000 2005 est. 37 Finland $ 67,880,000,000 2005 est. 38 Hungary $ 61,750,000,000 2005 est. 39 Iran $ 55,420,000,000 2005 est. 40 Venezuela $ 52,730,000,000 2005 est. 41 Nigeria $ 52,160,000,000 2005 est. 42 South Africa $ 50,910,000,000 2005 est. 43 Algeria $ 49,590,000,000 2005 est. 44 Puerto Rico $ 46,900,000,000 2001 45 Kuwait $ 44,430,000,000 2005 est. 46 Philippines $ 41,250,000,000 2005 est. 47 Israel $ 40,140,000,000 2005 est. 48 Argentina $ 40,000,000,000 2005 est. 49 Portugal $ 38,800,000,000 2005 est. 50 Ukraine $ 38,220,000,000 2005 est. 51 Chile $ 38,030,000,000 2005 est. 52 Vietnam $ 32,230,000,000 2005 est. 53 Romania $ 31,200,000,000 2005 54 Libya $ 30,790,000,000 2005 est. 55 Slovakia $ 30,700,000,000 2005 est. 56 Kazakhstan $ 30,090,000,000 2005 est. 57 Angola $ 26,800,000,000 2005 est. 58 Qatar $ 24,900,000,000 2005 est. 59 New Zealand $ 22,210,000,000 2005 est. 60 Colombia $ 19,300,000,000 2005 est. 61 Oman $ 19,010,000,000 2005 est. 62 Greece $ 18,540,000,000 2005 est. 63 Slovenia $ 18,530,000,000 2005 est. 64 Iraq $ 17,780,000,000 2004 65 Belarus $ 16,140,000,000 2005 est. 66 Peru $ 15,950,000,000 2005 est. 67 Pakistan $ 14,850,000,000 2005 est. 68 Egypt $ 14,330,000,000 2005 est. 69 Luxembourg $ 13,390,000,000 2005 est. 70 Lithuania $ 11,800,000,000 2005 est. 71 Bulgaria $ 11,670,000,000 2005 est. 72 Bahrain $ 11,170,000,000 2005 est. 73 Croatia $ 10,300,000,000 2005 est. 74 Tunisia $ 10,300,000,000 2005 est. 75 Morocco $ 9,472,000,000 2005 est. 76 Bangladesh $ 9,372,000,000 2005 est. 77 Ecuador $ 9,224,000,000 2005 est. 78 Trinidad and Tobago $ 9,161,000,000 2005 est. 79 Panama $ 7,481,000,000 2005 est. 80 Estonia $ 7,439,000,000 2005 est. 81 Costa Rica $ 7,005,000,000 2005 est. 82 Sudan $ 6,989,000,000 2005 est. 83 Equatorial Guinea $ 6,727,000,000 2005 est. 84 Cote d'Ivoire $ 6,490,000,000 2005 est. 85 Sri Lanka $ 6,442,000,000 2005 est. 86 Yemen $ 6,387,000,000 2005 est. 87 Syria $ 6,344,000,000 2005 est. 88 Azerbaijan $ 6,117,000,000 2005 est. 89 Dominican Republic $ 5,818,000,000 2005 est. 90 Gabon $ 5,813,000,000 2005 est. 91 Uzbekistan $ 5,000,000,000 2005 est. 92 Latvia $ 4,860,000,000 2005 est. 93 Turkmenistan $ 4,700,000,000 2005 est. 94 Serbia $ 4,553,000,000 2005 est. 95 Brunei $ 4,514,000,000 2004 est. 96 Virgin Islands $ 4,234,000,000 97 Jordan $ 4,226,000,000 2005 est. 98 Guatemala $ 3,940,000,000 2005 est. 99 Botswana $ 3,680,000,000 2005 est. 100 El Salvador $ 3,586,000,000 2005 est. 101 Uruguay $ 3,550,000,000 2005 est. 102 Macau $ 3,465,000,000 2004 103 Cameroon $ 3,236,000,000 2005 est. 104 Iceland $ 3,215,000,000 2005 est. 105 Kenya $ 3,173,000,000 2005 est. 106 Paraguay $ 3,130,000,000 2005 est. 107 Burma $ 3,111,000,000 2004 108 Chad $ 3,016,000,000 2005 est. 109 Ghana $ 2,911,000,000 2005 est. 110 Papua New Guinea $ 2,833,000,000 2005 est. 111 Malta $ 2,744,000,000 2005 est. 112 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 2,700,000,000 2005 est. 113 Cambodia $ 2,663,000,000 2005 est. 114 Liechtenstein $ 2,470,000,000 1996 115 Cuba $ 2,388,000,000 2005 est. 116 Bolivia $ 2,371,000,000 2005 est. 117 Congo, Republic of the $ 2,209,000,000 2005 est. 118 Netherlands Antilles $ 2,076,000,000 2004 est. 119 Macedonia $ 2,047,000,000 2005 est. 120 Namibia $ 2,040,000,000 2005 est. 121 Swaziland $ 1,991,000,000 2005 est. 122 Mauritius $ 1,949,000,000 2005 est. 123 Zambia $ 1,947,000,000 2005 est. 124 Lebanon $ 1,782,000,000 2005 est. 125 Honduras $ 1,726,000,000 2005 est. 126 Mozambique $ 1,690,000,000 2005 est. 127 Zimbabwe $ 1,644,000,000 2005 est. 128 Jamaica $ 1,608,000,000 2004 est. 129 Tanzania $ 1,581,000,000 2005 est. 130 Nicaragua $ 1,550,000,000 2005 est. 131 Senegal $ 1,526,000,000 2005 est. 132 Bermuda $ 1,469,000,000 2004 est. 133 Georgia $ 1,400,000,000 2005 est. 134 Korea, North $ 1,275,000,000 2004 est. 135 Cyprus $ 1,237,000,000 2005 est. 136 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 1,108,000,000 2004 est. 137 Moldova $ 1,040,000,000 2005 est. 138 New Caledonia $ 999,000,000 2004 est. 139 Madagascar $ 951,000,000 2005 est. 140 Tajikistan $ 950,000,000 2005 est. 141 Liberia $ 910,000,000 2004 est. 142 Suriname $ 881,000,000 2004 est. 143 Mongolia $ 852,000,000 2004 est. 144 Benin $ 826,900,000 2005 est. 145 Nepal $ 822,000,000 2005 est. 146 Armenia $ 800,000,000 2005 est. 147 Mauritania $ 784,000,000 2004 est. 148 Togo $ 768,000,000 2005 est. 149 Uganda $ 768,000,000 2005 est. 150 Kyrgyzstan $ 759,000,000 2005 est. 151 Fiji $ 719,600,000 2005 152 Monaco $ 656,500,000 153 Albania $ 650,100,000 2005 est. 154 Guinea $ 612,100,000 2005 est. 155 Ethiopia $ 612,000,000 2005 est. 156 Lesotho $ 602,800,000 2005 est. 157 Guyana $ 587,200,000 2005 est. 158 Faroe Islands $ 533,000,000 2004 est. 159 Greenland $ 480,000,000 2004 est. 160 Afghanistan $ 471,000,000 2005 est. 161 Bahamas, The $ 469,300,000 2004 est. 162 American Samoa $ 445,600,000 FY04 est. 163 Martinique $ 404,200,000 2002 164 Burkina Faso $ 395,000,000 2005 est. 165 Haiti $ 390,700,000 2005 est. 166 Laos $ 379,000,000 2005 est. 167 Malawi $ 364,000,000 2005 est. 168 Belize $ 349,900,000 2005 est. 169 Mali $ 323,000,000 2004 est. 170 Seychelles $ 312,100,000 2005 est. 171 Gibraltar $ 271,000,000 2004 est. 172 Gaza Strip $ 270,000,000 2003 173 West Bank $ 270,000,000 2003 174 Djibouti $ 250,000,000 2004 est. 175 Reunion $ 248,500,000 2002 176 Somalia $ 241,000,000 2004 est. 177 Niger $ 222,000,000 2004 est. 178 French Polynesia $ 211,000,000 2005 est. 179 Barbados $ 209,000,000 2004 est. 180 Sierra Leone $ 185,000,000 2004 est. 181 Montenegro $ 171,300,000 2003 182 Solomon Islands $ 171,000,000 2004 est. 183 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 169,200,000 2000 184 Bhutan $ 154,000,000 2000 est. 185 Guadeloupe $ 147,800,000 2002 186 Andorra $ 145,000,000 2004 187 Gambia, The $ 140,300,000 2005 est. 188 French Guiana $ 137,500,000 2003 189 Central African Republic $ 131,000,000 2004 est. 190 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 125,000,000 2004 est. 191 Maldives $ 123,000,000 2004 est. 192 Guinea-Bissau $ 116,000,000 2004 est. 193 Rwanda $ 98,000,000 2005 est. 194 Samoa $ 94,000,000 2004 est. 195 Saint Lucia $ 82,000,000 2004 est. 196 Aruba $ 80,000,000 2004 est. 197 Dominica $ 74,000,000 2004 est. 198 Cape Verde $ 73,350,000 2005 est. 199 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 70,000,000 2004 est. 200 Cyprus $ 69,000,000 2005 est. 201 Burundi $ 52,000,000 2005 est. 202 Antigua and Barbuda $ 46,810,000 2004 est. 203 Guam $ 45,000,000 2004 est. 204 Grenada $ 40,000,000 2004 est. 205 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 37,000,000 2004 est. 206 Vanuatu $ 34,110,000 2004 est. 207 Comoros $ 34,000,000 2004 est. 208 Tonga $ 34,000,000 2004 est. 209 Eritrea $ 33,580,000 2005 est. 210 British Virgin Islands $ 25,300,000 2002 211 Saint Helena $ 19,000,000 2004 est. 212 Kiribati $ 17,000,000 2004 est. 213 Anguilla $ 14,560,000 2005 est. 214 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 14,000,000 2004 est. 215 East Timor $ 10,000,000 2005 est. 216 Marshall Islands $ 9,100,000 2000 217 Sao Tome and Principe $ 8,000,000 2005 est. 218 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 7,000,000 2004 est. 219 Palau $ 5,882,000 2004 est. 220 Cook Islands $ 5,222,000 2005 221 Mayotte $ 4,850,000 2004 222 Cayman Islands $ 2,520,000 2004 223 Norfolk Island $ 1,500,000 FY91/92 224 Tuvalu $ 1,000,000 2004 est. 225 Montserrat $ 700,000 2001 226 Niue $ 201,400 2004 227 Nauru $ 64,000 2005 est. 228 Wallis and Futuna $ 47,450 2004 229 Tokelau $ 0 2002 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2079 Rank Country Debt - external Date of Information 1 World $ 36,890,000,000,000 2004 est. 2 United States $ 8,837,000,000,000 30 June 2005 est. 3 United Kingdom $ 7,107,000,000,000 30 June 2005 4 Germany $ 3,626,000,000,000 30 June 2005 5 France $ 2,826,000,000,000 30 June 2005 6 Netherlands $ 1,645,000,000,000 30 June 2005 7 Japan $ 1,545,000,000,000 31 December 2004 8 Ireland $ 1,049,000,000,000 30 June 2005 9 Belgium $ 980,100,000,000 30 June 2005 est. 10 Spain $ 970,700,000,000 2005 est. 11 Italy $ 922,500,000,000 2005 est. 12 Switzerland $ 856,000,000,000 30 June 2005 13 Sweden $ 516,100,000,000 30 June 2005 14 Austria $ 510,600,000,000 30 June 2005 est. 15 Canada $ 439,800,000,000 30 November 2005 16 Denmark $ 352,900,000,000 30 June 2005 17 Australia $ 323,400,000,000 2005 est. 18 Portugal $ 287,800,000,000 2005 est. 19 Norway $ 281,000,000,000 30 June 2005 20 China $ 252,800,000,000 2005 est. 21 Russia $ 215,300,000,000 2005 est. 22 Finland $ 211,700,000,000 30 June 2005 23 Brazil $ 188,000,000,000 2005 est. 24 Turkey $ 170,100,000,000 2005 est. 25 Korea, South $ 153,900,000,000 2005 est. 26 Mexico $ 137,200,000,000 2005 est. 27 Indonesia $ 135,000,000,000 2005 est. 28 India $ 125,500,000,000 2005 est. 29 Argentina $ 118,200,000,000 2005 est. 30 Poland $ 101,500,000,000 2005 est. 31 Iraq $ 92,330,000,000 2005 est. 32 Taiwan $ 87,500,000,000 2005 est. 33 Israel $ 75,550,000,000 2005 est. 34 Greece $ 75,180,000,000 2005 est. 35 Hong Kong $ 72,040,000,000 2005 est. 36 Hungary $ 66,220,000,000 2005 est. 37 Philippines $ 65,710,000,000 2005 est. 38 Thailand $ 52,460,000,000 2005 est. 39 Malaysia $ 52,000,000,000 2005 est. 40 Czech Republic $ 49,140,000,000 2005 est. 41 Chile $ 47,450,000,000 2005 est. 42 New Zealand $ 42,840,000,000 2005 est. 43 Kazakhstan $ 41,660,000,000 2005 est. 44 Venezuela $ 41,510,000,000 2005 est. 45 Pakistan $ 38,800,000,000 2005 est. 46 Saudi Arabia $ 36,780,000,000 2005 est. 47 Romania $ 35,680,000,000 2005 est. 48 Egypt $ 35,260,000,000 2005 est. 49 United Arab Emirates $ 34,470,000,000 2005 est. 50 Nigeria $ 32,450,000,000 2005 est. 51 Colombia $ 32,350,000,000 2005 est. 52 Peru $ 30,940,000,000 2005 est. 53 Croatia $ 30,620,000,000 2005 est. 54 South Africa $ 29,970,000,000 2005 est. 55 Sudan $ 27,340,000,000 2005 est. 56 Slovakia $ 26,940,000,000 2005 est. 57 Lebanon $ 26,000,000,000 2005 est. 58 Ukraine $ 23,930,000,000 2005 est. 59 Singapore $ 23,760,000,000 2005 est. 60 Qatar $ 21,130,000,000 2005 est. 61 Bangladesh $ 20,630,000,000 2005 est. 62 Vietnam $ 20,160,000,000 2005 est. 63 Algeria $ 19,450,000,000 2005 est. 64 Iran $ 19,060,000,000 2005 est. 65 Slovenia $ 18,970,000,000 2005 est. 66 Ecuador $ 18,090,000,000 2005 est. 67 Monaco $ 18,000,000,000 2000 est. 68 Kuwait $ 16,120,000,000 2005 est. 69 Tunisia $ 16,090,000,000 2005 est. 70 Morocco $ 15,610,000,000 2005 est. 71 Serbia $ 15,430,000,000 2005 est. 72 Bulgaria $ 15,320,000,000 2005 est. 73 Cote d'Ivoire $ 13,430,000,000 2005 est. 74 Uruguay $ 13,240,000,000 2005 est. 75 Cuba $ 12,560,000,000 2005 est. 76 Korea, North $ 12,000,000,000 1996 est. 77 Lithuania $ 11,700,000,000 2 February 2006 78 Sri Lanka $ 11,050,000,000 2005 est. 79 Estonia $ 11,030,000,000 2005 est. 80 Latvia $ 10,800,000,000 1 January 2006 81 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 10,600,000,000 2003 est. 82 Cyprus $ 10,530,000,000 2005 est. 83 Panama $ 9,758,000,000 2005 est. 84 Angola $ 9,401,000,000 2005 est. 85 Cameroon $ 9,168,000,000 2005 est. 86 Syria $ 8,566,000,000 2005 est. 87 Jordan $ 8,528,000,000 2005 est. 88 Tanzania $ 8,178,000,000 2005 est. 89 El Salvador $ 8,087,000,000 2005 est. 90 Afghanistan $ 8,000,000,000 2004 91 Dominican Republic $ 7,687,000,000 2005 est. 92 Kenya $ 7,391,000,000 2005 est. 93 Jamaica $ 7,162,000,000 2005 est. 94 Ghana $ 6,999,000,000 2005 est. 95 Burma $ 6,990,000,000 2005 est. 96 Bahrain $ 6,814,000,000 2005 est. 97 Bolivia $ 6,309,000,000 2005 est. 98 Honduras $ 5,795,000,000 2005 est. 99 Guatemala $ 5,503,000,000 2005 est. 100 Mozambique $ 5,456,000,000 2005 est. 101 Yemen $ 5,347,000,000 2005 est. 102 Zimbabwe $ 5,216,000,000 2005 est. 103 Ethiopia $ 5,101,000,000 2005 est. 104 Costa Rica $ 5,049,000,000 2005 est. 105 Uzbekistan $ 5,032,000,000 2005 est. 106 Congo, Republic of the $ 5,000,000,000 2000 est. 107 Uganda $ 4,973,000,000 2005 est. 108 Belarus $ 4,662,000,000 30 June 2005 est. 109 Zambia $ 4,641,000,000 2005 est. 110 Madagascar $ 4,600,000,000 2002 111 Oman $ 4,361,000,000 2005 est. 112 Libya $ 4,267,000,000 2005 est. 113 Gabon $ 3,903,000,000 2005 est. 114 Senegal $ 3,529,000,000 2005 est. 115 Guinea $ 3,460,000,000 2003 est. 116 Paraguay $ 3,450,000,000 2005 est. 117 Nepal $ 3,340,000,000 March 2005 118 Malawi $ 3,287,000,000 2005 est. 119 Mauritius $ 3,246,000,000 2005 est. 120 Liberia $ 3,200,000,000 2005 est. 121 Nicaragua $ 3,188,000,000 2005 est. 122 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 3,116,000,000 2005 est. 123 Macau $ 3,100,000,000 2004 124 Iceland $ 3,073,000,000 2002 125 Somalia $ 3,000,000,000 2001 est. 126 Mali $ 2,800,000,000 2002 127 Trinidad and Tobago $ 2,767,000,000 2005 est. 128 Netherlands Antilles $ 2,680,000,000 2004 129 Mauritania $ 2,500,000,000 2000 130 Laos $ 2,490,000,000 2001 131 Kyrgyzstan $ 2,428,000,000 31 December 2004 est. 132 Turkmenistan $ 2,400,000,000 2001 est. 133 Macedonia $ 2,190,000,000 2005 est. 134 Niger $ 2,100,000,000 2003 est. 135 Georgia $ 2,040,000,000 2004 136 Togo $ 2,000,000,000 2005 137 Moldova $ 1,986,000,000 2005 est. 138 Papua New Guinea $ 1,882,000,000 2005 est. 139 Azerbaijan $ 1,873,000,000 2005 est. 140 Burkina Faso $ 1,850,000,000 2003 141 Armenia $ 1,819,000,000 20 September 2005 142 Sierra Leone $ 1,610,000,000 2003 est. 143 Benin $ 1,600,000,000 2000 144 Albania $ 1,550,000,000 2004 145 Chad $ 1,500,000,000 2003 est. 146 Rwanda $ 1,400,000,000 2004 est. 147 Belize $ 1,362,000,000 June 2004 est. 148 Mongolia $ 1,360,000,000 2004 149 Haiti $ 1,313,000,000 2005 est. 150 Burundi $ 1,200,000,000 2003 151 Guyana $ 1,200,000,000 2002 152 Central African Republic $ 1,060,000,000 2002 est. 153 Guinea-Bissau $ 941,500,000 2000 est. 154 Tajikistan $ 888,000,000 2004 est. 155 French Guiana $ 800,300,000 2003 156 Cambodia $ 800,000,000 2003 est. 157 Lesotho $ 735,000,000 2002 158 Namibia $ 712,900,000 2005 est. 159 Barbados $ 668,000,000 2003 160 Gambia, The $ 628,800,000 2003 est. 161 Bhutan $ 593,000,000 2004 162 Botswana $ 519,000,000 2005 est. 163 Seychelles $ 508,000,000 2005 est. 164 Suriname $ 504,300,000 2005 est. 165 Aruba $ 478,600,000 2005 est. 166 Antigua and Barbuda $ 427,300,000 2000 167 Djibouti $ 394,000,000 2004 est. 168 Swaziland $ 357,000,000 2003 est. 169 Equatorial Guinea $ 353,000,000 2005 est. 170 Grenada $ 347,000,000 2004 171 Bahamas, The $ 342,600,000 2004 est. 172 Cape Verde $ 325,000,000 2002 173 Sao Tome and Principe $ 318,000,000 2002 174 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 314,000,000 2004 175 Eritrea $ 311,000,000 2000 est. 176 Maldives $ 304,000,000 2004 est. 177 Saint Lucia $ 257,000,000 2004 178 Comoros $ 232,000,000 2000 est. 179 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 223,000,000 2004 180 Dominica $ 213,000,000 2004 181 Malta $ 188,800,000 2005 182 Martinique $ 180,000,000 1994 183 Samoa $ 177,000,000 2004 184 Solomon Islands $ 166,000,000 2004 185 Bermuda $ 160,000,000 FY99/00 186 Cook Islands $ 141,000,000 1996 est. 187 Fiji $ 127,000,000 2004 est. 188 Marshall Islands $ 86,500,000 FY99/00 est. 189 Vanuatu $ 81,200,000 2004 190 Tonga $ 80,700,000 2004 191 New Caledonia $ 79,000,000 1998 est. 192 Cayman Islands $ 70,000,000 1996 193 Faroe Islands $ 64,000,000 1999 194 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 60,800,000 FY05 est. 195 British Virgin Islands $ 36,100,000 1997 196 Nauru $ 33,300,000 2002 197 Greenland $ 25,000,000 1999 198 Kiribati $ 10,000,000 1999 est. 199 Montserrat $ 8,900,000 1997 200 Anguilla $ 8,800,000 1998 201 Wallis and Futuna $ 3,670,000 202 Niue $ 418,000 2002 est. 203 Brunei $ 0 204 Palau $ 0 FY99/00 205 Tokelau $ 0 206 West Bank $ 0 2002 207 East Timor $ 0 208 Gaza Strip $ 0 2002 209 Liechtenstein $ 0 2001 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2085 Rank Country Roadways(km) Date of Information 1 World 32,345,165 2002 2 United States 6,407,637 2004 3 European Union 4,634,810 1999-2000 4 India 3,851,440 2002 5 China 1,809,829 2003 6 Brazil 1,724,929 2000 7 Japan 1,183,000 2003 8 Canada 1,042,300 2005 9 France 891,290 2003 10 Russia 871,000 2004 11 Australia 810,641 2004 12 Spain 666,292 2003 13 Italy 479,688 2004 14 Sweden 424,981 2003 15 Poland 423,997 2004 16 United Kingdom 387,674 2004 17 Indonesia 368,360 2002 18 South Africa 362,099 2002 19 Mexico 349,038 2003 20 Turkey 347,553 2004 21 Kazakhstan 258,029 2003 22 Pakistan 255,856 2004 23 Bangladesh 239,226 2003 24 Germany 231,581 2005 25 Argentina 229,144 2004 26 Vietnam 222,179 2004 27 Philippines 200,037 2003 28 Romania 198,817 2003 29 Nigeria 194,394 1999 30 Iran 178,152 2002 31 Ukraine 169,447 2004 32 Hungary 159,568 2005 33 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 157,000 1999 34 Saudi Arabia 152,044 2000 35 Belgium 149,757 2003 36 Netherlands 134,000 2004 37 Austria 133,718 2003 38 Czech Republic 127,747 2003 39 Greece 116,470 1999 40 Colombia 110,000 2000 41 Algeria 104,000 1999 42 Bulgaria 102,016 2003 43 Zimbabwe 97,440 2002 44 Sri Lanka 97,287 2003 45 Korea, South 97,252 2004 46 Venezuela 96,155 1999 47 Ireland 95,736 2002 48 Belarus 93,055 2003 49 New Zealand 92,662 2003 50 Norway 92,513 2005 51 Syria 91,795 2003 52 Zambia 91,440 2001 53 Libya 83,200 1999 54 Uzbekistan 81,600 1999 55 Cameroon 80,932 2002 56 Cote d'Ivoire 80,000 2006 57 Chile 79,605 2001 58 Lithuania 79,497 2005 59 Tanzania 78,891 2003 60 Peru 78,672 2003 61 Finland 78,189 2006 62 Uruguay 77,732 2004 63 Portugal 72,600 2002 64 Denmark 72,257 2005 65 Malaysia 71,814 2001 66 Yemen 71,300 2005 67 Switzerland 71,297 2004 68 Uganda 70,746 2003 69 Latvia 69,919 2003 70 Egypt 64,000 1999 71 Kenya 63,000 2004 72 Cuba 60,858 1999 73 Bolivia 60,762 2003 74 Morocco 57,694 2002 75 Thailand 57,403 2000 76 Estonia 56,849 2003 77 Angola 51,429 2001 78 Madagascar 49,827 1999 79 Mongolia 49,250 2002 80 Iraq 45,550 1999 81 Guinea 44,348 2003 82 Ecuador 43,197 2003 83 Slovakia 42,993 2003 84 Ghana 42,623 2004 85 Namibia 42,237 2002 86 Slovenia 38,400 2003 87 Serbia 37,887 2002 88 Taiwan 37,299 2002 89 Costa Rica 35,889 2003 90 Oman 34,965 2001 91 Afghanistan 34,789 2003 92 Ethiopia 33,856 2003 93 Chad 33,400 1999 94 Laos 32,620 2002 95 Gabon 32,333 2003 96 Korea, North 31,200 1999 est. 97 Mozambique 30,400 1999 98 Paraguay 29,500 1999 99 Malawi 28,400 1999 100 Croatia 28,344 2004 101 Tajikistan 27,767 2000 102 Azerbaijan 27,016 2003 103 Burma 27,000 2005 104 Puerto Rico 25,645 2004 105 Botswana 25,233 2003 106 Turkmenistan 24,000 1999 107 Central African Republic 23,810 1999 108 Somalia 22,100 1999 109 Bosnia and Herzegovina 21,846 2005 110 Georgia 20,247 2003 111 Papua New Guinea 19,600 1999 112 Nicaragua 19,036 2005 113 Tunisia 18,997 2001 114 Jamaica 18,700 1999 115 Kyrgyzstan 18,500 1999 116 Albania 18,000 2002 117 Israel 17,364 2004 118 Benin 16,000 2005 119 Nepal 15,905 2003 120 Mali 15,100 1999 121 Cyprus 14,496 2005/1996 est. 122 Burundi 14,480 1999 123 Guatemala 14,095 1999 124 Honduras 13,603 1999 125 Senegal 13,576 2003 126 Iceland 13,028 2005 127 Congo, Republic of the 12,800 1999 128 Moldova 12,730 2003 129 Dominican Republic 12,600 1999 130 Burkina Faso 12,506 1999 131 Cambodia 12,323 2000 132 Rwanda 12,000 1999 133 Sudan 11,900 1999 134 Panama 11,643 2000 135 Sierra Leone 11,300 2002 136 Liberia 10,600 1999 137 Niger 10,100 1999 138 El Salvador 10,029 1999 139 Macedonia 8,684 1999 140 Trinidad and Tobago 8,320 1999 141 Bhutan 8,050 2003 142 Guyana 7,970 1999 143 Mauritania 7,660 1999 144 Armenia 7,633 2003 145 Togo 7,520 1999 146 Jordan 7,364 2003 147 Montenegro 7,353 2005 148 Lebanon 7,300 1999 149 Lesotho 5,940 1999 150 New Caledonia 5,432 2000 151 Luxembourg 5,210 2002 152 East Timor 5,000 2005 153 Suriname 4,492 2002 154 Kuwait 4,450 1999 155 Guinea-Bissau 4,400 1999 156 Haiti 4,160 1999 157 West Bank 4,158 2003 158 Eritrea 4,010 1999 159 Gambia, The 3,742 2003 160 Swaziland 3,594 2002 161 Bahrain 3,498 2003 162 Fiji 3,440 1999 163 Singapore 3,234 2005 164 Djibouti 2,890 1999 165 Equatorial Guinea 2,880 1999 166 Belize 2,872 1999 167 Bahamas, The 2,693 1999 168 French Polynesia 2,590 1999 169 Brunei 2,525 2000 170 Malta 2,227 2004 171 Martinique 2,105 2000 172 Mauritius 2,020 2005 173 Hong Kong 1,955 2005 174 Barbados 1,600 2003 175 Solomon Islands 1,360 1999 176 Cape Verde 1,350 2000 177 Virgin Islands 1,257 2004 178 Qatar 1,230 1999 179 Reunion 1,214 2001 180 Antigua and Barbuda 1,165 2002 181 Grenada 1,127 1999 182 United Arab Emirates 1,088 1999 183 Vanuatu 1,070 1999 184 Guam 977 2004 185 Guadeloupe 947 2002 186 Saint Lucia 910 2000 187 Comoros 880 1999 188 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 829 2003 189 French Guiana 817 1998 190 Isle of Man 800 1999 191 Samoa 790 1999 192 Cayman Islands 785 2002 193 Dominica 780 1999 194 Tonga 680 1999 195 Kiribati 670 1999 196 Northern Mariana Islands 536 2004 197 Faroe Islands 458 2003 198 Seychelles 458 2003 199 Bermuda 447 2002 200 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 440 2003 201 Macau 368 2005 202 Cook Islands 320 2003 203 Sao Tome and Principe 320 1999 204 Saint Kitts and Nevis 320 1999 est 205 Andorra 269 206 Micronesia, Federated States of 240 1999 207 Niue 234 2001 208 Montserrat 227 2003 209 Saint Helena 198 2002 210 American Samoa 185 2004 211 British Virgin Islands 177 2002 212 Christmas Island 142 2006 213 Turks and Caicos Islands 121 2003 214 Anguilla 105 2002 215 San Marino 104 2003 216 Maldives 88 2006 217 Norfolk Island 80 2002 218 Marshall Islands 65 2002 219 Monaco 50 1999 220 Gibraltar 29 2002 221 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 22 2006 222 Tuvalu 8 2002 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2087 Rank Country Imports Date of Information 1 World $ 10,300,000,000,000 2004 est. 2 United States $ 1,727,000,000,000 2005 est. 3 European Union $ 1,402,000,000,000 2004 4 Germany $ 801,000,000,000 2005 est. 5 China $ 631,800,000,000 2005 est. 6 United Kingdom $ 483,700,000,000 2005 est. 7 France $ 473,300,000,000 2005 est. 8 Japan $ 451,100,000,000 2005 est. 9 Italy $ 369,200,000,000 2005 est. 10 Netherlands $ 326,600,000,000 2005 est. 11 Canada $ 317,700,000,000 2005 est. 12 Hong Kong $ 291,600,000,000 2005 est. 13 Spain $ 271,800,000,000 2005 est. 14 Belgium $ 264,500,000,000 2005 est. 15 Korea, South $ 256,000,000,000 2005 est. 16 Mexico $ 223,700,000,000 2005 est. 17 Singapore $ 188,300,000,000 2005 est. 18 Taiwan $ 181,600,000,000 2005 est. 19 Switzerland $ 135,000,000,000 2005 est. 20 Russia $ 125,000,000,000 2005 est. 21 Australia $ 119,600,000,000 2005 est. 22 Austria $ 118,800,000,000 2005 est. 23 Malaysia $ 118,700,000,000 2005 est. 24 India $ 113,100,000,000 2005 est. 25 Thailand $ 107,000,000,000 2005 est. 26 Sweden $ 104,400,000,000 2005 est. 27 Turkey $ 101,200,000,000 2005 est. 28 Poland $ 95,670,000,000 2005 est. 29 Brazil $ 78,020,000,000 2005 est. 30 Czech Republic $ 76,590,000,000 2005 est. 31 Denmark $ 74,690,000,000 2005 est. 32 Ireland $ 65,470,000,000 2005 est. 33 Hungary $ 64,830,000,000 2005 est. 34 Indonesia $ 62,020,000,000 2005 est. 35 Portugal $ 60,350,000,000 2005 est. 36 United Arab Emirates $ 60,150,000,000 2005 est. 37 Norway $ 58,120,000,000 2005 est. 38 Finland $ 56,450,000,000 2005 est. 39 South Africa $ 52,970,000,000 2005 est. 40 Greece $ 48,200,000,000 2005 est. 41 Saudi Arabia $ 44,930,000,000 2005 est. 42 Israel $ 43,190,000,000 2005 est. 43 Philippines $ 42,660,000,000 2005 est. 44 Iran $ 42,500,000,000 2005 est. 45 Romania $ 41,000,000,000 2005 46 Ukraine $ 37,180,000,000 2005 est. 47 Vietnam $ 36,880,000,000 2005 est. 48 Slovakia $ 32,900,000,000 2005 est. 49 Chile $ 30,090,000,000 2005 est. 50 Puerto Rico $ 29,100,000,000 2001 51 Argentina $ 28,800,000,000 2005 est. 52 Nigeria $ 25,950,000,000 2005 est. 53 Venezuela $ 24,630,000,000 2005 est. 54 New Zealand $ 24,570,000,000 2005 est. 55 Egypt $ 24,100,000,000 2005 est. 56 Algeria $ 22,530,000,000 2005 est. 57 Pakistan $ 21,260,000,000 2005 est. 58 Slovenia $ 19,620,000,000 2005 est. 59 Iraq $ 19,570,000,000 2004 60 Croatia $ 18,930,000,000 2005 est. 61 Luxembourg $ 18,740,000,000 2005 est. 62 Morocco $ 18,150,000,000 2005 est. 63 Colombia $ 18,000,000,000 2005 est. 64 Kazakhstan $ 17,510,000,000 2005 est. 65 Belarus $ 16,940,000,000 2005 est. 66 Bulgaria $ 16,780,000,000 2005 67 Lithuania $ 15,500,000,000 2005 est. 68 Bangladesh $ 12,970,000,000 2005 est. 69 Tunisia $ 12,860,000,000 2005 est. 70 Kuwait $ 12,230,000,000 2005 est. 71 Peru $ 12,150,000,000 2005 est. 72 Libya $ 10,820,000,000 2005 est. 73 Serbia $ 10,580,000,000 2005 est. 74 Dominican Republic $ 9,747,000,000 2005 est. 75 Costa Rica $ 9,690,000,000 2005 est. 76 Estonia $ 9,189,000,000 2005 est. 77 Lebanon $ 8,855,000,000 2005 est. 78 Panama $ 8,734,000,000 2005 est. 79 Oman $ 8,709,000,000 2005 est. 80 Jordan $ 8,681,000,000 2005 est. 81 Ecuador $ 8,436,000,000 2005 est. 82 Sri Lanka $ 8,370,000,000 2005 est. 83 Latvia $ 8,190,000,000 2005 84 Angola $ 8,165,000,000 2005 est. 85 Bahrain $ 7,830,000,000 2005 est. 86 Guatemala $ 7,744,000,000 2005 est. 87 Cuba $ 6,916,000,000 2005 est. 88 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 6,800,000,000 2005 est. 89 Qatar $ 6,706,000,000 2005 est. 90 El Salvador $ 6,678,000,000 2005 est. 91 Trinidad and Tobago $ 6,011,000,000 2005 est. 92 Syria $ 5,973,000,000 2005 est. 93 Cyprus $ 5,552,000,000 2005 est. 94 Kenya $ 5,126,000,000 2005 est. 95 Sudan $ 5,028,000,000 2005 est. 96 Liberia $ 4,839,000,000 2004 est. 97 Cote d'Ivoire $ 4,759,000,000 2005 est. 98 Azerbaijan $ 4,656,000,000 2005 est. 99 Virgin Islands $ 4,609,000,000 100 Iceland $ 4,582,000,000 2005 est. 101 Netherlands Antilles $ 4,383,000,000 2004 est. 102 Ghana $ 4,273,000,000 2005 est. 103 Yemen $ 4,190,000,000 2005 est. 104 Turkmenistan $ 4,175,000,000 2005 est. 105 Honduras $ 4,161,000,000 2005 est. 106 Jamaica $ 4,093,000,000 2004 est. 107 Afghanistan $ 3,870,000,000 2005 est. 108 Malta $ 3,859,000,000 2005 est. 109 Paraguay $ 3,832,000,000 2005 est. 110 Uzbekistan $ 3,800,000,000 2005 est. 111 Uruguay $ 3,540,000,000 2005 est. 112 Cambodia $ 3,538,000,000 2005 est. 113 Macau $ 3,478,000,000 2004 114 Burma $ 3,454,000,000 2004 115 Botswana $ 3,370,000,000 2005 est. 116 Reunion $ 3,306,000,000 2002 117 Macedonia $ 3,196,000,000 2005 est. 118 Gibraltar $ 2,967,000,000 2004 est. 119 Nicaragua $ 2,865,000,000 2005 est. 120 Korea, North $ 2,819,000,000 2004 est. 121 Ethiopia $ 2,722,000,000 2005 est. 122 Cameroon $ 2,514,000,000 2005 est. 123 Mauritius $ 2,507,000,000 2005 est. 124 Georgia $ 2,500,000,000 2005 est. 125 Albania $ 2,473,000,000 2005 est. 126 Senegal $ 2,405,000,000 2005 est. 127 Tanzania $ 2,391,000,000 2005 est. 128 Namibia $ 2,350,000,000 2005 est. 129 Martinique $ 2,307,000,000 2002 130 Moldova $ 2,230,000,000 2005 est. 131 Swaziland $ 2,149,000,000 2005 est. 132 Zimbabwe $ 2,059,000,000 2005 est. 133 Mozambique $ 2,041,000,000 2005 est. 134 Nepal $ 2,000,000,000 2005 est. 135 Gaza Strip $ 1,952,000,000 2003 136 West Bank $ 1,952,000,000 2003 137 Zambia $ 1,934,000,000 2005 est. 138 Equatorial Guinea $ 1,864,000,000 2005 est. 139 Mali $ 1,858,000,000 2004 est. 140 Bolivia $ 1,845,000,000 2005 est. 141 Bahamas, The $ 1,820,000,000 2004 est. 142 Guadeloupe $ 1,766,000,000 2002 143 French Polynesia $ 1,706,000,000 2005 est. 144 Papua New Guinea $ 1,651,000,000 2005 est. 145 Brunei $ 1,641,000,000 2004 est. 146 New Caledonia $ 1,636,000,000 2004 est. 147 Uganda $ 1,608,000,000 2005 est. 148 Gabon $ 1,533,000,000 2005 est. 149 Armenia $ 1,500,000,000 2005 est. 150 Barbados $ 1,476,000,000 2004 est. 151 Haiti $ 1,471,000,000 2005 est. 152 Fiji $ 1,462,000,000 2005 153 Madagascar $ 1,400,000,000 2005 est. 154 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 1,319,000,000 2004 est. 155 Tajikistan $ 1,250,000,000 2005 est. 156 Lesotho $ 1,166,000,000 2005 est. 157 Mauritania $ 1,124,000,000 2004 est. 158 Andorra $ 1,077,000,000 1998 159 Togo $ 1,047,000,000 2005 est. 160 Benin $ 1,043,000,000 2005 est. 161 Mongolia $ 1,011,000,000 2004 est. 162 Burkina Faso $ 992,000,000 2005 est. 163 Djibouti $ 987,000,000 2004 est. 164 Bermuda $ 982,000,000 2004 est. 165 Kyrgyzstan $ 937,400,000 2005 est. 166 Liechtenstein $ 917,300,000 1996 167 Aruba $ 875,000,000 2004 est. 168 Cayman Islands $ 866,900,000 2004 169 Congo, Republic of the $ 806,500,000 2005 est. 170 Suriname $ 750,000,000 2004 est. 171 Chad $ 749,100,000 2005 est. 172 Guam $ 701,000,000 2004 est. 173 Guyana $ 681,600,000 2005 est. 174 Guinea $ 680,000,000 2005 est. 175 Eritrea $ 676,500,000 2005 est. 176 Malawi $ 645,000,000 2005 est. 177 Faroe Islands $ 639,000,000 2004 est. 178 Monaco $ 636,600,000 179 French Guiana $ 625,000,000 2002 est. 180 Belize $ 622,400,000 2005 est. 181 Montenegro $ 601,700,000 2003 182 Greenland $ 601,000,000 2004 est. 183 Niger $ 588,000,000 2004 est. 184 Somalia $ 576,000,000 2004 est. 185 Maldives $ 567,000,000 2004 est. 186 Laos $ 541,000,000 2005 est. 187 Sierra Leone $ 531,000,000 2004 est. 188 Cape Verde $ 500,000,000 2005 est. 189 Seychelles $ 459,900,000 2005 est. 190 Cyprus $ 415,200,000 2005 est. 191 Saint Lucia $ 410,000,000 2004 est. 192 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 405,000,000 2004 est. 193 Antigua and Barbuda $ 378,000,000 2004 est. 194 American Samoa $ 308,800,000 FY04 est. 195 Samoa $ 285,000,000 2004 est. 196 Grenada $ 276,000,000 2004 est. 197 Mayotte $ 256,700,000 2004 198 Rwanda $ 243,000,000 2005 est. 199 Dominica $ 234,000,000 2004 est. 200 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 225,000,000 2004 est. 201 Northern Mariana Islands $ 214,400,000 202 Central African Republic $ 203,000,000 2004 est. 203 East Timor $ 202,000,000 2004 est. 204 Burundi $ 200,000,000 2005 est. 205 Gambia, The $ 197,000,000 2005 est. 206 Bhutan $ 196,000,000 2000 est. 207 British Virgin Islands $ 187,000,000 2002 est. 208 Guinea-Bissau $ 176,000,000 2004 est. 209 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 175,600,000 2000 210 Solomon Islands $ 159,000,000 2004 est. 211 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 132,700,000 2004 212 Anguilla $ 129,900,000 2005 est. 213 Tonga $ 122,000,000 2004 est. 214 Vanuatu $ 117,100,000 2004 est. 215 Comoros $ 115,000,000 2004 est. 216 Palau $ 107,300,000 2004 est. 217 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 90,000,000 2004 est. 218 Cook Islands $ 81,040,000 2005 219 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 70,000,000 2004 est. 220 Kiribati $ 62,000,000 2004 est. 221 Wallis and Futuna $ 61,170,000 2004 222 Marshall Islands $ 54,700,000 2000 223 Saint Helena $ 45,000,000 2004 est. 224 Sao Tome and Principe $ 38,000,000 2005 est. 225 Nauru $ 20,000,000 2004 est. 226 Norfolk Island $ 17,900,000 FY91/92 227 Montserrat $ 17,000,000 2001 228 Tuvalu $ 9,186,000 2004 est. 229 Niue $ 9,038,000 2004 230 Tokelau $ 969,200 2002 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2089 Rank Country Industrial production growth rate(%) Date of Information 1 Azerbaijan 40.00 2005 est. 2 Equatorial Guinea 30.00 2002 est. 3 China 29.50 2005 est. 4 Cambodia 22.00 2002 est. 5 Turkmenistan 22.00 2003 est. 6 Burundi 18.00 2001 7 Vietnam 17.20 2005 est. 8 Moldova 17.00 2003 est. 9 Belarus 15.60 2005 est. 10 Lesotho 15.50 1999 11 Cote d'Ivoire 15.00 1998 est. 12 Iceland 14.20 2005 est. 13 Burkina Faso 14.00 2001 est. 14 Angola 13.50 2004 15 Kuwait 13.10 2005 est. 16 Laos 13.00 2005 est. 17 Pakistan 10.70 2005 est. 18 Qatar 10.00 2003 est. 19 Estonia 9.70 2005 est. 20 Singapore 9.50 2005 est. 21 Bhutan 9.30 1996 est. 22 Thailand 9.10 2005 est. 23 Trinidad and Tobago 9.00 2005 est. 24 Uganda 9.00 2005 est. 25 Sudan 8.50 1999 est. 26 East Timor 8.50 27 Uruguay 8.50 2005 est. 28 Tanzania 8.40 1999 est. 29 Benin 8.30 2001 est. 30 Sri Lanka 8.20 2005 est. 31 Tajikistan 8.20 2002 est. 32 Algeria 8.00 2005 est. 33 Mauritius 8.00 2000 est. 34 Faroe Islands 8.00 1999 est. 35 Bulgaria 7.90 2005 36 Malawi 7.90 2005 est. 37 Zambia 7.90 2005 est. 38 India 7.90 2005 est. 39 Argentina 7.70 2005 est. 40 Uzbekistan 7.70 2005 est. 41 Honduras 7.70 2003 est. 42 Armenia 7.50 2005 est. 43 Jordan 7.50 2005 est. 44 Botswana 7.50 2005 est. 45 Brunei 7.30 2003 est. 46 Hungary 7.30 2005 est. 47 Lithuania 7.30 2005 est. 48 Venezuela 7.20 2005 est. 49 Kyrgyzstan 7.10 2004 est. 50 Rwanda 7.00 2001 est. 51 Syria 7.00 2002 est. 52 Peru 6.90 2005 est. 53 Macedonia 6.80 2005 est. 54 Bangladesh 6.70 2005 est. 55 Ethiopia 6.70 2001 est. 56 Suriname 6.50 1994 est. 57 Antigua and Barbuda 6.00 1997 est. 58 San Marino 6.00 1997 est. 59 Korea, South 5.90 2005 est. 60 Turkey 5.90 2005 est. 61 Bolivia 5.70 2004 est. 62 Costa Rica 5.70 2005 est. 63 Czech Republic 5.70 2005 64 Latvia 5.60 2005 est. 65 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.50 2003 est. 66 Saudi Arabia 5.30 2005 est. 67 Cuba 5.10 2005 est. 68 Niger 5.10 2003 est. 69 Croatia 5.10 2005 est. 70 Chad 5.00 1995 71 Egypt 5.00 2005 est. 72 Indonesia 4.80 2005 est. 73 Austria 4.70 2005 est. 74 Guinea-Bissau 4.70 2003 est. 75 Belize 4.60 1999 76 Kazakhstan 4.60 2005 est. 77 Kenya 4.60 2005 est. 78 Luxembourg 4.50 2005 est. 79 Cameroon 4.20 1999 est. 80 Guatemala 4.10 1999 81 Oman 4.10 2005 est. 82 Taiwan 4.10 2005 est. 83 Malaysia 4.10 2005 est. 84 Mongolia 4.10 2002 est. 85 United Arab Emirates 4.00 2000 86 Russia 4.00 2005 est. 87 Morocco 4.00 88 Ghana 3.80 2000 est. 89 Nepal 3.80 FY04/05 90 Nigeria 3.80 2005 est. 91 Slovakia 3.80 2005 est. 92 Colombia 3.70 2005 est. 93 Poland 3.70 2005 est. 94 Swaziland 3.70 FY95/96 95 South Africa 3.60 2005 est. 96 Zimbabwe 3.60 2005 est. 97 Brazil 3.40 2005 est. 98 Chile 3.40 2005 est. 99 Mozambique 3.40 2000 100 Isle of Man 3.20 FY96/97 101 Ukraine 3.20 2005 est. 102 United States 3.20 2005 est. 103 Albania 3.10 2004 est. 104 Anguilla 3.10 1997 est. 105 Slovenia 3.10 2005 est. 106 Senegal 3.10 2005 est. 107 Central African Republic 3.00 2002 108 Djibouti 3.00 1996 est. 109 Ireland 3.00 2005 est. 110 Iran 3.00 2005 est. 111 Madagascar 3.00 2000 est. 112 Switzerland 3.00 2005 est. 113 Yemen 3.00 2003 est. 114 World 3.00 2003 est. 115 Georgia 3.00 2000 116 Germany 2.90 2005 est. 117 Israel 2.80 2005 est. 118 Samoa 2.80 2000 119 Canada 2.60 2005 est. 120 Nicaragua 2.40 2005 est. 121 Philippines 2.20 2005 est. 122 Ecuador 2.10 2005 est. 123 Bahrain 2.00 2000 est. 124 Dominican Republic 2.00 2001 est. 125 Mauritania 2.00 2000 est. 126 Mexico 1.90 2005 est. 127 Romania 1.90 2005 est. 128 Panama 1.70 2005 est. 129 Denmark 1.60 2005 est. 130 Sweden 1.60 2005 est. 131 Gabon 1.60 2002 est. 132 El Salvador 1.50 2005 est. 133 Japan 1.50 2005 est. 134 Serbia 1.40 2006 est. 135 European Union 1.30 2005 est. 136 Australia 1.10 2005 est. 137 Cook Islands 1.00 2002 138 Tonga 1.00 2003 est. 139 Vanuatu 1.00 1997 est. 140 Tunisia 0.90 2005 est. 141 Grenada 0.70 1997 est. 142 Spain 0.70 2005 est. 143 Kiribati 0.70 1991 est. 144 Cyprus 0.40 145 France 0.20 2005 est. 146 Congo, Republic of the 0.00 2002 est. 147 Paraguay 0.00 2000 est. 148 Portugal 0.00 2005 est. 149 Belgium -0.20 2005 est. 150 Cyprus -0.30 151 Greece -0.30 2005 est. 152 Norway -0.50 2005 est. 153 Hong Kong -0.60 2005 est. 154 New Caledonia -0.60 1996 155 Maldives -0.90 2004 est. 156 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -0.90 1997 est. 157 Italy -1.00 2005 est. 158 Netherlands -1.40 2005 est. 159 United Kingdom -1.90 2005 est. 160 Comoros -2.00 1999 est. 161 Finland -2.00 2005 est. 162 Jamaica -2.00 2000 est. 163 New Zealand -2.50 2005 est. 164 Barbados -3.20 2000 est. 165 Saint Lucia -8.90 1997 est. 166 Dominica -10.00 1997 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2091 Rank Country Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) Date of Information 1 Angola 185.36 2006 est. 2 Sierra Leone 160.39 2006 est. 3 Afghanistan 160.23 2006 est. 4 Liberia 155.76 2006 est. 5 Mozambique 129.24 2006 est. 6 Niger 118.25 2006 est. 7 Somalia 114.89 2006 est. 8 Mali 107.58 2006 est. 9 Tajikistan 106.49 2006 est. 10 Guinea-Bissau 105.21 2006 est. 11 Djibouti 102.44 2006 est. 12 Bhutan 98.41 2006 est. 13 Nigeria 97.14 2006 est. 14 Tanzania 96.48 2006 est. 15 Malawi 94.37 2006 est. 16 Ethiopia 93.62 2006 est. 17 Chad 91.45 2006 est. 18 Burkina Faso 91.35 2006 est. 19 Guinea 90.00 2006 est. 20 Rwanda 89.61 2006 est. 21 Equatorial Guinea 89.21 2006 est. 22 Cote d'Ivoire 89.11 2006 est. 23 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 88.62 2006 est. 24 Lesotho 87.24 2006 est. 25 Zambia 86.84 2006 est. 26 Central African Republic 85.63 2006 est. 27 Congo, Republic of the 85.29 2006 est. 28 Laos 83.31 2006 est. 29 Benin 79.56 2006 est. 30 Azerbaijan 79.00 2006 est. 31 Madagascar 75.21 2006 est. 32 Comoros 72.85 2006 est. 33 Turkmenistan 72.56 2006 est. 34 Swaziland 71.85 2006 est. 35 Haiti 71.65 2006 est. 36 Gambia, The 71.58 2006 est. 37 Pakistan 70.45 2006 est. 38 Uzbekistan 69.99 2006 est. 39 Mauritania 69.48 2006 est. 40 Cambodia 68.78 2006 est. 41 Uganda 66.15 2006 est. 42 Nepal 65.32 2006 est. 43 Cameroon 63.52 2006 est. 44 Burundi 63.13 2006 est. 45 Burma 61.85 2006 est. 46 Sudan 61.05 2006 est. 47 Bangladesh 60.83 2006 est. 48 Mayotte 60.76 2006 est. 49 South Africa 60.66 2006 est. 50 Togo 60.63 2006 est. 51 Yemen 59.88 2006 est. 52 Kenya 59.26 2006 est. 53 Ghana 55.02 2006 est. 54 Maldives 54.89 2006 est. 55 India 54.63 2006 est. 56 Gabon 54.51 2006 est. 57 Vanuatu 53.80 2006 est. 58 Botswana 53.70 2006 est. 59 Senegal 52.94 2006 est. 60 Mongolia 52.12 2006 est. 61 Bolivia 51.77 2006 est. 62 Zimbabwe 51.71 2006 est. 63 Papua New Guinea 49.96 2006 est. 64 World 48.87 2006 est. 65 Iraq 48.64 2006 est. 66 Namibia 48.10 2006 est. 67 Kiribati 47.27 2006 est. 68 Cape Verde 46.52 2006 est. 69 Eritrea 46.30 2006 est. 70 East Timor 45.89 2006 est. 71 Sao Tome and Principe 41.83 2006 est. 72 Iran 40.30 2006 est. 73 Morocco 40.24 2006 est. 74 Turkey 39.69 2006 est. 75 Moldova 38.38 2006 est. 76 Kyrgyzstan 34.49 2006 est. 77 Indonesia 34.39 2006 est. 78 Guyana 32.19 2006 est. 79 Egypt 31.33 2006 est. 80 Guatemala 30.94 2006 est. 81 Peru 30.94 2006 est. 82 Algeria 29.87 2006 est. 83 Micronesia, Federated States of 29.16 2006 est. 84 Syria 28.61 2006 est. 85 Brazil 28.60 2006 est. 86 Marshall Islands 28.43 2006 est. 87 Kazakhstan 28.30 2006 est. 88 Dominican Republic 28.25 2006 est. 89 Nicaragua 28.11 2006 est. 90 Samoa 26.85 2006 est. 91 Honduras 25.82 2006 est. 92 Romania 25.50 2006 est. 93 Vietnam 25.14 2006 est. 94 Trinidad and Tobago 25.05 2006 est. 95 Belize 24.89 2006 est. 96 Paraguay 24.78 2006 est. 97 Bahamas, The 24.68 2006 est. 98 El Salvador 24.39 2006 est. 99 Tunisia 23.84 2006 est. 100 Lebanon 23.72 2006 est. 101 Libya 23.71 2006 est. 102 Korea, North 23.29 2006 est. 103 China 23.12 2006 est. 104 Suriname 23.02 2006 est. 105 Ecuador 22.87 2006 est. 106 Philippines 22.81 2006 est. 107 Armenia 22.47 2006 est. 108 Gaza Strip 22.40 2006 est. 109 Venezuela 21.54 2006 est. 110 Albania 20.75 2006 est. 111 Solomon Islands 20.63 2006 est. 112 Colombia 20.35 2006 est. 113 Anguilla 20.32 2006 est. 114 Mexico 20.26 2006 est. 115 Bulgaria 19.85 2006 est. 116 Thailand 19.49 2006 est. 117 Tuvalu 19.47 2006 est. 118 West Bank 19.15 2006 est. 119 Oman 18.89 2006 est. 120 Antigua and Barbuda 18.86 2006 est. 121 Saint Helena 18.34 2006 est. 122 Qatar 18.04 2006 est. 123 Georgia 17.97 2006 est. 124 Malaysia 17.16 2006 est. 125 Bahrain 16.80 2006 est. 126 Jordan 16.76 2006 est. 127 British Virgin Islands 16.72 2006 est. 128 Panama 16.37 2006 est. 129 Jamaica 15.98 2006 est. 130 Greenland 15.40 2006 est. 131 Turks and Caicos Islands 15.18 2006 est. 132 Seychelles 15.14 2006 est. 133 Russia 15.13 2006 est. 134 Argentina 14.73 2006 est. 135 Mauritius 14.59 2006 est. 136 Palau 14.46 2006 est. 137 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 14.40 2006 est. 138 Grenada 14.27 2006 est. 139 Saint Kitts and Nevis 14.12 2006 est. 140 United Arab Emirates 14.09 2006 est. 141 Sri Lanka 13.97 2006 est. 142 Dominica 13.71 2006 est. 143 Saint Lucia 13.17 2006 est. 144 Belarus 13.00 2006 est. 145 Saudi Arabia 12.81 2006 est. 146 Fiji 12.30 2006 est. 147 Tonga 12.30 2006 est. 148 Brunei 12.25 2006 est. 149 Barbados 11.77 2006 est. 150 French Guiana 11.76 2006 est. 151 Uruguay 11.61 2006 est. 152 Ukraine 9.90 2006 est. 153 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.82 2006 est. 154 Macedonia 9.81 2006 est. 155 Nauru 9.78 2006 est. 156 Netherlands Antilles 9.76 2006 est. 157 Kuwait 9.71 2006 est. 158 Costa Rica 9.70 2006 est. 159 Latvia 9.35 2006 est. 160 Puerto Rico 9.14 2006 est. 161 American Samoa 9.07 2006 est. 162 Chile 8.58 2006 est. 163 Guadeloupe 8.41 2006 est. 164 Hungary 8.39 2006 est. 165 Bermuda 8.30 2006 est. 166 French Polynesia 8.29 2006 est. 167 Cayman Islands 8.00 2006 est. 168 Virgin Islands 7.86 2006 est. 169 Estonia 7.73 2006 est. 170 Reunion 7.63 2006 est. 171 New Caledonia 7.57 2006 est. 172 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 7.38 2006 est. 173 Slovakia 7.26 2006 est. 174 Poland 7.22 2006 est. 175 Montserrat 7.19 2006 est. 176 Cyprus 7.04 2006 est. 177 Northern Mariana Islands 6.98 2006 est. 178 Martinique 6.95 2006 est. 179 Israel 6.89 2006 est. 180 Guam 6.81 2006 est. 181 Lithuania 6.78 2006 est. 182 Croatia 6.72 2006 est. 183 United States 6.43 2006 est. 184 Taiwan 6.29 2006 est. 185 Cuba 6.22 2006 est. 186 Korea, South 6.16 2006 est. 187 Faroe Islands 6.12 2006 est. 188 Italy 5.83 2006 est. 189 Isle of Man 5.82 2006 est. 190 Aruba 5.79 2006 est. 191 New Zealand 5.76 2006 est. 192 San Marino 5.63 2006 est. 193 Greece 5.43 2006 est. 194 Monaco 5.35 2006 est. 195 Ireland 5.31 2006 est. 196 Jersey 5.16 2006 est. 197 European Union 5.10 2006 est. 198 United Kingdom 5.08 2006 est. 199 Gibraltar 5.06 2006 est. 200 Portugal 4.98 2006 est. 201 Netherlands 4.96 2006 est. 202 Luxembourg 4.74 2006 est. 203 Canada 4.69 2006 est. 204 Guernsey 4.65 2006 est. 205 Liechtenstein 4.64 2006 est. 206 Australia 4.63 2006 est. 207 Belgium 4.62 2006 est. 208 Austria 4.60 2006 est. 209 Denmark 4.51 2006 est. 210 Slovenia 4.40 2006 est. 211 Spain 4.37 2006 est. 212 Macau 4.35 2006 est. 213 Switzerland 4.34 2006 est. 214 France 4.21 2006 est. 215 Germany 4.12 2006 est. 216 Andorra 4.04 2006 est. 217 Czech Republic 3.89 2006 est. 218 Malta 3.86 2006 est. 219 Norway 3.67 2006 est. 220 Finland 3.55 2006 est. 221 Iceland 3.29 2006 est. 222 Japan 3.24 2006 est. 223 Hong Kong 2.95 2006 est. 224 Sweden 2.76 2006 est. 225 Singapore 2.29 2006 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2092 Rank Country Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) Date of Information 1 Nauru -3.60 1993 2 San Marino -1.70 2001 3 Vanuatu -1.60 2005 est. 4 Northern Mariana Islands -0.80 2000 5 New Caledonia -0.60 2000 est. 6 Barbados -0.50 2003 est. 7 Japan -0.30 2005 est. 8 Dominica -0.10 2005 est. 9 Gabon -0.10 2005 est. 10 Macedonia 0.00 2005 est. 11 Niger 0.20 2004 est. 12 Cape Verde 0.40 2005 est. 13 Singapore 0.40 2005 est. 14 Saudi Arabia 0.40 2005 est. 15 Kiribati 0.50 2005 est. 16 Sweden 0.50 2005 est. 17 Armenia 0.60 2005 est. 18 Antigua and Barbuda 0.90 2005 est. 19 Brunei 0.90 2004 20 Hong Kong 0.90 2005 est. 21 Finland 0.90 2005 est. 22 French Guiana 1.00 2003 23 Morocco 1.00 2005 est. 24 Liechtenstein 1.00 2001 25 Sierra Leone 1.00 2002 est. 26 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.00 2005 est. 27 French Polynesia 1.10 2006 est. 28 Bahamas, The 1.20 2004 29 Switzerland 1.20 2005 est. 30 Oman 1.20 2005 est. 31 Israel 1.30 2005 est. 32 East Timor 1.40 2005 33 Gibraltar 1.50 1998 34 Greenland 1.60 1999 est. 35 Norway 1.60 2005 est. 36 Peru 1.60 2005 est. 37 Seychelles 1.60 2005 est. 38 France 1.70 2005 est. 39 Papua New Guinea 1.70 2005 est. 40 Senegal 1.70 2005 est. 41 Netherlands 1.70 2005 est. 42 China 1.80 2005 est. 43 Denmark 1.80 2005 est. 44 Algeria 1.90 2005 est. 45 Czech Republic 1.90 2005 est. 46 Monaco 1.90 2000 47 Cameroon 2.00 2005 est. 48 Germany 2.00 2005 est. 49 British Virgin Islands 2.00 2005 50 Italy 2.00 2005 est. 51 Cook Islands 2.10 2005 est. 52 United Kingdom 2.10 2005 est. 53 Tunisia 2.10 2005 est. 54 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2.10 1991-96 average 55 Ecuador 2.10 2005 est. 56 Netherlands Antilles 2.10 2003 est. 57 Canada 2.20 2005 est. 58 Poland 2.20 2005 est. 59 European Union 2.20 2005 est. 60 Virgin Islands 2.20 2003 61 Micronesia, Federated States of 2.20 2005 62 Congo, Republic of the 2.20 2005 est. 63 Austria 2.30 2005 est. 64 Namibia 2.30 2005 est. 65 Taiwan 2.30 2005 est. 66 Portugal 2.30 2005 est. 67 Albania 2.40 2005 est. 68 Ireland 2.40 2005 est. 69 Lebanon 2.40 2005 est. 70 Guam 2.50 2005 est. 71 Luxembourg 2.50 2005 est. 72 Slovenia 2.50 2005 est. 73 Cyprus 2.60 74 Montserrat 2.60 2002 est. 75 Australia 2.70 2005 est. 76 Bahrain 2.70 2005 est. 77 Isle of Man 2.70 2003 est. 78 Palau 2.70 2005 est. 79 Slovakia 2.70 2005 est. 80 Lithuania 2.70 2005 81 Bermuda 2.80 November 2005 82 Belgium 2.80 2005 est. 83 Wallis and Futuna 2.80 84 Korea, South 2.80 2005 est. 85 Panama 2.90 2005 est. 86 Saint Lucia 2.90 2005 est. 87 Belize 3.00 2005 est. 88 Chad 3.00 2005 est. 89 Djibouti 3.00 2005 est. 90 Fiji 3.00 2005 91 Malaysia 3.00 2005 est. 92 Marshall Islands 3.00 2005 est. 93 New Zealand 3.00 2005 est. 94 Malta 3.00 2005 est. 95 Grenada 3.00 2005 est. 96 Comoros 3.00 2005 est. 97 Chile 3.10 2005 est. 98 Saint Helena 3.20 1997 est. 99 United States 3.20 2005 est. 100 Croatia 3.30 2005 est. 101 Samoa 3.30 2005 102 Aruba 3.40 2005 103 Spain 3.40 2005 est. 104 Montenegro 3.40 2004 105 Libya 3.40 2005 est. 106 Andorra 3.40 2004 107 Benin 3.50 2005 est. 108 Greece 3.50 2005 est. 109 Central African Republic 3.60 2001 est. 110 Hungary 3.60 2005 est. 111 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3.60 1998 112 Tuvalu 3.70 2003 est. 113 Macau 3.80 2nd quarter, 2005 114 Cote d'Ivoire 3.90 2005 est. 115 Iceland 4.00 2005 est. 116 Guinea-Bissau 4.00 2002 est. 117 Niue 4.00 2005 118 Mexico 4.00 2005 est. 119 South Africa 4.00 2005 est. 120 Turks and Caicos Islands 4.00 1995 121 Swaziland 4.00 2005 est. 122 Estonia 4.10 2005 est. 123 Kuwait 4.10 2005 est. 124 Dominican Republic 4.20 2005 est. 125 India 4.20 2005 est. 126 Tanzania 4.30 2005 est. 127 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.40 2005 est. 128 Cayman Islands 4.40 2004 129 Jordan 4.50 2005 est. 130 Thailand 4.50 2005 est. 131 Mali 4.50 2002 est. 132 El Salvador 4.70 2005 est. 133 Lesotho 4.70 2005 est. 134 Uruguay 4.70 2005 est. 135 Egypt 4.90 2005 est. 136 Guernsey 4.90 2004 est. 137 Bulgaria 5.00 2005 138 Equatorial Guinea 5.00 2005 est. 139 Colombia 5.00 2005 est. 140 Mauritius 5.00 2005 est. 141 Syria 5.00 2005 est. 142 Faroe Islands 5.10 1999 143 Kyrgyzstan 5.20 2005 est. 144 Anguilla 5.30 145 Jersey 5.30 2004 146 Bolivia 5.40 2005 est. 147 Cambodia 5.80 2005 est. 148 Maldives 6.00 2005 est. 149 Togo 6.00 2005 est. 150 Burkina Faso 6.40 2005 est. 151 Mozambique 6.50 2005 est. 152 Puerto Rico 6.50 2003 est. 153 Solomon Islands 6.60 2005 est. 154 Latvia 6.80 2005 est. 155 Paraguay 6.80 2005 est. 156 Brazil 6.90 2005 est. 157 Guyana 6.90 2005 est. 158 Uzbekistan 6.90 2005 est. 159 Trinidad and Tobago 6.90 2005 est. 160 Bangladesh 7.00 2005 est. 161 West Bank 7.00 2003 est. 162 Cuba 7.00 2005 est. 163 Bhutan 7.00 2005 est. 164 Gaza Strip 7.00 2003 165 Mauritania 7.00 2003 est. 166 Laos 7.00 2005 est. 167 Tajikistan 7.10 2005 est. 168 Kazakhstan 7.60 2005 est. 169 Philippines 7.60 2005 est. 170 Nepal 7.80 October 2005 est. 171 Rwanda 8.00 2005 est. 172 Uganda 8.10 2005 est. 173 Georgia 8.20 2005 est. 174 Turkey 8.20 2005 est. 175 Vietnam 8.30 2005 est. 176 Botswana 8.60 2005 est. 177 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.70 2005 est. 178 Gambia, The 8.80 2005 est. 179 Honduras 8.80 2005 est. 180 Qatar 8.80 2005 est. 181 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 9.00 2004 est. 182 Sudan 9.00 2005 est. 183 Romania 9.00 2005 184 Cyprus 9.10 185 Guatemala 9.10 2005 est. 186 Pakistan 9.10 2005 est. 187 Mongolia 9.50 2005 est. 188 Suriname 9.50 2005 est. 189 Azerbaijan 9.60 2005 est. 190 Argentina 9.60 2005 est. 191 Nicaragua 9.60 2005 est. 192 Belarus 10.30 2005 est. 193 Kenya 10.30 2005 est. 194 United Arab Emirates 10.50 2005 est. 195 Indonesia 10.50 2005 est. 196 Turkmenistan 10.50 2005 est. 197 Tonga 11.10 2005 est. 198 Sri Lanka 11.60 2005 est. 199 Ethiopia 11.60 2005 est. 200 Yemen 11.80 2005 est. 201 Moldova 11.90 2005 est. 202 Russia 12.70 2005 est. 203 Iran 13.50 2005 est. 204 Nigeria 13.50 2005 est. 205 Ukraine 13.50 2005 est. 206 Costa Rica 13.80 2005 est. 207 Eritrea 15.00 2005 est. 208 Liberia 15.00 2003 est. 209 Madagascar 15.00 2005 est. 210 Ghana 15.10 2005 est. 211 Sao Tome and Principe 15.20 2005 est. 212 Jamaica 15.30 2005 est. 213 Malawi 15.40 2005 est. 214 Serbia 15.50 2005 est. 215 Haiti 15.70 2005 est. 216 Burundi 16.00 2005 est. 217 Venezuela 16.00 2005 est. 218 Afghanistan 16.30 2005 est. 219 Zambia 18.30 2005 est. 220 Burma 20.20 2005 est. 221 Angola 23.00 2005 est. 222 Guinea 25.00 2005 est. 223 Iraq 33.00 2005 est. 224 Zimbabwe 266.80 2005 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2093 Rank Country Waterways(km) Date of Information 1 World 671,886 2004 2 China 123,964 2003 3 Russia 102,000 2005 4 European Union 53,512 5 Brazil 50,000 2005 6 United States 41,009 2004 7 Indonesia 21,579 2005 8 Colombia 18,000 2005 9 Vietnam 17,702 2005 10 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 15,000 2005 11 India 14,500 2005 12 Burma 12,800 2005 13 Argentina 11,000 2005 14 Papua New Guinea 10,940 2003 15 Bolivia 10,000 2005 16 Peru 8,808 2005 17 Nigeria 8,600 2005 18 France 8,500 2000 19 Bangladesh 8,372 2005 20 Finland 7,842 2005 21 Germany 7,467 2005 22 Malaysia 7,200 2005 23 Venezuela 7,100 2005 24 Netherlands 6,183 2005 25 Iraq 5,279 2004 26 Laos 4,600 2005 27 Congo, Republic of the 4,385 2005 28 Sudan 4,068 2005 29 Kazakhstan 4,000 2005 30 Thailand 4,000 2005 31 Poland 3,997 2005 32 French Guiana 3,760 2003 33 Egypt 3,500 2005 34 Philippines 3,219 2005 35 United Kingdom 3,200 2003 36 Paraguay 3,100 2005 37 Mexico 2,900 2005 38 Central African Republic 2,800 2005 39 Belarus 2,500 2003 40 Cambodia 2,400 2005 41 Italy 2,400 2004 42 Ukraine 2,253 2006 43 Korea, North 2,250 2006 44 Zambia 2,250 2005 45 Nicaragua 2,220 2005 46 Sweden 2,052 2005 47 Belgium 2,043 2003 48 Australia 2,000 2002 49 Mali 1,815 2005 50 Japan 1,770 2006 51 Romania 1,731 2005 52 Hungary 1,622 2006 53 Korea, South 1,608 2006 54 Gabon 1,600 2005 55 Uruguay 1,600 2005 56 Norway 1,577 2002 57 Ecuador 1,500 2005 58 Angola 1,300 2005 59 Turkmenistan 1,300 2006 60 Guinea 1,300 2005 61 Ghana 1,293 2005 62 Afghanistan 1,200 2005 63 Turkey 1,200 2005 64 Suriname 1,200 2005 65 Uzbekistan 1,100 2006 66 Senegal 1,000 2005 67 Spain 1,000 2003 68 Guatemala 990 2004 69 Cote d'Ivoire 980 2005 70 Syria 900 2005 71 Iran 850 2006 72 Belize 825 2005 73 Panama 800 2005 74 Sierra Leone 800 2005 75 Croatia 785 2006 76 Ireland 753 2005 77 Costa Rica 730 2005 78 Malawi 700 2006 79 Czech Republic 664 2005 80 Canada 631 2003 81 Kyrgyzstan 600 2006 82 Madagascar 600 2005 83 Serbia 587 2005 84 Mongolia 580 2004 85 Estonia 500 2005 86 Bulgaria 470 2006 87 Honduras 465 2005 88 Mozambique 460 2002 89 Lithuania 425 2005 90 Moldova 424 2005 91 Denmark 400 2001 92 Gambia, The 390 2004 93 Austria 358 2003 94 Latvia 300 2005 95 Niger 300 2005 96 Cuba 240 2005 97 Portugal 210 2003 98 Brunei 209 2005 99 Fiji 203 2004 100 Tajikistan 200 2006 101 Slovakia 172 2005 102 Sri Lanka 160 2005 103 Benin 150 2005 104 Switzerland 65 2003 105 Togo 50 2005 106 Albania 43 2006 107 Luxembourg 37 2003 108 Liechtenstein 28 2005 109 Greece 6 2006 110 Kiribati 5 2003 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2095 Rank Country Labor force Date of Information 1 World 3,001,000,000 2005 est. 2 China 791,400,000 2005 est. 3 India 496,400,000 2005 est. 4 European Union 218,500,000 2005 est. 5 United States 149,300,000 2005 est. 6 Indonesia 94,200,000 2005 est. 7 Brazil 90,410,000 2005 est. 8 Russia 74,220,000 2005 est. 9 Bangladesh 66,600,000 2005 est. 10 Japan 66,400,000 2005 est. 11 Nigeria 57,210,000 2005 est. 12 Pakistan 46,840,000 2005 est. 13 Vietnam 44,390,000 2005 est. 14 Mexico 43,400,000 2005 est. 15 Germany 43,320,000 2005 est. 16 Philippines 36,730,000 2005 est. 17 Thailand 35,360,000 2005 est. 18 United Kingdom 30,070,000 2005 est. 19 Burma 27,750,000 2005 est. 20 France 27,720,000 2005 est. 21 Ethiopia 27,270,000 22 Turkey 24,700,000 2005 est. 23 Italy 24,490,000 2005 est. 24 Iran 23,680,000 2005 est. 25 Korea, South 23,530,000 2005 est. 26 Ukraine 22,670,000 2005 est. 27 Egypt 21,340,000 2005 est. 28 Spain 20,670,000 2005 est. 29 Colombia 20,520,000 2005 30 Tanzania 19,220,000 2005 est. 31 Poland 17,100,000 2005 est. 32 Canada 16,300,000 December 2005 33 Argentina 15,340,000 2005 est. 34 South Africa 15,230,000 2005 est. 35 Afghanistan 15,000,000 2004 est. 36 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 14,510,000 37 Uzbekistan 14,260,000 2005 est. 38 Uganda 13,170,000 2005 est. 39 Venezuela 12,310,000 2005 est. 40 Kenya 11,850,000 2005 est. 41 Morocco 11,190,000 2005 est. 42 Malaysia 10,670,000 2005 est. 43 Ghana 10,620,000 2005 est. 44 Taiwan 10,600,000 2005 est. 45 Australia 10,420,000 2005 est. 46 Nepal 10,400,000 2004 est. 47 Algeria 10,150,000 2005 est. 48 Korea, North 9,600,000 49 Romania 9,310,000 2005 est. 50 Mozambique 9,200,000 2000 est. 51 Peru 9,060,000 2005 est. 52 Sri Lanka 8,080,000 2005 est. 53 Kazakhstan 7,850,000 2005 est. 54 Netherlands 7,530,000 2005 est. 55 Sudan 7,415,000 1996 est. 56 Iraq 7,400,000 2004 est. 57 Madagascar 7,300,000 2000 58 Cambodia 7,000,000 2003 est. 59 Cote d'Ivoire 6,950,000 2005 est. 60 Cameroon 6,860,000 2005 est. 61 Saudi Arabia 6,760,000 2005 est. 62 Chile 6,300,000 2005 est. 63 Yemen 5,830,000 2005 est. 64 Angola 5,580,000 2005 est. 65 Portugal 5,520,000 2005 est. 66 Azerbaijan 5,450,000 2005 est. 67 Czech Republic 5,270,000 2005 est. 68 Syria 5,120,000 2004 est. 69 Burkina Faso 5,000,000 2003 70 Senegal 4,820,000 2005 est. 71 Zambia 4,800,000 2005 est. 72 Belgium 4,770,000 2005 est. 73 Greece 4,720,000 2005 est. 74 Cuba 4,600,000 2005 est. 75 Rwanda 4,600,000 2000 76 Ecuador 4,600,000 2005 est. 77 Malawi 4,500,000 2001 est. 78 Sweden 4,490,000 2005 est. 79 Belarus 4,300,000 31 December 2005 80 Bolivia 4,220,000 2005 est. 81 Hungary 4,180,000 2005 est. 82 Zimbabwe 3,940,000 2005 est. 83 Mali 3,930,000 2001 est. 84 Switzerland 3,800,000 2005 est. 85 Guatemala 3,760,000 2005 est. 86 Somalia 3,700,000 87 Tajikistan 3,700,000 2003 88 Hong Kong 3,610,000 October 2005 89 Haiti 3,600,000 1995 90 Austria 3,490,000 2005 est. 91 Tunisia 3,410,000 2005 est. 92 Bulgaria 3,340,000 2005 est. 93 Benin 3,211,000 94 Guinea 3,000,000 1999 95 Burundi 2,990,000 2002 96 Serbia 2,961,000 2002 est. 97 Denmark 2,900,000 2005 est. 98 El Salvador 2,810,000 2005 est. 99 United Arab Emirates 2,800,000 2005 est. 100 Laos 2,800,000 2002 est. 101 Chad 2,719,000 102 Kyrgyzstan 2,700,000 2000 103 Paraguay 2,680,000 2005 est. 104 Finland 2,610,000 2005 est. 105 Lebanon 2,600,000 2001 est. 106 Honduras 2,540,000 2005 est. 107 Israel 2,420,000 2005 est. 108 Papua New Guinea 2,413,000 2004 109 Norway 2,400,000 2005 est. 110 Turkmenistan 2,320,000 2003 est. 111 Singapore 2,280,000 September 2005 est. 112 Slovakia 2,240,000 30 September 2005 est. 113 New Zealand 2,130,000 2005 est. 114 Georgia 2,040,000 2004 est. 115 Ireland 2,030,000 2005 est. 116 Nicaragua 2,010,000 2005 est. 117 Costa Rica 1,820,000 2005 est. 118 Croatia 1,710,000 2005 est. 119 Kuwait 1,670,000 2005 est. 120 Libya 1,640,000 2005 est. 121 Lithuania 1,610,000 2005 est. 122 Uruguay 1,520,000 2005 est. 123 Mongolia 1,488,000 2003 124 Jordan 1,460,000 2005 est. 125 Panama 1,390,000 2005 est. 126 Sierra Leone 1,369,000 1981 est. 127 Moldova 1,340,000 2005 est. 128 Togo 1,302,000 1998 129 Puerto Rico 1,300,000 2000 130 Armenia 1,200,000 2005 131 Jamaica 1,200,000 2005 est. 132 Latvia 1,110,000 2005 est. 133 Albania 1,090,000 2004 est. 134 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,026,000 2001 135 Oman 920,000 2002 est. 136 Slovenia 920,000 2005 est. 137 Macedonia 855,000 2004 est. 138 Lesotho 838,000 2000 139 Namibia 820,000 2005 est. 140 Mauritania 786,000 2001 141 Estonia 670,000 2005 est. 142 Gabon 640,000 2005 est. 143 Trinidad and Tobago 620,000 2005 est. 144 West Bank 614,000 April-June 2005 145 Mauritius 570,000 2005 est. 146 Guinea-Bissau 480,000 1999 147 Qatar 440,000 2005 est. 148 Guyana 418,000 2001 est. 149 Gambia, The 400,000 1996 150 Bahrain 380,000 2005 est. 151 Cyprus 370,000 2005 est. 152 Luxembourg 316,500 2005 est. 153 Reunion 299,000 2002 154 Botswana 288,400 2004 155 Djibouti 282,000 2000 156 Gaza Strip 278,000 April-June 2005 157 Montenegro 259,100 2004 158 Macau 251,200 3rd Quarter, 2005 159 Solomon Islands 249,200 1999 160 Guadeloupe 191,400 1999 161 Bahamas, The 176,300 2004 162 Iceland 165,900 2005 est. 163 Martinique 165,900 1998 164 Malta 160,000 2005 est. 165 Suriname 156,700 2004 166 Swaziland 155,700 2003 167 Brunei 146,300 2003 est. 168 Comoros 144,500 1996 est. 169 Fiji 137,000 1999 170 Barbados 128,500 2001 est. 171 Cape Verde 120,600 172 Cyprus 95,025 2005 est. 173 Belize 90,000 2001 est. 174 Samoa 90,000 2000 est. 175 Maldives 88,000 2000 176 Netherlands Antilles 83,600 2005 177 New Caledonia 78,990 2004 178 Vanuatu 76,410 179 Niger 70,000 2002 est. 180 French Polynesia 65,870 December 2005 181 French Guiana 62,630 1999 182 Guam 62,050 2002 est. 183 Jersey 52,790 2004 184 Andorra 48,740 2004 185 Mayotte 44,560 2002 186 Northern Mariana Islands 44,470 2000 187 Virgin Islands 43,980 2004 est. 188 Saint Lucia 43,800 2001 est. 189 Grenada 42,300 1996 190 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 41,680 1991 est. 191 Aruba 41,500 2004 est. 192 Monaco 41,110 2004 193 Isle of Man 39,690 2001 194 Bermuda 38,360 2004 195 Micronesia, Federated States of 37,410 196 Sao Tome and Principe 35,050 197 Tonga 33,910 2003 198 Guernsey 32,290 2001 199 Seychelles 30,900 1996 200 Antigua and Barbuda 30,000 201 Liechtenstein 29,500 31 December 2001 202 Dominica 25,000 1999 est. 203 Greenland 24,500 1999 est. 204 Faroe Islands 24,250 October 2000 205 Cayman Islands 23,450 2004 206 San Marino 19,970 2003 207 Saint Kitts and Nevis 18,170 June 1995 208 American Samoa 17,630 2005 209 Marshall Islands 14,680 2000 210 British Virgin Islands 12,770 2004 211 Gibraltar 12,690 2001 212 Western Sahara 12,000 213 Palau 9,777 2005 214 Kiribati 7,870 2001 est. 215 Cook Islands 6,820 2001 216 Anguilla 6,049 2001 217 Turks and Caicos Islands 4,848 1990 est. 218 Montserrat 4,521 2000 est. 219 Tuvalu 3,615 2004 est. 220 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 3,261 1999 221 Wallis and Futuna 3,104 222 Saint Helena 2,486 1998 est. 223 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1,724 224 Norfolk Island 1,345 225 Niue 663 226 Tokelau 440 227 Pitcairn Islands 15 2004 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2102 Rank Country Life expectancy at birth(years) Date of Information 1 Andorra 83.51 2006 est. 2 Macau 82.19 2006 est. 3 San Marino 81.71 2006 est. 4 Singapore 81.71 2006 est. 5 Hong Kong 81.59 2006 est. 6 Japan 81.25 2006 est. 7 Sweden 80.51 2006 est. 8 Switzerland 80.51 2006 est. 9 Australia 80.50 2006 est. 10 Guernsey 80.42 2006 est. 11 Iceland 80.31 2006 est. 12 Canada 80.22 2006 est. 13 Cayman Islands 80.07 2006 est. 14 Italy 79.81 2006 est. 15 Gibraltar 79.80 2006 est. 16 France 79.73 2006 est. 17 Monaco 79.69 2006 est. 18 Liechtenstein 79.68 2006 est. 19 Spain 79.65 2006 est. 20 Norway 79.54 2006 est. 21 Israel 79.46 2006 est. 22 Jersey 79.38 2006 est. 23 Faroe Islands 79.35 2006 est. 24 Aruba 79.28 2006 est. 25 Greece 79.24 2006 est. 26 Martinique 79.18 2006 est. 27 Austria 79.07 2006 est. 28 Virgin Islands 79.05 2006 est. 29 Malta 79.01 2006 est. 30 Netherlands 78.96 2006 est. 31 Luxembourg 78.89 2006 est. 32 Montserrat 78.85 2006 est. 33 New Zealand 78.81 2006 est. 34 Germany 78.80 2006 est. 35 Belgium 78.77 2006 est. 36 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 78.61 2006 est. 37 Guam 78.58 2006 est. 38 United Kingdom 78.54 2006 est. 39 Finland 78.50 2006 est. 40 Isle of Man 78.49 2006 est. 41 Jordan 78.40 2006 est. 42 Puerto Rico 78.40 2006 est. 43 European Union 78.30 2006 est. 44 Guadeloupe 78.06 2006 est. 45 Bosnia and Herzegovina 78.00 2006 est. 46 Bermuda 77.96 2006 est. 47 Saint Helena 77.93 2006 est. 48 United States 77.85 2006 est. 49 Cyprus 77.82 2006 est. 50 Denmark 77.79 2006 est. 51 Ireland 77.73 2006 est. 52 Portugal 77.70 2006 est. 53 Albania 77.43 2006 est. 54 Taiwan 77.43 2006 est. 55 Cuba 77.41 2006 est. 56 Anguilla 77.28 2006 est. 57 French Guiana 77.27 2006 est. 58 Kuwait 77.20 2006 est. 59 Korea, South 77.04 2006 est. 60 Costa Rica 77.02 2006 est. 61 Chile 76.77 2006 est. 62 Libya 76.69 2006 est. 63 British Virgin Islands 76.68 2006 est. 64 Ecuador 76.42 2006 est. 65 Slovenia 76.33 2006 est. 66 Uruguay 76.33 2006 est. 67 Czech Republic 76.22 2006 est. 68 Argentina 76.12 2006 est. 69 French Polynesia 76.10 2006 est. 70 Northern Mariana Islands 76.09 2006 est. 71 Georgia 76.09 2006 est. 72 American Samoa 76.05 2006 est. 73 Netherlands Antilles 76.03 2006 est. 74 Saudi Arabia 75.67 2006 est. 75 United Arab Emirates 75.44 2006 est. 76 Mexico 75.41 2006 est. 77 Panama 75.22 2006 est. 78 Tunisia 75.12 2006 est. 79 Paraguay 75.10 2006 est. 80 Brunei 75.01 2006 est. 81 Poland 74.97 2006 est. 82 Dominica 74.87 2006 est. 83 Slovakia 74.73 2006 est. 84 Turks and Caicos Islands 74.73 2006 est. 85 Croatia 74.68 2006 est. 86 Venezuela 74.54 2006 est. 87 Bahrain 74.45 2006 est. 88 New Caledonia 74.27 2006 est. 89 Lithuania 74.20 2006 est. 90 Reunion 74.18 2006 est. 91 Serbia 74.00 92 Macedonia 73.97 2006 est. 93 Qatar 73.90 2006 est. 94 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 73.85 2006 est. 95 Saint Lucia 73.84 2006 est. 96 Sri Lanka 73.41 2006 est. 97 Oman 73.37 2006 est. 98 West Bank 73.27 2006 est. 99 Algeria 73.26 2006 est. 100 Jamaica 73.24 2006 est. 101 Solomon Islands 72.91 2006 est. 102 Lebanon 72.88 2006 est. 103 Barbados 72.79 2006 est. 104 Hungary 72.66 2006 est. 105 Mauritius 72.63 2006 est. 106 Turkey 72.62 2006 est. 107 China 72.58 2006 est. 108 Malaysia 72.50 2006 est. 109 Saint Kitts and Nevis 72.40 2006 est. 110 Bulgaria 72.30 2006 est. 111 Thailand 72.25 2006 est. 112 Antigua and Barbuda 72.16 2006 est. 113 Seychelles 72.08 2006 est. 114 Estonia 72.04 2006 est. 115 Colombia 71.99 2006 est. 116 Brazil 71.97 2006 est. 117 Gaza Strip 71.97 2006 est. 118 Armenia 71.84 2006 est. 119 Dominican Republic 71.73 2006 est. 120 Korea, North 71.65 2006 est. 121 Romania 71.63 2006 est. 122 El Salvador 71.49 2006 est. 123 Latvia 71.33 2006 est. 124 Egypt 71.29 2006 est. 125 Samoa 71.00 2006 est. 126 Morocco 70.94 2006 est. 127 Vietnam 70.85 2006 est. 128 Cape Verde 70.73 2006 est. 129 Nicaragua 70.63 2006 est. 130 Palau 70.42 2006 est. 131 Syria 70.32 2006 est. 132 Marshall Islands 70.31 2006 est. 133 Iran 70.26 2006 est. 134 Philippines 70.21 2006 est. 135 Micronesia, Federated States of 70.05 2006 est. 136 Ukraine 69.98 2006 est. 137 Greenland 69.94 2006 est. 138 Indonesia 69.87 2006 est. 139 Peru 69.84 2006 est. 140 Fiji 69.82 2006 est. 141 Tonga 69.82 2006 est. 142 Guatemala 69.38 2006 est. 143 Honduras 69.33 2006 est. 144 Belarus 69.08 2006 est. 145 Iraq 69.01 2006 est. 146 Suriname 69.01 2006 est. 147 Kyrgyzstan 68.49 2006 est. 148 Tuvalu 68.32 2006 est. 149 Belize 68.30 2006 est. 150 Sao Tome and Principe 67.31 2006 est. 151 Russia 67.08 2006 est. 152 Kazakhstan 66.89 2006 est. 153 Trinidad and Tobago 66.76 2006 est. 154 East Timor 66.26 2006 est. 155 Guyana 65.86 2006 est. 156 Bolivia 65.84 2006 est. 157 Moldova 65.65 2006 est. 158 Bahamas, The 65.60 2006 est. 159 Papua New Guinea 65.28 2006 est. 160 Tajikistan 64.94 2006 est. 161 Mongolia 64.89 2006 est. 162 Grenada 64.87 2006 est. 163 World 64.77 2006 est. 164 India 64.71 2006 est. 165 Uzbekistan 64.58 2006 est. 166 Maldives 64.41 2006 est. 167 Azerbaijan 63.85 2006 est. 168 Pakistan 63.39 2006 est. 169 Nauru 63.08 2006 est. 170 Vanuatu 62.85 2006 est. 171 Bangladesh 62.46 2006 est. 172 Comoros 62.33 2006 est. 173 Yemen 62.12 2006 est. 174 Kiribati 62.08 2006 est. 175 Turkmenistan 61.83 2006 est. 176 Mayotte 61.76 2006 est. 177 Burma 60.97 2006 est. 178 Nepal 60.18 2006 est. 179 Cambodia 59.29 2006 est. 180 Senegal 59.25 2006 est. 181 Eritrea 59.03 2006 est. 182 Sudan 58.92 2006 est. 183 Ghana 58.87 2006 est. 184 Togo 57.42 2006 est. 185 Madagascar 57.34 2006 est. 186 Laos 55.49 2006 est. 187 Bhutan 54.78 2006 est. 188 Gabon 54.49 2006 est. 189 Gambia, The 54.14 2006 est. 190 Haiti 53.23 2006 est. 191 Mauritania 53.12 2006 est. 192 Benin 53.04 2006 est. 193 Congo, Republic of the 52.80 2006 est. 194 Uganda 52.67 2006 est. 195 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 51.46 2006 est. 196 Cameroon 51.16 2006 est. 197 Burundi 50.81 2006 est. 198 Equatorial Guinea 49.54 2006 est. 199 Guinea 49.50 2006 est. 200 Ethiopia 49.03 2006 est. 201 Mali 49.00 2006 est. 202 Kenya 48.93 2006 est. 203 Burkina Faso 48.85 2006 est. 204 Cote d'Ivoire 48.82 2006 est. 205 Somalia 48.47 2006 est. 206 Chad 47.52 2006 est. 207 Rwanda 47.30 2006 est. 208 Nigeria 47.08 2006 est. 209 Guinea-Bissau 46.87 2006 est. 210 Tanzania 45.64 2006 est. 211 Niger 43.76 2006 est. 212 Central African Republic 43.54 2006 est. 213 Namibia 43.39 2006 est. 214 Afghanistan 43.34 2006 est. 215 Djibouti 43.17 2006 est. 216 South Africa 42.73 2006 est. 217 Malawi 41.70 2006 est. 218 Sierra Leone 40.22 2006 est. 219 Zambia 40.03 2006 est. 220 Mozambique 39.82 2006 est. 221 Liberia 39.65 2006 est. 222 Zimbabwe 39.29 2006 est. 223 Angola 38.62 2006 est. 224 Lesotho 34.40 2006 est. 225 Botswana 33.74 2006 est. 226 Swaziland 32.62 2006 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2108 Rank Country Merchant marine Date of Information 1 World 33,222 2006 2 Panama 5,473 2006 3 China 1,723 2006 4 Liberia 1,687 2006 5 Malta 1,220 2006 6 Russia 1,178 2006 7 Bahamas, The 1,177 2006 8 Singapore 1,063 2006 9 Antigua and Barbuda 1,011 2006 10 Hong Kong 924 2006 11 Cyprus 884 2006 12 Indonesia 824 2006 13 Greece 817 2006 14 Marshall Islands 795 2006 15 Norway 724 2006 16 Japan 683 2006 17 Korea, South 669 2006 18 Italy 591 2006 19 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 589 2006 20 Netherlands 558 2006 21 Turkey 545 2006 22 Cambodia 544 2006 23 United States 465 2006 24 United Kingdom 449 2006 25 Philippines 403 2006 26 Thailand 400 2006 27 Germany 394 2006 28 India 316 2006 29 Malaysia 312 2006 30 Isle of Man 305 2006 31 Denmark 293 2006 32 Belize 285 2006 33 Vietnam 267 2006 34 Korea, North 232 2006 35 Georgia 222 2006 36 Ukraine 202 2006 37 Sweden 198 2006 38 Gibraltar 180 2006 39 Canada 173 2006 40 Spain 169 2006 41 Netherlands Antilles 152 2006 42 Iran 141 2006 43 Brazil 137 2006 44 Honduras 136 2006 45 Bermuda 132 2006 46 Cayman Islands 132 2006 47 Comoros 121 2006 48 Taiwan 112 2006 49 Portugal 111 2006 50 Syria 108 2006 51 Finland 87 2006 52 Azerbaijan 84 2006 53 French Southern and Antarctic Lands 77 2006 54 Monaco 77 2006 55 Egypt 76 2006 56 Bulgaria 75 2006 57 Croatia 72 2006 58 Belgium 66 2006 59 France 61 2006 60 Mongolia 61 2006 61 Saudi Arabia 60 2006 62 United Arab Emirates 58 2006 63 Barbados 58 2006 64 Mexico 56 2006 65 Venezuela 56 2006 66 Sierra Leone 54 2006 67 Australia 53 2006 68 Nigeria 52 2006 69 Tuvalu 52 2006 70 Vanuatu 51 2006 71 Saint Kitts and Nevis 50 2006 72 Lithuania 49 2006 73 Dominica 48 2006 74 Chile 46 2006 75 Slovakia 43 2006 76 Bangladesh 42 2006 77 Luxembourg 42 2006 78 Algeria 41 2006 79 Argentina 41 2006 80 Morocco 41 2006 81 Lebanon 39 2006 82 Kuwait 38 2006 83 Estonia 35 2006 84 Burma 34 2006 85 Ecuador 31 2006 86 Switzerland 27 2006 87 Slovenia 26 2006 88 Jordan 25 2006 89 Albania 24 2006 90 Bolivia 24 2006 91 Papua New Guinea 24 2006 92 Ireland 23 2006 93 Romania 23 2006 94 Qatar 23 2006 95 Sri Lanka 22 2006 96 Latvia 21 2006 97 Paraguay 21 2006 98 Faroe Islands 18 2006 99 Israel 18 2006 100 Libya 18 2006 101 Colombia 17 2006 102 Maldives 17 2006 103 Pakistan 16 2006 104 Tonga 16 2006 105 French Polynesia 13 2006 106 Uruguay 13 2006 107 New Zealand 13 2006 108 Iraq 13 2006 109 Cuba 11 2006 110 Poland 11 2006 111 Jamaica 10 2006 112 Madagascar 9 2006 113 Tunisia 9 2006 114 Tanzania 9 2006 115 Austria 8 2006 116 Wallis and Futuna 8 2006 117 Turkmenistan 8 2006 118 Sao Tome and Principe 8 2006 119 Trinidad and Tobago 8 2006 120 Ethiopia 8 2006 121 Bahrain 8 2006 122 Brunei 8 2006 123 Cape Verde 7 2006 124 Fiji 7 2006 125 Moldova 7 2006 126 Guyana 7 2006 127 Cook Islands 6 2006 128 Mauritius 6 2006 129 Kazakhstan 6 2006 130 Eritrea 6 2006 131 Gambia, The 5 2006 132 Seychelles 5 2006 133 Angola 4 2006 134 Peru 4 2006 135 Yemen 4 2006 136 Montenegro 4 2006 137 Ghana 4 2006 138 Greenland 3 2006 139 South Africa 3 2006 140 Kenya 3 2006 141 Puerto Rico 3 2006 142 Costa Rica 2 2006 143 Togo 2 2006 144 Sudan 2 2006 145 New Caledonia 2 2006 146 Mozambique 2 2006 147 Kiribati 2 2006 148 Gabon 2 2006 149 Micronesia, Federated States of 2 2006 150 Anguilla 1 2006 151 Cameroon 1 2006 152 Djibouti 1 2006 153 Laos 1 2006 154 Samoa 1 2006 155 Namibia 1 2006 156 British Virgin Islands 1 2006 157 Somalia 1 2006 158 Reunion 1 2006 159 Suriname 1 2006 160 Oman 1 2006 161 Iceland 1 2006 162 Dominican Republic 1 2006 163 Czech Republic 1 2006 164 Equatorial Guinea 1 2006 165 Congo, Republic of the 1 2006 166 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1 2006 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2119 Rank Country Population Date of Information 1 World 6,525,170,264 July 2006 est. 2 China 1,313,973,713 July 2006 est. 3 India 1,095,351,995 July 2006 est. 4 European Union 456,953,258 July 2006 est. 5 United States 298,444,215 July 2006 est. 6 Indonesia 245,452,739 July 2006 est. 7 Brazil 188,078,227 July 2006 est. 8 Pakistan 165,803,560 July 2006 est. 9 Bangladesh 147,365,352 July 2006 est. 10 Russia 142,893,540 July 2006 est. 11 Nigeria 131,859,731 July 2006 est. 12 Japan 127,463,611 July 2006 est. 13 Mexico 107,449,525 July 2006 est. 14 Philippines 89,468,677 July 2006 est. 15 Vietnam 84,402,966 July 2006 est. 16 Germany 82,422,299 July 2006 est. 17 Egypt 78,887,007 July 2006 est. 18 Ethiopia 74,777,981 July 2006 est. 19 Turkey 70,413,958 July 2006 est. 20 Iran 68,688,433 July 2006 est. 21 Thailand 64,631,595 July 2006 est. 22 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 62,660,551 July 2006 est. 23 France 60,876,136 July 2006 est. 24 United Kingdom 60,609,153 July 2006 est. 25 Italy 58,133,509 July 2006 est. 26 Korea, South 48,846,823 July 2006 est. 27 Burma 47,382,633 July 2006 est. 28 Ukraine 46,710,816 July 2006 est. 29 South Africa 44,187,637 July 2006 est. 30 Colombia 43,593,035 July 2006 est. 31 Sudan 41,236,378 July 2006 est. 32 Spain 40,397,842 July 2006 est. 33 Argentina 39,921,833 July 2006 est. 34 Poland 38,536,869 July 2006 est. 35 Tanzania 37,445,392 July 2006 est. 36 Kenya 34,707,817 July 2006 est. 37 Morocco 33,241,259 July 2006 est. 38 Canada 33,098,932 July 2006 est. 39 Algeria 32,930,091 July 2006 est. 40 Afghanistan 31,056,997 July 2006 est. 41 Peru 28,302,603 July 2006 est. 42 Nepal 28,287,147 July 2006 est. 43 Uganda 28,195,754 July 2006 est. 44 Uzbekistan 27,307,134 July 2006 est. 45 Saudi Arabia 27,019,731 July 2006 est. 46 Iraq 26,783,383 July 2006 est. 47 Venezuela 25,730,435 July 2006 est. 48 Malaysia 24,385,858 July 2006 est. 49 Korea, North 23,113,019 July 2006 est. 50 Taiwan 23,036,087 July 2006 est. 51 Ghana 22,409,572 July 2006 est. 52 Romania 22,303,552 July 2006 est. 53 Yemen 21,456,188 July 2006 est. 54 Australia 20,264,082 July 2006 est. 55 Sri Lanka 20,222,240 July 2006 est. 56 Mozambique 19,686,505 July 2006 est. 57 Syria 18,881,361 July 2006 est. 58 Madagascar 18,595,469 July 2006 est. 59 Cote d'Ivoire 17,654,843 July 2006 est. 60 Cameroon 17,340,702 July 2006 est. 61 Netherlands 16,491,461 July 2006 est. 62 Chile 16,134,219 July 2006 est. 63 Kazakhstan 15,233,244 July 2006 est. 64 Burkina Faso 13,902,972 July 2006 est. 65 Cambodia 13,881,427 July 2006 est. 66 Ecuador 13,547,510 July 2006 est. 67 Malawi 13,013,926 July 2006 est. 68 Niger 12,525,094 July 2006 est. 69 Guatemala 12,293,545 July 2006 est. 70 Zimbabwe 12,236,805 July 2006 est. 71 Angola 12,127,071 July 2006 est. 72 Senegal 11,987,121 July 2006 est. 73 Mali 11,716,829 July 2006 est. 74 Zambia 11,502,010 July 2006 est. 75 Cuba 11,382,820 July 2006 est. 76 Greece 10,688,058 July 2006 est. 77 Portugal 10,605,870 July 2006 est. 78 Belgium 10,379,067 July 2006 est. 79 Belarus 10,293,011 July 2006 est. 80 Czech Republic 10,235,455 July 2006 est. 81 Tunisia 10,175,014 July 2006 est. 82 Hungary 9,981,334 July 2006 est. 83 Chad 9,944,201 July 2006 est. 84 Guinea 9,690,222 July 2006 est. 85 Serbia 9,396,411 2002 census 86 Dominican Republic 9,183,984 July 2006 est. 87 Sweden 9,016,596 July 2006 est. 88 Bolivia 8,989,046 July 2006 est. 89 Somalia 8,863,338 July 2006 est. 90 Rwanda 8,648,248 July 2006 est. 91 Haiti 8,308,504 July 2006 est. 92 Austria 8,192,880 July 2006 est. 93 Burundi 8,090,068 July 2006 est. 94 Azerbaijan 7,961,619 July 2006 est. 95 Benin 7,862,944 July 2006 est. 96 Switzerland 7,523,934 July 2006 est. 97 Bulgaria 7,385,367 July 2006 est. 98 Honduras 7,326,496 July 2006 est. 99 Tajikistan 7,320,815 July 2006 est. 100 Hong Kong 6,940,432 July 2006 est. 101 El Salvador 6,822,378 July 2006 est. 102 Paraguay 6,506,464 July 2006 est. 103 Laos 6,368,481 July 2006 est. 104 Israel 6,352,117 July 2006 est. 105 Sierra Leone 6,005,250 July 2006 est. 106 Jordan 5,906,760 July 2006 est. 107 Libya 5,900,754 July 2006 est. 108 Papua New Guinea 5,670,544 July 2006 est. 109 Nicaragua 5,570,129 July 2006 est. 110 Togo 5,548,702 July 2006 est. 111 Denmark 5,450,661 July 2006 est. 112 Slovakia 5,439,448 July 2006 est. 113 Finland 5,231,372 July 2006 est. 114 Kyrgyzstan 5,213,898 July 2006 est. 115 Turkmenistan 5,042,920 July 2006 est. 116 Eritrea 4,786,994 July 2006 est. 117 Georgia 4,661,473 July 2006 est. 118 Norway 4,610,820 July 2006 est. 119 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4,498,976 July 2006 est. 120 Croatia 4,494,749 July 2006 est. 121 Singapore 4,492,150 July 2006 est. 122 Moldova 4,466,706 July 2006 est. 123 Central African Republic 4,303,356 July 2006 est. 124 New Zealand 4,076,140 July 2006 est. 125 Costa Rica 4,075,261 July 2006 est. 126 Ireland 4,062,235 July 2006 est. 127 Puerto Rico 3,927,188 July 2006 est. 128 Lebanon 3,874,050 July 2006 est. 129 Congo, Republic of the 3,702,314 July 2006 est. 130 Lithuania 3,585,906 July 2006 est. 131 Albania 3,581,655 July 2006 est. 132 Uruguay 3,431,932 July 2006 est. 133 Panama 3,191,319 July 2006 est. 134 Mauritania 3,177,388 July 2006 est. 135 Oman 3,102,229 July 2006 est. 136 Liberia 3,042,004 July 2006 est. 137 Armenia 2,976,372 July 2006 est. 138 Mongolia 2,832,224 July 2006 est. 139 Jamaica 2,758,124 July 2006 est. 140 United Arab Emirates 2,602,713 July 2006 est. 141 West Bank 2,460,492 142 Kuwait 2,418,393 July 2006 est. 143 Bhutan 2,279,723 July 2006 est. 144 Latvia 2,274,735 July 2006 est. 145 Macedonia 2,050,554 July 2006 est. 146 Namibia 2,044,147 July 2006 est. 147 Lesotho 2,022,331 July 2006 est. 148 Slovenia 2,010,347 July 2006 est. 149 Gambia, The 1,641,564 July 2006 est. 150 Botswana 1,639,833 July 2006 est. 151 Guinea-Bissau 1,442,029 July 2006 est. 152 Gaza Strip 1,428,757 July 2006 est. 153 Gabon 1,424,906 July 2006 est. 154 Estonia 1,324,333 July 2006 est. 155 Mauritius 1,240,827 July 2006 est. 156 Swaziland 1,136,334 July 2006 est. 157 Trinidad and Tobago 1,065,842 July 2006 est. 158 East Timor 1,062,777 July 2006 est. 159 Fiji 905,949 July 2006 est. 160 Qatar 885,359 July 2006 est. 161 Reunion 787,584 July 2006 est. 162 Cyprus 784,301 July 2006 est. 163 Guyana 767,245 July 2006 est. 164 Bahrain 698,585 July 2006 est. 165 Comoros 690,948 July 2006 est. 166 Montenegro 630,548 2004 167 Solomon Islands 552,438 July 2006 est. 168 Equatorial Guinea 540,109 July 2006 est. 169 Djibouti 486,530 July 2006 est. 170 Luxembourg 474,413 July 2006 est. 171 Macau 453,125 July 2006 est. 172 Guadeloupe 452,776 July 2006 est. 173 Suriname 439,117 July 2006 est. 174 Martinique 436,131 July 2006 est. 175 Cape Verde 420,979 July 2006 est. 176 Malta 400,214 July 2006 est. 177 Brunei 379,444 July 2006 est. 178 Maldives 359,008 July 2006 est. 179 Bahamas, The 303,770 July 2006 est. 180 Iceland 299,388 July 2006 est. 181 Belize 287,730 July 2006 est. 182 Barbados 279,912 July 2006 est. 183 French Polynesia 274,578 July 2006 est. 184 Western Sahara 273,008 July 2006 est. 185 Netherlands Antilles 221,736 July 2006 est. 186 New Caledonia 219,246 July 2006 est. 187 Vanuatu 208,869 July 2006 est. 188 Mayotte 201,234 July 2006 est. 189 French Guiana 199,509 July 2006 est. 190 Sao Tome and Principe 193,413 July 2006 est. 191 Samoa 176,908 July 2006 est. 192 Guam 171,019 July 2006 est. 193 Saint Lucia 168,458 July 2006 est. 194 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 117,848 July 2006 est. 195 Tonga 114,689 July 2006 est. 196 Virgin Islands 108,605 July 2006 est. 197 Micronesia, Federated States of 108,004 July 2006 est. 198 Kiribati 105,432 July 2006 est. 199 Jersey 91,084 July 2006 est. 200 Grenada 89,703 July 2006 est. 201 Northern Mariana Islands 82,459 July 2006 est. 202 Seychelles 81,541 July 2006 est. 203 Isle of Man 75,441 July 2006 est. 204 Aruba 71,891 July 2006 est. 205 Andorra 71,201 July 2006 est. 206 Antigua and Barbuda 69,108 July 2006 est. 207 Dominica 68,910 July 2006 est. 208 Bermuda 65,773 July 2006 est. 209 Guernsey 65,409 July 2006 est. 210 Marshall Islands 60,422 July 2006 est. 211 American Samoa 57,794 July 2006 est. 212 Greenland 56,361 July 2006 est. 213 Faroe Islands 47,246 July 2006 est. 214 Cayman Islands 45,436 July 2006 est. 215 Saint Kitts and Nevis 39,129 July 2006 est. 216 Liechtenstein 33,987 July 2006 est. 217 Monaco 32,543 July 2006 est. 218 San Marino 29,251 July 2006 est. 219 Gibraltar 27,928 July 2006 est. 220 British Virgin Islands 23,098 July 2006 est. 221 Cook Islands 21,388 July 2006 est. 222 Turks and Caicos Islands 21,152 July 2006 est. 223 Palau 20,579 July 2006 est. 224 Wallis and Futuna 16,025 July 2006 est. 225 Anguilla 13,477 July 2006 est. 226 Nauru 13,287 July 2006 est. 227 Tuvalu 11,810 July 2006 est. 228 Montserrat 9,439 July 2006 est. 229 Saint Helena 7,502 July 2006 est. 230 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 7,026 July 2006 est. 231 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 2,967 July 2006 est. 232 Svalbard 2,701 July 2006 est. 233 Niue 2,166 July 2006 est. 234 Norfolk Island 1,828 July 2006 est. 235 Christmas Island 1,493 236 Tokelau 1,392 July 2006 est. 237 Holy See (Vatican City) 932 July 2006 est. 238 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 574 July 2006 est. 239 Pitcairn Islands 45 July 2006 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2121 Rank Country Railways(km) Date of Information 1 World 1,115,205 2003 2 United States 226,605 2004 3 European Union 222,293 2003 4 Russia 87,157 2005 5 China 74,408 2004 6 India 63,230 2005 7 Canada 48,467 2005 8 Australia 47,738 2005 9 Germany 47,201 2005 10 Argentina 31,902 2005 11 Brazil 29,252 2005 12 France 29,085 2005 13 Japan 23,556 2005 14 Poland 23,072 2005 15 Ukraine 22,473 2005 16 South Africa 20,872 2005 17 Italy 19,459 2005 18 Mexico 17,562 2005 19 United Kingdom 17,156 2005 20 Spain 14,873 2005 21 Kazakhstan 13,700 2005 22 Sweden 11,481 2005 23 Romania 11,385 2005 24 Czech Republic 9,572 2005 25 Turkey 8,697 2005 26 Pakistan 8,163 2004 27 Hungary 7,937 2005 28 Iran 7,256 2005 29 Chile 6,585 2005 30 Indonesia 6,458 2005 31 Austria 6,011 2005 32 Sudan 5,978 2005 33 Finland 5,741 2005 34 Belarus 5,512 2005 35 Korea, North 5,214 2005 36 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5,138 2005 37 Egypt 5,063 2005 38 Switzerland 4,583 2005 39 Bulgaria 4,294 2005 40 Cuba 4,226 2005 41 Serbia 4,135 2005 42 New Zealand 4,128 2005 43 Norway 4,077 2005 44 Thailand 4,071 2005 45 Algeria 3,973 2005 46 Burma 3,955 2005 47 Uzbekistan 3,950 2005 48 Tanzania 3,690 2005 49 Slovakia 3,662 2005 50 Belgium 3,521 2005 51 Bolivia 3,519 2005 52 Nigeria 3,505 2005 53 Korea, South 3,472 2005 54 Peru 3,462 2005 55 Ireland 3,312 2005 56 Colombia 3,304 2005 57 Mozambique 3,123 2005 58 Zimbabwe 3,077 2005 59 Azerbaijan 2,957 2005 60 Portugal 2,850 2005 61 Netherlands 2,808 2005 62 Kenya 2,778 2005 63 Bangladesh 2,768 2005 64 Angola 2,761 2005 65 Croatia 2,726 2005 66 Syria 2,711 2005 67 Denmark 2,673 2005 68 Vietnam 2,600 2005 69 Greece 2,571 2005 70 Taiwan 2,497 2005 71 Turkmenistan 2,440 2005 72 Namibia 2,382 2005 73 Latvia 2,303 2005 74 Iraq 2,200 2005 75 Zambia 2,173 2005 76 Tunisia 2,153 2005 77 Uruguay 2,073 2005 78 Morocco 1,907 2005 79 Malaysia 1,890 2005 80 Mongolia 1,810 2005 81 Lithuania 1,771 2005 82 Georgia 1,612 2005 83 Sri Lanka 1,449 2005 84 Saudi Arabia 1,392 2005 85 Uganda 1,244 2005 86 Slovenia 1,229 2005 87 Moldova 1,138 2005 88 Cameroon 987 2005 89 Ecuador 966 2005 90 Estonia 958 2005 91 Ghana 953 2005 92 Senegal 906 2005 93 Philippines 897 2005 94 Congo, Republic of the 894 2005 95 Botswana 888 2005 96 Guatemala 886 2005 97 Madagascar 854 2005 98 Israel 853 2005 99 Armenia 845 2005 100 Guinea 837 2005 101 Gabon 814 2005 102 Malawi 797 2005 103 Mali 729 2005 104 Honduras 699 2005 105 Macedonia 699 2005 106 Venezuela 682 2005 107 Ethiopia 681 2005 108 Cote d'Ivoire 660 2005 109 Burkina Faso 622 2005 110 Bosnia and Herzegovina 608 2005 111 Cambodia 602 2005 112 Fiji 597 2005 113 Benin 578 2005 114 Togo 568 2005 115 Dominican Republic 517 2005 116 Jordan 505 2005 117 Liberia 490 2005 118 Tajikistan 482 2005 119 Kyrgyzstan 470 2005 120 Albania 447 2005 121 Lebanon 401 2006 122 Panama 355 2005 123 Eritrea 306 2005 124 Swaziland 301 2005 125 El Salvador 283 2005 126 Costa Rica 278 2005 127 Luxembourg 274 2005 128 Jamaica 272 2003 129 Montenegro 250 2005 130 Guyana 187 2001 est. 131 Djibouti 100 2005 132 Puerto Rico 96 2005 133 Isle of Man 65 2006 134 Nepal 59 2005 135 Saint Kitts and Nevis 50 2005 136 Paraguay 36 2005 137 Nicaragua 6 2005 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2127 Rank Country Total fertility rate(children born/woman) Date of Information 1 Niger 7.46 2006 est. 2 Mali 7.42 2006 est. 3 Somalia 6.76 2006 est. 4 Uganda 6.71 2006 est. 5 Afghanistan 6.69 2006 est. 6 Yemen 6.58 2006 est. 7 Burundi 6.55 2006 est. 8 Burkina Faso 6.47 2006 est. 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.45 2006 est. 10 Angola 6.35 2006 est. 11 Chad 6.25 2006 est. 12 Sierra Leone 6.08 2006 est. 13 Congo, Republic of the 6.07 2006 est. 14 Liberia 6.02 2006 est. 15 Malawi 5.92 2006 est. 16 Mauritania 5.86 2006 est. 17 Guinea 5.79 2006 est. 18 Mayotte 5.79 2006 est. 19 Gaza Strip 5.78 2006 est. 20 Oman 5.77 2006 est. 21 Madagascar 5.62 2006 est. 22 Sao Tome and Principe 5.62 2006 est. 23 Nigeria 5.49 2006 est. 24 Rwanda 5.43 2006 est. 25 Zambia 5.39 2006 est. 26 Djibouti 5.31 2006 est. 27 Gambia, The 5.30 2006 est. 28 Ethiopia 5.22 2006 est. 29 Benin 5.20 2006 est. 30 Eritrea 5.08 2006 est. 31 Comoros 5.03 2006 est. 32 Tanzania 4.97 2006 est. 33 Togo 4.96 2006 est. 34 Haiti 4.94 2006 est. 35 Kenya 4.91 2006 est. 36 Maldives 4.90 2006 est. 37 Guinea-Bissau 4.86 2006 est. 38 Bhutan 4.74 2006 est. 39 Gabon 4.74 2006 est. 40 Sudan 4.72 2006 est. 41 Laos 4.68 2006 est. 42 Mozambique 4.62 2006 est. 43 Equatorial Guinea 4.55 2006 est. 44 Cote d'Ivoire 4.50 2006 est. 45 Central African Republic 4.41 2006 est. 46 Cameroon 4.39 2006 est. 47 Senegal 4.38 2006 est. 48 West Bank 4.28 2006 est. 49 Iraq 4.18 2006 est. 50 Kiribati 4.16 2006 est. 51 Nepal 4.10 2006 est. 52 Pakistan 4.00 2006 est. 53 Saudi Arabia 4.00 2006 est. 54 Tajikistan 4.00 2006 est. 55 Ghana 3.99 2006 est. 56 Solomon Islands 3.91 2006 est. 57 Paraguay 3.89 2006 est. 58 Papua New Guinea 3.88 2006 est. 59 Marshall Islands 3.85 2006 est. 60 Guatemala 3.82 2006 est. 61 Belize 3.60 2006 est. 62 Honduras 3.59 2006 est. 63 East Timor 3.53 2006 est. 64 Swaziland 3.53 2006 est. 65 Syria 3.40 2006 est. 66 Cape Verde 3.38 2006 est. 67 Cambodia 3.37 2006 est. 68 Turkmenistan 3.37 2006 est. 69 Lesotho 3.28 2006 est. 70 Libya 3.28 2006 est. 71 American Samoa 3.16 2006 est. 72 Micronesia, Federated States of 3.16 2006 est. 73 Zimbabwe 3.13 2006 est. 74 El Salvador 3.12 2006 est. 75 Bangladesh 3.11 2006 est. 76 Philippines 3.11 2006 est. 77 Nauru 3.11 2006 est. 78 Namibia 3.06 2006 est. 79 Turks and Caicos Islands 3.05 2006 est. 80 Malaysia 3.04 2006 est. 81 Tonga 3.00 2006 est. 82 French Guiana 2.98 2006 est. 83 Tuvalu 2.98 2006 est. 84 Samoa 2.94 2006 est. 85 Kuwait 2.91 2006 est. 86 Uzbekistan 2.91 2006 est. 87 United Arab Emirates 2.88 2006 est. 88 Bolivia 2.85 2006 est. 89 Dominican Republic 2.83 2006 est. 90 Egypt 2.83 2006 est. 91 Qatar 2.81 2006 est. 92 Botswana 2.79 2006 est. 93 Nicaragua 2.75 2006 est. 94 Fiji 2.73 2006 est. 95 India 2.73 2006 est. 96 Vanuatu 2.70 2006 est. 97 Kyrgyzstan 2.69 2006 est. 98 Ecuador 2.68 2006 est. 99 Morocco 2.68 2006 est. 100 Panama 2.68 2006 est. 101 Jordan 2.63 2006 est. 102 Bahrain 2.60 2006 est. 103 World 2.59 2006 est. 104 Guam 2.58 2006 est. 105 Colombia 2.54 2006 est. 106 Peru 2.51 2006 est. 107 Azerbaijan 2.46 2006 est. 108 Palau 2.46 2006 est. 109 Reunion 2.45 2006 est. 110 Mexico 2.42 2006 est. 111 Israel 2.41 2006 est. 112 Jamaica 2.41 2006 est. 113 Greenland 2.40 2006 est. 114 Indonesia 2.40 2006 est. 115 Grenada 2.34 2006 est. 116 Suriname 2.32 2006 est. 117 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.31 2006 est. 118 Brunei 2.28 2006 est. 119 New Caledonia 2.28 2006 est. 120 Mongolia 2.25 2006 est. 121 Antigua and Barbuda 2.24 2006 est. 122 Costa Rica 2.24 2006 est. 123 Venezuela 2.23 2006 est. 124 South Africa 2.20 2006 est. 125 Bahamas, The 2.18 2006 est. 126 Saint Lucia 2.18 2006 est. 127 Faroe Islands 2.17 2006 est. 128 Virgin Islands 2.17 2006 est. 129 Argentina 2.16 2006 est. 130 Korea, North 2.10 2006 est. 131 United States 2.09 2006 est. 132 Guyana 2.04 2006 est. 133 Albania 2.03 2006 est. 134 French Polynesia 2.01 2006 est. 135 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2.01 2006 est. 136 Chile 2.00 2006 est. 137 Netherlands Antilles 1.99 2006 est. 138 Burma 1.98 2006 est. 139 Mauritius 1.95 2006 est. 140 Dominica 1.94 2006 est. 141 Iceland 1.92 2006 est. 142 Turkey 1.92 2006 est. 143 Brazil 1.91 2006 est. 144 Vietnam 1.91 2006 est. 145 Cayman Islands 1.90 2006 est. 146 Guadeloupe 1.90 2006 est. 147 Lebanon 1.90 2006 est. 148 Algeria 1.89 2006 est. 149 Kazakhstan 1.89 2006 est. 150 Uruguay 1.89 2006 est. 151 Bermuda 1.89 2006 est. 152 Ireland 1.86 2006 est. 153 Moldova 1.85 2006 est. 154 Sri Lanka 1.84 2006 est. 155 France 1.84 2006 est. 156 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.83 2006 est. 157 Cyprus 1.82 2006 est. 158 Iran 1.80 2006 est. 159 Aruba 1.79 2006 est. 160 New Zealand 1.79 2006 est. 161 Martinique 1.79 2006 est. 162 Luxembourg 1.78 2006 est. 163 Norway 1.78 2006 est. 164 Serbia 1.78 2006 est. 165 Montserrat 1.77 2006 est. 166 Australia 1.76 2006 est. 167 Monaco 1.76 2006 est. 168 Puerto Rico 1.75 2006 est. 169 Denmark 1.74 2006 est. 170 Tunisia 1.74 2006 est. 171 Seychelles 1.74 2006 est. 172 Trinidad and Tobago 1.74 2006 est. 173 Anguilla 1.73 2006 est. 174 China 1.73 2006 est. 175 Finland 1.73 2006 est. 176 British Virgin Islands 1.72 2006 est. 177 Cuba 1.66 2006 est. 178 United Kingdom 1.66 2006 est. 179 Sweden 1.66 2006 est. 180 Netherlands 1.66 2006 est. 181 Barbados 1.65 2006 est. 182 Isle of Man 1.65 2006 est. 183 Gibraltar 1.65 2006 est. 184 Belgium 1.64 2006 est. 185 Thailand 1.64 2006 est. 186 Canada 1.61 2006 est. 187 Jersey 1.58 2006 est. 188 Macedonia 1.57 2006 est. 189 Taiwan 1.57 2006 est. 190 Saint Helena 1.55 2006 est. 191 Liechtenstein 1.51 2006 est. 192 Malta 1.50 2006 est. 193 European Union 1.47 2006 est. 194 Portugal 1.47 2006 est. 195 Belarus 1.43 2006 est. 196 Switzerland 1.43 2006 est. 197 Georgia 1.42 2006 est. 198 Estonia 1.40 2006 est. 199 Japan 1.40 2006 est. 200 Croatia 1.40 2006 est. 201 Guernsey 1.39 2006 est. 202 Germany 1.39 2006 est. 203 Bulgaria 1.38 2006 est. 204 Romania 1.37 2006 est. 205 Austria 1.36 2006 est. 206 Greece 1.34 2006 est. 207 San Marino 1.34 2006 est. 208 Armenia 1.33 2006 est. 209 Slovakia 1.33 2006 est. 210 Hungary 1.32 2006 est. 211 Andorra 1.30 2006 est. 212 Italy 1.28 2006 est. 213 Spain 1.28 2006 est. 214 Russia 1.28 2006 est. 215 Korea, South 1.27 2006 est. 216 Latvia 1.27 2006 est. 217 Poland 1.25 2006 est. 218 Slovenia 1.25 2006 est. 219 Northern Mariana Islands 1.24 2006 est. 220 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.22 2006 est. 221 Czech Republic 1.21 2006 est. 222 Lithuania 1.20 2006 est. 223 Ukraine 1.17 2006 est. 224 Singapore 1.06 2006 est. 225 Macau 1.02 2006 est. 226 Hong Kong 0.95 2006 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2129 Rank Country Unemployment rate(%) Date of Information 1 Andorra 0.00 1996 est. 2 Norfolk Island 0.00 3 Guernsey 0.50 1999 est. 4 Isle of Man 0.60 2004 est. 5 Uzbekistan 0.70 2005 est. 6 Jersey 0.90 2004 est. 7 Faroe Islands 1.00 October 2000 8 Azerbaijan 1.10 2005 est. 9 Liechtenstein 1.30 September 2002 10 Belarus 1.60 2005 11 Vanuatu 1.70 12 Thailand 1.80 2005 est. 13 Cuba 1.90 2005 est. 14 Gibraltar 2.00 2001 est. 15 Kiribati 2.00 1992 est. 16 Bermuda 2.10 2004 est. 17 Iceland 2.10 2005 est. 18 Kuwait 2.20 2004 est. 19 United Arab Emirates 2.40 2001 20 Laos 2.40 2005 est. 21 Vietnam 2.40 2005 est. 22 Bangladesh 2.50 2005 est. 23 Cambodia 2.50 2000 est. 24 San Marino 2.60 2001 25 Qatar 2.70 2001 26 Papua New Guinea 2.80 2004 27 Nigeria 2.90 2005 est. 28 Singapore 3.10 2005 est. 29 Ukraine 3.10 2005 est. 30 Mexico 3.60 2005 est. 31 British Virgin Islands 3.60 1997 32 Malaysia 3.60 2005 est. 33 Korea, South 3.70 2005 est. 34 New Zealand 3.70 2005 est. 35 Switzerland 3.80 2005 est. 36 Northern Mariana Islands 3.90 37 Cyprus 4.00 38 Macau 4.10 3rd Quarter 2005 39 Taiwan 4.10 2005 est. 40 Palau 4.20 2005 est. 41 Ireland 4.30 2005 est. 42 Cayman Islands 4.40 2004 43 Japan 4.40 2005 est. 44 Luxembourg 4.50 2005 est. 45 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.50 1997 46 Norway 4.60 2005 est. 47 United Kingdom 4.70 2005 est. 48 Brunei 4.80 2004 49 Burma 5.00 2005 est. 50 Australia 5.10 2005 est. 51 United States 5.10 2005 est. 52 Austria 5.20 2005 est. 53 Hong Kong 5.50 2005 est. 54 Cyprus 5.60 55 Nicaragua 5.60 2005 est. 56 Denmark 5.70 2005 est. 57 Sweden 5.80 2005 est. 58 Montserrat 6.00 1998 est. 59 Virgin Islands 6.20 2004 60 Slovenia 6.30 2005 est. 61 El Salvador 6.50 2005 est. 62 Costa Rica 6.60 2005 est. 63 Netherlands 6.60 2005 est. 64 Pakistan 6.60 2005 est. 65 Mongolia 6.70 2003 66 Canada 6.80 2005 est. 67 Aruba 6.90 2005 est. 68 Hungary 7.20 2005 69 Guatemala 7.50 2003 est. 70 Latvia 7.50 2005 est. 71 Fiji 7.60 1999 72 Russia 7.60 2005 est. 73 Portugal 7.60 2005 est. 74 Peru 7.60 2005 est. 75 Sri Lanka 7.70 2005 est. 76 Romania 7.70 2005 est. 77 Italy 7.70 2005 est. 78 Estonia 7.80 2005 79 Malta 7.80 2005 est. 80 Czech Republic 7.90 2005 81 Anguilla 8.00 2002 82 Central African Republic 8.00 2001 est. 83 Bolivia 8.00 2005 est. 84 Trinidad and Tobago 8.00 2005 est. 85 Moldova 8.00 2002 est. 86 Chile 8.10 2005 est. 87 Kazakhstan 8.10 2005 est. 88 Lithuania 8.20 2005 89 Belgium 8.40 2005 est. 90 Finland 8.40 2005 est. 91 Philippines 8.70 2005 est. 92 India 8.90 2005 est. 93 China 9.00 2005 est. 94 Israel 9.00 2005 est. 95 Spain 9.20 2005 est. 96 European Union 9.40 2005 est. 97 Egypt 9.50 2005 est. 98 Suriname 9.50 2004 99 Mauritius 9.60 2005 est. 100 Brazil 9.80 2005 est. 101 Panama 9.80 2005 est. 102 Bulgaria 9.90 2005 103 France 9.90 2005 est. 104 Greece 9.90 2005 est. 105 Greenland 10.00 2000 est. 106 Turks and Caicos Islands 10.00 1997 est. 107 Bahamas, The 10.20 2005 est. 108 Turkey 10.20 2005 est. 109 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 10.30 1999 110 Barbados 10.70 2003 est. 111 Ecuador 10.70 2005 est. 112 Antigua and Barbuda 11.00 2001 est. 113 Morocco 11.00 2005 est. 114 Iran 11.20 2004 est. 115 Guam 11.40 2002 est. 116 Jamaica 11.50 2005 est. 117 Argentina 11.60 2005 est. 118 Germany 11.70 2005 est. 119 Colombia 11.80 2005 est. 120 Indonesia 11.80 2005 est. 121 French Polynesia 11.80 1994 122 Niue 12.00 123 Tajikistan 12.00 2004 est. 124 Puerto Rico 12.00 2002 125 Uruguay 12.20 2005 est. 126 Venezuela 12.20 2005 est. 127 Syria 12.30 2004 est. 128 Grenada 12.50 2000 129 Jordan 12.50 2004 est. 130 Georgia 12.60 2004 est. 131 Belize 12.90 2003 132 Cote d'Ivoire 13.00 1998 133 Saudi Arabia 13.00 2004 est. 134 Tonga 13.00 FY03/04 est. 135 Cook Islands 13.10 2005 136 Saint Helena 14.00 1998 est. 137 Tunisia 14.20 2005 est. 138 Albania 14.30 2005 est. 139 Mali 14.60 2001 est. 140 Bahrain 15.00 2005 est. 141 Oman 15.00 2004 est. 142 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15.00 2001 est. 143 Wallis and Futuna 15.20 144 Paraguay 16.00 2005 est. 145 Slovakia 16.40 2005 est. 146 Dominican Republic 17.00 2005 est. 147 Netherlands Antilles 17.00 2002 est. 148 Algeria 17.10 2005 est. 149 New Caledonia 17.10 2004 150 Croatia 18.00 2005 est. 151 Lebanon 18.00 1997 est. 152 Kyrgyzstan 18.00 2004 est. 153 Poland 18.20 2005 est. 154 Sudan 18.70 2002 est. 155 French Guiana 19.20 December 2003 156 West Bank 19.90 January-September 2005 157 Comoros 20.00 1996 est. 158 Ghana 20.00 1997 est. 159 Saint Lucia 20.00 2003 est. 160 Mauritania 20.00 2004 est. 161 Cape Verde 21.00 2000 est. 162 Mozambique 21.00 1997 est. 163 Gabon 21.00 1997 est. 164 Micronesia, Federated States of 22.00 2000 est. 165 Monaco 22.00 1999 166 Dominica 23.00 2000 est. 167 Botswana 23.80 2004 168 Iraq 25.00 2005 est. 169 South Africa 26.60 2005 est. 170 Guadeloupe 26.90 2003 171 Martinique 27.20 1998 172 Montenegro 27.70 2005 173 Honduras 28.00 2005 est. 174 American Samoa 29.80 2005 175 Cameroon 30.00 2001 est. 176 World 30.00 177 Libya 30.00 2004 est. 178 Equatorial Guinea 30.00 1998 est. 179 Marshall Islands 30.90 2000 est. 180 Gaza Strip 31.00 January-September 2005 avg. 181 Reunion 31.00 2002 182 Armenia 31.60 2004 est. 183 Serbia 31.60 2005 est. 184 Mayotte 32.80 2003 185 Namibia 35.00 1998 186 Yemen 35.00 2003 est. 187 Macedonia 37.30 2005 est. 188 Afghanistan 40.00 2005 est. 189 Kenya 40.00 2001 est. 190 Swaziland 40.00 2005 est. 191 Nepal 42.00 2004 est. 192 Lesotho 45.00 2002 193 Bosnia and Herzegovina 45.50 31 December 2004 est. 194 Senegal 48.00 2001 est. 195 Djibouti 50.00 2004 est. 196 Zambia 50.00 2000 est. 197 East Timor 50.00 2001 est. 198 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 60.00 2000 est. 199 Turkmenistan 60.00 2004 est. 200 Zimbabwe 80.00 2005 est. 201 Liberia 85.00 2003 est. 202 Nauru 90.00 2004 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2147 Rank Country Area(sq km) Date of Information 1 World 510,072,000 2 Pacific Ocean 155,557,000 3 Atlantic Ocean 76,762,000 4 Indian Ocean 68,556,000 5 Southern Ocean 20,327,000 6 Russia 17,075,200 7 Arctic Ocean 14,056,000 8 Antarctica 14,000,000 9 Canada 9,984,670 10 United States 9,631,420 11 China 9,596,960 12 Brazil 8,511,965 13 Australia 7,686,850 14 European Union 3,976,372 15 India 3,287,590 16 Argentina 2,766,890 17 Kazakhstan 2,717,300 18 Sudan 2,505,810 19 Algeria 2,381,740 20 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 2,345,410 21 Greenland 2,166,086 22 Mexico 1,972,550 23 Saudi Arabia 1,960,582 24 Indonesia 1,919,440 25 Libya 1,759,540 26 Iran 1,648,000 27 Mongolia 1,564,116 28 Peru 1,285,220 29 Chad 1,284,000 30 Niger 1,267,000 31 Angola 1,246,700 32 Mali 1,240,000 33 South Africa 1,219,912 34 Colombia 1,138,910 35 Ethiopia 1,127,127 36 Bolivia 1,098,580 37 Mauritania 1,030,700 38 Egypt 1,001,450 39 Tanzania 945,087 40 Nigeria 923,768 41 Venezuela 912,050 42 Namibia 825,418 43 Pakistan 803,940 44 Mozambique 801,590 45 Turkey 780,580 46 Chile 756,950 47 Zambia 752,614 48 Burma 678,500 49 Afghanistan 647,500 50 Somalia 637,657 51 Central African Republic 622,984 52 Ukraine 603,700 53 Botswana 600,370 54 Madagascar 587,040 55 Kenya 582,650 56 France 547,030 57 Yemen 527,970 58 Thailand 514,000 59 Spain 504,782 60 Turkmenistan 488,100 61 Cameroon 475,440 62 Papua New Guinea 462,840 63 Sweden 449,964 64 Uzbekistan 447,400 65 Morocco 446,550 66 Iraq 437,072 67 Paraguay 406,750 68 Zimbabwe 390,580 69 Japan 377,835 70 Germany 357,021 71 Congo, Republic of the 342,000 72 Finland 338,145 73 Malaysia 329,750 74 Vietnam 329,560 75 Norway 323,802 76 Cote d'Ivoire 322,460 77 Poland 312,685 78 Italy 301,230 79 Philippines 300,000 80 Ecuador 283,560 81 Burkina Faso 274,200 82 New Zealand 268,680 83 Gabon 267,667 84 Western Sahara 266,000 85 Guinea 245,857 86 United Kingdom 244,820 87 Ghana 239,460 88 Romania 237,500 89 Laos 236,800 90 Uganda 236,040 91 Guyana 214,970 92 Oman 212,460 93 Belarus 207,600 94 Kyrgyzstan 198,500 95 Senegal 196,190 96 Syria 185,180 97 Cambodia 181,040 98 Uruguay 176,220 99 Tunisia 163,610 100 Suriname 163,270 101 Nepal 147,181 102 Bangladesh 144,000 103 Tajikistan 143,100 104 Greece 131,940 105 Nicaragua 129,494 106 Eritrea 121,320 107 Korea, North 120,540 108 Malawi 118,480 109 Benin 112,620 110 Honduras 112,090 111 Liberia 111,370 112 Bulgaria 110,910 113 Cuba 110,860 114 Guatemala 108,890 115 Iceland 103,000 116 Korea, South 98,480 117 Hungary 93,030 118 Portugal 92,391 119 Jordan 92,300 120 French Guiana 91,000 121 Serbia 88,361 122 Azerbaijan 86,600 123 Austria 83,870 124 United Arab Emirates 82,880 125 Czech Republic 78,866 126 Panama 78,200 127 Sierra Leone 71,740 128 Ireland 70,280 129 Georgia 69,700 130 Sri Lanka 65,610 131 Lithuania 65,200 132 Latvia 64,589 133 Svalbard 61,020 134 Togo 56,785 135 Croatia 56,542 136 British Indian Ocean Territory 54,400 137 Bosnia and Herzegovina 51,129 138 Costa Rica 51,100 139 Slovakia 48,845 140 Dominican Republic 48,730 141 Bhutan 47,000 142 Estonia 45,226 143 Denmark 43,094 144 Netherlands 41,526 145 Switzerland 41,290 146 Guinea-Bissau 36,120 147 Taiwan 35,980 148 Moldova 33,843 149 Belgium 30,528 150 Lesotho 30,355 151 Armenia 29,800 152 Albania 28,748 153 Solomon Islands 28,450 154 Equatorial Guinea 28,051 155 Burundi 27,830 156 Haiti 27,750 157 Rwanda 26,338 158 Macedonia 25,333 159 Djibouti 23,000 160 Belize 22,966 161 El Salvador 21,040 162 Israel 20,770 163 Slovenia 20,273 164 New Caledonia 19,060 165 Fiji 18,270 166 Kuwait 17,820 167 Swaziland 17,363 168 East Timor 15,007 169 Montenegro 14,026 170 Bahamas, The 13,940 171 Puerto Rico 13,790 172 Vanuatu 12,200 173 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 12,173 174 Marshall Islands 11,854 175 Qatar 11,437 176 Gambia, The 11,300 177 Jamaica 10,991 178 Lebanon 10,400 179 Cyprus 9,250 180 French Southern and Antarctic Lands 7,829 181 West Bank 5,860 182 Brunei 5,770 183 Trinidad and Tobago 5,128 184 French Polynesia 4,167 185 Cape Verde 4,033 186 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 3,903 187 Samoa 2,944 188 Luxembourg 2,586 189 Reunion 2,517 190 Comoros 2,170 191 Mauritius 2,040 192 Virgin Islands 1,910 193 Guadeloupe 1,780 194 Faroe Islands 1,399 195 Martinique 1,100 196 Hong Kong 1,092 197 Sao Tome and Principe 1,001 198 Netherlands Antilles 960 199 Kiribati 811 200 Dominica 754 201 Tonga 748 202 Micronesia, Federated States of 702 203 Singapore 693 204 Bahrain 665 205 Saint Lucia 616 206 Isle of Man 572 207 Guam 541 208 Northern Mariana Islands 477 209 Andorra 468 210 Palau 458 211 Seychelles 455 212 Antigua and Barbuda 443 213 Barbados 431 214 Turks and Caicos Islands 430 215 Saint Helena 413 216 Heard Island and McDonald Islands 412 217 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 389 218 Jan Mayen 377 219 Mayotte 374 220 Gaza Strip 360 221 Grenada 344 222 Malta 316 223 Maldives 300 224 Wallis and Futuna 274 225 Cayman Islands 262 226 Saint Kitts and Nevis 261 227 Niue 260 228 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 242 229 Cook Islands 237 230 American Samoa 199 231 Aruba 193 232 Liechtenstein 160 233 British Virgin Islands 153 234 Christmas Island 135 235 Dhekelia 131 236 Akrotiri 123 237 Jersey 116 238 Anguilla 102 239 Montserrat 102 240 Iles Eparses 80 241 Guernsey 78 242 San Marino 61 243 Bermuda 53 244 Bouvet Island 49 245 Pitcairn Islands 47 246 Norfolk Island 35 247 Macau 28 248 Europa Island 28 249 Tuvalu 26 250 United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges 22 251 Nauru 21 252 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 14 253 Palmyra Atoll 12 254 Tokelau 10 255 Gibraltar 7 256 Wake Island 7 257 Midway Islands 6 258 Clipperton Island 6 259 Navassa Island 5 260 Ashmore and Cartier Islands 5 261 Glorioso Islands 5 262 Spratly Islands 5 263 Jarvis Island 5 264 Juan de Nova Island 4 265 Coral Sea Islands 3 266 Johnston Atoll 3 267 Monaco 2 268 Howland Island 2 269 Baker Island 1 270 Kingman Reef 1 271 Tromelin Island 1 272 Holy See (Vatican City) 0 273 Bassas da India 0 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2150 Rank Country Telephones - main lines in use Date of Information 1 World 1,263,367,600 2005 2 China 350,433,000 2005 3 United States 268,000,000 2003 4 European Union 238,763,162 2002 5 Japan 58,780,000 2005 6 Germany 55,046,000 2005 7 India 49,750,000 2005 8 Brazil 42,382,000 2004 9 Russia 40,100,000 2005 10 France 35,700,000 2005 11 United Kingdom 32,943,000 2005 12 Italy 25,049,000 2005 13 Korea, South 23,745,000 2005 14 Mexico 19,512,000 2005 15 Iran 18,986,000 2005 16 Turkey 18,978,000 2005 17 Spain 18,322,000 2005 18 Canada 18,276,000 2005 19 Vietnam 15,845,000 2005 20 Taiwan 13,615,000 2005 21 Indonesia 12,772,000 2005 22 Ukraine 12,142,000 2004 23 Poland 11,803,000 2005 24 Australia 11,460,000 2005 25 Egypt 10,396,100 2005 26 Argentina 8,800,000 2005 27 Colombia 7,678,800 2005 28 Netherlands 7,600,000 2005 29 Thailand 7,035,000 2005 30 Sweden 6,447,000 2004 31 Greece 6,303,000 2005 32 Pakistan 5,277,500 2005 33 Switzerland 5,123,000 2005 34 Belgium 4,801,000 2004 35 South Africa 4,729,000 2005 36 Romania 4,391,000 2005 37 Malaysia 4,366,000 2005 38 Portugal 4,234,000 2005 39 Saudi Arabia 3,800,000 2005 40 Hong Kong 3,794,600 2005 41 Austria 3,705,000 2005 42 Venezuela 3,605,500 2005 43 Philippines 3,437,500 2004 44 Chile 3,435,900 2005 45 Hungary 3,356,000 2005 46 Denmark 3,350,000 2005 47 Belarus 3,284,300 2005 48 Czech Republic 3,217,300 2005 49 Israel 2,936,300 2005 50 Syria 2,903,000 2005 51 Serbia 2,685,400 2004 52 Algeria 2,572,000 2005 53 Kazakhstan 2,500,000 2004 54 Bulgaria 2,483,500 2005 55 Peru 2,250,500 2005 56 Norway 2,129,000 2005 57 Finland 2,120,000 2005 58 Ireland 2,033,000 2005 59 Croatia 1,889,500 2005 60 Singapore 1,848,000 2005 61 New Zealand 1,800,500 2004 62 Uzbekistan 1,717,100 2003 63 Ecuador 1,701,500 2005 64 Costa Rica 1,388,500 2005 65 Morocco 1,341,200 2005 66 Tunisia 1,257,500 2005 67 Sri Lanka 1,244,000 2005 68 United Arab Emirates 1,237,000 2005 69 Nigeria 1,223,300 2005 70 Slovakia 1,197,000 2005 71 Guatemala 1,132,100 2004 72 Puerto Rico 1,111,900 2004 73 Azerbaijan 1,091,400 2005 74 Bangladesh 1,070,000 2005 75 Iraq 1,034,200 2004 76 Uruguay 1,000,000 2004 77 Lebanon 990,000 2005 78 Korea, North 980,000 2003 79 El Salvador 971,500 2005 80 Bosnia and Herzegovina 968,900 2005 81 Moldova 929,400 2005 82 Dominican Republic 894,500 2005 83 Cuba 849,900 2005 84 Slovenia 816,400 2005 85 Lithuania 801,100 2005 86 Yemen 798,100 2004 87 Libya 750,000 2003 88 Latvia 731,000 2005 89 Georgia 683,200 2004 90 Sudan 670,000 2005 91 Bolivia 646,300 2005 92 Jordan 617,300 2004 93 Ethiopia 610,300 2005 94 Armenia 582,500 2004 95 Macedonia 533,200 2005 96 Kuwait 510,300 2005 97 Honduras 494,400 2005 98 Burma 476,200 2005 99 Nepal 448,600 2005 100 Estonia 442,000 2005 101 Panama 440,100 2005 102 Kyrgyzstan 438,200 2005 103 Cyprus 420,000 104 Turkmenistan 376,100 2003 105 Mauritius 359,000 2005 106 West Bank 357,300 2004 107 Gaza Strip 349,000 2005 108 Jamaica 342,000 2005 109 Zimbabwe 328,000 2005 110 Trinidad and Tobago 323,500 2005 111 Ghana 321,500 2005 112 Paraguay 320,300 2005 113 Reunion 300,000 2001 114 Kenya 281,800 2005 115 Senegal 266,600 2005 116 Oman 265,200 2005 117 Cote d'Ivoire 257,900 2004 118 Albania 255,000 2003 119 Tajikistan 245,200 2004 120 Luxembourg 244,500 2005 121 Nicaragua 220,900 2005 122 Guadeloupe 210,000 2001 123 Qatar 205,400 2005 124 Malta 202,100 2005 125 Bahrain 196,500 2005 126 Iceland 193,900 2005 127 Montenegro 177,663 2005 128 Macau 174,400 2005 129 Martinique 172,000 2001 130 Mongolia 156,000 2005 131 Tanzania 148,400 2004 132 Haiti 140,000 2004 133 Bahamas, The 139,900 2004 134 Barbados 134,900 2005 135 Botswana 132,000 2005 136 Namibia 127,900 2004 137 Guyana 110,100 2005 138 Malawi 102,700 2005 139 Fiji 102,000 2003 140 Uganda 100,800 2005 141 Afghanistan 100,000 2005 142 Somalia 100,000 2005 143 Cameroon 99,400 2004 144 Burkina Faso 97,400 2005 145 Zambia 94,700 2005 146 Angola 94,300 2005 147 Laos 90,067 2006 148 Brunei 90,000 2002 149 Cyprus 86,228 150 Guam 84,134 2001 151 Suriname 81,100 2004 152 Netherlands Antilles 81,000 2001 153 Benin 76,300 2005 154 Mali 75,000 2005 155 Jersey 73,900 2001 156 Cape Verde 71,400 2005 157 Virgin Islands 70,900 2004 158 Mozambique 69,700 2004 159 Madagascar 66,900 2005 160 Papua New Guinea 62,000 2002 161 Togo 58,600 2005 162 Bermuda 56,000 2002 163 New Caledonia 55,300 2005 164 Guernsey 55,100 2004 165 French Polynesia 53,400 2005 166 Saint Lucia 51,100 2002 167 French Guiana 51,000 2001 168 Isle of Man 51,000 1999 169 Lesotho 48,000 2005 170 Gambia, The 44,000 2005 171 Mauritania 41,000 2005 172 Gabon 39,100 2005 173 Antigua and Barbuda 38,000 2004 174 Cayman Islands 38,000 2002 175 Eritrea 37,700 2005 176 Aruba 37,100 2002 177 Cambodia 36,400 2003 178 Andorra 35,400 2005 179 Swaziland 35,000 2005 180 Monaco 33,700 2002 181 Belize 33,300 2005 182 Bhutan 32,700 2005 183 Grenada 32,700 2004 184 Maldives 32,300 2005 185 Burundi 27,700 2004 186 Guinea 26,200 2003 187 Greenland 25,300 2002 188 Saint Kitts and Nevis 25,000 2004 189 Gibraltar 24,512 2002 190 Niger 24,000 2005 191 Sierra Leone 24,000 2002 192 Faroe Islands 23,800 2005 193 Rwanda 23,000 2004 194 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22,500 2005 195 Seychelles 21,400 2005 196 Northern Mariana Islands 21,000 2000 197 Dominica 21,000 2004 198 San Marino 20,600 2002 199 Liechtenstein 19,900 2002 200 Comoros 16,900 2005 201 American Samoa 15,000 2001 202 Congo, Republic of the 13,800 2004 203 Samoa 13,300 2003 204 Chad 13,000 2004 205 Micronesia, Federated States of 12,400 2005 206 British Virgin Islands 11,700 2002 207 Tonga 11,200 2002 208 Djibouti 11,100 2004 209 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 10,600 2005 210 Guinea-Bissau 10,600 2003 211 Central African Republic 10,000 2004 212 Equatorial Guinea 10,000 2005 213 Mayotte 10,000 2002 214 Solomon Islands 7,400 2005 215 Sao Tome and Principe 7,000 2004 216 Liberia 6,900 2002 217 Vanuatu 6,800 2004 218 Palau 6,700 2002 219 Anguilla 6,200 2002 220 Cook Islands 6,200 2002 221 Turks and Caicos Islands 5,700 2002 222 Marshall Islands 5,510 2004 223 Holy See (Vatican City) 5,120 2005 224 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 4,800 2002 225 Kiribati 4,500 2002 226 Norfolk Island 2,532 2004 227 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 2,400 2002 228 Saint Helena 2,200 2002 229 Nauru 1,900 2002 230 Wallis and Futuna 1,900 2002 231 Niue 1,100 2002 232 Tuvalu 700 2002 233 Tokelau 300 2002 234 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 287 1992 235 Pitcairn Islands 1 2004 236 Antarctica 0 2001 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2151 Rank Country Telephones - mobile cellular Date of Information 1 World 2,168,433,600 2005 2 China 393,428,000 2005 3 European Union 314,644,700 2002 4 United States 219,400,000 2005 5 Russia 120,000,000 2005 6 Japan 94,745,000 2005 7 Brazil 86,210,000 2005 8 Germany 79,200,000 2005 9 Italy 72,200,000 2005 10 India 69,193,321 2006 11 United Kingdom 61,091,000 2004 12 France 48,058,000 2005 13 Mexico 47,462,000 2005 14 Indonesia 46,910,000 2005 15 Turkey 43,609,000 2005 16 Spain 41,328,000 2005 17 Korea, South 38,342,000 2005 18 South Africa 33,960,000 2005 19 Philippines 32,810,000 2005 20 Poland 29,166,400 2005 21 Thailand 27,379,000 2005 22 Taiwan 22,170,000 2005 23 Argentina 22,100,000 2005 24 Colombia 21,850,000 2005 25 Nigeria 21,571,131 2006 26 Malaysia 19,545,000 2005 27 Australia 18,420,000 2005 28 Ukraine 17,214,000 2005 29 Canada 16,600,000 2005 30 Netherlands 15,834,000 2005 31 Egypt 14,045,134 2005 32 Algeria 13,661,000 2005 33 Romania 13,354,000 2005 34 Saudi Arabia 13,300,000 2005 35 Pakistan 12,771,000 2005 36 Venezuela 12,496,000 2005 37 Morocco 12,393,000 2005 38 Czech Republic 11,776,000 2005 39 Portugal 11,448,000 2005 40 Chile 10,570,000 2005 41 Greece 10,043,000 2005 42 Vietnam 9,593,000 2005 43 Belgium 9,460,000 2005 44 Hungary 9,320,000 2005 45 Bangladesh 9,000,000 2005 46 Hong Kong 8,693,000 2005 47 Sweden 8,436,000 2005 48 Austria 8,160,000 2005 49 Israel 7,757,000 2005 50 Iran 7,222,000 2005 51 Switzerland 6,847,000 2005 52 Ecuador 6,246,000 2005 53 Bulgaria 6,245,000 2005 54 Tunisia 5,681,000 2005 55 Peru 5,583,000 2005 56 Denmark 5,469,000 2005 57 Finland 5,231,000 2005 58 Serbia 5,229,000 2005 59 Kazakhstan 4,955,000 2005 60 Norway 4,755,000 2005 61 Kenya 4,612,000 2005 62 Slovakia 4,540,000 2005 63 United Arab Emirates 4,535,000 2005 64 Singapore 4,385,000 2005 65 Lithuania 4,353,000 2005 66 Ireland 4,210,000 2005 67 Belarus 4,098,000 2005 68 Dominican Republic 3,623,000 2005 69 New Zealand 3,530,000 2005 70 Sri Lanka 3,362,000 2005 71 Guatemala 3,168,300 2004 72 Croatia 2,984,000 2005 73 Syria 2,950,000 2005 74 Ghana 2,842,000 2005 75 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 2,746,000 2005 76 Jamaica 2,700,000 2005 77 Puerto Rico 2,682,000 2004 78 Bolivia 2,421,000 2005 79 El Salvador 2,412,000 2005 80 Kuwait 2,380,000 2005 81 Cameroon 2,259,000 2005 82 Azerbaijan 2,242,000 2005 83 Cote d'Ivoire 2,190,000 2005 84 Yemen 2,000,000 2005 85 Tanzania 1,942,000 2005 86 Paraguay 1,887,000 2005 87 Latvia 1,872,000 2005 88 Sudan 1,828,000 2005 89 Slovenia 1,759,000 2005 90 Senegal 1,730,000 2005 91 Jordan 1,594,500 2004 92 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,594,000 2005 93 Uganda 1,525,000 2005 94 Georgia 1,459,000 2005 95 Estonia 1,445,000 2005 96 Panama 1,352,000 2005 97 Oman 1,333,000 2005 98 Honduras 1,282,000 2005 99 Macedonia 1,261,000 2005 100 Albania 1,259,000 2004 101 Mozambique 1,220,000 2005 102 Afghanistan 1,200,000 2005 103 Nicaragua 1,119,000 2005 104 Costa Rica 1,101,000 2005 105 Gaza Strip 1,095,000 2005 106 West Bank 1,095,000 2005 107 Angola 1,094,100 2005 108 Moldova 1,090,000 2005 109 Cambodia 1,062,000 2005 110 Lebanon 990,000 2005 111 Zambia 946,600 2005 112 Mali 869,600 2005 113 Botswana 823,100 2005 114 Trinidad and Tobago 800,000 2005 115 Bahrain 748,700 2005 116 Mauritania 745,600 2005 117 Luxembourg 720,000 2005 118 Uzbekistan 720,000 2005 119 Cyprus 718,800 120 Qatar 716,800 2005 121 Mauritius 713,300 2005 122 Zimbabwe 699,000 2005 123 Gabon 649,800 2005 124 Uruguay 600,000 2004 125 Reunion 579,200 2004 126 Iraq 574,000 2004 127 Burkina Faso 572,200 2005 128 Mongolia 557,200 2005 129 Montenegro 543,220 2005 130 Kyrgyzstan 541,700 2005 131 Macau 532,800 2005 132 Laos 520,546 2006 133 Madagascar 504,700 2005 134 Somalia 500,000 2005 135 Namibia 495,000 2005 136 Congo, Republic of the 490,000 2005 137 Togo 443,600 2005 138 Malawi 429,300 2005 139 Ethiopia 410,600 2005 140 Haiti 400,000 2004 141 Benin 386,700 2005 142 Malta 324,000 2005 143 Armenia 320,000 2005 144 Martinique 319,900 2002 145 Guadeloupe 314,700 2004 146 Iceland 304,000 2005 147 Niger 299,900 2005 148 Rwanda 290,000 2005 149 Guyana 281,400 2005 150 Tajikistan 265,000 2005 151 Nepal 248,800 2005 152 Gambia, The 247,500 2005 153 Lesotho 245,100 2005 154 Libya 234,800 2004 155 Suriname 232,800 2005 156 Chad 210,000 2005 157 Barbados 206,200 2005 158 Brunei 205,900 2004 159 Netherlands Antilles 200,000 2004 160 Swaziland 200,000 2005 161 Guinea 189,000 2005 162 Bahamas, The 186,000 2004 163 Burma 183,400 2005 164 Liberia 160,000 2005 165 Maldives 153,400 2005 166 Burundi 153,000 2005 167 Cyprus 143,178 168 Fiji 142,200 2004 169 Cuba 134,500 2005 170 New Caledonia 134,300 2005 171 Sierra Leone 113,200 2003 172 Aruba 98,400 2004 173 French Guiana 98,000 2004 174 Guam 98,000 2004 175 Equatorial Guinea 96,900 2005 176 Belize 93,100 2005 177 Saint Lucia 93,000 2004 178 French Polynesia 87,000 2005 179 Jersey 83,900 2004 180 Cape Verde 81,700 2005 181 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 70,600 2005 182 Guinea-Bissau 67,000 2005 183 Andorra 64,600 2005 184 Virgin Islands 64,200 2004 185 Central African Republic 60,000 2004 186 Seychelles 57,000 2005 187 Antigua and Barbuda 54,000 2004 188 Turkmenistan 52,000 2004 189 Bermuda 49,000 2004 190 Mayotte 48,100 2004 191 Guernsey 43,800 2004 192 Grenada 43,300 2004 193 Faroe Islands 42,500 2005 194 Dominica 41,800 2004 195 Eritrea 40,400 2005 196 Bhutan 37,800 2005 197 Djibouti 34,500 2004 198 Greenland 32,200 2004 199 Papua New Guinea 26,000 2005 200 Samoa 24,000 2005 201 Northern Mariana Islands 20,500 2004 202 Monaco 19,300 2002 203 Cayman Islands 17,000 2002 204 San Marino 16,800 2002 205 Tonga 16,400 2004 206 Comoros 16,100 2005 207 Micronesia, Federated States of 14,100 2005 208 Vanuatu 12,700 2005 209 Sao Tome and Principe 12,000 2005 210 Liechtenstein 11,400 2002 211 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10,000 2004 212 Gibraltar 9,797 2002 213 British Virgin Islands 8,000 2002 214 Solomon Islands 6,000 2005 215 American Samoa 2,377 1999 216 Anguilla 1,800 2002 217 Turks and Caicos Islands 1,700 1999 218 Cook Islands 1,500 2002 219 Nauru 1,500 2002 220 Marshall Islands 1,198 2004 221 Palau 1,000 2002 222 Kiribati 600 2004 223 Niue 400 2002 224 Montserrat 70 1994 225 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2001 226 Western Sahara 0 1999 227 Wallis and Futuna 0 1994 228 Norfolk Island 0 2002 229 Tuvalu 0 2004 230 Tokelau 0 2001 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2153 Rank Country Internet users Date of Information 1 World 1,018,057,389 2005 2 European Union 239,881,917 2006 3 United States 205,326,680 2005 4 China 123,000,000 2006 5 Japan 86,300,000 2005 6 India 60,000,000 2005 7 Germany 50,616,000 2006 8 United Kingdom 37,600,000 2005 9 Korea, South 33,900,000 2005 10 France 29,521,000 2006 11 Italy 28,870,000 2005 12 Brazil 25,900,000 2005 13 Russia 23,700,000 2005 14 Canada 21,900,000 2005 15 Spain 19,204,771 2006 16 Mexico 18,622,500 2005 17 Indonesia 16,000,000 2005 18 Turkey 16,000,000 2005 19 Australia 14,663,622 2006 20 Taiwan 13,210,000 2005 21 Vietnam 13,100,000 2006 22 Malaysia 11,016,000 2005 23 Netherlands 10,806,328 2004 24 Poland 10,600,000 2005 25 Pakistan 10,500,000 2005 26 Argentina 10,000,000 2005 27 Thailand 8,420,000 2005 28 Philippines 7,820,000 2005 29 Portugal 7,782,700 2006 30 Iran 7,500,000 2005 31 Sweden 6,800,000 2005 32 Chile 6,700,000 2005 33 Ukraine 5,278,100 2005 34 Belgium 5,100,000 2005 35 South Africa 5,100,000 2005 36 Czech Republic 5,100,000 2005 37 Switzerland 5,097,822 2005 38 Egypt 5,000,000 2005 39 Nigeria 5,000,000 2005 40 Romania 4,940,000 2005 41 Hong Kong 4,878,713 2005 42 Colombia 4,739,000 2005 43 Austria 4,650,000 2005 44 Morocco 4,600,000 2005 45 Peru 4,600,000 2005 46 Greece 3,800,000 2005 47 Denmark 3,762,500 2005 48 Israel 3,700,000 2006 49 Belarus 3,394,400 2005 50 Finland 3,286,000 2005 51 New Zealand 3,200,000 2005 52 Norway 3,140,000 2005 53 Hungary 3,050,000 2005 54 Venezuela 3,040,000 2005 55 Sudan 2,800,000 2005 56 Saudi Arabia 2,540,000 2005 57 Slovakia 2,500,000 2005 58 Singapore 2,421,800 2005 59 Bulgaria 2,200,000 2005 60 Ireland 2,060,000 2005 61 Algeria 1,920,000 2005 62 Croatia 1,451,100 2005 63 Serbia 1,400,000 2006 64 United Arab Emirates 1,397,200 2005 65 Lithuania 1,221,700 2005 66 Syria 1,100,000 2005 67 Slovenia 1,090,000 2005 68 Jamaica 1,067,000 2005 69 Kenya 1,054,900 2005 70 Latvia 1,030,000 2005 71 Costa Rica 1,000,000 2005 72 Zimbabwe 1,000,000 2005 73 Puerto Rico 1,000,000 2005 74 Tunisia 953,800 2005 75 Dominican Republic 938,300 2005 76 Uzbekistan 880,000 2005 77 Bosnia and Herzegovina 806,400 2005 78 Guatemala 756,000 2005 79 Kuwait 700,000 2005 80 Lebanon 700,000 2005 81 Estonia 690,000 2005 82 Uruguay 680,000 2005 83 Azerbaijan 678,800 2005 84 El Salvador 637,100 2005 85 Jordan 629,500 2005 86 Ecuador 616,000 2005 87 Senegal 540,000 2005 88 Haiti 500,000 2005 89 Uganda 500,000 2005 90 Bolivia 480,000 2005 91 Benin 425,000 2005 92 Moldova 406,000 2005 93 Ghana 401,300 2005 94 Kazakhstan 400,000 2005 95 Macedonia 392,671 2005 96 Tanzania 333,000 2005 97 Luxembourg 315,000 2005 98 Bangladesh 300,000 2005 99 Panama 300,000 2005 100 Togo 300,000 2005 101 Cyprus 298,000 2005 102 Sri Lanka 280,000 2005 103 Kyrgyzstan 280,000 2005 104 Mongolia 268,300 2005 105 Iceland 258,000 2005 106 Oman 245,000 2005 107 Gaza Strip 243,000 2005 108 West Bank 243,000 2005 109 Zambia 231,000 2005 110 Honduras 223,000 2005 111 Yemen 220,000 2005 112 Qatar 219,000 2005 113 Libya 205,000 2005 114 Macau 201,000 2004 115 Paraguay 200,000 2005 116 Reunion 200,000 2005 117 Cuba 190,000 2005 118 Mauritius 180,000 2005 119 Georgia 175,600 2005 120 Nepal 175,000 2005 121 Angola 172,000 2005 122 Papua New Guinea 170,000 2005 123 Cameroon 167,000 2005 124 Barbados 160,000 2005 125 Guyana 160,000 2005 126 Trinidad and Tobago 160,000 2005 127 Cote d'Ivoire 160,000 2005 128 Bahrain 152,700 2005 129 Armenia 150,000 2005 130 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 140,600 2005 131 Nicaragua 140,000 2005 132 Mozambique 138,000 2005 133 Malta 127,200 2005 134 Ethiopia 113,000 2005 135 Martinique 107,000 2005 136 Bahamas, The 93,000 2005 137 Madagascar 90,000 2005 138 Somalia 90,000 2005 139 Guadeloupe 79,000 2005 140 Guam 79,000 2004 141 Burma 78,000 2005 142 New Caledonia 76,000 2005 143 Albania 75,000 2005 144 Namibia 75,000 2005 145 Eritrea 70,000 2005 146 Gabon 67,000 2005 147 Burkina Faso 64,600 2005 148 Fiji 61,000 2004 149 Botswana 60,000 2002 150 Mali 60,000 2005 151 Brunei 56,000 2005 152 French Polynesia 55,000 2005 153 Saint Lucia 55,000 2005 154 Malawi 52,500 2005 155 Montenegro 50,000 2004 156 Gambia, The 49,000 2005 157 Guinea 46,000 2005 158 Lesotho 43,000 2005 159 Cambodia 41,000 2005 160 Bermuda 39,000 2005 161 French Guiana 38,000 2005 162 Greenland 38,000 2005 163 Rwanda 38,000 2005 164 Congo, Republic of the 36,000 2005 165 Guernsey 36,000 2005 166 Turkmenistan 36,000 2005 167 Swaziland 36,000 2005 168 Iraq 36,000 2005 169 Belize 35,000 2005 170 Chad 35,000 2005 171 Faroe Islands 33,000 2005 172 Afghanistan 30,000 2005 173 Virgin Islands 30,000 2002 174 Suriname 30,000 2005 175 Jersey 27,000 2005 176 Guinea-Bissau 26,000 2005 177 Bhutan 25,000 2005 178 Laos 25,000 2005 179 Cape Verde 25,000 2005 180 Burundi 25,000 2005 181 Aruba 24,000 2002 182 Niger 24,000 2005 183 Andorra 21,900 2005 184 Dominica 20,500 2005 185 Antigua and Barbuda 20,000 2005 186 Sao Tome and Principe 20,000 2005 187 Seychelles 20,000 2005 188 Liechtenstein 20,000 2002 189 Comoros 20,000 2005 190 Grenada 19,000 2005 191 Maldives 19,000 2005 192 Monaco 16,000 2002 193 San Marino 14,300 2002 194 Micronesia, Federated States of 14,000 2005 195 Mauritania 14,000 2005 196 Northern Mariana Islands 10,000 2003 197 Sierra Leone 10,000 2005 198 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10,000 2002 199 Cayman Islands 9,909 2003 200 Central African Republic 9,000 2005 201 Djibouti 9,000 2005 202 Solomon Islands 8,400 2005 203 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8,000 2005 204 Vanuatu 7,500 2004 205 Gibraltar 6,200 2002 206 Samoa 6,000 2004 207 Equatorial Guinea 5,000 2005 208 Tajikistan 5,000 2005 209 British Virgin Islands 4,000 2002 210 Cook Islands 3,600 2002 211 Anguilla 3,000 2002 212 Tonga 3,000 2004 213 Kiribati 2,000 2004 214 Netherlands Antilles 2,000 2000 215 Marshall Islands 2,000 2005 216 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1,900 2002 217 Tuvalu 1,300 2002 218 Liberia 1,000 2002 219 East Timor 1,000 2004 220 Saint Helena 1,000 2003 221 Niue 900 2002 222 Wallis and Futuna 900 2002 223 Norfolk Island 700 224 Christmas Island 464 2001 225 Nauru 300 2002 226 Holy See (Vatican City) 93 2000 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2155 Rank Country HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) Date of Information 1 Swaziland 38.80 2003 est. 2 Botswana 37.30 2003 est. 3 Lesotho 28.90 2003 est. 4 Zimbabwe 24.60 2001 est. 5 South Africa 21.50 2003 est. 6 Namibia 21.30 2003 est. 7 Zambia 16.50 2003 est. 8 Malawi 14.20 2003 est. 9 Central African Republic 13.50 2003 est. 10 Mozambique 12.20 2003 est. 11 Guinea-Bissau 10.00 2003 est. 12 Tanzania 8.80 2003 est. 13 Gabon 8.10 2003 est. 14 Cote d'Ivoire 7.00 2003 est. 15 Sierra Leone 7.00 2001 est. 16 Cameroon 6.90 2003 est. 17 Kenya 6.70 2003 est. 18 Burundi 6.00 2003 est. 19 Liberia 5.90 2003 est. 20 Haiti 5.60 2003 est. 21 Nigeria 5.40 2003 est. 22 Rwanda 5.10 2003 est. 23 Congo, Republic of the 4.90 2003 est. 24 Chad 4.80 2003 est. 25 Ethiopia 4.40 2003 est. 26 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4.20 2003 est. 27 Burkina Faso 4.20 2003 est. 28 Togo 4.10 2003 est. 29 Uganda 4.10 2003 est. 30 Angola 3.90 2003 est. 31 Equatorial Guinea 3.40 2001 est. 32 Guinea 3.20 2003 est. 33 Trinidad and Tobago 3.20 2003 est. 34 Ghana 3.10 2003 est. 35 Bahamas, The 3.00 2003 est. 36 Djibouti 2.90 2003 est. 37 Eritrea 2.70 2003 est. 38 Cambodia 2.60 2003 est. 39 Guyana 2.50 2003 est. 40 Belize 2.40 2003 est. 41 Sudan 2.30 2001 est. 42 Benin 1.90 2003 est. 43 Mali 1.90 2003 est. 44 Honduras 1.80 2003 est. 45 Dominican Republic 1.70 2003 est. 46 Madagascar 1.70 2003 est. 47 Suriname 1.70 2001 est. 48 Barbados 1.50 2003 est. 49 Thailand 1.50 2003 est. 50 Ukraine 1.40 2003 est. 51 Burma 1.20 2003 est. 52 Niger 1.20 2003 est. 53 Jamaica 1.20 2003 est. 54 Gambia, The 1.20 2003 est. 55 Estonia 1.10 2001 est. 56 Russia 1.10 2001 est. 57 Guatemala 1.10 2003 est. 58 Somalia 1.00 2001 est. 59 India 0.90 2001 est. 60 Panama 0.90 2003 est. 61 Senegal 0.80 2003 est. 62 Argentina 0.70 2001 est. 63 Brazil 0.70 2003 est. 64 Venezuela 0.70 2001 est. 65 Spain 0.70 2001 est. 66 El Salvador 0.70 2003 est. 67 Colombia 0.70 2003 est. 68 Costa Rica 0.60 2003 est. 69 Mauritania 0.60 2003 est. 70 Latvia 0.60 2001 est. 71 United States 0.60 2003 est. 72 Papua New Guinea 0.60 2003 est. 73 Italy 0.50 2001 est. 74 Paraguay 0.50 2003 est. 75 Peru 0.50 2003 est. 76 Nepal 0.50 2001 est. 77 France 0.40 2003 est. 78 Vietnam 0.40 2003 est. 79 Switzerland 0.40 2001 est. 80 Portugal 0.40 2001 est. 81 Malaysia 0.40 2003 est. 82 Austria 0.30 2003 est. 83 Ecuador 0.30 2003 est. 84 Belarus 0.30 2001 est. 85 Uruguay 0.30 2001 est. 86 Chile 0.30 2003 est. 87 Mexico 0.30 2003 est. 88 Libya 0.30 2001 est. 89 Canada 0.30 2003 est. 90 Bermuda 0.30 2005 91 Bahrain 0.20 2001 est. 92 Belgium 0.20 2003 est. 93 United Kingdom 0.20 2001 est. 94 Singapore 0.20 2003 est. 95 Nicaragua 0.20 2003 est. 96 Netherlands 0.20 2001 est. 97 Malta 0.20 2001 est. 98 Moldova 0.20 2001 est. 99 Luxembourg 0.20 2001 est. 100 Kazakhstan 0.20 2001 est. 101 Iceland 0.20 2001 est. 102 Greece 0.20 2001 est. 103 Denmark 0.20 2003 est. 104 United Arab Emirates 0.18 2001 est. 105 Comoros 0.12 2001 est. 106 Kuwait 0.12 2001 est. 107 Algeria 0.10 2001 est. 108 Australia 0.10 2003 est. 109 Bangladesh 0.10 2001 est. 110 Bolivia 0.10 2003 est. 111 Bulgaria 0.10 2001 est. 112 Sri Lanka 0.10 2001 est. 113 Maldives 0.10 2001 est. 114 Oman 0.10 2001 est. 115 Mauritius 0.10 2001 est. 116 Morocco 0.10 2001 est. 117 Macedonia 0.10 2001 est. 118 Georgia 0.10 2001 est. 119 Fiji 0.10 2003 est. 120 Finland 0.10 2003 est. 121 Czech Republic 0.10 2001 est. 122 Ireland 0.10 2001 est. 123 Egypt 0.10 2001 est. 124 Cyprus 0.10 2003 est. 125 Cuba 0.10 2003 est. 126 China 0.10 2003 est. 127 Tajikistan 0.10 2001 est. 128 Syria 0.10 2001 est. 129 Sweden 0.10 2001 est. 130 Slovenia 0.10 2001 est. 131 Philippines 0.10 2003 est. 132 Romania 0.10 2001 est. 133 Poland 0.10 2001 est. 134 Pakistan 0.10 2001 est. 135 Mongolia 0.10 2003 est. 136 Yemen 0.10 2001 est. 137 Uzbekistan 0.10 2001 est. 138 Turkmenistan 0.10 2004 est. 139 Turkey 0.10 2001 est. 140 Tunisia 0.10 2005 est. 141 Slovakia 0.10 2001 est. 142 Lithuania 0.10 2001 est. 143 Lebanon 0.10 2001 est. 144 Laos 0.10 2003 est. 145 Korea, South 0.10 2003 est. 146 Kyrgyzstan 0.10 2001 est. 147 Jordan 0.10 2001 est. 148 Japan 0.10 2003 est. 149 New Zealand 0.10 2003 est. 150 Norway 0.10 2001 est. 151 Iraq 0.10 2001 est. 152 Israel 0.10 2001 est. 153 Iran 0.10 2001 est. 154 Indonesia 0.10 2003 est. 155 Hungary 0.10 2001 est. 156 Croatia 0.10 2001 est. 157 Hong Kong 0.10 2003 est. 158 Germany 0.10 2001 est. 159 Brunei 0.10 2003 est. 160 Bhutan 0.10 2001 est. 161 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.10 2001 est. 162 Azerbaijan 0.10 2003 est. 163 Armenia 0.10 2003 est. 164 Qatar 0.09 2001 est. 165 Cape Verde 0.04 166 Afghanistan 0.01 2001 est. 167 Saudi Arabia 0.01 2001 est. 168 Svalbard 0.00 2001 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2156 Rank Country HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS Date of Information 1 South Africa 5,300,000 2003 est. 2 India 5,100,000 2001 est. 3 Nigeria 3,600,000 2003 est. 4 Zimbabwe 1,800,000 2001 est. 5 Tanzania 1,600,000 2003 est. 6 Ethiopia 1,500,000 2003 est. 7 Mozambique 1,300,000 2003 est. 8 Kenya 1,200,000 2003 est. 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1,100,000 2003 est. 10 United States 950,000 2003 est. 11 Zambia 920,000 2003 est. 12 Malawi 900,000 2003 est. 13 Russia 860,000 2001 est. 14 China 840,000 2003 est. 15 Brazil 660,000 2003 est. 16 Cote d'Ivoire 570,000 2003 est. 17 Thailand 570,000 2003 est. 18 Cameroon 560,000 2003 est. 19 Uganda 530,000 2001 est. 20 Sudan 400,000 2001 est. 21 Ukraine 360,000 2001 est. 22 Botswana 350,000 2003 est. 23 Ghana 350,000 2003 est. 24 Burma 330,000 2003 est. 25 Lesotho 320,000 2003 est. 26 Burkina Faso 300,000 2003 est. 27 Haiti 280,000 2003 est. 28 Central African Republic 260,000 2003 est. 29 Burundi 250,000 2003 est. 30 Rwanda 250,000 2003 est. 31 Angola 240,000 2003 est. 32 Vietnam 220,000 2003 est. 33 Swaziland 220,000 2003 est. 34 Namibia 210,000 2001 est. 35 Chad 200,000 2003 est. 36 Colombia 190,000 2003 est. 37 Cambodia 170,000 2003 est. 38 Sierra Leone 170,000 2001 est. 39 Mexico 160,000 2003 est. 40 Guinea 140,000 2003 est. 41 Madagascar 140,000 2003 est. 42 Italy 140,000 2001 est. 43 Mali 140,000 2003 est. 44 Spain 140,000 2001 est. 45 Argentina 130,000 2001 est. 46 France 120,000 2003 est. 47 Indonesia 110,000 2003 est. 48 Togo 110,000 2003 est. 49 Venezuela 110,000 1999 est. 50 Liberia 100,000 2003 est. 51 Congo, Republic of the 90,000 2003 est. 52 Dominican Republic 88,000 2003 est. 53 Peru 82,000 2003 est. 54 Guatemala 78,000 2003 est. 55 Pakistan 74,000 2001 est. 56 Niger 70,000 2003 est. 57 Benin 68,000 2003 est. 58 Honduras 63,000 2003 est. 59 Nepal 61,000 2001 est. 60 Eritrea 60,000 2003 est. 61 Canada 56,000 2003 est. 62 Malaysia 52,000 2003 est. 63 United Kingdom 51,000 2001 est. 64 Gabon 48,000 2003 est. 65 Senegal 44,000 2003 est. 66 Germany 43,000 2001 est. 67 Somalia 43,000 2001 est. 68 Iran 31,000 2001 est. 69 El Salvador 29,000 2003 est. 70 Trinidad and Tobago 29,000 2003 est. 71 Chile 26,000 2003 est. 72 Jamaica 22,000 2003 est. 73 Portugal 22,000 2001 est. 74 Ecuador 21,000 2003 est. 75 Netherlands 19,000 2001 est. 76 Guinea-Bissau 17,000 2001 est. 77 Kazakhstan 16,500 2001 est. 78 Panama 16,000 2003 est. 79 Papua New Guinea 16,000 2003 est. 80 Belarus 15,000 2001 est. 81 Morocco 15,000 2001 est. 82 Paraguay 15,000 1999 est. 83 Australia 14,000 2003 est. 84 Poland 14,000 2003 est. 85 Bangladesh 13,000 2001 est. 86 Switzerland 13,000 2001 est. 87 Costa Rica 12,000 2003 est. 88 Yemen 12,000 2001 est. 89 Japan 12,000 2003 est. 90 Egypt 12,000 2001 est. 91 Guyana 11,000 2003 est. 92 Uzbekistan 11,000 2003 est. 93 Austria 10,000 2003 est. 94 Belgium 10,000 2003 est. 95 Libya 10,000 2001 est. 96 Mauritania 9,500 2003 est. 97 Algeria 9,100 2003 est. 98 Greece 9,100 2001 est. 99 Djibouti 9,100 2003 est. 100 Philippines 9,000 2003 est. 101 Korea, South 8,300 2003 est. 102 Estonia 7,800 2003 est. 103 Latvia 7,600 2001 est. 104 Puerto Rico 7,397 105 Gambia, The 6,800 2003 est. 106 Romania 6,500 2001 est. 107 Nicaragua 6,400 2003 est. 108 Uruguay 6,000 2001 est. 109 Equatorial Guinea 5,900 2001 est. 110 Bahamas, The 5,600 2003 est. 111 Moldova 5,500 2001 est. 112 Suriname 5,200 2001 est. 113 Denmark 5,000 2003 est. 114 Bolivia 4,900 2003 est. 115 Singapore 4,100 2003 est. 116 Kyrgyzstan 3,900 2003 est. 117 Belize 3,600 2003 est. 118 Sweden 3,600 2001 est. 119 Sri Lanka 3,500 2001 est. 120 Cuba 3,300 2003 est. 121 Georgia 3,000 2003 est. 122 Israel 3,000 1999 est. 123 Ireland 2,800 2001 est. 124 Lebanon 2,800 2003 est. 125 Hungary 2,800 2001 est. 126 Armenia 2,600 2003 est. 127 Hong Kong 2,600 2003 est. 128 Barbados 2,500 2003 est. 129 Czech Republic 2,500 2001 est. 130 Norway 2,100 2001 est. 131 Laos 1,700 2003 est. 132 Finland 1,500 2003 est. 133 Azerbaijan 1,400 2003 est. 134 New Zealand 1,400 2003 est. 135 Lithuania 1,300 2003 est. 136 Oman 1,300 2001 est. 137 Cyprus 1,000 1999 est. 138 Tunisia 1,000 2003 est. 139 Bosnia and Herzegovina 900 2003 est. 140 Cape Verde 775 141 Mauritius 700 2001 est. 142 Bahrain 600 2003 est. 143 Jordan 600 2003 est. 144 Fiji 600 2003 est. 145 Iraq 500 2003 est. 146 Mongolia 500 2003 est 147 Syria 500 2003 est. 148 Malta 500 2003 est. 149 Luxembourg 500 2003 est. 150 Bulgaria 346 2001 est. 151 Slovenia 280 2001 est. 152 Iceland 220 2001 est. 153 Brunei 200 2003 est. 154 Slovakia 200 2003 est. 155 Croatia 200 2001 est. 156 Macedonia 200 2003 est. 157 Turkmenistan 200 2003 est. 158 Tajikistan 200 2003 est. 159 Bermuda 163 2005 160 Bhutan 100 1999 est. 161 Maldives 100 2001 est. 162 Greenland 100 163 Samoa 12 164 Svalbard 0 2001 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2157 Rank Country HIV/AIDS - deaths Date of Information 1 South Africa 370,000 2003 est. 2 India 310,000 2001 est. 3 Nigeria 310,000 2003 est. 4 Zimbabwe 170,000 2003 est. 5 Tanzania 160,000 2003 est. 6 Kenya 150,000 2003 est. 7 Ethiopia 120,000 2003 est. 8 Mozambique 110,000 2003 est. 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 100,000 2003 est. 10 Zambia 89,000 2003 est. 11 Malawi 84,000 2003 est. 12 Uganda 78,000 2003 est. 13 Thailand 58,000 2003 est. 14 Cameroon 49,000 2003 est. 15 Cote d'Ivoire 47,000 2003 est. 16 China 44,000 2003 est. 17 Botswana 33,000 2003 est. 18 Ghana 30,000 2003 est. 19 Lesotho 29,000 2003 est. 20 Burkina Faso 29,000 2003 est. 21 Burundi 25,000 2003 est. 22 Haiti 24,000 2003 est. 23 Central African Republic 23,000 2003 est. 24 Sudan 23,000 2003 est. 25 Rwanda 22,000 2003 est. 26 Angola 21,000 2003 est. 27 Burma 20,000 2003 est. 28 Ukraine 20,000 2003 est. 29 Chad 18,000 2003 est. 30 Swaziland 17,000 2003 est. 31 Namibia 16,000 2003 est. 32 Brazil 15,000 2003 est. 33 Cambodia 15,000 2003 est. 34 United States 14,000 2003 est. 35 Mali 12,000 2003 est. 36 Sierra Leone 11,000 2001 est. 37 Togo 10,000 2003 est. 38 Congo, Republic of the 9,700 2003 est. 39 Guinea 9,000 2003 est. 40 Russia 9,000 2001 est. 41 Vietnam 9,000 2003 est. 42 Dominican Republic 7,900 2003 est. 43 Madagascar 7,500 2003 est. 44 Liberia 7,200 2003 est. 45 Eritrea 6,300 2003 est. 46 Benin 5,800 2003 est. 47 Guatemala 5,800 2003 est. 48 Mexico 5,000 2003 est. 49 Pakistan 4,900 2003 est. 50 Niger 4,800 2003 est. 51 Peru 4,200 2003 est. 52 Honduras 4,100 2003 est. 53 Venezuela 4,100 2003 est. 54 Colombia 3,600 2003 est. 55 Senegal 3,500 2003 est. 56 Nepal 3,100 2003 est. 57 Gabon 3,000 2003 est. 58 Indonesia 2,400 2003 est. 59 El Salvador 2,200 2003 est. 60 Malaysia 2,000 2003 est. 61 Trinidad and Tobago 1,900 2003 est. 62 Ecuador 1,700 2003 est. 63 Argentina 1,500 2003 est. 64 Canada 1,500 2003 est. 65 Chile 1,400 2003 est. 66 Guinea-Bissau 1,200 2001 est. 67 Guyana 1,100 2003 est. 68 Belarus 1,000 2001 est. 69 Spain 1,000 2003 est. 70 Portugal 1,000 2003 est. 71 Italy 1,000 2003 est. 72 Germany 1,000 2003 est. 73 France 1,000 2003 est. 74 Costa Rica 900 2003 est. 75 Jamaica 900 2003 est. 76 Iran 800 2003 est. 77 Egypt 700 2003 est. 78 Djibouti 690 2003 est. 79 Bangladesh 650 2001 est. 80 Gambia, The 600 2003 est. 81 Paraguay 600 2003 est. 82 Papua New Guinea 600 2003 est. 83 Algeria 500 2003 est. 84 Japan 500 2003 est. 85 Latvia 500 2003 est. 86 Philippines 500 2003 est. 87 Uzbekistan 500 2003 est. 88 Uruguay 500 2003 est. 89 United Kingdom 500 2003 est. 90 Suriname 500 2003 est. 91 Jordan 500 2003 est. 92 Bermuda 392 2005 93 Equatorial Guinea 370 2001 est. 94 Romania 350 2001 est. 95 Moldova 300 2001 est. 96 Cape Verde 225 97 Armenia 200 2003 est. 98 Lithuania 200 2003 est. 99 Lebanon 200 2003 est. 100 Laos 200 2003 est. 101 Kazakhstan 200 2003 est. 102 Korea, South 200 2003 est. 103 Kyrgyzstan 200 2003 est. 104 Hong Kong 200 2003 est. 105 Georgia 200 2003 est. 106 Fiji 200 2003 est. 107 Tunisia 200 2003 est. 108 Syria 200 2003 est. 109 Singapore 200 2003 est. 110 New Zealand 200 2003 est. 111 Oman 200 2003 est. 112 Mongolia 200 2003 est. 113 Estonia 200 2003 est. 114 Cuba 200 2003 est. 115 Sri Lanka 200 2003 est. 116 Brunei 200 2003 est. 117 Bahamas, The 200 2003 est. 118 Barbados 200 2003 est. 119 Bahrain 200 2003 est. 120 Azerbaijan 100 2001 est. 121 Turkmenistan 100 2004 est. 122 Tajikistan 100 2001 est. 123 Switzerland 100 2003 est. 124 Sweden 100 2003 est. 125 Slovenia 100 2003 est. 126 Poland 100 2001 est. 127 Norway 100 2003 est. 128 Netherlands 100 2003 est. 129 Malta 100 2003 est. 130 Mauritius 100 2001 est. 131 Macedonia 100 2003 est. 132 Luxembourg 100 2003 est. 133 Slovakia 100 2001 est. 134 Israel 100 2001 est. 135 Iceland 100 2003 est. 136 Hungary 100 2001 est. 137 Greece 100 2003 est. 138 Finland 100 2003 est. 139 Bulgaria 100 2001 est. 140 Bosnia and Herzegovina 100 2001 est. 141 Denmark 100 2003 est. 142 Ireland 100 2003 est. 143 Belgium 100 2003 est. 144 Austria 100 2003 est. 145 Czech Republic 10 2001 est. 146 Croatia 10 2001 est. 147 Samoa 3 148 Svalbard 0 2001 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2173 Rank Country Oil - production(bbl/day) Date of Information 1 World 79,650,000 2003 est. 2 Saudi Arabia 9,475,000 2005 est. 3 Russia 9,150,000 2005 est. 4 United States 7,610,000 2005 est. 5 Iran 3,979,000 2005 est. 6 China 3,504,000 2004 7 European Union 3,424,000 2001 8 Mexico 3,420,000 2005 est. 9 Norway 3,220,000 2005 est. 10 Venezuela 3,081,000 2005 est. 11 Nigeria 2,451,000 2005 est. 12 Kuwait 2,418,000 2005 est. 13 Canada 2,400,000 2004 14 United Arab Emirates 2,396,000 2005 est. 15 United Kingdom 2,393,000 2003 est. 16 Iraq 2,093,000 2005 est. 17 Brazil 2,010,000 2005 est. 18 Libya 1,643,000 2005 est. 19 Angola 1,600,000 2005 est. 20 Algeria 1,373,000 2005 est. 21 Kazakhstan 1,300,000 2005 est. 22 Indonesia 1,061,000 2005 est. 23 Qatar 790,500 2005 est. 24 India 785,000 2005 est. 25 Malaysia 770,000 2005 est. 26 Oman 769,000 2005 est. 27 Argentina 745,000 2005 est. 28 Egypt 700,000 2005 est. 29 Australia 530,000 2005 est. 30 Colombia 512,400 2005 est. 31 Ecuador 493,200 2005 est. 32 Azerbaijan 477,000 2005 est. 33 Equatorial Guinea 420,000 2005 est. 34 Syria 403,800 2005 est. 35 Sudan 401,300 2005 est. 36 Vietnam 400,000 2005 est. 37 Yemen 387,500 2005 est. 38 Denmark 376,900 2003 39 Gabon 268,900 2005 est. 40 Congo, Republic of the 267,100 2005 est. 41 Thailand 230,000 2005 est. 42 Chad 225,000 2005 est. 43 South Africa 216,700 2003 est. 44 Turkmenistan 203,400 2003 est. 45 Brunei 200,800 2005 46 Bahrain 188,300 2005 est. 47 Germany 158,700 2003 48 Uzbekistan 152,000 2004 49 Trinidad and Tobago 150,000 2005 est. 50 Italy 136,200 2003 est. 51 Japan 120,700 2003 est. 52 Peru 120,000 2005 est. 53 Romania 119,000 2005 est. 54 Netherlands 94,870 2003 55 Ukraine 85,660 2004 56 Cameroon 82,300 2005 est. 57 France 76,300 2003 est. 58 Tunisia 76,000 2004 est. 59 Cuba 72,000 2005 est. 60 Pakistan 63,000 2005 est. 61 Papua New Guinea 50,000 January 2006 est. 62 Turkey 50,000 2005 est. 63 Hungary 45,190 2005 64 Bolivia 42,000 2005 est. 65 Belarus 36,000 2004 est. 66 Cote d'Ivoire 32,900 2005 est. 67 New Zealand 31,740 2003 est. 68 Spain 24,540 2003 est. 69 Poland 24,530 2003 est. 70 Guatemala 22,300 2005 est. 71 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 22,000 2003 72 Croatia 20,500 2005 est. 73 Burma 18,500 2005 est. 74 Austria 17,810 2004 75 Czech Republic 15,240 2005 76 Serbia 14,660 2003 77 Virgin Islands 14,650 2003 est. 78 Philippines 14,360 2003 est. 79 Nicaragua 14,300 2005 est. 80 Lithuania 14,000 2004 81 Belgium 13,060 2003 82 Suriname 12,000 2004 est. 83 Slovakia 11,480 2005 est. 84 Finland 9,013 2003 est. 85 Taiwan 8,354 2003 est. 86 Singapore 8,290 2003 est. 87 Ghana 7,433 2003 est. 88 Bangladesh 6,825 2003 89 Estonia 6,000 2004 90 Greece 5,805 2003 est. 91 Chile 4,000 2005 est. 92 Albania 3,600 2005 est. 93 Israel 2,740 2003 est. 94 Sweden 2,441 2003 est. 95 Aruba 2,363 2003 96 Kyrgyzstan 1,990 2003 97 Georgia 1,982 2003 98 Switzerland 1,950 2003 est. 99 Barbados 1,000 2003 100 Bulgaria 1,000 2004 101 Mongolia 549 2005 est. 102 Puerto Rico 436 2003 est. 103 Uruguay 435 2003 est. 104 Benin 400 2003 105 Tajikistan 355 2003 est. 106 Cyprus 300 2005 est. 107 Morocco 300 2005 est. 108 Zambia 130 2003 est. 109 Madagascar 89 2003 est. 110 Jordan 40 2004 est. 111 Slovenia 11 2003 est. 112 Sierra Leone 1 2003 est. 113 Antigua and Barbuda 0 2003 114 Botswana 0 2003 115 Bahamas, The 0 2003 116 Solomon Islands 0 2003 est. 117 Liberia 0 2003 est. 118 Latvia 0 2004 119 Lebanon 0 2003 est. 120 Laos 0 2003 est. 121 Korea, South 0 2004 122 Kiribati 0 2003 est. 123 Korea, North 0 2004 est. 124 Kenya 0 2003 est. 125 Jamaica 0 2003 est. 126 Zimbabwe 0 2003 est. 127 Swaziland 0 2004 est. 128 Samoa 0 2003 est. 129 Western Sahara 0 2003 est. 130 Namibia 0 2003 est. 131 British Virgin Islands 0 2003 132 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2003 est. 133 Burkina Faso 0 2003 134 Uganda 0 2003 est. 135 Tanzania 0 2003 est. 136 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2003 est. 137 Togo 0 2003 est. 138 Tonga 0 2003 est. 139 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2003 est. 140 Saint Lucia 0 2003 est. 141 Somalia 0 2003 est. 142 Saint Helena 0 2003 est. 143 Senegal 0 2003 est. 144 Seychelles 0 2003 est. 145 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2003 est. 146 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2003 est. 147 Rwanda 0 2003 est. 148 Reunion 0 2003 est. 149 Guinea-Bissau 0 2003 est. 150 Portugal 0 2003 est. 151 Panama 0 2004 est. 152 Paraguay 0 2003 est. 153 Netherlands Antilles 0 2003 est. 154 Nauru 0 2003 est. 155 Nepal 0 2005 est. 156 Vanuatu 0 2003 est. 157 Niger 0 2003 est. 158 Niue 0 2003 est. 159 New Caledonia 0 2003 est. 160 Mozambique 0 2003 est. 161 Maldives 0 2003 est. 162 Malta 0 2003 est. 163 Mauritania 0 2005 est. 164 Mauritius 0 2003 est. 165 Mali 0 2003 est. 166 Macedonia 0 2005 est. 167 Malawi 0 2003 est. 168 Montserrat 0 2003 est. 169 Moldova 0 2003 est. 170 Macau 0 2004 est. 171 Martinique 0 2003 est. 172 Luxembourg 0 2003 est. 173 Lesotho 0 2003 est. 174 Iceland 0 2003 est. 175 Honduras 0 2003 est. 176 Hong Kong 0 2003 est. 177 Ireland 0 2003 est. 178 Dominican Republic 0 2003 179 Dominica 0 2003 180 Djibouti 0 2003 181 Cook Islands 0 2003 182 Cape Verde 0 2003 183 Central African Republic 0 2003 184 Costa Rica 0 2003 185 Comoros 0 2003 186 Cayman Islands 0 2003 187 Sri Lanka 0 2003 est. 188 Cambodia 0 2003 189 Burundi 0 2003 190 Haiti 0 2003 est. 191 Guyana 0 2003 est. 192 Guinea 0 2003 est. 193 Guam 0 2003 est. 194 Guadeloupe 0 2003 est. 195 Greenland 0 2003 est. 196 Grenada 0 2003 est. 197 Gibraltar 0 2003 est. 198 Gambia, The 0 2003 est. 199 French Polynesia 0 2003 est. 200 Faroe Islands 0 2003 est. 201 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2003 est. 202 Fiji 0 2003 est. 203 French Guiana 0 2003 est. 204 Ethiopia 0 2003 est. 205 El Salvador 0 2003 est. 206 Eritrea 0 2003 est. 207 Bhutan 0 2003 208 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2003 209 Belize 0 2003 210 Bermuda 0 2003 211 Armenia 0 2005 212 American Samoa 0 2003 213 Afghanistan 0 2003 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2174 Rank Country Oil - consumption(bbl/day) Date of Information 1 World 80,100,000 2003 est. 2 United States 20,030,000 2003 est. 3 European Union 14,590,000 2001 4 China 6,391,000 2004 5 Japan 5,578,000 2003 est. 6 Russia 2,800,000 2005 est. 7 Germany 2,677,000 2003 8 India 2,320,000 2003 est. 9 Canada 2,300,000 2004 10 Korea, South 2,061,000 2004 11 France 2,060,000 2003 est. 12 Italy 1,874,000 2003 est. 13 Saudi Arabia 1,775,000 2003 14 Mexico 1,752,000 2004 est. 15 United Kingdom 1,722,000 2003 est. 16 Brazil 1,610,000 2004 17 Spain 1,544,000 2003 est. 18 Iran 1,425,000 2003 est. 19 Indonesia 1,084,000 2005 est. 20 Netherlands 920,000 2003 est. 21 Taiwan 915,000 2003 est. 22 Australia 875,600 2003 est. 23 Thailand 851,000 2004 est. 24 Singapore 800,000 2005 est. 25 Turkey 715,100 2005 est. 26 Belgium 624,200 2003 est. 27 Egypt 566,000 2003 est. 28 Venezuela 530,000 2003 est. 29 Malaysia 510,000 2003 est. 30 Ukraine 491,700 2004 31 South Africa 484,000 2003 est. 32 Poland 476,200 2003 est. 33 Argentina 450,000 2001 est. 34 Greece 435,700 2005 est. 35 Pakistan 365,000 2004 est. 36 Iraq 351,500 2005 est. 37 Sweden 346,100 2003 est. 38 Philippines 335,000 2003 est. 39 Portugal 326,500 2003 est. 40 United Arab Emirates 310,000 2004 est. 41 Nigeria 310,000 2003 est. 42 Kuwait 305,000 2003 est. 43 Hong Kong 293,000 2004 est. 44 Israel 270,100 2003 est. 45 Colombia 270,000 2003 est. 46 Switzerland 258,900 2003 est. 47 Norway 257,200 2003 est. 48 Belarus 252,000 2003 est. 49 Austria 249,000 2004 est. 50 Algeria 246,000 2004 est. 51 Syria 240,000 2004 est. 52 Libya 237,000 2004 est. 53 Chile 228,000 2003 est. 54 Kazakhstan 221,000 2003 est. 55 Finland 219,700 2003 est. 56 Puerto Rico 218,000 2003 est. 57 Vietnam 216,000 2003 est. 58 Romania 212,000 2004 est. 59 Cuba 205,000 2003 est. 60 Czech Republic 202,000 2004 est. 61 Denmark 188,300 2003 est. 62 Ireland 175,600 2003 est. 63 Morocco 158,000 2003 est. 64 Peru 157,000 2003 est. 65 Ecuador 155,000 2003 est. 66 New Zealand 151,900 2003 est. 67 Hungary 136,000 2004 68 Dominican Republic 128,000 2003 est. 69 Azerbaijan 123,000 2003 est. 70 Uzbekistan 120,000 2004 71 Virgin Islands 105,000 2003 est. 72 Jordan 103,000 2004 est. 73 Lebanon 102,000 2003 est. 74 Bulgaria 98,000 2004 75 Croatia 90,000 2003 est. 76 Tunisia 90,000 2003 est. 77 Serbia 85,000 2003 est. 78 Bangladesh 84,000 2003 est. 79 Turkmenistan 80,000 2003 est. 80 Yemen 80,000 2003 est. 81 Sri Lanka 79,000 2003 est. 82 Panama 78,000 2003 est. 83 Slovakia 74,000 2004 est. 84 Netherlands Antilles 72,500 2003 est. 85 Sudan 70,000 2004 est. 86 Jamaica 69,000 2003 est. 87 Guatemala 66,000 2003 est. 88 Oman 62,000 2003 est. 89 Estonia 60,000 2004 90 Luxembourg 55,700 2003 est. 91 Cyprus 52,000 2003 est. 92 Kenya 52,000 2003 est. 93 Slovenia 52,000 2003 est. 94 Lithuania 52,000 2004 95 Bolivia 48,000 2003 est. 96 Latvia 47,000 2004 97 Angola 46,000 2003 est. 98 Armenia 40,000 2003 est. 99 Costa Rica 40,000 2003 est. 100 El Salvador 40,000 2003 est. 101 Ghana 39,000 2003 est. 102 Uruguay 38,000 2003 est. 103 Honduras 37,000 2003 est. 104 Moldova 37,000 2003 est. 105 Qatar 33,000 2003 est. 106 Burma 32,000 2003 est. 107 Senegal 31,000 2003 est. 108 Trinidad and Tobago 29,000 2003 est. 109 Ethiopia 27,000 2003 est. 110 Bahrain 26,000 2003 est. 111 Albania 25,200 2005 est. 112 Nicaragua 25,200 2005 est. 113 Korea, North 25,000 2003 114 Tajikistan 25,000 2003 est. 115 Paraguay 25,000 2003 est. 116 Mauritania 24,000 2003 est. 117 Gibraltar 23,500 2003 est. 118 Bahamas, The 23,000 2003 est. 119 Cameroon 23,000 2001 est. 120 Macedonia 23,000 2005 est. 121 Zimbabwe 22,500 2003 est. 122 Tanzania 22,000 2003 est. 123 Bosnia and Herzegovina 21,000 2003 est. 124 Mauritius 21,000 2003 est. 125 Cote d'Ivoire 20,000 2003 est. 126 Guam 19,000 2003 est. 127 Reunion 18,500 2003 est. 128 Malta 18,000 2003 est. 129 Papua New Guinea 18,000 January 2006 est. 130 Iceland 17,280 2003 est. 131 Namibia 16,000 2003 est. 132 Madagascar 15,000 2003 est. 133 Suriname 14,000 2004 est. 134 Martinique 13,800 2003 est. 135 Georgia 13,000 2003 est. 136 Guadeloupe 13,000 2003 est. 137 Gabon 12,250 2003 est. 138 Zambia 12,250 2003 est. 139 Botswana 12,000 2003 est. 140 Macau 12,000 2003 est. 141 Djibouti 12,000 2003 est. 142 Benin 12,000 2003 est. 143 Nepal 11,980 2005 est. 144 Haiti 11,800 2003 est. 145 Guyana 11,300 2003 est. 146 Mongolia 11,220 2005 est. 147 Kyrgyzstan 11,000 2003 est. 148 Mozambique 11,000 2003 est. 149 Brunei 10,770 2005 est. 150 Barbados 10,000 2003 est. 151 Uganda 10,000 2003 est. 152 Fiji 10,000 2003 est. 153 New Caledonia 10,000 2003 est. 154 Togo 8,500 2003 est. 155 Guinea 8,400 2003 est. 156 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 8,300 2003 est. 157 Burkina Faso 8,000 2003 est. 158 Seychelles 7,600 2003 est. 159 French Guiana 6,600 2003 est. 160 Sierra Leone 6,510 2003 est. 161 Aruba 6,500 2003 est. 162 Belize 6,000 2003 est. 163 Rwanda 6,000 2003 est. 164 Malawi 5,450 2003 est. 165 Niger 5,400 2003 est. 166 Congo, Republic of the 5,200 2003 est. 167 Afghanistan 5,000 2003 est. 168 Somalia 5,000 2003 est. 169 French Polynesia 4,800 2003 est. 170 Bermuda 4,658 2005 est. 171 Eritrea 4,600 2003 est. 172 Faroe Islands 4,500 2003 est. 173 Mali 4,250 2003 est. 174 American Samoa 4,000 2003 est. 175 Maldives 4,000 2003 est. 176 Greenland 3,850 2003 est. 177 Cambodia 3,700 2003 est. 178 Antigua and Barbuda 3,600 2003 est. 179 Swaziland 3,500 2003 est. 180 Liberia 3,400 2003 est. 181 Burundi 3,000 2003 est. 182 Laos 2,950 2003 est. 183 Saint Lucia 2,520 2003 est. 184 Cayman Islands 2,450 2003 est. 185 Guinea-Bissau 2,450 2003 est. 186 Central African Republic 2,400 2003 est. 187 Gambia, The 2,000 2003 est. 188 Grenada 1,800 2003 est. 189 Western Sahara 1,750 2003 est. 190 Chad 1,450 2003 est. 191 Lesotho 1,400 2003 192 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1,300 2003 est. 193 Solomon Islands 1,270 2003 est. 194 Cape Verde 1,200 2003 est. 195 Equatorial Guinea 1,200 2003 est. 196 Bhutan 1,100 2003 est. 197 Nauru 1,000 2003 est. 198 Samoa 1,000 2003 est. 199 Dominica 800 2003 est. 200 Tonga 800 2003 est. 201 Comoros 700 2003 est. 202 Saint Kitts and Nevis 700 2003 est. 203 Sao Tome and Principe 650 2003 est. 204 Vanuatu 620 2003 est. 205 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 480 2003 est. 206 British Virgin Islands 410 2003 est. 207 Cook Islands 400 2003 est. 208 Montserrat 380 2003 est. 209 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 200 2003 est. 210 Kiribati 200 2003 est. 211 Saint Helena 100 2003 est. 212 Turks and Caicos Islands 80 2003 est. 213 Niue 20 2003 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2175 Rank Country Oil - imports(bbl/day) Date of Information 1 European Union 15,690,000 2001 2 United States 13,150,000 2004 3 Japan 5,449,000 2001 4 China 3,226,000 2004 5 Netherlands 2,284,000 2001 6 France 2,281,000 2001 7 Korea, South 2,263,000 2004 8 Italy 2,158,000 2001 9 Germany 2,135,000 2003 10 India 2,090,000 11 Spain 1,582,000 2001 12 United Kingdom 1,084,000 2003 13 Belgium 1,042,000 2001 14 Canada 963,000 2004 15 Turkey 616,500 2001 16 Brazil 572,600 17 Sweden 553,100 2001 18 Australia 530,800 2001 19 Greece 468,300 2001 20 Ukraine 444,600 21 Poland 413,700 2001 22 Belarus 360,000 2004 est. 23 Portugal 357,300 2001 24 Indonesia 345,700 2005 est. 25 Finland 318,300 2001 26 Philippines 312,000 2003 27 Switzerland 289,500 2001 28 Chile 221,500 2003 est. 29 Mexico 205,000 2004 30 Denmark 195,000 2001 31 Czech Republic 182,000 2004 32 Ireland 178,600 2001 33 Romania 163,000 2004 34 Austria 152,600 2004 35 Morocco 147,800 36 Dominican Republic 129,900 2003 37 New Zealand 119,700 2001 38 Jordan 100,000 2004 est. 39 Hungary 94,000 2004 40 Lithuania 93,000 2004 41 Norway 88,870 2001 42 Bulgaria 85,000 2004 est. 43 Russia 75,000 44 Slovakia 59,000 45 Estonia 54,000 2004 46 Luxembourg 50,700 2001 47 Burma 49,230 2003 48 Kazakhstan 47,000 2003 49 Latvia 47,000 2004 50 Zimbabwe 23,000 51 Korea, North 22,000 2004 est. 52 Albania 21,600 2005 est. 53 Botswana 16,000 2001 54 Nicaragua 15,560 2005 est. 55 Iceland 15,470 2001 56 Namibia 12,770 57 Nepal 11,760 58 Mongolia 11,210 2005 est. 59 Suriname 1,644 2003 60 United Arab Emirates 0 2004 61 Saudi Arabia 0 2003 62 Sudan 0 2004 63 Libya 0 64 Algeria 0 2004 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2176 Rank Country Oil - exports(bbl/day) Date of Information 1 Saudi Arabia 7,920,000 2003 2 European Union 5,322,000 2001 3 Russia 5,150,000 2004 4 Norway 3,466,000 2001 5 United Arab Emirates 2,500,000 2004 est. 6 Iran 2,500,000 2004 est. 7 Venezuela 2,100,000 2004 est. 8 Kuwait 1,970,000 2003 9 Mexico 1,863,000 2004 10 Canada 1,600,000 2004 11 United Kingdom 1,498,000 2001 12 Iraq 1,420,000 2005 est. 13 Netherlands 1,418,000 2001 14 Libya 1,340,000 15 Algeria 1,127,000 2004 est. 16 United States 1,048,000 2004 17 Kazakhstan 890,000 2003 18 Oman 721,000 2004 19 Korea, South 645,200 2004 20 Australia 523,400 2001 21 Italy 456,600 2001 22 Belgium 450,000 2001 23 Indonesia 431,500 2004 est. 24 France 409,600 2001 25 Ecuador 387,000 2004 est. 26 Yemen 370,300 2003 27 India 350,000 28 China 340,300 2004 29 Denmark 332,100 2001 30 Syria 285,000 2004 31 Sudan 275,000 2004 32 Brazil 241,700 33 Malaysia 230,200 2003 34 Sweden 203,700 2001 35 Brunei 192,700 2005 36 Spain 135,100 2001 37 Egypt 134,000 38 Finland 101,000 2001 39 Japan 93,360 2001 40 Greece 84,720 2001 41 Poland 53,000 2001 42 Peru 49,000 2004 est. 43 Hungary 47,180 2001 44 Turkey 46,110 2001 45 New Zealand 30,220 2001 46 Austria 30,140 2004 47 Bahamas, The 29,000 2003 48 Portugal 28,830 2001 49 Ireland 27,450 2001 50 Czech Republic 26,670 2001 51 Belarus 14,500 2003 est. 52 Germany 12,990 2003 53 Switzerland 10,420 2001 54 Ukraine 8,891 55 Burma 3,356 2003 56 Guatemala 3,104 2003 57 Slovakia 2,160 58 Suriname 1,370 2003 59 Nicaragua 759 2004 60 Luxembourg 634 2001 61 Mongolia 515 2005 est. 62 Albania 0 2005 est. 63 Zimbabwe 0 64 Philippines 0 2001 65 Morocco 0 66 Jordan 0 2004 est. 67 Latvia 0 2004 68 Iceland 0 2001 69 Bermuda 0 70 Estonia 0 2004 71 Chile 0 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2178 Rank Country Oil - proved reserves(bbl) Date of Information 1 World 1,349,000,000,000 1 January 2002 est. 2 Saudi Arabia 262,700,000,000 2005 est. 3 Canada 178,900,000,000 2004 est. 4 Iran 133,300,000,000 2005 est. 5 Iraq 112,500,000,000 2005 est. 6 United Arab Emirates 97,800,000,000 2005 est. 7 Kuwait 96,500,000,000 2005 est. 8 Venezuela 75,590,000,000 2005 est. 9 Russia 69,000,000,000 2003 est. 10 Libya 40,000,000,000 2005 est. 11 Nigeria 36,000,000,000 2005 est. 12 Mexico 33,310,000,000 2005 est. 13 Kazakhstan 26,000,000,000 1 January 2004 14 Angola 25,000,000,000 2005 est. 15 United States 22,450,000,000 1 January 2002 16 China 18,260,000,000 2004 17 Qatar 16,000,000,000 2005 est. 18 Brazil 15,120,000,000 2005 est. 19 Algeria 12,460,000,000 2005 est. 20 Norway 9,859,000,000 1 January 2002 21 European Union 7,294,000,000 1 January 2002 22 Oman 6,100,000,000 2005 est. 23 India 5,700,000,000 2005 est. 24 Indonesia 4,600,000,000 2005 est. 25 Ecuador 4,512,000,000 2005 est. 26 United Kingdom 4,500,000,000 31 December 2004 27 Yemen 4,370,000,000 2005 est. 28 Australia 3,664,000,000 1 January 2002 29 Malaysia 3,100,000,000 2005 est. 30 Argentina 2,950,000,000 2005 est. 31 Egypt 2,700,000,000 2005 est. 32 Syria 2,500,000,000 2005 est. 33 Gabon 1,921,000,000 2005 est. 34 Tunisia 1,700,000,000 2005 est. 35 Sudan 1,600,000,000 2005 est. 36 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1,538,000,000 1 January 2002 37 Colombia 1,492,000,000 2005 est. 38 Brunei 1,255,000,000 1 January 2002 39 Denmark 1,230,000,000 1 January 2002 40 Burma 1,000,000,000 2005 41 Mauritania 1,000,000,000 2005 42 Trinidad and Tobago 990,000,000 1 January 2004 43 Uzbekistan 600,000,000 1 January 2005 44 Vietnam 600,000,000 2005 est. 45 Azerbaijan 589,000,000 1 January 2002 46 Italy 586,600,000 1 January 2002 47 Thailand 583,000,000 November 2003 48 Equatorial Guinea 563,500,000 1 January 2002 49 Cuba 532,000,000 1 January 2002 50 Romania 500,000,000 yearend 2004 51 Bolivia 458,800,000 1 January 2002 52 Germany 395,800,000 1 January 2004 53 Ukraine 395,000,000 9 November 2004 54 Peru 370,000,000 2005 est. 55 Pakistan 341,800,000 2005 est. 56 Turkey 288,400,000 1 January 2002 57 Turkmenistan 273,000,000 1 January 2002 58 Guatemala 263,000,000 1 January 2002 59 Cote d'Ivoire 220,000,000 2005 est. 60 Albania 185,500,000 1 January 2002 61 Papua New Guinea 170,000,000 2005 est. 62 Philippines 152,000,000 1 January 2004 63 Chile 150,000,000 1 January 2004 64 Suriname 150,000,000 2005 65 France 144,300,000 1 January 2002 66 Poland 142,400,000 December 2004 67 Bahrain 124,000,000 2005 est. 68 Hungary 102,000,000 1 January 2006 69 Morocco 100,000,000 2005 est. 70 Croatia 93,600,000 1 January 2002 71 Congo, Republic of the 93,500,000 1 January 2002 72 New Zealand 89,620,000 1 January 2002 73 Netherlands 88,060,000 1 January 2002 74 Cameroon 85,000,000 2005 est. 75 Austria 84,300,000 2004 76 Serbia 38,750,000 1 January 2002 77 Japan 29,290,000 1 January 2002 78 Bangladesh 28,450,000 1 January 2002 79 Bulgaria 15,000,000 1 January 2005 80 Czech Republic 15,000,000 1 January 2006 81 Lithuania 12,000,000 2004 82 Spain 10,500,000 1 January 2002 83 Slovakia 9,000,000 1 January 2006 84 Ghana 8,255,000 1 January 2002 85 South Africa 7,840,000 1 January 2002 86 Greece 4,500,000 1 January 2002 87 Benin 4,105,000 1 January 2002 88 Taiwan 2,900,000 2005 est. 89 Israel 1,920,000 1 January 2002 90 Barbados 1,254,000 1 January 2002 91 Jordan 445,000 1 January 2002 92 Ethiopia 214,000 1 January 2002 93 Afghanistan 0 1 January 2002 94 Somalia 0 1 January 2002 95 Namibia 0 1 January 2002 96 Tanzania 0 1 January 2002 97 Rwanda 0 1 January 2002 98 Ireland 0 1 January 2002 99 Mozambique 0 1 January 2002 100 Madagascar 0 1 January 2002 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2179 Rank Country Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) Date of Information 1 World 174,600,000,000,000 1 January 2002 2 Russia 47,570,000,000,000 2003 3 Iran 26,620,000,000,000 2005 4 Qatar 25,770,000,000,000 2005 5 Saudi Arabia 6,544,000,000,000 2005 6 United Arab Emirates 6,006,000,000,000 2005 7 United States 5,353,000,000,000 1 January 2002 8 Algeria 4,531,000,000,000 2005 9 Nigeria 4,502,000,000,000 2005 10 Venezuela 4,191,000,000,000 2005 11 European Union 3,256,000,000,000 1 January 2002 12 Iraq 3,115,000,000,000 2005 13 Kazakhstan 3,000,000,000,000 1 January 2004 14 Indonesia 2,557,000,000,000 2005 15 Australia 2,549,000,000,000 1 January 2002 16 China 2,530,000,000,000 2004 17 Malaysia 2,124,000,000,000 2005 18 Norway 2,118,000,000,000 1 January 2002 19 Turkmenistan 2,010,000,000,000 1 January 2002 20 Egypt 1,900,000,000,000 2005 21 Uzbekistan 1,875,000,000,000 1 January 2005 22 Netherlands 1,756,000,000,000 1 January 2002 23 Canada 1,673,000,000,000 2004 24 Kuwait 1,572,000,000,000 2005 25 Libya 1,321,000,000,000 2005 26 Ukraine 1,121,000,000,000 9 November 2004 27 India 853,500,000,000 2005 28 Azerbaijan 849,500,000,000 1 January 2002 29 Oman 829,100,000,000 2005 30 Pakistan 759,700,000,000 2005 31 Trinidad and Tobago 733,000,000,000 1 January 2004 32 Bolivia 679,600,000,000 1 January 2002 33 Argentina 663,500,000,000 2005 34 United Kingdom 628,600,000,000 31 December 2004 35 Yemen 478,600,000,000 2005 36 Mexico 424,300,000,000 2005 37 Brunei 390,800,000,000 1 January 2002 38 Thailand 377,700,000,000 November 2003 39 Papua New Guinea 345,500,000,000 2005 40 Germany 305,800,000,000 1 January 2004 41 Bangladesh 300,200,000,000 1 January 2002 42 Romania 300,000,000,000 yearend 2004 43 Burma 283,200,000,000 2005 44 Peru 247,100,000,000 2005 45 Syria 240,700,000,000 2005 46 Brazil 240,000,000,000 2005 47 Italy 226,500,000,000 1 January 2002 48 Vietnam 192,600,000,000 2005 49 Poland 154,400,000,000 December 2004 50 Colombia 127,600,000,000 2005 51 Mozambique 127,400,000,000 1 January 2002 52 Cameroon 110,400,000,000 2005 53 Philippines 106,800,000,000 1 January 2004 54 Afghanistan 99,960,000,000 1 January 2002 55 Chile 97,980,000,000 1 January 2004 56 Bahrain 92,030,000,000 2005 57 Congo, Republic of the 90,610,000,000 1 January 2002 58 Sudan 84,950,000,000 2005 59 Tunisia 77,870,000,000 2005 60 Taiwan 76,460,000,000 2005 61 Denmark 73,510,000,000 1 January 2002 62 Cuba 70,790,000,000 1 January 2002 63 Namibia 62,300,000,000 1 January 2002 64 Rwanda 56,630,000,000 1 January 2002 65 Serbia 48,140,000,000 1 January 2002 66 Angola 45,870,000,000 2005 67 Japan 39,640,000,000 1 January 2002 68 Israel 38,940,000,000 1 January 2002 69 New Zealand 37,380,000,000 1 January 2002 70 Equatorial Guinea 36,810,000,000 1 January 2002 71 Gabon 33,980,000,000 2005 72 Hungary 33,980,000,000 1 January 2003 73 Cote d'Ivoire 29,730,000,000 2005 74 Ethiopia 24,920,000,000 1 January 2002 75 Croatia 24,720,000,000 1 January 2002 76 Ghana 23,790,000,000 1 January 2002 77 Austria 23,200,000,000 2004 78 Tanzania 22,650,000,000 1 January 2002 79 Ireland 19,820,000,000 1 January 2002 80 Slovakia 15,010,000,000 1 January 2003 81 France 14,330,000,000 1 January 2002 82 Ecuador 9,769,000,000 2005 83 Turkey 8,495,000,000 1 January 2002 84 Jordan 6,230,000,000 1 January 2002 85 Bulgaria 5,670,000,000 1 January 2005 86 Somalia 5,663,000,000 1 January 2002 87 Czech Republic 3,964,000,000 1 January 2003 88 Guatemala 3,087,000,000 1 January 2002 89 Albania 2,832,000,000 1 January 2002 90 Spain 2,662,000,000 1 January 2002 91 Benin 1,218,000,000 1 January 2002 92 Morocco 1,218,000,000 2005 93 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 991,100,000 1 January 2002 94 Greece 991,100,000 1 January 2002 95 Barbados 141,600,000 1 January 2002 96 South Africa 28,320,000 1 January 2002 97 Madagascar 0 1 January 2002 98 Mauritania 0 2005 99 Suriname 0 2005 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2180 Rank Country Natural gas - production(cu m) Date of Information 1 World 2,674,000,000,000 2003 est. 2 Russia 587,000,000,000 2005 est. 3 United States 539,000,000,000 2003 est. 4 European Union 239,200,000,000 2001 5 Canada 165,800,000,000 2003 est. 6 United Kingdom 102,800,000,000 2003 est. 7 Indonesia 83,400,000,000 2005 est. 8 Algeria 82,400,000,000 2003 est. 9 Iran 79,000,000,000 2003 est. 10 Norway 73,400,000,000 2003 est. 11 Netherlands 73,130,000,000 2003 est. 12 Saudi Arabia 60,060,000,000 2003 est. 13 Uzbekistan 55,800,000,000 2004 14 Turkmenistan 54,600,000,000 2004 est. 15 Malaysia 53,500,000,000 2003 est. 16 Mexico 47,300,000,000 2004 est. 17 United Arab Emirates 44,790,000,000 2003 est. 18 Argentina 41,040,000,000 2003 est. 19 Australia 35,600,000,000 2003 est. 20 China 35,020,000,000 2003 21 Qatar 30,800,000,000 2003 est. 22 Venezuela 29,700,000,000 2003 est. 23 India 27,100,000,000 2003 est. 24 Egypt 27,000,000,000 2003 est. 25 Trinidad and Tobago 24,700,000,000 2003 est. 26 Pakistan 23,800,000,000 2003 est. 27 Thailand 22,280,000,000 2003 est. 28 Germany 22,220,000,000 2003 est. 29 Ukraine 20,300,000,000 2004 30 Nigeria 19,200,000,000 2003 est. 31 Kazakhstan 18,500,000,000 2004 est. 32 Oman 16,500,000,000 2003 est. 33 Brazil 15,790,000,000 2005 est. 34 Italy 13,550,000,000 2003 est. 35 Romania 13,200,000,000 2004 est. 36 Bangladesh 11,900,000,000 2003 est. 37 Brunei 11,400,000,000 2003 est. 38 Burma 9,980,000,000 2003 est. 39 Bahrain 9,650,000,000 2003 est. 40 Kuwait 8,300,000,000 2003 est. 41 Denmark 7,965,000,000 2003 est. 42 Libya 7,000,000,000 2003 est. 43 Syria 6,950,000,000 2003 est. 44 Bolivia 6,720,000,000 2003 est. 45 Vietnam 6,342,000,000 2005 est. 46 Colombia 6,080,000,000 2003 est. 47 Azerbaijan 5,130,000,000 2003 est. 48 New Zealand 4,773,000,000 2003 est. 49 Poland 4,330,000,000 2004 50 Hungary 3,100,000,000 2003 est. 51 Japan 2,814,000,000 2003 est. 52 South Africa 2,350,000,000 2003 est. 53 Philippines 2,300,000,000 2003 est. 54 Tunisia 2,150,000,000 2003 est. 55 Austria 1,960,000,000 2004 56 Croatia 1,850,000,000 2003 est. 57 France 1,566,000,000 2003 est. 58 Iraq 1,500,000,000 2003 est. 59 Cote d'Ivoire 1,300,000,000 2003 est. 60 Equatorial Guinea 1,270,000,000 2003 est. 61 Chile 1,000,000,000 2003 est. 62 Taiwan 970,000,000 2003 est. 63 Angola 720,000,000 2003 est. 64 Cuba 704,000,000 2004 65 Ireland 673,000,000 2003 est. 66 Serbia 650,000,000 2003 est. 67 Peru 560,000,000 2003 est. 68 Turkey 560,000,000 2003 est. 69 Jordan 390,000,000 2003 est. 70 Belarus 250,000,000 2004 est. 71 Spain 216,000,000 2003 est. 72 Israel 200,000,000 2003 est. 73 Slovakia 165,000,000 2004 est. 74 Papua New Guinea 140,000,000 2003 est. 75 Czech Republic 133,000,000 2003 est. 76 Gabon 90,000,000 2003 est. 77 Mozambique 60,000,000 2003 est. 78 Afghanistan 50,000,000 2003 est. 79 Senegal 50,000,000 2003 est. 80 Ecuador 50,000,000 2003 est. 81 Albania 30,000,000 2003 est. 82 Tajikistan 30,000,000 2004 est. 83 Barbados 29,170,000 2003 est. 84 Greece 27,000,000 2003 est. 85 Georgia 20,000,000 2003 est. 86 Kyrgyzstan 6,000,000 2003 est. 87 Morocco 5,000,000 2003 est. 88 Bulgaria 1,130,000 2003 89 Aruba 0 2003 est. 90 Botswana 0 2003 est. 91 Belgium 0 2003 est. 92 Belize 0 2003 est. 93 Benin 0 2003 est. 94 Bhutan 0 2003 est. 95 Guinea 0 2003 est. 96 Guatemala 0 2003 est. 97 Guam 0 2003 est. 98 Guadeloupe 0 2003 est. 99 Greenland 0 2003 est. 100 Grenada 0 2003 est. 101 Gibraltar 0 2003 est. 102 Ghana 0 2003 est. 103 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2003 est. 104 Luxembourg 0 2003 est. 105 Lesotho 0 2003 est. 106 Liberia 0 2003 est. 107 Lithuania 0 2004 108 Latvia 0 2003 109 Lebanon 0 2003 est. 110 Laos 0 2003 est. 111 Korea, South 0 2003 est. 112 Kiribati 0 2003 est. 113 Zimbabwe 0 2003 est. 114 Zambia 0 2003 est. 115 Yemen 0 2003 est. 116 Swaziland 0 2003 est. 117 Samoa 0 2003 est. 118 Western Sahara 0 2003 est. 119 Namibia 0 2003 est. 120 Virgin Islands 0 2003 est. 121 British Virgin Islands 0 2003 est. 122 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2003 est. 123 Uruguay 0 2003 est. 124 Burkina Faso 0 2003 est. 125 Uganda 0 2003 est. 126 Tanzania 0 2003 est. 127 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2003 est. 128 Togo 0 2003 est. 129 Tonga 0 2003 est. 130 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2003 est. 131 Switzerland 0 2003 est. 132 Sweden 0 2003 est. 133 Sudan 0 2003 est. 134 Saint Lucia 0 2003 est. 135 Somalia 0 2003 est. 136 Singapore 0 2004 est. 137 Sierra Leone 0 2003 est. 138 Slovenia 0 2003 est. 139 Saint Helena 0 2003 est. 140 Seychelles 0 2003 est. 141 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2003 est. 142 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2003 est. 143 Rwanda 0 2003 est. 144 Puerto Rico 0 2003 est. 145 Reunion 0 2003 est. 146 Guinea-Bissau 0 2003 est. 147 Portugal 0 2003 est. 148 Panama 0 2003 est. 149 Paraguay 0 2003 est. 150 Nicaragua 0 2003 est. 151 Netherlands Antilles 0 2003 est. 152 Suriname 0 2003 est. 153 Nauru 0 2003 est. 154 Nepal 0 2003 est. 155 Vanuatu 0 2003 est. 156 Niger 0 2003 est. 157 Niue 0 2003 est. 158 New Caledonia 0 2003 est. 159 Maldives 0 2003 est. 160 Malta 0 2003 est. 161 Mauritania 0 2003 est. 162 Mauritius 0 2003 est. 163 Mali 0 2003 est. 164 Macedonia 0 2003 est. 165 Malawi 0 2003 est. 166 Montserrat 0 2003 est. 167 Mongolia 0 2003 est. 168 Moldova 0 2003 est. 169 Macau 0 2003 est. 170 Martinique 0 2003 est. 171 Madagascar 0 2003 est. 172 Korea, North 0 2003 est. 173 Kenya 0 2003 est. 174 Jamaica 0 2003 est. 175 Iceland 0 2003 est. 176 Honduras 0 2003 est. 177 Hong Kong 0 178 Haiti 0 2003 est. 179 Guyana 0 2003 est. 180 Fiji 0 2003 est. 181 Finland 0 2003 est. 182 French Guiana 0 2003 est. 183 Ethiopia 0 2003 est. 184 El Salvador 0 2003 est. 185 Eritrea 0 2003 est. 186 Estonia 0 2004 187 Dominican Republic 0 2003 est. 188 Gambia, The 0 2003 est. 189 French Polynesia 0 2003 est. 190 Faroe Islands 0 2003 est. 191 Dominica 0 2003 est. 192 Djibouti 0 2003 est. 193 Cyprus 0 2003 est. 194 Cook Islands 0 2003 est. 195 Cape Verde 0 2003 est. 196 Central African Republic 0 2003 est. 197 Costa Rica 0 2003 est. 198 Comoros 0 2003 est. 199 Cameroon 0 2003 est. 200 Cayman Islands 0 2003 est. 201 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 2003 est. 202 Congo, Republic of the 0 2003 est. 203 Sri Lanka 0 2003 est. 204 Chad 0 2003 est. 205 Cambodia 0 2003 est. 206 Burundi 0 2003 est. 207 Solomon Islands 0 2003 est. 208 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2003 est. 209 Bahamas, The 0 2003 est. 210 Bermuda 0 2003 est. 211 Armenia 0 2005 est. 212 American Samoa 0 2003 est. 213 Antigua and Barbuda 0 2003 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2181 Rank Country Natural gas - consumption(cu m) Date of Information 1 World 2,675,000,000,000 2003 est. 2 United States 633,600,000,000 2003 est. 3 European Union 465,600,000,000 2001 4 Russia 402,100,000,000 2004 est. 5 United Kingdom 95,150,000,000 2003 est. 6 Germany 93,880,000,000 2003 est. 7 Canada 90,950,000,000 2003 est. 8 Japan 86,510,000,000 2003 est. 9 Iran 79,000,000,000 2003 est. 10 Italy 76,880,000,000 2003 est. 11 Ukraine 75,800,000,000 2004 12 Saudi Arabia 60,060,000,000 2003 est. 13 Mexico 55,100,000,000 2004 est. 14 Netherlands 50,400,000,000 2003 est. 15 Uzbekistan 49,300,000,000 2004 16 France 43,740,000,000 2003 est. 17 United Arab Emirates 37,880,000,000 2003 est. 18 Argentina 34,580,000,000 2003 est. 19 China 33,440,000,000 2003 est. 20 Venezuela 29,700,000,000 2003 est. 21 Thailand 29,150,000,000 2003 est. 22 Malaysia 28,530,000,000 2003 est. 23 India 27,100,000,000 2003 est. 24 Egypt 27,000,000,000 2003 est. 25 Australia 25,080,000,000 2003 est. 26 Korea, South 24,090,000,000 2003 est. 27 Pakistan 23,800,000,000 2003 est. 28 Spain 23,270,000,000 2003 est. 29 Turkey 22,600,000,000 2005 est. 30 Indonesia 22,500,000,000 2005 est. 31 Brazil 21,740,000,000 2005 est. 32 Algeria 21,320,000,000 2003 est. 33 Belarus 20,500,000,000 2005 est. 34 Romania 18,800,000,000 2004 est. 35 Turkmenistan 15,500,000,000 2004 est. 36 Belgium 15,480,000,000 2003 est. 37 Kazakhstan 15,200,000,000 2004 est. 38 Poland 14,970,000,000 2003 est. 39 Hungary 13,000,000,000 2004 40 Trinidad and Tobago 12,790,000,000 2003 est. 41 Bangladesh 11,900,000,000 2003 est. 42 Qatar 11,610,000,000 2003 est. 43 Bahrain 9,650,000,000 2003 est. 44 Czech Republic 9,623,000,000 2003 est. 45 Azerbaijan 9,200,000,000 2003 est. 46 Austria 9,010,000,000 2004 47 Taiwan 8,450,000,000 2003 est. 48 Kuwait 8,300,000,000 2003 est. 49 Nigeria 7,410,000,000 2003 est. 50 Oman 7,090,000,000 2003 est. 51 Chile 7,060,000,000 2003 est. 52 Syria 6,950,000,000 2003 est. 53 Slovakia 6,800,000,000 2004 est. 54 Vietnam 6,342,000,000 2005 est. 55 Libya 6,250,000,000 2003 est. 56 Colombia 6,080,000,000 2003 est. 57 Singapore 5,320,000,000 2003 est. 58 Denmark 5,173,000,000 2003 est. 59 Finland 5,028,000,000 2003 est. 60 New Zealand 4,773,000,000 2003 est. 61 Ireland 4,298,000,000 2003 est. 62 Norway 4,140,000,000 2003 est. 63 Tunisia 3,840,000,000 2003 est. 64 Switzerland 3,209,000,000 2003 est. 65 Bulgaria 3,100,000,000 2004 66 Lithuania 3,100,000,000 2004 67 Croatia 2,990,000,000 2003 est. 68 Portugal 2,983,000,000 2003 est. 69 Serbia 2,550,000,000 2003 est. 70 Moldova 2,380,000,000 2003 est. 71 South Africa 2,350,000,000 2003 est. 72 Greece 2,340,000,000 2005 est. 73 Philippines 2,300,000,000 2003 est. 74 Latvia 1,760,000,000 2004 est. 75 Bolivia 1,740,000,000 2003 est. 76 Brunei 1,730,000,000 2003 est. 77 Armenia 1,685,000,000 2005 est. 78 Burma 1,569,000,000 2003 est. 79 Georgia 1,500,000,000 2005 est. 80 Kyrgyzstan 1,500,000,000 2004 est. 81 Iraq 1,500,000,000 2003 est. 82 Estonia 1,420,000,000 2004 83 Tajikistan 1,400,000,000 2004 est. 84 Cote d'Ivoire 1,300,000,000 2003 est. 85 Equatorial Guinea 1,270,000,000 2003 est. 86 Luxembourg 1,205,000,000 2003 est. 87 Slovenia 1,100,000,000 2003 est. 88 Sweden 980,000,000 2003 est. 89 Peru 910,000,000 2004 est. 90 Puerto Rico 740,000,000 2003 est. 91 Angola 720,000,000 2003 est. 92 Cuba 704,000,000 2004 93 Hong Kong 692,200,000 2003 est. 94 Morocco 650,000,000 2003 est. 95 Jordan 390,000,000 2003 est. 96 Dominican Republic 300,000,000 2003 est. 97 Israel 200,000,000 2003 est. 98 Bosnia and Herzegovina 160,000,000 2003 est. 99 Papua New Guinea 140,000,000 2003 est. 100 Gabon 90,000,000 2003 est. 101 Mozambique 60,000,000 2003 est. 102 Uruguay 60,000,000 2003 est. 103 Afghanistan 50,000,000 2003 est. 104 Senegal 50,000,000 2003 est. 105 Ecuador 50,000,000 2003 est. 106 Albania 30,000,000 2003 est. 107 Barbados 29,170,000 2003 est. 108 Aruba 0 2003 est. 109 Bahamas, The 0 2003 est. 110 Solomon Islands 0 2003 est. 111 Burundi 0 2003 est. 112 Zimbabwe 0 2003 est. 113 Zambia 0 2003 est. 114 Yemen 0 2003 est. 115 Swaziland 0 2003 est. 116 Samoa 0 2003 est. 117 Western Sahara 0 2003 est. 118 Namibia 0 2003 est. 119 Virgin Islands 0 2003 est. 120 British Virgin Islands 0 2003 est. 121 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2003 est. 122 Burkina Faso 0 2003 est. 123 Uganda 0 2003 est. 124 Tanzania 0 2003 est. 125 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2003 est. 126 Togo 0 2003 est. 127 Tonga 0 2003 est. 128 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2003 est. 129 Sudan 0 2003 est. 130 Saint Lucia 0 2003 est. 131 Somalia 0 2003 est. 132 Sierra Leone 0 2003 est. 133 Saint Helena 0 2003 est. 134 Seychelles 0 2003 est. 135 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2003 est. 136 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2003 est. 137 Netherlands Antilles 0 2003 est. 138 Suriname 0 2003 est. 139 Nauru 0 2003 est. 140 Nepal 0 2003 est. 141 Vanuatu 0 2003 est. 142 Niger 0 2003 est. 143 Niue 0 2003 est. 144 New Caledonia 0 2003 est. 145 Mali 0 2003 est. 146 Rwanda 0 2003 est. 147 Reunion 0 2003 est. 148 Guinea-Bissau 0 2003 est. 149 Panama 0 2003 est. 150 Paraguay 0 2003 est. 151 Nicaragua 0 2003 est. 152 Macedonia 0 2003 est. 153 Malawi 0 2003 est. 154 Montserrat 0 2003 est. 155 Mongolia 0 2003 est. 156 Macau 0 2003 est. 157 Martinique 0 2003 est. 158 Madagascar 0 2003 est. 159 Lesotho 0 2003 est. 160 Maldives 0 2003 est. 161 Malta 0 2003 est. 162 Mauritania 0 2003 est. 163 Mauritius 0 2003 est. 164 Liberia 0 2003 est. 165 Lebanon 0 2003 est. 166 Laos 0 2003 est. 167 Kiribati 0 2003 est. 168 Korea, North 0 2003 est. 169 Kenya 0 2003 est. 170 Jamaica 0 2003 est. 171 Guyana 0 2003 est. 172 Guinea 0 2003 est. 173 Guatemala 0 2003 est. 174 Guam 0 2003 est. 175 Guadeloupe 0 2003 est. 176 Greenland 0 2003 est. 177 Grenada 0 2003 est. 178 Gibraltar 0 2003 est. 179 Ghana 0 2003 est. 180 Iceland 0 2003 est. 181 Honduras 0 2003 est. 182 Haiti 0 2003 est. 183 Gambia, The 0 2003 est. 184 French Polynesia 0 2003 est. 185 Faroe Islands 0 2003 est. 186 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2003 est. 187 Fiji 0 2003 est. 188 French Guiana 0 2003 est. 189 Ethiopia 0 2003 est. 190 El Salvador 0 2003 est. 191 Eritrea 0 2003 est. 192 Dominica 0 2003 est. 193 Djibouti 0 2003 est. 194 Cyprus 0 2003 est. 195 Cook Islands 0 2003 est. 196 Cape Verde 0 2003 est. 197 Central African Republic 0 2003 est. 198 Costa Rica 0 2003 est. 199 Comoros 0 2003 est. 200 Cameroon 0 2003 est. 201 Cayman Islands 0 2003 est. 202 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 2003 est. 203 Congo, Republic of the 0 2003 est. 204 Sri Lanka 0 2003 est. 205 Chad 0 2003 est. 206 Cambodia 0 2003 est. 207 Bhutan 0 2003 est. 208 Benin 0 2003 est. 209 Belize 0 2003 est. 210 Bermuda 0 2003 est. 211 American Samoa 0 2003 est. 212 Botswana 0 2003 est. 213 Antigua and Barbuda 0 2003 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2182 Rank Country Natural gas - imports(cu m) Date of Information 1 World 696,000,000,000 2001 est. 2 European Union 297,800,000,000 2001 3 United States 114,100,000,000 2004 est. 4 Germany 85,020,000,000 2003 5 Japan 77,730,000,000 2001 est. 6 Ukraine 59,800,000,000 2004 7 Italy 54,780,000,000 2001 est. 8 France 40,260,000,000 2001 est. 9 Korea, South 21,110,000,000 2003 est. 10 Netherlands 20,780,000,000 2001 est. 11 Belarus 20,500,000,000 2005 est. 12 Spain 17,260,000,000 2001 est. 13 Turkey 15,750,000,000 2001 est. 14 Belgium 15,400,000,000 2001 est. 15 Russia 12,000,000,000 2004 est. 16 Hungary 10,950,000,000 2004 17 Czech Republic 9,800,000,000 2004 18 Poland 9,450,000,000 2004 19 Canada 8,730,000,000 2003 est. 20 Mexico 7,850,000,000 2004 est. 21 Taiwan 7,480,000,000 2005 est. 22 Slovakia 7,300,000,000 2004 est. 23 Austria 7,050,000,000 2004 24 Brazil 5,947,000,000 2005 est. 25 Romania 5,900,000,000 2004 est. 26 Chile 5,337,000,000 2002 est. 27 Thailand 5,200,000,000 2001 est. 28 Iran 4,920,000,000 2003 est. 29 Finland 4,567,000,000 2001 est. 30 Ireland 3,384,000,000 2001 est. 31 Lithuania 3,100,000,000 2004 32 Switzerland 3,093,000,000 2001 est. 33 Bulgaria 2,900,000,000 2004 34 United Kingdom 2,700,000,000 2001 est. 35 Portugal 2,553,000,000 2001 est. 36 Singapore 2,500,000,000 2001 est. 37 Moldova 2,050,000,000 2001 est. 38 Greece 2,018,000,000 2001 est. 39 Latvia 1,760,000,000 2004 40 Armenia 1,685,000,000 2005 est. 41 Tunisia 1,580,000,000 2001 est. 42 Georgia 1,500,000,000 2005 est. 43 Kyrgyzstan 1,500,000,000 2004 est. 44 Estonia 1,420,000,000 2004 45 Tajikistan 1,400,000,000 2004 est. 46 Croatia 1,080,000,000 2001 est. 47 Azerbaijan 1,000,000,000 2001 est. 48 Sweden 968,000,000 2001 est. 49 Slovenia 963,000,000 2002 50 Luxembourg 867,000,000 2001 est. 51 Puerto Rico 630,000,000 2001 est. 52 Bosnia and Herzegovina 300,000,000 2001 est. 53 Hong Kong 71,150,000 2004 est. 54 Uruguay 65,000,000 2003 est. 55 United Arab Emirates 0 2003 est. 56 Afghanistan 0 2001 est. 57 Argentina 0 2001 est. 58 Bolivia 0 2001 est. 59 Syria 0 2001 est. 60 Senegal 0 2001 est. 61 South Africa 0 2001 est. 62 Saudi Arabia 0 2002 63 Philippines 0 2004 est. 64 Serbia 0 65 Qatar 0 2001 est. 66 Papua New Guinea 0 2001 est. 67 Peru 0 2004 est. 68 Yemen 0 2003 est. 69 Venezuela 0 2004 est. 70 Uzbekistan 0 2004 71 Turkmenistan 0 2004 est. 72 Trinidad and Tobago 0 2001 est. 73 New Zealand 0 2001 est. 74 Norway 0 2001 est. 75 Nigeria 0 2001 est. 76 Mozambique 0 2001 est. 77 Malaysia 0 2001 est. 78 Oman 0 2001 est. 79 Libya 0 2001 est. 80 Kuwait 0 2002 est. 81 Pakistan 0 2001 est. 82 Jordan 0 2001 est. 83 Iraq 0 2004 est. 84 Cote d'Ivoire 0 2001 est. 85 Israel 0 2001 est. 86 India 0 2001 est. 87 Indonesia 0 2005 est. 88 Gabon 0 2001 est. 89 Ecuador 0 2001 est. 90 Denmark 0 2001 est. 91 Cuba 0 2004 92 Colombia 0 2004 est. 93 Cameroon 0 94 China 0 2004 95 Congo, Republic of the 0 96 Brunei 0 2001 est. 97 Burma 0 2003 est. 98 Equatorial Guinea 0 2001 est. 99 Egypt 0 2001 est. 100 Bangladesh 0 2001 est. 101 Barbados 0 2001 est. 102 Bahrain 0 2002 est. 103 Australia 0 2001 est. 104 Angola 0 2001 est. 105 Albania 0 2001 est. 106 Algeria 0 2005 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2183 Rank Country Natural gas - exports(cu m) Date of Information 1 World 667,600,000,000 2001 est. 2 Russia 157,200,000,000 2004 est. 3 Canada 91,520,000,000 2003 est. 4 European Union 78,100,000,000 2001 5 Algeria 57,980,000,000 2001 est. 6 Norway 50,500,000,000 2001 est. 7 Netherlands 49,280,000,000 2001 est. 8 Turkmenistan 38,600,000,000 2004 est. 9 Indonesia 37,500,000,000 2005 est. 10 United States 24,190,000,000 2004 11 Malaysia 22,410,000,000 2001 est. 12 Qatar 18,200,000,000 2004 est. 13 United Kingdom 15,750,000,000 2001 est. 14 Trinidad and Tobago 11,790,000,000 2003 est. 15 Australia 9,744,000,000 2001 est. 16 Brunei 9,000,000,000 2001 est. 17 Burma 8,424,000,000 2003 est. 18 Nigeria 7,830,000,000 2001 est. 19 Germany 7,731,000,000 2003 20 Oman 7,430,000,000 2001 est. 21 United Arab Emirates 7,190,000,000 2003 est. 22 Uzbekistan 6,500,000,000 2004 23 Argentina 6,050,000,000 2001 est. 24 Kazakhstan 4,100,000,000 2004 est. 25 Ukraine 3,900,000,000 2004 26 Iran 3,400,000,000 2003 est. 27 Denmark 3,100,000,000 2001 est. 28 Bolivia 2,900,000,000 2001 est. 29 China 2,790,000,000 2004 30 France 1,725,000,000 2001 est. 31 Libya 770,000,000 2001 est. 32 Italy 61,000,000 2001 est. 33 Poland 44,000,000 2004 34 Hungary 4,000,000 2001 est. 35 Czech Republic 1,000,000 2001 est. 36 Slovakia 1,000,000 2004 est. 37 Afghanistan 0 2001 est. 38 Austria 0 2004 39 Barbados 0 2001 est. 40 Bangladesh 0 2001 est. 41 Japan 0 2001 est. 42 Iraq 0 2004 est. 43 Cote d'Ivoire 0 2001 est. 44 Israel 0 2001 est. 45 India 0 2001 est. 46 Croatia 0 2001 est. 47 Hong Kong 0 2004 est. 48 Greece 0 2001 est. 49 Ecuador 0 2001 est. 50 Spain 0 2001 est. 51 Singapore 0 2001 est. 52 Slovenia 0 2003 53 Senegal 0 2001 est. 54 South Africa 0 2001 est. 55 Saudi Arabia 0 2002 56 Puerto Rico 0 2001 est. 57 Philippines 0 2004 est. 58 Romania 0 2003 est. 59 Yemen 0 2003 est. 60 Vietnam 0 2005 est. 61 Venezuela 0 2004 est. 62 Uruguay 0 2003 est. 63 Taiwan 0 2005 est. 64 Turkey 0 2001 est. 65 Tunisia 0 2001 est. 66 Tajikistan 0 2004 est. 67 Thailand 0 2001 est. 68 Switzerland 0 2001 est. 69 Syria 0 2001 est. 70 Sweden 0 2001 est. 71 Serbia 0 72 Papua New Guinea 0 2001 est. 73 Portugal 0 2001 est. 74 Pakistan 0 2001 est. 75 Peru 0 2004 est. 76 New Zealand 0 2001 est. 77 Mozambique 0 2001 est. 78 Mexico 0 2004 est. 79 Moldova 0 2001 est. 80 Luxembourg 0 2001 est. 81 Lithuania 0 2004 82 Latvia 0 2004 est. 83 Kuwait 0 2002 est. 84 Korea, South 0 2003 est. 85 Kyrgyzstan 0 2004 est. 86 Jordan 0 2001 est. 87 Cuba 0 2004 88 Colombia 0 2004 est. 89 Cameroon 0 90 Chile 0 2002 91 Congo, Republic of the 0 92 Bulgaria 0 2003 93 Brazil 0 2005 est. 94 Belarus 0 2004 est. 95 Gabon 0 2001 est. 96 Finland 0 2001 est. 97 Estonia 0 2004 98 Equatorial Guinea 0 2001 est. 99 Ireland 0 2001 est. 100 Egypt 0 2001 est. 101 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2001 est. 102 Belgium 0 2001 est. 103 Bahrain 0 2002 est. 104 Azerbaijan 0 2001 est. 105 Albania 0 2001 est. 106 Armenia 0 2005 est. 107 Angola 0 2001 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2184 Rank Country Internet hosts Date of Information 1 United States 195,138,696 2005 2 Japan 28,321,846 2006 3 European Union 22,000,414 4 Germany 11,859,131 2006 5 Netherlands 8,363,158 2006 6 Australia 7,772,888 2006 7 Brazil 6,508,431 2006 8 United Kingdom 6,064,860 2006 9 Korea, South 5,433,591 2005 10 Taiwan 4,320,310 2006 11 Canada 3,934,223 2006 12 Mexico 3,426,680 2006 13 France 3,148,379 2006 14 Sweden 2,958,435 2006 15 Belgium 2,870,770 2006 16 Spain 2,520,711 2006 17 Switzerland 2,442,659 2006 18 Denmark 2,415,530 2006 19 Austria 2,062,035 2006 20 Russia 1,979,924 2006 21 Italy 1,731,165 2006 22 Finland 1,633,614 2006 23 Argentina 1,612,423 2006 24 India 1,543,289 2006 25 Norway 1,364,448 2006 26 Turkey 1,313,135 2006 27 Czech Republic 1,267,265 2006 28 Israel 1,251,881 2006 29 New Zealand 1,050,197 2006 30 Thailand 938,784 2006 31 Singapore 898,762 2006 32 Portugal 845,980 2005 33 Hong Kong 800,834 2006 34 South Africa 645,179 2006 35 Hungary 608,085 2006 36 Greece 587,717 2006 37 Colombia 581,877 2006 38 Chile 506,055 2006 39 Poland 358,476 2006 40 United Arab Emirates 337,092 2006 41 Peru 269,981 2006 42 Ireland 238,191 2006 43 China 232,780 2006 44 Ukraine 229,110 2006 45 Iceland 212,897 2006 46 Slovakia 210,758 2006 47 Bulgaria 184,975 2006 48 Indonesia 170,834 2006 49 Malaysia 158,650 2006 50 Lithuania 148,675 2006 51 Uruguay 145,774 2006 52 Philippines 111,262 2006 53 Dominican Republic 91,895 2006 54 Luxembourg 88,661 2006 55 Pakistan 72,765 2006 56 Cyprus 67,589 2006 57 Latvia 65,858 2006 58 Slovenia 61,735 2006 59 Moldova 58,886 2006 60 Romania 57,470 2006 61 Estonia 52,241 2006 62 Venezuela 51,968 2006 63 Guatemala 49,026 2006 64 Belarus 33,641 2006 65 Bosnia and Herzegovina 31,490 2006 66 Trinidad and Tobago 30,732 2006 67 Nicaragua 24,452 2006 68 Kazakhstan 21,187 2006 69 Bolivia 20,085 2006 70 Netherlands Antilles 19,204 2006 71 Ecuador 19,027 2006 72 Kyrgyzstan 18,928 2006 73 Croatia 18,825 2006 74 Tonga 18,775 2006 75 Nepal 17,789 2006 76 Andorra 14,944 2006 77 French Polynesia 14,047 2006 78 Malta 14,025 2006 79 New Caledonia 13,962 2006 80 Kenya 13,274 2006 81 Paraguay 13,178 2006 82 Costa Rica 12,751 2006 83 Monaco 12,720 2006 84 Vietnam 12,114 2006 85 Aruba 11,548 2006 86 Saudi Arabia 10,931 2006 87 Georgia 10,752 2006 88 Samoa 10,680 2006 89 Uzbekistan 9,058 2006 90 Fiji 8,987 2006 91 Greenland 8,851 2006 92 Cayman Islands 8,611 2006 93 Tanzania 8,609 2006 94 Armenia 8,163 2006 95 Bermuda 8,114 2006 96 Zimbabwe 7,954 2006 97 Antarctica 7,757 2006 98 Bhutan 7,567 2006 99 Panama 7,149 2006 100 Mozambique 6,985 2006 101 Faroe Islands 6,915 2006 102 Sri Lanka 6,526 2006 103 Botswana 5,499 2006 104 Iran 5,242 2006 105 Mauritius 4,997 2006 106 Liechtenstein 4,697 2006 107 El Salvador 4,682 2006 108 Honduras 3,973 2006 109 Belize 3,905 2006 110 Virgin Islands 3,855 2006 111 Macedonia 3,716 2006 112 Oman 3,555 2006 113 Namibia 3,527 2006 114 Jordan 3,441 2006 115 Lebanon 3,307 2006 116 Zambia 3,227 2006 117 Morocco 3,218 2006 118 San Marino 3,140 2006 119 Turks and Caicos Islands 2,735 2006 120 Solomon Islands 2,658 2006 121 Cote d'Ivoire 2,534 2006 122 Angola 2,525 2006 123 Swaziland 2,472 2006 124 Christmas Island 2,368 2006 125 Kuwait 2,310 2006 126 Egypt 2,254 2006 127 Cuba 2,234 2006 128 Antigua and Barbuda 2,231 2006 129 Bahrain 2,165 2006 130 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1,778 2006 131 Rwanda 1,590 2006 132 Papua New Guinea 1,573 2006 133 Nigeria 1,549 2006 134 Djibouti 1,540 2006 135 Madagascar 1,504 2006 136 American Samoa 1,456 2006 137 Cook Islands 1,456 2006 138 Jamaica 1,402 2006 139 Cambodia 1,378 2006 140 Uganda 1,365 2006 141 Maldives 1,357 2006 142 Guernsey 1,245 2006 143 Jersey 1,240 2006 144 Algeria 1,202 2006 145 Laos 1,108 2006 146 Eritrea 1,088 2006 147 Guyana 1,046 2006 148 Azerbaijan 880 2006 149 Benin 867 2006 150 Sao Tome and Principe 735 2006 151 Gibraltar 641 2006 152 Bahamas, The 591 2006 153 Turkmenistan 585 2006 154 Micronesia, Federated States of 550 2006 155 British Virgin Islands 525 2006 156 Togo 520 2006 157 Bangladesh 469 2006 158 Albania 430 2006 159 Tunisia 428 2006 160 Guadeloupe 422 2006 161 Vanuatu 413 2006 162 Senegal 412 2006 163 Puerto Rico 404 2006 164 Anguilla 403 2006 165 Burkina Faso 399 2006 166 Montserrat 386 2006 167 Ghana 380 2006 168 Malawi 377 2006 169 Guinea 367 2006 170 Saint Helena 329 2006 171 Gabon 322 2006 172 Qatar 301 2006 173 Tokelau 298 2006 174 Isle of Man 290 2006 175 Barbados 282 2006 176 Mali 278 2006 177 Mongolia 272 2006 178 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 271 2006 179 Dominica 263 2006 180 Cape Verde 234 2006 181 Niger 189 2006 182 Yemen 171 2006 183 Lesotho 168 2006 184 Burundi 160 2006 185 Suriname 126 2006 186 Macau 108 2006 187 French Guiana 106 2006 188 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 103 2006 189 Norfolk Island 100 2006 190 Tajikistan 98 2006 191 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 94 2006 192 Ethiopia 88 2006 193 Guam 76 2006 194 Martinique 72 2006 195 Seychelles 72 2006 196 East Timor 68 2006 197 Syria 66 2006 198 British Indian Ocean Territory 65 2006 199 Nauru 52 2006 200 Saint Kitts and Nevis 50 2006 201 Congo, Republic of the 46 2004 202 Holy See (Vatican City) 45 2006 203 Burma 42 2006 204 Kiribati 42 2006 205 Cameroon 39 2006 206 French Southern and Antarctic Lands 38 2006 207 Mauritania 32 2006 208 Libya 31 2006 209 Reunion 29 2006 210 Brunei 27 2005 211 Afghanistan 22 2006 212 Saint Lucia 21 2006 213 Northern Mariana Islands 20 2005 214 Sierra Leone 20 2006 215 Equatorial Guinea 19 2006 216 Grenada 17 2006 217 Sudan 16 2006 218 Gambia, The 14 2006 219 Central African Republic 10 2006 220 Chad 9 2006 221 Liberia 8 2006 222 Pitcairn Islands 8 2006 223 Bouvet Island 6 2006 224 Marshall Islands 6 2006 225 Haiti 6 2006 226 Comoros 5 2006 227 Iraq 5 2006 228 Guinea-Bissau 5 2006 229 Palau 3 2006 230 Somalia 3 2006 231 Mayotte 1 2006 232 Wallis and Futuna 1 2006 233 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2006 This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2185 Rank Country Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) Date of Information 1 Azerbaijan 54.40 2005 est. 2 China 44.40 2005 est. 3 Seychelles 42.00 2005 est. 4 Equatorial Guinea 39.90 2005 est. 5 Turkmenistan 35.60 2005 est. 6 Guyana 34.40 2005 est. 7 Vietnam 33.10 2005 est. 8 Jamaica 32.40 2005 est. 9 Sao Tome and Principe 32.20 2005 est. 10 Angola 30.30 2005 est. 11 Iran 30.10 2005 est. 12 Lesotho 29.90 2005 est. 13 Mozambique 29.60 2005 est. 14 Spain 29.40 2005 est. 15 Korea, South 29.30 2005 est. 16 Estonia 29.10 2005 est. 17 Thailand 29.00 2005 est. 18 Iceland 28.70 2005 est. 19 Croatia 28.60 2005 est. 20 India 28.10 2005 est. 21 Latvia 27.80 2005 est. 22 Haiti 27.40 2004 est. 23 Zambia 27.10 2005 est. 24 Ireland 27.00 2005 est. 25 Nicaragua 27.00 2005 est. 26 Kazakhstan 26.50 2005 est. 27 Czech Republic 26.40 2005 est. 28 Madagascar 26.40 2005 est. 29 Sri Lanka 26.10 2005 est. 30 Slovakia 26.00 2005 est. 31 Australia 25.90 2005 est. 32 Eritrea 25.10 2005 est. 33 Belarus 24.80 2005 est. 34 Slovenia 24.80 2005 est. 35 Cape Verde 24.80 2005 est. 36 Gabon 24.70 2005 est. 37 Greece 24.60 2005 est. 38 Bangladesh 24.40 2005 est. 39 Moldova 24.40 2005 est. 40 Romania 24.30 2005 est. 41 Namibia 24.30 2005 est. 42 Dominican Republic 24.10 2005 est. 43 Georgia 24.00 2005 est. 44 Bulgaria 23.80 2005 est. 45 New Zealand 23.80 2005 est. 46 Morocco 23.70 2005 est. 47 Uganda 23.40 2005 est. 48 Cambodia 23.30 2005 est. 49 Ghana 23.30 2005 est. 50 Honduras 23.20 2005 est. 51 Japan 23.20 2005 est. 52 Hungary 23.10 2005 est. 53 Algeria 22.60 2005 est. 54 Malta 22.60 2005 est. 55 Albania 22.40 2005 est. 56 Ecuador 22.40 2005 est. 57 Tunisia 22.40 2005 est. 58 Chile 22.10 2005 est. 59 Indonesia 22.00 2005 est. 60 Ethiopia 21.90 2005 est. 61 Syria 21.90 2005 est. 62 Qatar 21.90 2005 est. 63 Lithuania 21.80 2005 est. 64 Singapore 21.80 2005 est. 65 Portugal 21.60 2005 est. 66 Togo 21.60 2005 est. 67 Argentina 21.50 2005 est. 68 Congo, Republic of the 21.50 2005 est. 69 Armenia 21.40 2005 est. 70 Nigeria 21.30 2005 est. 71 Switzerland 21.30 2005 est. 72 Mauritius 21.20 2005 est. 73 Ukraine 20.90 2005 est. 74 Austria 20.80 2005 est. 75 Hong Kong 20.80 2005 est. 76 Denmark 20.80 2005 est. 77 United Arab Emirates 20.70 2005 est. 78 Burkina Faso 20.70 2005 est. 79 Italy 20.60 2005 est. 80 Canada 20.50 2005 est. 81 Taiwan 20.40 2005 est. 82 Botswana 20.30 2005 est. 83 Luxembourg 20.30 2005 est. 84 Jordan 20.20 2005 est. 85 Senegal 20.10 2005 est. 86 Gambia, The 20.00 2005 est. 87 Malaysia 20.00 2005 est. 88 Belgium 19.90 2005 est. 89 Benin 19.90 2005 est. 90 Brazil 19.90 2005 est. 91 Costa Rica 19.60 2005 est. 92 France 19.60 2005 est. 93 Turkey 19.60 2005 est. 94 Trinidad and Tobago 19.60 2005 est. 95 European Union 19.60 2005 est. 96 Bahrain 19.50 2005 est. 97 Netherlands 19.50 2005 est. 98 Paraguay 19.40 2005 est. 99 Tajikistan 19.40 2005 est. 100 Mexico 19.30 2005 est. 101 Cyprus 19.20 2005 est. 102 Papua New Guinea 19.20 2005 est. 103 Finland 19.20 2005 est. 104 Venezuela 19.00 2005 est. 105 Peru 18.90 2005 est. 106 Norway 18.70 2005 est. 107 Colombia 18.60 2005 est. 108 Tanzania 18.60 2005 est. 109 Lebanon 18.40 2005 est. 110 Macedonia 18.30 2005 est. 111 Chad 18.20 2005 est. 112 Poland 18.20 2005 est. 113 Russia 18.10 2005 est. 114 Rwanda 18.10 2005 est. 115 Belize 17.80 2005 est. 116 Israel 17.50 2005 est. 117 Cameroon 17.30 2005 est. 118 Guinea 17.30 2005 est. 119 Egypt 17.20 2005 est. 120 Germany 17.10 2005 est. 121 Kenya 17.00 2005 est. 122 Sweden 17.00 2005 est. 123 South Africa 16.80 2005 est. 124 United States 16.70 2005 est. 125 United Kingdom 16.60 2005 est. 126 Panama 16.50 2005 est. 127 Saudi Arabia 16.30 2005 est. 128 Sudan 16.30 2005 est. 129 El Salvador 15.80 2005 est. 130 Guatemala 15.60 2005 est. 131 Philippines 15.50 2005 est. 132 Pakistan 15.30 2005 est. 133 Oman 14.80 2005 est. 134 Kuwait 14.30 2005 est. 135 Serbia 14.20 2005 est. 136 Yemen 14.20 2005 est. 137 Uruguay 12.90 2005 est. 138 Kyrgyzstan 12.60 2005 est. 139 Bolivia 12.50 2005 est. 140 Burundi 11.60 2005 est. 141 Burma 11.50 2005 est. 142 Cuba 11.50 2005 est. 143 Libya 11.40 2005 est. 144 Swaziland 10.60 2005 est. 145 Malawi 10.20 2005 est. 146 Cote d'Ivoire 8.60 2005 est. 147 Zimbabwe 7.90 2005 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2186 Rank Country Public debt(% of GDP) Date of Information 1 Malawi 195.90 2005 est. 2 Lebanon 180.50 2005 est. 3 Seychelles 167.00 2005 est. 4 Japan 158.00 2005 est. 5 Jamaica 128.70 2005 est. 6 Zimbabwe 109.80 2005 est. 7 Italy 108.80 2005 est. 8 Sudan 107.00 2005 est. 9 Greece 106.80 2005 est. 10 Ethiopia 106.20 11 Egypt 104.70 2005 est. 12 Singapore 102.90 2005 est. 13 Israel 99.70 2005 est. 14 Belgium 94.30 2005 est. 15 Sri Lanka 92.80 2005 est. 16 Nicaragua 82.30 2005 est. 17 Uruguay 81.90 2005 est. 18 Bhutan 81.40 19 Moldova 79.60 2005 est. 20 Jordan 79.10 2005 est. 21 Ghana 75.90 2005 est. 22 Argentina 72.50 2005 est. 23 Philippines 72.30 2005 est. 24 Morocco 72.00 2005 est. 25 Zambia 71.50 2005 est. 26 Cyprus 70.30 2005 est. 27 Canada 69.60 2005 est. 28 Honduras 68.40 2005 est. 29 Turkey 68.00 2005 est. 30 Mauritius 67.50 2005 est. 31 Germany 67.30 2005 est. 32 France 66.20 2005 est. 33 Cameroon 65.90 2005 est. 34 Tanzania 65.80 2005 est. 35 Austria 65.10 2005 est. 36 Panama 64.90 2005 est. 37 United States 64.70 2005 est. 38 Cote d'Ivoire 64.50 2005 est. 39 Uganda 64.30 2005 est. 40 Portugal 63.90 2005 est. 41 Tunisia 59.10 2005 est. 42 Hungary 58.90 2005 est. 43 Costa Rica 56.80 2005 est. 44 India 53.80 2005 est. 45 Pakistan 53.80 2005 est. 46 Serbia 53.10 2005 est. 47 Netherlands 52.70 2005 est. 48 Switzerland 52.00 2005 est. 49 Brazil 51.60 2005 est. 50 Sweden 50.40 2005 est. 51 Kenya 50.20 2005 est. 52 Norway 50.10 2005 est. 53 Indonesia 49.90 2005 est. 54 Croatia 49.70 2005 est. 55 Colombia 49.50 2005 est. 56 Vietnam 48.20 2005 est. 57 Poland 47.70 2005 est. 58 Thailand 47.60 2005 est. 59 El Salvador 46.70 2005 est. 60 Aruba 46.30 61 Malaysia 46.20 2005 est. 62 Senegal 46.00 2005 est. 63 Dominican Republic 45.50 2005 est. 64 Bangladesh 44.50 2005 est. 65 Saudi Arabia 44.20 2005 est. 66 United Kingdom 43.10 2005 est. 67 Trinidad and Tobago 43.00 2005 est. 68 Papua New Guinea 42.90 2005 est. 69 Spain 42.90 2005 est. 70 Slovakia 42.50 2005 est. 71 Ecuador 40.10 2005 est. 72 Syria 40.10 2005 est. 73 Finland 39.60 2005 est. 74 Angola 38.30 2005 est. 75 Peru 38.00 2005 est. 76 Denmark 37.00 2005 est. 77 Uzbekistan 36.10 2005 est. 78 Paraguay 36.00 2005 est. 79 South Africa 35.80 2005 est. 80 Qatar 35.60 2005 est. 81 Yemen 34.40 2005 est. 82 Venezuela 34.20 2005 est. 83 Macedonia 33.70 2005 est. 84 Gabon 33.60 2005 est. 85 Taiwan 33.60 2005 est. 86 Bahrain 33.50 2005 est. 87 Namibia 32.70 2005 est. 88 Bulgaria 31.90 2005 est. 89 Iceland 31.60 2005 est. 90 Algeria 30.20 2005 est. 91 Bosnia and Herzegovina 29.00 92 Iran 28.90 2005 est. 93 Slovenia 28.50 2005 est. 94 Ireland 26.70 2005 est. 95 Czech Republic 25.90 2005 est. 96 Guatemala 25.90 2005 est. 97 China 24.40 2005 est. 98 New Zealand 21.30 2005 est. 99 Mozambique 21.00 100 Romania 20.30 2005 est. 101 Korea, South 20.00 2005 est. 102 Lithuania 18.70 2005 est. 103 United Arab Emirates 17.50 2005 est. 104 Mexico 17.40 2005 est. 105 Ukraine 17.00 2005 est. 106 Australia 16.10 2005 est. 107 Russia 12.90 2005 est. 108 Kuwait 12.10 2005 est. 109 Azerbaijan 11.30 2005 est. 110 Nigeria 11.00 2005 est. 111 Latvia 10.90 2005 est. 112 Kazakhstan 10.50 2005 est. 113 Libya 8.20 2005 est. 114 Oman 8.10 2005 est. 115 Chile 7.50 2005 est. 116 Equatorial Guinea 6.40 117 Botswana 6.20 2005 est. 118 Wallis and Futuna 5.60 119 Estonia 4.80 2005 est. 120 Hong Kong 1.80 2005 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2187 Rank Country Current account balance Date of Information 1 Japan $ 165,600,000,000 2005 est. 2 China $ 160,800,000,000 2005 est. 3 Germany $ 115,500,000,000 2005 est. 4 Saudi Arabia $ 90,730,000,000 2005 est. 5 Russia $ 84,250,000,000 2005 est. 6 Switzerland $ 58,240,000,000 2005 est. 7 Norway $ 49,490,000,000 2005 est. 8 Netherlands $ 39,950,000,000 2005 est. 9 Singapore $ 32,740,000,000 2005 est. 10 Kuwait $ 26,920,000,000 2005 est. 11 Sweden $ 25,620,000,000 2005 est. 12 Venezuela $ 25,360,000,000 2005 est. 13 Canada $ 24,960,000,000 2005 est. 14 Hong Kong $ 19,700,000,000 2005 est. 15 Algeria $ 18,790,000,000 2005 est. 16 United Arab Emirates $ 18,540,000,000 2005 est. 17 Korea, South $ 16,560,000,000 2005 est. 18 Taiwan $ 16,220,000,000 2005 est. 19 Brazil $ 14,190,000,000 2005 est. 20 Malaysia $ 14,060,000,000 2005 est. 21 Iran $ 13,270,000,000 2005 est. 22 Libya $ 10,730,000,000 2005 est. 23 Qatar $ 9,270,000,000 2005 est. 24 Denmark $ 7,753,000,000 2005 est. 25 Belgium $ 6,305,000,000 2005 est. 26 Nigeria $ 5,597,000,000 2005 est. 27 Argentina $ 5,448,000,000 2005 est. 28 Finland $ 5,043,000,000 2005 est. 29 Oman $ 4,796,000,000 2005 est. 30 Angola $ 4,054,000,000 2005 est. 31 Luxembourg $ 3,560,000,000 32 Trinidad and Tobago $ 2,880,000,000 2005 est. 33 Ukraine $ 2,531,000,000 2005 est. 34 Israel $ 2,385,000,000 2005 est. 35 Philippines $ 2,354,000,000 2005 est. 36 Egypt $ 2,207,000,000 2005 est. 37 Indonesia $ 2,016,000,000 2005 est. 38 Botswana $ 1,584,000,000 2005 est. 39 Bahrain $ 1,531,000,000 2005 est. 40 Austria $ 1,467,000,000 2005 est. 41 Morocco $ 1,255,000,000 2005 est. 42 Yemen $ 1,224,000,000 2005 est. 43 Syria $ 1,097,000,000 2005 est. 44 Uzbekistan $ 1,082,000,000 2005 est. 45 Peru $ 1,030,000,000 2005 est. 46 Belarus $ 852,000,000 2005 est. 47 Chile $ 702,700,000 2005 est. 48 Burma $ 700,000,000 2005 est. 49 Gabon $ 675,000,000 2005 est. 50 Namibia $ 509,200,000 2005 est. 51 Congo, Republic of the $ 493,000,000 2005 est. 52 Papua New Guinea $ 482,100,000 2005 est. 53 Bolivia $ 462,000,000 2005 est. 54 Equatorial Guinea $ 264,000,000 2005 est. 55 Turkmenistan $ 236,000,000 2005 est. 56 Azerbaijan $ 167,300,000 2005 est. 57 British Virgin Islands $ 134,300,000 58 Cuba $ 49,000,000 2005 est. 59 Cameroon $ 39,000,000 2005 est. 60 Bangladesh $ 37,000,000 2005 est. 61 Cook Islands $ 26,670,000 62 Haiti $ 23,000,000 2005 est. 63 Palau $ 15,090,000 64 Swaziland $ 7,000,000 2005 est. 65 Tuvalu $ 2,323,000 66 Samoa $ -2,428,000 67 Tonga $ -4,321,000 68 Comoros $ -17,000,000 2005 est. 69 Kiribati $ -19,870,000 70 Sao Tome and Principe $ -20,000,000 2005 est. 71 Vanuatu $ -28,350,000 72 Burundi $ -29,000,000 2005 est. 73 Seychelles $ -32,000,000 2005 est. 74 Micronesia, Federated States of $ -34,300,000 75 Honduras $ -42,300,000 2005 est. 76 Anguilla $ -42,870,000 77 Tajikistan $ -44,000,000 2005 est. 78 Gambia, The $ -53,000,000 2005 est. 79 Macedonia $ -81,100,000 2005 est. 80 Cape Verde $ -82,000,000 2005 est. 81 Antigua and Barbuda $ -83,400,000 82 Uruguay $ -87,900,000 2005 est. 83 Lesotho $ -92,000,000 2005 est. 84 Guyana $ -112,000,000 2005 est. 85 Armenia $ -118,000,000 2005 est. 86 Kyrgyzstan $ -134,000,000 2005 est. 87 Laos $ -134,000,000 2005 est. 88 Dominican Republic $ -143,000,000 2005 est. 89 Cambodia $ -166,000,000 2005 est. 90 Rwanda $ -166,000,000 2005 est. 91 Belize $ -180,000,000 2005 est. 92 Cote d'Ivoire $ -193,000,000 2005 est. 93 Togo $ -199,000,000 2005 est. 94 Malawi $ -218,000,000 2005 est. 95 Paraguay $ -255,000,000 2005 est. 96 Guinea $ -268,400,000 2005 est. 97 Moldova $ -285,000,000 2005 est. 98 Eritrea $ -291,000,000 2005 est. 99 Slovenia $ -303,000,000 2005 est. 100 Vietnam $ -309,000,000 2005 est. 101 Mauritius $ -342,000,000 2005 est. 102 Uganda $ -355,000,000 2005 est. 103 Tunisia $ -359,200,000 2005 est. 104 Benin $ -400,000,000 2005 est. 105 Albania $ -416,000,000 2005 est. 106 Zambia $ -420,000,000 2005 est. 107 Madagascar $ -438,000,000 2005 est. 108 Burkina Faso $ -460,000,000 2005 est. 109 Fiji $ -465,800,000 110 Kazakhstan $ -485,700,000 2005 est. 111 Zimbabwe $ -519,000,000 2005 est. 112 Tanzania $ -558,000,000 2005 est. 113 Ecuador $ -566,000,000 2005 est. 114 Malta $ -598,000,000 2005 est. 115 Chad $ -602,000,000 2005 est. 116 Georgia $ -625,000,000 2005 est. 117 Mozambique $ -639,000,000 2005 est. 118 Panama $ -705,700,000 2005 est. 119 Sri Lanka $ -776,000,000 2005 est. 120 El Salvador $ -778,000,000 2005 est. 121 Ghana $ -790,000,000 2005 est. 122 Nicaragua $ -835,000,000 2005 est. 123 Ethiopia $ -844,000,000 2005 est. 124 Senegal $ -848,000,000 2005 est. 125 Costa Rica $ -955,000,000 2005 est. 126 Cyprus $ -962,300,000 2005 est. 127 Jamaica $ -974,000,000 2005 est. 128 Pakistan $ -1,109,000,000 2005 est. 129 Guatemala $ -1,341,000,000 2005 est. 130 Estonia $ -1,375,000,000 2005 est. 131 Kenya $ -1,543,000,000 2005 est. 132 Jordan $ -1,613,000,000 2005 est. 133 Lithuania $ -1,771,000,000 2005 134 Colombia $ -1,931,000,000 2005 est. 135 Latvia $ -1,959,000,000 2005 est. 136 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ -2,087,000,000 2005 est. 137 Serbia $ -2,451,000,000 2005 est. 138 Czech Republic $ -2,496,000,000 2005 est. 139 Croatia $ -2,541,000,000 2005 est. 140 Iceland $ -2,607,000,000 2005 est. 141 Sudan $ -3,013,000,000 2005 est. 142 Thailand $ -3,689,000,000 2005 est. 143 Ireland $ -3,833,000,000 2005 est. 144 Bulgaria $ -3,919,000,000 2005 145 Slovakia $ -4,066,000,000 2005 est. 146 Lebanon $ -4,239,000,000 2005 est. 147 Poland $ -4,364,000,000 2005 est. 148 Mexico $ -5,708,000,000 2005 est. 149 Hungary $ -7,963,000,000 2005 est. 150 Romania $ -8,200,000,000 2005 151 Iraq $ -9,447,000,000 2004 est. 152 New Zealand $ -9,688,000,000 2005 est. 153 South Africa $ -11,080,000,000 2005 est. 154 India $ -12,950,000,000 2005 est. 155 Portugal $ -17,100,000,000 2005 est. 156 Greece $ -17,860,000,000 2005 est. 157 Turkey $ -23,080,000,000 2005 est. 158 Italy $ -26,380,000,000 2005 est. 159 France $ -38,780,000,000 2005 est. 160 Australia $ -42,090,000,000 2005 est. 161 United Kingdom $ -57,610,000,000 2005 est. 162 Spain $ -83,140,000,000 2005 est. 163 United States $ -829,100,000,000 2005 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Rank code: @2188 Rank Country Reserves of foreign exchange and gold Date of Information 1 Japan $ 835,500,000,000 2005 est. 2 China $ 825,600,000,000 2005 est. 3 Taiwan $ 258,000,000,000 2005 est. 4 Korea, South $ 210,400,000,000 2005 est. 5 Russia $ 182,200,000,000 2005 est. 6 India $ 136,000,000,000 2005 est. 7 Hong Kong $ 124,300,000,000 2005 est. 8 Singapore $ 115,800,000,000 2005 est. 9 Germany $ 101,700,000,000 2005 est. 10 United States $ 86,940,000,000 2004 est. 11 France $ 74,360,000,000 2005 est. 12 Mexico $ 74,100,000,000 2005 est. 13 Malaysia $ 70,230,000,000 2005 est. 14 Italy $ 65,950,000,000 2005 est. 15 Switzerland $ 57,640,000,000 2005 est. 16 Algeria $ 56,580,000,000 2005 est. 17 Brazil $ 53,800,000,000 2005 est. 18 Turkey $ 52,490,000,000 2005 est. 19 Thailand $ 52,070,000,000 2005 est. 20 United Kingdom $ 48,660,000,000 2005 est. 21 Norway $ 46,990,000,000 2005 est. 22 Iran $ 45,460,000,000 2005 est. 23 Australia $ 43,260,000,000 2005 est. 24 Poland $ 42,560,000,000 2005 est. 25 Libya $ 39,700,000,000 2005 est. 26 Indonesia $ 34,580,000,000 2005 est. 27 Denmark $ 34,030,000,000 2005 est. 28 Canada $ 33,020,000,000 2005 est. 29 Venezuela $ 29,640,000,000 2005 est. 30 Czech Republic $ 29,360,000,000 2005 est. 31 Nigeria $ 28,280,000,000 2005 est. 32 Argentina $ 28,090,000,000 2005 est. 33 Israel $ 28,060,000,000 2005 est. 34 Saudi Arabia $ 26,760,000,000 2005 est. 35 United Arab Emirates $ 23,530,000,000 2005 est. 36 Sweden $ 22,330,000,000 2005 est. 37 Romania $ 21,600,000,000 2005 est. 38 Egypt $ 21,390,000,000 2005 est. 39 South Africa $ 20,630,000,000 2005 est. 40 Netherlands $ 20,540,000,000 2005 est. 41 Ukraine $ 19,390,000,000 2005 est. 42 Hungary $ 18,590,000,000 2005 est. 43 Philippines $ 18,500,000,000 2005 est. 44 Spain $ 17,230,000,000 2005 est. 45 Chile $ 16,930,000,000 2005 est. 46 Lebanon $ 16,620,000,000 2005 est. 47 Morocco $ 16,470,000,000 2005 est. 48 Slovakia $ 14,970,000,000 2005 est. 49 Colombia $ 14,960,000,000 2005 est. 50 Peru $ 14,180,000,000 2005 est. 51 Belgium $ 12,000,000,000 2005 est. 52 Austria $ 11,830,000,000 2005 est. 53 Finland $ 11,400,000,000 2005 est. 54 Pakistan $ 10,950,000,000 2005 est. 55 Portugal $ 10,360,000,000 2005 est. 56 Iraq $ 9,161,000,000 2005 est. 57 Kuwait $ 8,972,000,000 2005 est. 58 New Zealand $ 8,893,000,000 2005 est. 59 Vietnam $ 8,863,000,000 2005 est. 60 Croatia $ 8,800,000,000 2005 est. 61 Bulgaria $ 8,695,000,000 2005 62 Slovenia $ 8,160,000,000 2005 est. 63 Kazakhstan $ 7,070,000,000 2005 est. 64 Botswana $ 6,309,000,000 2005 est. 65 Yemen $ 6,143,000,000 2005 est. 66 Jordan $ 5,463,000,000 2005 est. 67 Syria $ 5,363,000,000 2005 est. 68 Serbia $ 5,350,000,000 69 Trinidad and Tobago $ 4,888,000,000 2005 est. 70 Qatar $ 4,552,000,000 2005 est. 71 Cyprus $ 4,429,000,000 2005 est. 72 Tunisia $ 4,375,000,000 2005 est. 73 Oman $ 4,358,000,000 2005 est. 74 Lithuania $ 3,815,000,000 2005 75 Guatemala $ 3,673,000,000 2005 est. 76 Angola $ 3,197,000,000 2005 est. 77 Uruguay $ 3,079,000,000 2005 est. 78 Turkmenistan $ 2,963,000,000 2005 est. 79 Bangladesh $ 2,825,000,000 2005 est. 80 Sri Lanka $ 2,737,000,000 2005 est. 81 Uzbekistan $ 2,681,000,000 2005 est. 82 Cuba $ 2,618,000,000 2005 est. 83 Malta $ 2,579,000,000 2005 est. 84 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 2,531,000,000 2005 est. 85 Sudan $ 2,450,000,000 2005 est. 86 Bahrain $ 2,432,000,000 2005 est. 87 Latvia $ 2,361,000,000 2005 est. 88 Honduras $ 2,339,000,000 2005 est. 89 Costa Rica $ 2,313,000,000 2005 est. 90 Greece $ 2,287,000,000 2005 est. 91 Jamaica $ 2,170,000,000 2005 est. 92 Ecuador $ 2,148,000,000 2005 est. 93 Equatorial Guinea $ 2,103,000,000 2005 est. 94 Tanzania $ 2,074,000,000 2005 est. 95 Estonia $ 1,948,000,000 2005 est. 96 Ghana $ 1,897,000,000 2005 est. 97 Dominican Republic $ 1,853,000,000 2005 est. 98 El Salvador $ 1,833,000,000 2005 est. 99 Kenya $ 1,799,000,000 2005 est. 100 Bolivia $ 1,798,000,000 2005 est. 101 Albania $ 1,461,000,000 2005 est. 102 Cote d'Ivoire $ 1,420,000,000 2005 est. 103 Mauritius $ 1,366,000,000 2005 est. 104 Macedonia $ 1,341,000,000 2005 est. 105 Paraguay $ 1,297,000,000 2005 est. 106 Uganda $ 1,286,000,000 2005 est. 107 Ethiopia $ 1,226,000,000 2005 est. 108 Belarus $ 1,215,000,000 2005 est. 109 Panama $ 1,211,000,000 2005 est. 110 Azerbaijan $ 1,192,000,000 2005 est. 111 Senegal $ 1,191,000,000 2005 est. 112 Cambodia $ 1,145,000,000 2005 est. 113 Iceland $ 1,069,000,000 2005 est. 114 Mozambique $ 1,051,000,000 2005 est. 115 Cameroon $ 964,800,000 2005 est. 116 Ireland $ 869,300,000 2005 est. 117 Burkina Faso $ 764,000,000 2005 est. 118 Burma $ 763,000,000 2005 est. 119 Armenia $ 754,900,000 2005 est. 120 Papua New Guinea $ 748,800,000 2005 est. 121 Nicaragua $ 727,800,000 2005 est. 122 Benin $ 676,000,000 2005 est. 123 Gabon $ 675,200,000 2005 est. 124 Kyrgyzstan $ 612,300,000 2005 est. 125 Moldova $ 597,500,000 2005 est. 126 Lesotho $ 573,000,000 2005 est. 127 Madagascar $ 572,000,000 2005 est. 128 Zambia $ 559,800,000 2005 est. 129 Georgia $ 474,200,000 2005 est. 130 Rwanda $ 357,000,000 2005 est. 131 Togo $ 318,000,000 2005 est. 132 Namibia $ 312,100,000 2005 est. 133 Swaziland $ 311,000,000 2005 est. 134 Chad $ 297,000,000 2005 est. 135 Luxembourg $ 279,100,000 2005 est. 136 Congo, Republic of the $ 273,000,000 2005 est. 137 Guyana $ 261,000,000 2005 est. 138 Laos $ 249,000,000 2005 est. 139 Tajikistan $ 186,800,000 2005 est. 140 Zimbabwe $ 160,000,000 2005 est. 141 Malawi $ 151,000,000 2005 est. 142 Cape Verde $ 150,000,000 2005 est. 143 Burundi $ 105,000,000 2005 est. 144 Haiti $ 100,000,000 2005 est. 145 Belize $ 87,000,000 2005 est. 146 Gambia, The $ 82,000,000 2005 est. 147 Samoa $ 70,150,000 148 Guinea $ 69,830,000 2005 est. 149 Seychelles $ 41,000,000 2005 est. 150 Tonga $ 40,830,000 151 Vanuatu $ 40,540,000 152 Eritrea $ 30,000,000 2005 est. 153 Sao Tome and Principe $ 20,000,000 2005 est. This file was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ====================================================================== Appendix A - Abbreviations ABEDA: Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa ACCT: Agency for the French-Speaking Community (see International Organization of the French-speaking World) ACP Group: African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States AfDB: African Development Bank AFESD: Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development Air Pollution: Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Sulphur 85: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long- Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at Least 30% Air Pollution-Sulphur 94: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long- Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes AMF: Arab Monetary Fund AMU: Arab Maghreb Union Antarctic-Environmental Protocol: Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty Antarctic Marine Living Resources: Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources Antarctic Seals: Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals ANZUS: Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty APEC: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Arabsat: Arab Satellite Communications Organization ARF: ASEAN Regional Forum AsDB: Asian Development Bank ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations AU: African Union Autodin: Automatic Digital Network BA: Baltic Assembly bbl/day: barrels per day BCIE: Central American Bank for Economic Integration BDEAC: Central African States Development Bank Benelux: Benelux Economic Union BIMSTEC: Bay of Bengal Iniative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Biodiversity: Convention on Biological Diversity BGN: United States Board on Geographic Names BIS: Bank for International Settlements BSEC: Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone C: Commonwealth c.i.f.: cost, insurance, and freight CACM: Central American Common Market CAEU: Council of Arab Economic Unity CAN: Andean Community of Nations Caricom: Caribbean Community and Common Market CB: citizen's band mobile radio communications CBSS: Council of the Baltic Sea States CCC: Customs Cooperation Council CDB: Caribbean Development Bank CE: Council of Europe CEI: Central European Initiative CEMAC: Monetary and Economic Community of Central Africa CEPGL: Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research CEPT: Conference Europeanne des Poste et Telecommunications CIS: Commonwealth of Independent States CITES: see Endangered Species Climate Change: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol: Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COCOM: Coordinating Committee on Export Controls Comsat: Communications Satellite Corporation COMESA: Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa CP: Colombo Plan CY: calendar year DC: developed country Desertification: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa DDT: dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane DIA: United States Defense Intelligence Agency DSN: Defense Switched Network DWT: deadweight ton EADB: East African Development Bank EAPC: Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council EBRD: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EC: European Community ECA: Economic Commission for Africa ECE: Economic Commission for Europe ECLAC: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ECO: Economic Cooperation Organization ECOSOC: Economic and Social Council ECOWAS: Economic Community of West African States ECSC: European Coal and Steel Community EEC: European Economic Community EFTA: European Free Trade Association EEZ: exclusive economic zone EIB: European Investment Bank EMU: European Monetary Union Endangered Species: Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) Entente: Council of the Entente Environmental Modification: Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques ESA: European Space Agency ESCAP: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESCWA: Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia est.: estimate EU: European Union Euratom: European Atomic Energy Community Eutelsat: European Telecommunications Satellite Organization Ex-Im: Export-Import Bank of the United States f.o.b.: free on board FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization FAX: facsimile FLS: Front Line States FOC: flags of convenience FSU: former Soviet Union FY: fiscal year FZ: Franc Zone G-2: Group of 2 G-3: Group of 3 G-5: Group of 5 G-6: Group of 6 G-7: Group of 7 G-8: Group of 8 G-9: Group of 9 G-10: Group of 10 G-15: Group of 15 G-11: Group of 11 G-24: Group of 24 G-77: Group of 77 GATT: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; now WTO GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council GDP: gross domestic product GMT: Greenwich Mean Time GNP: gross national product GRT: gross register ton GSM: global system for mobile cellular communications GUAM: acronym for member states - Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova GWP: gross world product Hazardous Wastes: Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal HF: high-frequency HIV/AIDS: human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome IADB: Inter-American Development Bank IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency IANA: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization ICC: International Chamber of Commerce ICCt: International Criminal Court ICFTU: International Confederation of Free Trade Unions ICJ: International Court of Justice (World Court) ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross ICRM: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement ICSID: International Center for Secretariat of Investment Disputes ICTR: International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda ICTY: International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia IDA: International Development Association IDB: Islamic Development Bank IDP: internally displaced person IEA: International Energy Agency IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development IFC: International Finance Corporation IFRCS: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IGAD: Inter-Governmental Authority on Development IHO: International Hydrographic Organization ILO: International Labor Organization IMF: International Monetary Fund IMO: International Maritime Organization Inmarsat: International Maritime Satellite Organization InOC: Indian Ocean Commission INSTRAW: International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women Intelsat: International Telecommunications Satellite Organization Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization Intersputnik: International Organization of Space Communications IOC: International Olympic Committee IOM: International Organization for Migration IPU: Inter-parliamentary Union ISO: International Organization for Standardization ISP: Internet Service Provider ITU: International Telecommunication Union kHz: kilohertz km: kilometer kW: kilowatt kWh: kilowatt-hour LAES: Latin American Economic System LAIA: Latin American Integration Association LAS: League of Arab States Law of the Sea: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS) LDC: less developed country LLDC: least developed country London Convention: see Marine Dumping LOS: see Law of the Sea m: meter Marecs: Maritime European Communications Satellite Marine Dumping: Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter Marine Life Conservation: Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas MARPOL: see Ship Pollution Medarabtel: Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union Mercosur: Southern Cone Common Market MHz: megahertz MICAH: International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti MINURSO: United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara MIGA: Multilateral Investment Geographic Agency MINUSTAH: United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti MONUC: United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo NA: not available NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement NAM: Nonaligned Movement NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization NC: Nordic Council NEA: Nuclear Energy Agency NEGL: negligible NGA: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency NIB: Nordic Investment Bank NIC: newly industrializing country NIE: newly industrializing economy NIS: new independent states nm: nautical mile NMT: Nordic Mobile Telephone NSG: Nuclear Suppliers Group Nuclear Test Ban: Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water NZ: New Zealand OAPEC: Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries OAS: Organization of American States OAU: Organization of African Unity; see African Union ODA: official development assistance OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECS: Organization of Eastern Caribbean States OHCHR: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights OIC: Organization of the Islamic Conference OIF: International Organization of the French-speaking World ONUB: United Nations Operation in Burundi OOF: other official flows OPANAL: Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean OPCW: Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries OSCE: Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Ozone Layer Protection: Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer PCA: Permanent Court of Arbitration PFP: Partnership for Peace PIF: Pacific Islands Forum PPP: purchasing power parity Ramsar: see Wetlands RG: Rio Group SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SACU: Southern African Customs Union SACEP: South Asia Co-opeative Environment Programme SADC: Southern African Development Community SCO: Shanghai Cooperative Organization SAFE: South African Far East Cable SECI: Southeast European Cooperative Initiative SHF: super-high-frequency Ship Pollution: Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL) Sparteca: South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement SPC: Secretariat of the Pacific Communities SPF: South Pacific Forum sq km: square kilometer sq mi: square mile TAT: Trans-Atlantic Telephone Tropical Timber 83: International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983 Tropical Timber 94: International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994 UAE: United Arab Emirates UDEAC: Central African Customs and Economic Union UHF: ultra-high-frequency UK: United Kingdom UN: United Nations UNAMSIL: United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone UNCLOS: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also know as LOS UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNDCP: United Nations Drug Control Program UNDOF: United Nations Disengagement Observer Force UNDP: United Nations Development Program UNEP: United Nations Environment Program UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization UNFICYP: United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF: United Nations Children's Fund UNICRI: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute UNIDIR: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organization UNIFIL: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon UNITAR: United Nations Institute for Training and Research UNMEE: United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea UNMIK: United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo UNMIL: United Nations Mission in Liberia UNMOGIP: United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan UNMOVIC: United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission UNOCI: United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire UNOMIG: United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia UNOPS: United Nations Office of Project Services UNRISD: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development UNRWA: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East UNSC: United Nations Security Council UNSSC: Untied Nations System Staff College UNTSO: United Nations Truce Supervision Organization UNU: United Nations University UPU: Universal Postal Union US: United States USSR: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union); used for information dated before 25 December 1991 UTC: Coordinated Universal Time UV: ultra violet VHF: very-high-frequency VSAT: very small aperture terminal WADB: West African Development Bank WAEMU: West African Economic and Monetary Union WCL: World Confederation of Labor WCO: World Customs Organization Wetlands: Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat WEU: Western European Union WFP: World Food Program WFTU: World Federation of Trade Unions Whaling: International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling WHO: World Health Organization WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization WMO: World Meteorological Organization WP: Warsaw Pact WTO: World Trade Organization note - see WToO for World Tourism Organization WToO: World Tourism Organization ZC: Zangger Committee This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ===================================================================== Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups advanced developing countries: another term for those less developed countries (LDCs) with particularly rapid industrial development; see newly industrializing economies (NIEs) advanced economies: a term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the top group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; it includes the following 28 advanced economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, US; note - this group would presumably also cover the following seven smaller countries of Andorra, Bermuda, Faroe Islands, Holy See, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino that are included in the more comprehensive group of "developed countries" African Development Bank (AfDB): note - its predecessor was Organization of African Unity (OAU) established - 9 September 1999 aim - to promote economic and social development regional members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe nonregional members - (24) Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US African Union (AU): note - replaces Organization of African Unity (OAU) established - 8 July 2001 aim - to achieve greater unity among African States; to defend states' integrity and independence; to accelerate political, social, and economic integration; to encourage international cooperation; to promote democratic principles and institutions members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara), Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group): established - 6 June 1975 aim - to manage their preferential economic and aid relationship with the EU members - (79) Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL): note - acronym from Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe (OPANAL) established - 14 February 1967 under the Treaty of Tlatelolco; effective - 25 April 1969 on the 11th ratification aim - to encourage the peaceful uses of atomic energy and prohibit nuclear weapons members - (33) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela Andean Community of Nations (CAN): note - formerly known as the Andean Group (AG), the Andean Parliament, and most recently as the Andean Common Market (Ancom) established - 26 May 1969; present name established 1 October 1992; effective - 16 October 1969 aim - to promote harmonious development through economic integration members - (5) Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela associate members - (5) Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay observers - (2) Mexico, Panama Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA): note - also known as Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA) established - 18 February 1974; effective - 16 September 1974 aim - to promote economic development members - (17 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Palestine Liberation Organization; note - these are all the members of the Arab League excluding Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD): established - 16 May 1968 aim - to promote economic and social development members - (20 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq (suspended 1993), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia (suspended 1993), Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization Arab Maghreb Union (AMU): established - 17 February 1989 aim - to promote cooperation and integration among the Arab states of northern Africa members - (5) Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia Arab Monetary Fund (AMF): established - 27 April 1976; effective - 2 February 1977 aim - to promote Arab cooperation, development, and integration in monetary and economic affairs members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization Arctic Council: established - 18 September 1996 aim - to address the common concerns and challenges faced by Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic; to protect the Arctic environment members - (8) Canada, Denmark (Greenland, Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, US permanent participants - (6) Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gurch'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Russian Association of Indigenous People of the North, Saami Council observers - (5) France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, UK ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): established - 25 July 1994 aim - to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common interest and concern members - (26) Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, China, East Timor, EU, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, US, Vietnam Asian Development Bank (AsDB): established - 19 December 1966 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation members - (47) Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, East Timor, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam nonregional members - (19) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): established - 7 November 1989 aim - to promote trade and investment in the Pacific basin members - (21) Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, US, Vietnam observers - (3) Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): established - 8 August 1967 aim - to encourage regional economic, social, and cultural cooperation among the non-Communist countries of Southeast Asia members - (10) Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam dialogue partners - (12) Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, South Korea, NZ, Pakistan, Russia, US, UNDP observers - (1) Papua New Guinea Australia Group: established - June 1985 aim - to consult on and coordinate export controls related to chemical and biological weapons members - (40) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS): established - 1 September 1951; effective - 29 April 1952 aim - to implement a trilateral mutual security agreement, although the US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986; Australia and the US continue to hold annual meetings members - (3) Australia, NZ, US Baltic Assembly (BA): established - 12 May 1990 aim - to thoroughly discuss various cooperation issues between Baltic states members - (3) Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Bay of Bengal Iniative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Coopertion (BIMSTEC): established - June 1997 aim - to foster socio-economic cooperation among members members - (7) Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand Bank for International Settlements (BIS): established - 20 January 1930; effective - 17 March 1930 aim - to promote cooperation among central banks in international financial settlements members - (55) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Central Bank, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UK, US; note - Serbia and Montenegro have separate central banks; their links with BIS are currently under review Benelux Economic Union (Benelux): note - acronym from Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg established - 3 February 1958; effective - 1 November 1960 aim - to develop closer economic cooperation and integration members - (3) Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands Big Seven: note - membership is the same as the Group of 7 established - 1975 aim - to discuss and coordinate major economic policies members - (7) Big Six (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) plus the US Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC): established - 25 June 1992 aim - to enhance regional stability through economic cooperation members - (12) Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine; note - Macedonia is in the process of joining observers - (16) Austria, Belarus, Black Sea Commission, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Energy Charter Secretariat, France, Germany, International Black Sea Club, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Tunisia, US; note - Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia have applied for observer status Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom): established - 4 July 1973; effective - 1 August 1973 aim - to promote economic integration and development, especially among the less developed countries members - (15) Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago associate members - (5) Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands Caribbean Development Bank (CDB): established - 18 October 1969; effective - 26 January 1970 aim - to promote economic development and cooperation regional members - (20) Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Venezuela nonregional members - (5) Canada, China, Germany, Italy, UK Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC): see Monetary and Economic Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC): note - acronym from Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale established - 3 December 1975 aim - to provide loans for economic development members - (10) African Development Bank (AfDB), Cameroon, Central African States Bank (BEAC), Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Kuwait Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE): note - acronym from Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico established - 13 December 1960 signature of Articles of Agreement; 31 May 1961 began operations aim - to promote economic integration and development members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua nonregional members - (5) Argentina, China, Colombia, Mexico, Spain Central American Common Market (CACM): established - 13 December 1960, collapsed in 1969, reinstated in 1991 aim - to promote establishment of a Central American Common Market members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua; note - Panama, although not a member, pursues full regional cooperation Central European Initiative (CEI): note - evolved from the Quadrilateral Initiative and the Hexagonal Initiative established - 11 November 1989 as the Quadrilateral Initiative, 27 July 1991 became the Hexagonal Initiative, July 1992 its present name was adopted aim - to form an economic and political cooperation group for the region between the Adriatic and the Baltic Seas members - (18) Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine centrally planned economies: a term applied mainly to the traditionally Communist states that looked to the former USSR for leadership; most are now evolving toward more democratic and market- oriented systems; also known formerly as the Second World or as as the Communist countries; through the 1980s, this group included Albania, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, North Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, USSR, Vietnam Colombo Plan (CP): established - May 1950 proposal was adopted; 1 July 1951 commenced full operations aim - to promote economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific members - (25) Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, US, Vietnam Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA): note - formerly known as Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA) established - 5 November 1993 aim - recognizing, promoting and protecting fundamental human rights, commitment to the principles of liberty and rule of law, maintaining peace and stability through the promotion and strengthening of good neighborliness, commitment to peaceful settlement of disputes among member states members - (20) Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe Commonwealth (C): note - also known as Commonwealth of Nations established - 31 December 1931 aim - to foster multinational cooperation and assistance, as a voluntary association that evolved from the British Empire members - (53) Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, NZ, Nigeria, Pakistan (suspended), Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, UK, Vanuatu, Zambia; note - on 7 December 2003 Zimbabwe withdrew its membership from the Commonwealth Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): established - 8 December 1991; effective - 21 December 1991 aim - to coordinate intercommonwealth relations and to provide a mechanism for the orderly dissolution of the USSR members - (12) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan Communist countries: traditionally the Marxist-Leninist states with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; most of the original and the successor states are no longer Communist; see centrally planned economies Coordinating Committee on Export Controls (COCOM): established in 1949 to control the export of strategic products and technical data from member countries to proscribed destinations; members were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK, US; abolished 31 March 1994; COCOM members established a new organization, the Wassenaar Arrangement, with expanded membership on 12 July 1996 that focuses on nonproliferation export controls as opposed to East- West control of advanced technology Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA): note - also known as CMEA or Comecon established 25 January 1949 to promote the development of socialist economies and abolished 1 January 1991; members included Afghanistan (observer), Albania (had not participated since 1961 break with USSR), Angola (observer), Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia (observer), GDR, Hungary, Laos (observer), Mongolia, Mozambique (observer), Nicaragua (observer), Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yemen (observer), Yugoslavia (associate) Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU): established - 3 June 1957; effective - 30 May 1964 aim - to promote economic integration among Arab nations members - (10 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization Council of Europe (CE): established - 5 May 1949; effective - 3 August 1949 aim - to promote increased unity and quality of life in Europe members - (46) Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK observers - (5) Canada, Holy See, Japan, Mexico, US Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS): established - 6 March 1992 aim - to promote cooperation among the Baltic Sea states in the areas of aid to new democratic institutions, economic development, humanitarian aid, energy and the environment, cultural programs and education, and transportation and communication members - (12) Denmark, Estonia, EC, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden observers - (7) France, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Ukraine, UK, US Council of the Entente (Entente): established - 29 May 1959 aim - to promote economic, social, and political coordination members - (5) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo countries in transition: a term used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the middle group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; IMF statistics include the following 28 countries in transition: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; note - this group is identical to the group traditionally referred to as the "former USSR/Eastern Europe" except for the addition of Mongolia Customs Cooperation Council (CCC): note - see World Customs Organization (WCO) developed countries (DCs): the top group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); includes the market-oriented economies of the mainly democratic nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Bermuda, Israel, South Africa, and the European ministates; also known as the First World, high-income countries, the North, industrial countries; generally have a per capita GDP in excess of $10,000 although four OECD countries and South Africa have figures well under $10,000 and two of the excluded OPEC countries have figures of more than $10,000; the 34 DCs are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US; note - similar to the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) term "advanced economies" that adds Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan but drops Malta, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey developing countries: a term used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the bottom group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; IMF statistics include the following 126 developing countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe; note - this category would presumably also cover the following 46 other countries that are traditionally included in the more comprehensive group of "less developed countries": American Samoa, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Cuba, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gaza Strip, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, North Korea, Macau, Martinique, Mayotte, Montserrat, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tokelau, Tonga, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara East African Development Bank (EADB): established - 6 June 1967; effective - 1 December 1967 aim - to promote economic development members - (3) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda East Asia Summit (EAS): established - 14 December 2005 aim - to promote cooperation in political and security issues; to promote development, financial stability, energy security, economic integration and growth; to eradicate poverty and narrow the development gap in East Asia, and to promote deeper cultural understanding members - (16) Australia, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, NZ, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam Economic and Monetary Union (EMU): note - an integral part of the European Union; also known as the European Economic and Monetary Union established - 1-2 December 1969 (proposed at summit conference of heads of government; 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed) aim - to promote a single market by creating a single currency, the euro; timetable - 2 May 1998: European exchange rates fixed for 1 January 1999; 1 January 1999: all banks and stock exchanges begin using euros; 1 January 2002: the euro goes into circulation; 1 July 2002 local currencies no longer accepted members - (12) Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC): note - was formerly the Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC) established - 8 December 1964; effective - 1 January 1966 aim - to promote the establishment of a Central African Common Market members - (6) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945 aim - to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN; includes five regional commissions (Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) and nine functional commissions (Commission for Social Development, Commission on Human Rights, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on Population and Development, Statistical Commission, Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Commission on Sustainable Development, and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice) members - (54) selected on a rotating basis from all regions Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL): note - acronym from Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs established - 20 September 1976 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation and integration members - (3) Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda; note - organization collapsed because of fighting in 1998; reactivated in 2006 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): established - 28 May 1975 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation members - (15) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO): established - 27-29 January 1985 aim - to promote regional cooperation in trade, transportation, communications, tourism, cultural affairs, and economic development members - (10) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC): note - began as the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC); an extension of NATO established - 8 November 1991; effective - 20 December 1991 aim - to discuss cooperation on mutual political and security issues members - (46) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD): established - 8-9 January 1990 (proposals made); 15 April 1991 (bank inaugurated) aim - to facilitate the transition of seven centrally planned economies in Europe (Bulgaria, former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, former USSR, and former Yugoslavia) to market economies by committing 60% of its loans to privatization members - (63) Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, EC, European Investment Bank (EIB), Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan European Community (or European Communities, EC): established 8 April 1965 to integrate the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC or Common Market), and to establish a completely integrated common market and an eventual federation of Europe; merged into the European Union (EU) on 7 February 1992; member states at the time of merger were Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK European Free Trade Association (EFTA): established - 4 January 1960; effective - 3 May 1960 aim - to promote expansion of free trade members - (4) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland European Investment Bank (EIB): established - 25 March 1957; effective - 1 January 1958 aim - to promote economic development of the EU and its predecessors, the EEC and the EC members - (25) Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): note - acronym retained from the predecessor organization Conseil Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire established - 1 July 1953; effective - 29 September 1954 aim - to foster nuclear research for peaceful purposes only members - (20) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK observers - (8) European Commission, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, Turkey, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), US European Space Agency (ESA): established - 31 May 1975 aim - to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology members - (17) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK cooperating states - (4) Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania European Union (EU): note - see European Union entry at the end of the "country" listings First World: another term for countries with advanced, industrialized economies; this term is fading from use; see developed countries (DCs) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): established - 16 October 1945 aim - to raise living standards and increase availability of agricultural products; a UN specialized agency members - (190) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Brunei, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, and Singapore (187 total); plus Cook Islands, EC, and Niue former Soviet Union (FSU): former term often used to identify as a group the successor nations to the Soviet Union or USSR; this group of 15 countries consists of: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE): the middle group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); these countries are in political and economic transition and may well be grouped differently in the near future; this group of 27 countries consists of: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia; this group is identical to the IMF group "countries in transition" except for the IMF's inclusion of Mongolia Four Dragons: the four small Asian less developed countries (LDCs) that have experienced unusually rapid economic growth; also known as the Four Tigers; this group consists of Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan; these countries are included in the IMF's "advanced economies" group Franc Zone (FZ): note - also known as Conference des Ministres des Finances des Pays de la Zone Franc established - 1964 aim - to form a monetary union among countries whose currencies were0000000 linked to the French franc members - (16) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo Front Line States (FLS): established to achieve black majority rule in South Africa; has since gone out of existence; members included Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT): see the World Trade Organization (WTO) Group of 2 (G-2): informal term that came into use about 1986; to facilitate bilateral economic cooperation between the two most powerful economic giants; members were Japan, US Group of 3 (G-3): established - September 1990 aim - mechanism for policy coordination members - (3) Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela Group of 5 (G-5): established - 22 September 1985 aim - to coordinate the economic policies of five major noncommunist economic powers members - (5) France, Germany, Japan, UK, US Group of 6 (G-6): note - also known as Groupe des Six Sur le Desarmement; not to be confused with the Big Six established - 22 May 1984 aim - to achieve nuclear disarmament members - (6) Argentina, Greece, India, Mexico, Sweden, Tanzania Group of 7 (G-7): note - membership is the same as the Big Seven established - 22 September 1985 aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the seven major noncommunist economic powers members - (7) Group of 5 (France, Germany, Japan, UK, US) plus Canada and Italy Group of 8 (G-8): established - October 1975 aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the developed countries (DCs) that participated in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC), held in several sessions between December 1975 and 3 June 1977 members - (8) Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, US Group of 9 (G-9): established - NA aim - to discuss matters of mutual interest on an informal basis members - (9) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Sweden Group of 10 (G-10): note - also known as the Paris Club; includes the wealthiest members of the IMF who provide most of the money to be loaned and act as the informal steering committee; name persists despite increased membership established - October 1962 aim - to coordinate credit policy members - (11) Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US observers - (4) BIS, EU, IMF, OECD Group of 11 (G-11): note - also known as the Cartagena Group established in 21-22 June 1984, in Cartagena, Colombia, aim was to provide a forum for largest debtor nations in Latin America; members were: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela Group of 15 (G-15): note - byproduct of the Nonaligned Movement; name persists despite increased membership established - September 1989 aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing nations; to act as the main political organ for the Nonaligned Movement members - (19) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Zimbabwe Group of 24 (G-24): established - 1 August 1989 aim - to promote the interests of developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America within the IMF members - (24) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela observers - (1) China Group of 77 (G-77): established - 15 June1964; October 1967 first ministerial meeting aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing countries; name persists in spite of increased membership members - (130 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): note - also known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf established - 25 May 1981 aim - to promote regional cooperation in economic, social, political, and military affairs members - (6) Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM): note- acronym standing for the member countries, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova; formerly known as GUUAM before Uzbekistan withdrew in 5 May 2005 established - 7 June 2001 aim - commits the countries to cooperation and assistance in social and economic development, the strengthening and broadening of trade and economic relations, and the development and effective use of transport and communications, highways, and related infrastructure crossing the boundaries of the member states members - (4) Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine high income countries: another term for the industrialized countries with high per capita GDPs; see developed countries (DCs) Indian Ocean Commission (InOC): established - 21 December 1982 aim - to organize and promote regional cooperation in all sectors, especially economic members - (5) Comoros, France (for Reunion), Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles industrial countries: another term for the developed countries; see developed countries (DCs) Inter-American Development Bank (IADB): note - also known as Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) established - 8 April 1959; effective - 30 December 1959 aim - to promote economic and social development in Latin America members - (47) Argentina, Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD): note - formerly known as Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD) established - 15-16 January 1986 as the Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development; revitalized - 21 March 1996 as the Inter- Governmental Authority on Development aim - to promote a social, economic, and scientific community among its members members - (7) Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): established - 1889 aim - fosters contacts among parliamentarians, considers and expresses views of international interest and concern with the purpose of bringing about action by parliaments and parliamentarians, contributes to the defense and promotion of human rights, contributes to better knowledge of representative institutions members - (148) Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazahstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe associate members - (7) Andean Parliament, Central American Parliament, Community Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, East African Legislative Assembly, European Parliament, Latin American Parliament, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): established - 26 October 1956; effective - 29 July 1957 aim - to promote peaceful uses of atomic energy members - (145) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD): note - also known as the World Bank established - 22 July 1944; effective - 27 December 1945 aim - to provide economic development loans; a UN specialized agency members - (184) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Cuba, North Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, and Tuvalu International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): established - 1919 aim - to promote free trade and private enterprise and to represent business interests at national and international levels members - (91 national committees) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Caribbean, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): established - 7 December 1944; effective - 4 April 1947 aim - to promote international cooperation in civil aviation; a UN specialized agency members - (189) includes all UN member countries except Dominica, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, and Tuvalu (188 total); plus Cook Islands International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti (MICAH): established 17 December 1999 to promote respect for human rights; members included Argentina, Benin, Canada, France, India, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, US; closed 2001 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): established - 17 February 1863 aim - to provide humanitarian aid in wartime members - (15-25 individuals) all Swiss nationals International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU): established - December 1949 aim - to promote the trade union movement members - (241 affiliated organizations in the following 155 countries plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization International Court of Justice (ICJ): note - also known as the World Court established - 3 February 1946 superseded Permanent Court of International Justice aim - primary judicial organ of the UN members - (15 judges) elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council to represent all principal legal systems International Criminal Court (ICCt): established - 11 April 2002 aim - to hold all individuals and countries accountable to international laws of conduct; to specify international standards of conduct; to provide an important mechanism for implementing these standards; to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice members (countries that have ratified the treaty) - (102) Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, NZ, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, UK, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia; note - Comoros and Saint Kitts and Nevis became full members on 1 November 2006 signatory states (countries that have signed, but not ratified, the treaty) - (40) Algeria, Angola, Armenia, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, Cote d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Jamaica, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Oman, Philippines, Russia, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Ukraine, UAE, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zimbabwe International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol): established - September 1923 set up as the International Criminal Police Commission; 13 June 1956 constitution modified and present name adopted aim - to promote international cooperation among police authorities in fighting crime members - (186) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe subbureaus - (11) American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Macau, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands International Development Association (IDA): established - 26 January 1960; effective - 24 September 1960 aim - to provide economic loans for low-income countries; UN specialized agency and IBRD affiliate members - (166) Part I - (27 developed countries) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK, US Part II - (139 less developed countries) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe International Energy Agency (IEA): established - 15 November 1974 aim - to promote cooperation on energy matters, especially emergency oil sharing and relations between oil consumers and oil producers; established by the OECD members - (27) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS): note - formerly known as League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LORCS) established - 5 May 1919 aim - to organize, coordinate, and direct international relief actions; to promote humanitarian activities; to represent and encourage the development of National Societies; to bring help to victims of armed conflicts, refugees, and displaced people; to reduce the vulnerability of people through development programs members - (185 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization observers - (2) Eritrea and Tuvalu International Finance Corporation (IFC): established - 25 May 1955; effective - 24 July 1956 aim - to support private enterprise in international economic development; a UN specialized agency and IBRD affiliate members - (177) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Brunei, Cuba, Guinea, North Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Qatar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Suriname, Tuvalu International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): established - November 1974 aim - to promote agricultural development; a UN specialized agency members - (165) Category I - (23 industrialized aid contributors) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US Category II - (12 petroleum-exporting aid contributors) Algeria, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Venezuela Category III - (130 aid recipients) Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia (suspended since 1992), Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe International Hydrographic Organization (IHO): note - name changed from International Hydrographic Bureau on 22 September 1970 established - June 1919; effective - June 1921 aim - to train hydrographic surveyors and nautical cartographers to achieve standardization in nautical charts and electronic chart displays; to provide advice on nautical cartography and hydrography; to develop the sciences in the field of hydrography and techniques used for descriptive oceanograrphy members - (76) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Chile, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (suspended), Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic (suspended), Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname (suspended), Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela International Labor Organization (ILO): established - 28 June 1919 set up as part of Treaty of Versailles; 11 April 1919 became operative; 14 December 1946 affiliated with the UN aim - to deal with world labor issues; a UN specialized agency members - (179) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Bhutan, Brunei, North Korea, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Palau, Tonga, and Tuvalu; note - includes the following dependencies: Netherlands (Netherlands Antilles and Aruba) International Maritime Organization (IMO): note - name changed from Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) on 22 May 1982 established - 6 March 1948 set up as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization; effective - 17 March 1958 aim - to deal with international maritime affairs; a UN specialized agency members - (167) includes all UN member countries except Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Mali, Federated States of Micronesia, Montenegro, Nauru, Niger, Palau, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia associate members - (3) Faroe Islands, Hong Kong, Macau International Monetary Fund (IMF): established - 22 July 1944; effective - 27 December 1945 aim - to promote world monetary stability and economic development; a UN specialized agency members - (184) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Cuba, North Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu; note - includes the following dependencies or areas of special interest: China (Hong Kong and Macau), Netherlands (Netherlands Antilles and Aruba) International Olympic Committee (IOC): established - 23 June 1894 aim - to promote the Olympic ideals and administer the Olympic games: 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy; 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China; 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada; 2012 Summer Olympics in London, UK National Olympic Committees - (201 and the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization International Organization for Migration (IOM): note - established as Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe; renamed Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) on 15 November 1952; renamed Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM) in November 1980; current name adopted 14 November 1989 established - 5 December 1951 aim - to facilitate orderly international emigration and immigration members - (118) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe observers - (20) Bhutan, Burundi, China, Cuba, Ethiopia, Guyana, Holy See, India, Indonesia, Macedonia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Russia, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Vietnam International Organization for Standardization (ISO): established - February 1947 aim - to promote the development of international standards with a view to facilitating international exchange of goods and services and to developing cooperation in the sphere of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity members - (103 national standards organizations) Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe correspondent members - (43 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Swaziland, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Palestine Liberation Organization subscriber members - (9) Antigua and Barbuda, Burundi, Cambodia, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Lesotho, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines International Organization of the French-speaking World (OIF): note - name changed from Agency of Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT) in 1997 established - 20 March 1970 aim - founded around a common language to promote and spread the cultures of its members and to reinforce cultural and technical cooperation between them members - (55) Albania, Andorra, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canada - New Brunswick, Canada - Quebec, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, France, French Community of Belgium, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Vietnam observers - (13) Armenia, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Lithuania, Mozambique, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM): established - 1928 aim - to promote worldwide humanitarian aid through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in wartime, and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS; formerly League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or LORCS) in peacetime National Societies - (182 countries); note - same as membership for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS) International Telecommunication Union (ITU): established - 17 May 1865 set up as the International Telegraph Union; 9 December 1932 adopted present name; effective - 1 January 1934; affiliated with the UN - 15 November 1947 aim - to deal with world telecommunications issues; a UN specialized agency members - (191) includes all UN member countries except East Timor, Palau (190 total); plus Holy See Islamic Development Bank (IDB): established - 15 December 1973 by declaration of intent; effective - 12 August 1974 aim - to promote Islamic economic aid and social development members - (55 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization Latin American Economic System (LAES): note - also known as Sistema Economico Latinoamericana (SELA) established - 17 October 1975 aim - to promote economic and social development through regional cooperation members - (27) Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela Latin American Integration Association (LAIA): note - also known as Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion (ALADI) established - 12 August 1980; effective - 18 March 1981 aim - to promote freer regional trade members - (12) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela observers - (26) China, Corporacion Andina de Fomento, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, EC, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Inter- American Development Bank, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latin America Economic System, Nicaragua, Organization of American States, Panama, Pan-American Health Organization, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Nations Development Program, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean League of Arab States (LAS): note - also known as Arab League (AL) established - 22 March 1945 aim - aim - to promote economic, social, political, and military cooperation members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization least developed countries (LLDCs): that subgroup of the less developed countries (LDCs) initially identified by the UN General Assembly in 1971 as having no significant economic growth, per capita GDPs normally less than $1,000, and low literacy rates; also known as the undeveloped countries; the 42 LLDCs are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen less developed countries (LDCs): the bottom group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); mainly countries and dependent areas with low levels of output, living standards, and technology; per capita GDPs are generally below $5,000 and often less than $1,500; however, the group also includes a number of countries with high per capita incomes, areas of advanced technology, and rapid rates of growth; includes the advanced developing countries, developing countries, Four Dragons (Four Tigers), least developed countries (LLDCs), low-income countries, middle-income countries, newly industrializing economies (NIEs), the South, Third World, underdeveloped countries, undeveloped countries; the 172 LDCs are: Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, The Gambia, Gaza Strip, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Palau, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe; note - similar to the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) term "developing countries" which adds Malta, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey but omits in its recently published statistics American Samoa, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Cuba, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gaza Strip, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, North Korea, Macau, Martinique, Mayotte, Montserrat, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tokelau, Tonga, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara low-income countries: another term for those less developed countries with below-average per capita GDPs; see less developed countries (LDCs) middle-income countries: another term for those less developed countries with above-average per capita GDPs; see less developed countries (LDCs) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): established - 12 April 1988 aim - encourages flow of foreign direct investment among member countries by offering investment insurance, consultation, and negotiation on conditions for foreign investment and technical assistance; a UN specialized agency members - (168) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Iraq, Kirabati, North Korea, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, NZ, Niger, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Tonga, Tuvalu Near Abroad: Russian term for the 14 non-Russian successor states of the USSR, in which 25 million ethnic Russians live and in which Moscow has expressed a strong national security interest; the 14 countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan new independent states (NIS): a term referring to all the countries of the FSU except the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) newly industrializing countries (NICs): former term for the newly industrializing economies; see newly industrializing economies (NIEs) newly industrializing economies (NIEs): that subgroup of the less developed countries (LDCs) that has experienced particularly rapid industrialization of their economies; formerly known as the newly industrializing countries (NICs); also known as advanced developing countries; usually includes the Four Dragons (Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan), and Brazil Nonaligned Movement (NAM): established - 1-6 September 1961 aim - to establish political and military cooperation apart from the traditional East or West blocs members - (114 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization observers - (15) Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominica, El Salvadore, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Paraguay, Ukraine, Uruguay guests - (24) Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland Nordic Council (NC): established - 16 March 1952; effective - 12 February 1953 aim - to promote regional economic, cultural, and environmental cooperation members - (5) Denmark (including Faroe Islands and Greenland), Finland (including Aland Islands), Iceland, Norway, Sweden observers - (3) the Sami (Lapp) local parliaments of Finland, Norway, and Sweden Nordic Investment Bank (NIB): established - 4 December 1975; effective - 1 June 1976 aim - to promote economic cooperation and development members - (8) Denmark (including Faroe Islands and Greenland), Estonia, Finland (including Aland Islands), Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden North: a popular term for the rich industrialized countries generally located in the northern portion of the Northern Hemisphere; the counterpart of the South; see developed countries (DCs) North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): established - 17 December 1992 aim - to eliminate trade barriers, promote fair competition, increase investment opportunities, provide protection of intellectual property rights, and create procedures to settle disputes members - (3) Canada, Mexico, US North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): established - 4 April 1949 aim - to promote mutual defense and cooperation members - (26) Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, UK, US Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA): note - also known as OECD Nuclear Energy Agency established - 1 February 1958 aim - to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy; associated with OECD members - (28) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG): note - also known as the London Suppliers Group or the London Group established - 1974; effective - 1975 aim - to establish guidelines for exports of nuclear materials, processing equipment for uranium enrichment, and technical information to countries of proliferation concern and regions of conflict and instability members - (45) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US observer - (1) European Commission (a policy-planning body for the EU) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): established - 14 December 1960; effective - 30 September 1961 aim - to promote economic cooperation and development members - (30) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US special member - (1) EC Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE): note - formerly the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) established 3 July 1975 established - 1 January 1995 aim - to foster the implementation of human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law; to act as an instrument of early warning, conflict prevention, and crisis management; and to serve as a framework for conventional arms control and confidence building measures members - (56) Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan partners for cooperation - (11) Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Mongolia, Morocco, Thailand, Tunisia Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW): established - 29 April 1997 aim - to enforce the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction; to provide a forum for consultation and cooperation among the signatories of the Convention members (countries that have ratified the Convention) - (180) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Djibouti, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe signatory states (countries that have signed, but not ratified, the Convention) - (6) The Bahamas, Burma, Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Israel Organization of African Unity (OAU): see African Union Organization of American States (OAS): established - 14 April 1890 as the International Union of American Republics; 30 April 1948 adopted present charter; effective - 13 December 1951 aim - to promote regional peace and security as well as economic and social development members - (35) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba (excluded from formal participation since 1962), Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, US, Uruguay, Venezuela observers - (60) Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, EU, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, Yemen Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC): established - 9 January 1968 aim - to promote cooperation in the petroleum industry members - (11) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia (suspended), UAE Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS): established - 18 June 1981; effective - 4 July 1981 aim - to promote political, economic, and defense cooperation members - (7) Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines associate member - (2) Anguilla, British Virgin Islands Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC): established - 14 September 1960 aim - to coordinate petroleum policies members - (11) Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Venezuela Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC): established - 22-25 September 1969 aim - to promote Islamic solidarity in economic, social, cultural, and political affairs members - (56 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization observers - (11) AU, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, ECO, LAS, Moro National Liberation Front, NAM, Russia, Thailand, Turkish Muslim Community of Kibris, UN Pacific Community (SPC): note - formerly known as the South Pacific Commission (SPC) established - 6 February 1947; effective - 29 July 1948 aim - to promote regional cooperation in economic and social matters members - (26) American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, NZ, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, US, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna; note - UK withdrew in January 2005 Pacific Islands Forum (PIF): note - formerly known as South Pacific Forum (SPF) established - 5 August 1971 aim - to promote regional cooperation in political matters members - (16) Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, NZ, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu observers - (4) East Timor, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Tokelau Paris Club: established - 1956 aim - to provide a forum for debtor countries to negotiate rescheduling of debt service payments or loans extended by governments or official agencies of participating countries; to help restore normal trade and project finance to debtor countries members - (19) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US Partnership for Peace (PFP): established - 10-11 January 1994 aim - to expand and intensify political and military cooperation throughout Europe, increase stability, diminish threats to peace, and build relationships by promoting the spirit of practical cooperation and commitment to democratic principles that underpin NATO; program under the auspices of NATO members - (20) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; note - a nation that becomes a member of NATO is no longer a member of PFP Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA): established - 29 July 1899 aim - to facilitate the settlement of international disputes members - (105) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe Rio Group (RG): note - formerly known as Grupo de los Ocho, established NA December 1986; composed of the Contadora Group and the Lima Group established - 1988 aim - to consult on regional Latin American issues members - (20) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, CARICOM, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela Second World: another term for the traditionally Marxist-Leninist states of the USSR and Eastern Europe, with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; the term is fading from use; see centrally planned economies Secretariat of the Pacific Communities (SPC): established - 6 February 1947 aim - to serve island development in 22 Pacific countries; to develop technical assistance and professional, scientific, and research support; to build planning and management capability members - (26) America Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, NZ, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, US, Wallis and Futuna Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): established - 15 June 1901 aim - to combat terrorism, extremism, and separatism; to safeguard regional security through mutual trust, disarmament, and cooperative security; and to increase cooperation in political, trade, economic, scientific and technological, cultural, and educational fields members - (6) China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan observer - (4) India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan socialist countries: in general, countries in which the government owns and plans the use of the major factors of production; note - the term is sometimes used incorrectly as a synonym for Communist countries South: a popular term for the poorer, less industrialized countries generally located south of the developed countries; the counterpart of the North; see less developed countries (LDCs) South American Community of Nations (CSN): established - 9 December 2004 aim - to coordinate common policies regarding multilateral organizations, to integrate physical infrastructure, and to consolidate the merger of CAN and Mercosur members - (12) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, Venezuela observers - (2) Mexico, Panama South Asia Co-operative Environment Program (SACEP): established - January 1983 aim - to promote regional cooperation in South Asia in the field of environment, both natural and human, and on issues of economic and social development; to support conservation and management of natural resources of the region members - (7) Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): established - 8 December 1985 aim - to promote economic, social, and cultural cooperation members - (8) Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka observers - (2) China, Japan South Pacific Forum (SPF): note - see Pacific Island Forum South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement (Sparteca): established - 1981 aim - to redress unequal trade relationships of Australia and New Zealand with small island economies in the Pacific region members - (16) Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, NZ, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI): established - 6 December 1996 aim - to encourage cooperation among participating states and to facilitate their integration into European structures members - (12) Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey observers - (15) Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine, UK, US Southern African Customs Union (SACU): established - 11 December 1969 aim - to promote free trade and cooperation in customs matters members - (5) Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland Southern African Development Community (SADC): note - evolved from the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) established - 17 August 1992 aim - to promote regional economic development and integration members - (14) Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur) or Southern Common Market: note - also known as Mercado Comun del Cono Sur (Mercosur) established - 26 March 1991 aim - to increase regional economic cooperation members - (5) Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela associate members - (5) Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru; note - Mexico is to become an associate member by the end of 2006 Third World: another term for the less developed countries; the term is obsolescent; see less developed countries (LDCs) underdeveloped countries: refers to those less developed countries with the potential for above-average economic growth; see less developed countries (LDCs) undeveloped countries: refers to those extremely poor less developed countries (LDCs) with little prospect for economic growth; see least developed countries (LLDCs) United Nations (UN): established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945 aim - to maintain international peace and security and to promote cooperation involving economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems constituent organizations - the UN is composed of six principal organs and numerous subordinate agencies and bodies as follows: 1) Secretariat 2) General Assembly: Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UN AIDS), International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Preparation Commission for the Nuclear-Ban- Treaty Operation ((CTBTU), United Nations Center for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP), United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), United Nations University (UNU), World Food Program (WFP) 3) Security Council: International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), United Nations Compensation Commission, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor- Leste (UNMIT), United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB), United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI), United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS), United Nations Monitoring and Verification Commission (UNMOVIC), United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), United Nations Peace-Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) 4) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): Commission for Social Development, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Commission on Narcotics Drugs, Commission on Population and Development, Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Commission on Sustainable Development, Commission on the Status of Women, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Center for Secretariat of Investment Disputes (ICSID), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Multilateral Investment Geographic Agency (MIGA), Statistical Commission, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Forum on Forests, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), World Tourism Organization (WToO), and World Trade Organization (WTO) 5) Trusteeship Council (inactive; no trusteeships at this time) 6) International Court of Justice (ICJ) United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): note - acronym retained from the predecessor organization, UN International Children's Emergency Fund established - 11 December 1946 aim - to help establish child health and welfare services members - (36) selected on a rotating basis from all regions United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): established - 30 December 1964 aim - to promote international trade members - (193) all UN members plus Holy See United Nations Development Program (UNDP): established - 22 November 1965 aim - to provide technical assistance to stimulate economic and social development members (executive board) - (36) selected on a rotating basis from all regions United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF): established - 31 May 1974 aim - to observe the 1973 Arab-Israeli cease-fire; established by the UN Security Council members - (7) Austria, Canada, India, Japan, Nepal, Poland, Slovakia United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): established - 16 November 1945; effective - 4 November 1946 aim - to promote cooperation in education, science, and culture members - (191) includes all UN member countries except Liechtenstein, Montenegro, and Singapore (188 total); plus Cook Islands and Niue associate members - (6) Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Macau, Netherlands Antilles, Tokelau United Nations Environment Program (UNEP): established - 15 December 1972 aim - to promote international cooperation on all environmental matters members - (58) selected on a rotating basis from all regions United Nations General Assembly: established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945 aim - to function as the primary deliberative organ of the UN members - (192) all UN members are represented in the General Assembly United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): established - 3 December 1949; effective - 1 January 1951 aim - to ensure the humanitarian treatment of refugees and find permanent solutions to refugee problems members (executive committee) - (70) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Holy See, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Lebanon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UK, US, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO): established - 17 November 1966; effective - 1 January 1967 aim - UN specialized agency that promotes industrial development especially among the members members - (171) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Estonia, Iceland, Kiribati, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Montenegro, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, US United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR): established - 11 December 1963 adoption of the resolution establishing the Institute; effective - 24 March 1965 aim - to help the UN become more effective through training and research members (Board of Trustees) - (18) Belgium, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Ghana, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, US; note - the UN Secretary General can appoint up to 30 members United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK): established - 10 June 1999 aim - to promote the establishment of substantial autonomy and self- government in Kosovo; to perform basic civilian administrative functions; to support the reconstruction of key infrastructure and humanitarian and disaster relief note - gives civilian support only; works closely with NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL): established - 19 March 1978 aim - to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and assist in reestablishing Lebanese authority in southern Lebanon; established by the UN Security Council members - (11) Belgium, China, Finland, France, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP): established - 24 January 1949 aim - to observe the 1949 India-Pakistan cease-fire; established by the UN Security Council members - (8) Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Uruguay United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO): established - 29 April 1991 aim - to supervise the cease-fire and conduct a referendum in Western Sahara; established by the UN Security Council members - (25) Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, China, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, El Slavador, France, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE): established - 31 July 2000 aim - to monitor the cessation of hostilities members - (39) Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Ukraine, US, Uruguay, Zambia United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL): established - 19 September 2003 aim - to support the cease-fire agreement and peace process, protect UN facilities and people, support humanitarian activities, and assist in national security reform Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Sweden, Togo, Ukraine, UK, US, Zambia United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL): established on 22 October 1999; aim was to to cooperate with the Government of Sierra Leone and the other parties to the Peace Agreement in the implementation of the agreement; to monitor the military and security situation in Sierra Leone; to monitor the disarmament and demobilization of combatants and members of the Civil Defense Forces (CFD); to assist in monitoring respect for international humanitarian law; mandate ended 31 December 2005; members were Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, Zambia United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS): established - March 2005 aim - to support implementation of the comprehensive Peace Agreement by Monitoring and verifying the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement, by observing and monitoring movements of armed groups, and by helping disarm, demobilizing and reintegrating armed bands members - (59) Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherland, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET): established on 17 May 2002 to provide assistance to structures critical to public security and to assist in the development of law enforcement agencies; to contribute to extenal security; members were Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Denmark, Fiji, Jordan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Sweden; completed its mandate 20 May 2005 United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC): note - formerly known as United Nations Special Commission for the Elimination of Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction (UNSCOM) established - December 1999 aim - to identify, account for, and eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the capacity to produce them commissioners - (16) Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, UN Department for Disarmament Affairs, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Senegal, Ukraine, UK, US United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB): established - 21 May 2004 aim - to support and help implement the efforts undertaken by Burundians to restore lasting peace and bring about national reconciliation members - (30) Algeria, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Malawi, Mali, Nambia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Yemen United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG): established - 24 August 1993 aim - to verify compliance with the cease-fire agreement, to monitor weapons exclusion zone, and to supervise CIS peacekeeping force for Abkhazia; established by the UN Security Council members - (26) Albania, Austria, Bangladesh, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Jordan, South Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC): established - 30 November 1999 aim - to establish contacts with the signatories to the cease-fire agreement and to plan for the observation of the cease-fire and disengagement of forces members - (51) Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, Zambia United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI): established - 27 February 2004 aim - to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003 members - (41) Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Chad, China, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, The Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Ireland, Jordan, Kenya, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Yemen United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP): established - 4 March 1964 aim - to serve as a peacekeeping force between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus; established by the UN Security Council members - (7) Argentina, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, UK, Uruguay United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): note - acronym retained from predecessor organization UN Fund for Population Activities established - July 1967 aim - to assist both developed and developing countries to deal with their population problems members (executive board ) - (36) selected on a rotating basis from all regions United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA): established - 8 December 1949 aim - to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees members (advisory commission) - (22) Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, EC, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, UK, US United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD): established - 1963 aim - to conduct research into the problems of economic development during different phases of economic growth members - no country members, but a Board of Directors consisting of a chairman appointed by the UN secretary general and 10 individual members United Nations Secretariat: established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945 aim - to serve as the primary administrative organ of the UN; a Secretary General is appointed for a five-year term by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council members - the UN Secretary General and staff United Nations Security Council (UNSC): established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945 aim - to maintain international peace and security permanent members - (5) China, France, Russia, UK, US nonpermanent members - (10) elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly; Argentina (2005-06), Republic of the Congo (2006-07), Denmark (2005-06), Ghana (2006-07), Greece (2005-06), Japan (2005-06), Peru (2006-07), Qatar (2006-07), Slovakia (2006-07), Tanzania (2005-06) United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH): established - 30 April 2004 aim - to stabilize Haiti in many areas for at least six months members - (19) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Jordan, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, US, Uruguay United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO): established - June 1948 aim - to supervise the 1948 Arab-Israeli cease-fire; currently supports timely deployment of reinforcements to other peacekeeping operations in the region as needed; initially established by the UN Security Council members - (23) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, US United Nations Trusteeship Council: established on 26 June 1945, effective on 24 October 1945, to supervise the administration of the 11 UN trust territories; members were China, France, Russia, UK, US; it formally suspended operations 1 November 1995 after the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau) became the Republic of Palau, a constitutional government in free association with the US; the Trusteeship Council was not dissolved United Nations University (UNU): established - 3 December 1973 aim - to conduct research in development, welfare, and human survival and to train scholars members - (24 members of UNU Council and the Rector are appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Director General of UNESCO) Universal Postal Union (UPU): established - 9 October 1874, affiliated with the UN 15 November 1947; effective - 1 July 1948 aim - to promote international postal cooperation; a UN specialized agency members - (189) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau (188 total); plus Holy See; note - includes the following dependencies or areas of special interest: Australia (Norfolk Island), China (Hong Kong, Macau), Denmark (Faroe Islands, Greenland), France (French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Guadeloupe, Iles Eparses, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna), Netherlands (Aruba, Netherlands Antilles), NZ (Cook Island, Niue, Tokelau), UK (Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey; Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Turks and Caicos), US (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, Virgin Islands) Warsaw Pact (WP): established 14 May 1955 to promote mutual defense; members met 1 July 1991 to dissolve the alliance; member states at the time of dissolution were: Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the USSR; earlier members included German Democratic Republic (GDR) and Albania West African Development Bank (WADB): note - also known as Banque Ouest-Africaine de Developpement (BOAD); is a financial institution of WAEMU established - 14 November 1973 aim - to promote regional economic development and integration regional members - (9) Central Bank of West African States, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo international/nonregional members - (6) African Development Bank, Belgium, European Investment Bank, France, Germany, People's Bank of China West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): note - also known as Union Economique et Monetaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) established - 1 August 1994 aim - to increase competitiveness of members' economic markets; to create a common market members - (8) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo Western European Union (WEU): established - 23 October 1954; effective - 6 May 1955 aim - to provide mutual defense and to move toward political unification members - (10) Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK associate members - (6) Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Turkey associate partners - (7) Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia observers - (5) Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Sweden World Bank Group: includes International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) World Confederation of Labor (WCL): established - 19 June 1920 as the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions (IFCTU), renamed 4 October 1968 aim - to promote the trade union movement members - (105 national organizations) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, French Guiana, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe World Customs Organization (WCO): note - began as the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) established - 15 December 1950 aim - to promote international cooperation in customs matters members - (168) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU): established - 3 October 1945 aim - to promote the trade union movement members - (125 and the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, The Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, New Caledonia, NZ, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization World Food Program (WFP): established - 24 November 1961 aim - to provide food aid in support of economic development or disaster relief; an ECOSOC organization members - (36) selected on a rotating basis from all regions World Health Organization (WHO): established - 22 July 1946; effective - 7 April 1948 aim - to deal with health matters worldwide; a UN specialized agency members - (193) includes all UN member countries except Liechtenstein (191 total); plus Cook Islands and Niue World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): established - 14 July 1967; effective - 26 April 1970 aim - to furnish protection for literary, artistic, and scientific works; a UN specialized agency members - (183) includes all UN member countries except East Timor, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Montenegro, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu (182 total); plus Holy See World Meteorological Organization (WMO): established - 11 October 1947; effective - 4 April 1951 aim - to sponsor meteorological cooperation; a UN specialized agency members - (188) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Montenegro, Nauru, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Tuvalu (179 total); plus Aruba, British Caribbean Territories, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, and Niue World Tourism Organization (WToO): established - 2 January 1975 aim - to promote tourism as a means of contributing to economic development, international understanding, and peace members - (150) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe associate members - (7) Aruba, Flanders, Hong Kong, Macau, Madeira Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico observers - (1 plus Palestine Liberation Organization) Holy See, Palestine Liberation Organization World Trade Organization (WTO): note - succeeded General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) established - 15 April 1994; effective - 1 January 1995 aim - to provide a forum to resolve trade conflicts between members and to carry on negotiations with the goal of further lowering and/or eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers members - (149) Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, EC, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe observers - (32) Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Holy See, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Russia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen; note - with the exception of the Holy See, an observer must start accession negotiations within five years of becoming observers; Montenegro and Serbia each sent observers Zangger Committee (ZC): established - early 1970s aim - to establish guidelines for the export control provisions of the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) members - (36) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US observers - (1) EC This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ===================================================================== Appendix C - Selected International Environmental Agreements Air Pollution see Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Sulphur 85 see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at least 30% Air Pollution-Sulphur 94 see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes Antarctic - Environmental Protocol see Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty Antarctic Treaty opened for signature - 1 December 1959 entered into force - 23 June 1961 objective - to ensure that Antarctica is used for peaceful purposes only (such as international cooperation in scientific research); to defer the question of territorial claims asserted by some nations and not recognized by others; to provide an international forum for management of the region; applies to land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees south latitude parties - (45) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal note - abbreviated as Hazardous Wastes opened for signature - 22 March 1989 entered into force - 5 May 1992 objective - to reduce transboundary movements of wastes subject to the Convention to a minimum consistent with the environmentally sound and efficient management of such wastes; to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated and ensure their environmentally sound management as closely as possible to the source of generation; and to assist LDCs in environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate parties - (149) Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Finland, France, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (3) Afghanistan, Haiti, US Biodiversity see Convention on Biological Diversity Climate Change see United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol see Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals note - abbreviated as Antarctic Seals opened for signature - 1 June 1972 entered into force - 11 March 1978 objective - to promote and achieve the protection, scientific study, and rational use of Antarctic seals, and to maintain a satisfactory balance within the ecological system of Antarctica parties - (16) Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia, South Africa, UK, US countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (1) NZ Convention on Biological Diversity note - abbreviated as Biodiversity opened for signature - 5 June 1992 entered into force - 29 December 1993 objective - to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity parties - (182) Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (6) Afghanistan, Kuwait, Serbia, Thailand, Tuvalu, US Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas note - abbreviated as Marine Life Conservation opened for signature - 29 April 1958 entered into force - 20 March 1966 objective - to solve through international cooperation the problems involved in the conservation of living resources of the high seas, considering that because of the development of modern technology some of these resources are in danger of being overexploited parties - (37) Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Finland, France, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, UK, US, Venezuela countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (21) Afghanistan, Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ghana, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Liberia, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Panama, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution note - abbreviated as Air Pollution opened for signature - 13 November 1979 entered into force - 16 March 1983 objective - to protect the human environment against air pollution and to gradually reduce and prevent air pollution, including long-range transboundary air pollution parties - (48) Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (2) Holy See, San Marino Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar) note - abbreviated as Wetlands opened for signature - 2 February 1971 entered into force - 21 December 1975 objective - to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value parties - (125) Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources note - abbreviated as Antarctic-Marine Living Resources opened for signature - 5 May 1980 entered into force - 7 April 1982 objective - to safeguard the environment and protect the integrity of the ecosystem of the seas surrounding Antarctica, and to conserve Antarctic marine living resources parties - (31) Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) note - abbreviated as Endangered Species opened for signature - 3 March 1973 entered into force - 1 July 1975 objective - to protect certain endangered species from overexploitation by means of a system of import/export permits parties - (156) Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (3) Ireland, Kuwait, Lesotho Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) note - abbreviated as Marine Dumping opened for signature - 29 December 1972 entered into force - 30 August 1975 objective - to control pollution of the sea by dumping and to encourage regional agreements supplementary to the Convention parties - (78) Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong (associate member), Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Libya, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Nauru, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tonga, Tunisia, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Vanuatu Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques note - abbreviated as Environmental Modification opened for signature - 10 December 1976 entered into force - 5 October 1978 objective - to prohibit the military or other hostile use of environmental modification techniques in order to further world peace and trust among nations parties - (66) Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malawi, Mauritius, Mongolia, Netherlands, NZ, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (17) Bolivia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Holy See, Iceland, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Morocco, Nicaragua, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Syria, Turkey, Uganda Desertification see United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa Endangered Species see Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) Environmental Modification see Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques Hazardous Wastes see Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling note - abbreviated as Whaling opened for signature - 2 December 1946 entered into force - 10 November 1948 objective - to protect all species of whales from overhunting; to establish a system of international regulation for the whale fisheries to ensure proper conservation and development of whale stocks; and to safeguard for future generations the great natural resources represented by whale stocks parties - (42) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominica, Finland, France, Germany, Grenada, Guinea, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983 note - abbreviated as Tropical Timber 83 opened for signature - 18 November 1983 entered into force - 1 April 1985; this agreement expired when the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994, went into force objective - to provide an effective framework for cooperation between tropical timber producers and consumers and to encourage the development of national policies aimed at sustainable utilization and conservation of tropical forests and their genetic resources parties - (54) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Venezuela International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994 note - abbreviated as Tropical Timber 94 opened for signature - 26 January 1994 entered into force - 1 January 1997 objective - to ensure that by the year 2000 exports of tropical timber originate from sustainably managed sources; to establish a fund to assist tropical timber producers in obtaining the resources necessary to reach this objective parties - (58) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (1) Ireland Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change note - abbreviated as Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol opened for signature - 16 March 1998 entered into force - 23 February 2005 objective - to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enhancing the national programs of developed countries aimed at this goal and by establishing percentage reduction targets for the developed countries parties - (144) Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cook Island, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (6) Australia, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Monaco, US, Zambia Law of the Sea see United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS) Marine Dumping see Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) Marine Life Conservation see Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer < I>note - abbreviated as Ozone Layer Protection opened for signature - 16 September 1987 entered into force - 1 January 1989 objective - to protect the ozone layer by controlling emissions of substances that deplete it parties - (183) Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe Nuclear Test Ban see Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water Ozone Layer Protection see Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL) note - abbreviated as Ship Pollution opened for signature - 17 February 1978 entered into force - 2 October 1983 objective - to preserve the marine environment through the complete elimination of pollution by oil and other harmful substances and the minimization of accidental discharge of such substances parties - (119) Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty note - abbreviated as Antarctic-Environmental Protocol opened for signature - 4 October 1991 entered into force - 14 January 1998 objective - to provide for comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems; applies to the area covered by the Antarctic Treaty consultative parties - (27) Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, UK, US, Uruguay non consultative parties - (16) Austria, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides opened for signature - 31 October 1988 entered into force - 14 February 1991 objective - to provide for the control or reduction of nitrogen oxides and their transboundary fluxes parties - (28) Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, UK, US countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (1) Poland Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds opened for signature - 18 November 1991 entered into force - 29 September 1997 objective - to provide for the control and reduction of emissions of volatile organic compounds in order to reduce their transboundary fluxes so as to protect human health and the environment from adverse effects parties - (21) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (6) Canada, EU, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, US Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Sulphur 94 opened for signature - 14 June 1994 entered into force - 5 August 1998 objective - to provide for a further reduction in sulfur emissions or transboundary fluxes parties - (23) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (5) Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Ukraine Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants opened for signature - 24 June 1998 entered into force - 23 October 2003 objective - to provide for the control and reduction of emissions of persistent organic pollutants in order to reduce their transboundary fluxes so as to protect human health and the environment from adverse effects parties - (22) Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (14) Armenia, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine, UK, US Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at Least 30% note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Sulphur 85 opened for signature - 8 July 1985 entered into force - 2 September 1987 objective - to provide for a 30% reduction in sulfur emissions or transboundary fluxes by 1993 parties - (22) Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine Ship Pollution see Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL) Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water note - abbreviated as Nuclear Test Ban opened for signature - 5 August 1963 entered into force - 10 October 1963 objective - to obtain an agreement on general and complete disarmament under strict international control in accordance with the objectives of the United Nations; to put an end to the armaments race and eliminate incentives for the production and testing of all kinds of weapons, including nuclear weapons parties - (113) Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UK, US, Venezuela, Zambia countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (17) Algeria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Ethiopia, Haiti, Libya, Mali, Pakistan, Paraguay, Portugal, Somalia, Tanzania, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen Tropical Timber 83 see International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983 Tropical Timber 94 see International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS) note - abbreviated as Law of the Sea opened for signature - 10 December 1982 entered into force - 16 November 1994 objective - to set up a comprehensive new legal regime for the sea and oceans; to include rules concerning environmental standards as well as enforcement provisions dealing with pollution of the marine environment parties - (148) Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (29) Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Iran, North Korea, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Niue, Rwanda, Swaziland, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa note - abbreviated as Desertification opened for signature - 14 October 1994 entered into force - 26 December 1996 objective - to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements parties - (178) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change note - abbreviated as Climate Change opened for signature - 9 May 1992 entered into force - 21 March 1994 objective - to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a low enough level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system parties - (189) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe Wetlands see Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar) Whaling see International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ===================================================================== Appendix D - Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes FIPS 10: Countries, Dependencies, Areas of Special Sovereignty, and Their Principal Administrative Divisions (FIPS 10) is maintained by the Office of Targeting and Transnational Issues, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Department of Commerce). FIPS 10 codes are intended for general use throughout the US Government, especially in activities associated with the mission of the Department of State and national defense programs. ISO 3166: Codes for the Representation of Names of Countries (ISO 3166) is prepared by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 3166 includes two- and three-character alphabetic codes and three-digit numeric codes that may be needed for activities involving exchange of data with international organizations that have adopted that standard. Except for the numeric codes, ISO 3166 codes have been adopted in the US as FIPS 104-1: American National Standard Codes for the Representation of Names of Countries, Dependencies, and Areas of Special Sovereignty for Information Interchange. Internet: The Internet country code is the two-letter digraph maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and used by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to establish country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs). Entity FIPS 10 ISO 3166 Internet Comment Afghanistan AF AF AFG 004 .af Albania AL AL ALB 008 .al Algeria AG DZ DZA 012 .dz American Samoa AQ AS ASM 016 .as Andorra AN AD AND 020 .ad Angola AO AO AGO 024 .ao Anguilla AV AI AIA 660 .ai Antarctica AY AQ ATA 010 .aq ISO defines as the territory south of 60 degrees south latitude Antigua and Barbuda AC AG ATG 028 .ag Argentina AR AR ARG 032 .ar Armenia AM AM ARM 051 .am Aruba AA AW ABW 533 .aw Ashmore and Cartier Islands AT - - - ISO includes with Australia Australia AS AU AUS 036 .au ISO includes Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands Austria AU AT AUT 040 .at Azerbaijan AJ AZ AZE 031 .az Bahamas, The BF BS BHS 044 .bs Bahrain BA BH BHR 048 .bh Baker Island FQ - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Bangladesh BG BD BGD 050 .bd Barbados BB BB BRB 052 .bb Bassas da India BS - - - - administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands; no ISO codes assigned Belarus BO BY BLR 112 .by Belgium BE BE BEL 056 .be Belize BH BZ BLZ 084 .bz Benin BN BJ BEN 204 .bj Bermuda BD BM BMU 060 .bm Bhutan BT BT BTN 064 .bt Bolivia BL BO BOL 068 .bo Bosnia and Herzegovina BK BA BIH 070 .ba Botswana BC BW BWA 072 .bw Bouvet Island BV BV BVT 074 .bv Brazil BR BR BRA 076 .br British Indian Ocean Territory IO IO IOT 086 .io British Virgin Islands VI VG VGB 092 .vg Brunei BX BN BRN 096 .bn Bulgaria BU BG BGR 100 .bg Burkina Faso UV BF BFA 854 .bf Burma BM MM MMR 104 .mm ISO uses the name Myanmar Burundi BY BI BDI 108 .bi Cambodia CB KH KHM 116 .kh Cameroon CM CM CMR 120 .cm Canada CA CA CAN 124 .ca Cape Verde CV CV CPV 132 .cv Cayman Islands CJ KY CYM 136 .ky Central African Republic CT CF CAF 140 .cf Chad CD TD TCD 148 .td Chile CI CL CHL 152 .cl China CH CN CHN 156 .cn see also Taiwan Christmas Island KT CX CXR 162 .cx Clipperton Island IP - - - ISO includes with French Polynesia Cocos (Keeling) IslandsCK CC CCK 166 .cc Colombia CO CO COL 170 .co Comoros CN KM COM 174 .km Congo, Democratic Republic of the CG CD COD 180 .cd formerly Zaire Congo, Republic of theCF CG COG 178 .cg Cook Islands CW CK COK 184 .ck Coral Sea Islands CR - - - ISO includes with Australia Costa Rica CS CR CRI 188 .cr Cote d'Ivoire IV CI CIV 384 .ci Croatia HR HR HRV 191 .hr Cuba CU CU CUB 192 .cu Cyprus CY CY CYP 196 .cy Czech Republic EZ CZ CZE 203 .cz Denmark DA DK DNK 208 .dk Djibouti DJ DJ DJI 262 .dj Dominica DO DM DMA 212 .dm Dominican Republic DR DO DOM 214 .do East Timor TT TL TLS 626 .tl Ecuador EC EC ECU 218 .ec Egypt EG EG EGY 818 .eg El Salvador ES SV SLV 222 .sv Equatorial Guinea EK GQ GNQ 226 .gq Eritrea ER ER ERI 232 .er Estonia EN EE EST 233 .ee Ethiopia ET ET ETH 231 .et Europa Island EU - - - - administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands; no ISO codes assigned Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)FKFKFLK 238 .fk Faroe Islands FO FO FRO 234 .fo Fiji FJ FJ FJI 242 .fj Finland FI FI FIN 246 .fi France FR FR FRA 250 .fr France, Metropolitan- FX FXX 249 .fx ISO limits to the European part of France, excluding French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna French Guiana FG GF GUF 254 .gf French Polynesia FP PF PYF 258 .pf ISO includes Clipperton Island French Southern and Antarctic LandsFSTFATF260 .tf FIPS 10-4 does not include the French-claimed portion of Antarctica (Terre Adelie) Gabon GB GA GAB 266 .ga Gambia, The GA GM GMB 270 .gm Gaza Strip GZ PS PSE 275 .ps ISO identifies as Occupied Palestinian Territory Georgia GG GE GEO 268 .ge Germany GM DE DEU 276 .de Ghana GH GH GHA 288 .gh Gibraltar GI GI GIB 292 .gi Glorioso Islands GO - - - - administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands; no ISO codes assigned Greece GR GR GRC 300 .gr Greenland GL GL GRL 304 .gl Grenada GJ GD GRD 308 .gd Guadeloupe GP GP GLP 312 .gp Guam GQ GU GUM 316 .gu Guatemala GT GT GTM 320 .gt Guernsey GK GG GGY 831 .gg Guinea GV GN GIN 324 .gn Guinea-Bissau PU GW GNB 624 .gw Guyana GY GY GUY 328 .gy Haiti HA HT HTI 332 .ht Heard Island and McDonald Islands HM HM HMD 334 .hm Holy See (Vatican City) VT VA VAT 336 .va Honduras HO HN HND 340 .hn Hong Kong HK HK HKG 344 .hk Howland Island HQ - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Hungary HU HU HUN 348 .hu Iceland IC IS ISL 352 .is India IN IN IND 356 .in Indonesia ID ID IDN 360 .id Iran IR IR IRN 364 .ir Iraq IZ IQ IRQ 368 .iq Ireland EI IE IRL 372 .ie Isle of Man IM IM IMN 833 .im Israel IS IL ISR 376 .il Italy IT IT ITA 380 .it Jamaica JM JM JAM 388 .jm Jan Mayen JN - - - ISO includes with Svalbard Japan JA JP JPN 392 .jp Jarvis Island DQ - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Jersey JE JE JEY 832 .je Johnston Atoll JQ - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Jordan JO JO JOR 400 .jo Juan de Nova Island JU - - - - administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands; no ISO codes assigned Kazakhstan KZ KZ KAZ 398 .kz Kenya KE KE KEN 404 .ke Kingman Reef KQ - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Kiribati KR KI KIR 296 .ki Korea, North KN KP PRK 408 .kp Korea, South KS KR KOR 410 .kr Kuwait KU KW KWT 414 .kw Kyrgyzstan KG KG KGZ 417 .kg Laos LA LA LAO 418 .la Latvia LG LV LVA 428 .lv Lebanon LE LB LBN 422 .lb Lesotho LT LS LSO 426 .ls Liberia LI LR LBR 430 .lr Libya LY LY LBY 434 .ly Liechtenstein LS LI LIE 438 .li Lithuania LH LT LTU 440 .lt Luxembourg LU LU LUX 442 .lu Macau MC MO MAC 446 .mo Macedonia MK MK MKD 807 .mk Madagascar MA MG MDG 450 .mg Malawi MI MW MWI 454 .mw Malaysia MY MY MYS 458 .my Maldives MV MV MDV 462 .mv Mali ML ML MLI 466 .ml Malta MT MT MLT 470 .mt Marshall Islands RM MH MHL 584 .mh Martinique MB MQ MTQ 474 .mq Mauritania MR MR MRT 478 .mr Mauritius MP MU MUS 480 .mu Mayotte MF YT MYT 175 .yt Mexico MX MX MEX 484 .mx Micronesia, Federated States of FM FM FSM 583 .fm Midway Islands MQ - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Moldova MD MD MDA 498 .md Monaco MN MC MCO 492 .mc Mongolia MG MN MNG 496 .mn Montenegro MJ ME MNE 499 .me new ccTLD takes effect in 2007, in the interim .cg.yu remains current Montserrat MH MS MSR 500 .ms Morocco MO MA MAR 504 .ma Mozambique MZ MZ MOZ 508 .mz Myanmar - - - - see Burma Namibia WA NA NAM 516 .na Nauru NR NR NRU 520 .nr Navassa Island BQ - - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Nepal NP NP NPL 524 .np Netherlands NL NL NLD 528 .nl Netherlands Antilles NT AN ANT 530 .an New Caledonia NC NC NCL 540 .nc New Zealand NZ NZ NZL 554 .nz Nicaragua NU NI NIC 558 .ni Niger NG NE NER 562 .ne Nigeria NI NG NGA 566 .ng Niue NE NU NIU 570 .nu Norfolk Island NF NF NFK 574 .nf Northern Mariana Islands CQ MP MNP 580 .mp Norway NO NO NOR 578 .no Oman MU OM OMN 512 .om Pakistan PK PK PAK 586 .pk Palau PS PW PLW 585 .pw Palmyra Atoll LQ - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Panama PM PA PAN 591 .pa Papua New Guinea PP PG PNG 598 .pg Paracel Islands PF - - - Paraguay PA PY PRY 600 .py Peru PE PE PER 604 .pe Philippines RP PH PHL 608 .ph Pitcairn Islands PC PN PCN 612 .pn Poland PL PL POL 616 .pl Portugal PO PT PRT 620 .pt Puerto Rico RQ PR PRI 630 .pr Qatar QA QA QAT 634 .qa Reunion RE RE REU 638 .re Romania RO RO ROU 642 .ro Russia RS RU RUS 643 .ru Rwanda RW RW RWA 646 .rw Saint Helena SH SH SHN 654 .sh Saint Kitts and Nevis SC KN KNA 659 .kn Saint Lucia ST LC LCA 662 .lc Saint Pierre and Miquelon SB PM SPM 666 .pm Saint Vincent and the Grenadines VC VC VCT 670 .vc Samoa WS WS WSM 882 .ws San Marino SM SM SMR 674 .sm Sao Tome and Principe TP ST STP 678 .st Saudi Arabia SA SA SAU 682 .sa Senegal SG SN SEN 686 .sn Serbia RB RS SRB 688 .rs .yu remains in service until the end of 2006 Seychelles SE SC SYC 690 .sc Sierra Leone SL SL SLE 694 .sl Singapore SN SG SGP 702 .sg Slovakia LO SK SVK 703 .sk Slovenia SI SI SVN 705 .si Solomon Islands BP SB SLB 090 .sb Somalia SO SO SOM 706 .so South Africa SF ZA ZAF 710 .za South Georgia and the Islands SX GS SGS 239 .gs Spain SP ES ESP 724 .es Spratly Islands PG - - - Sri Lanka CE LK LKA 144 .lk Sudan SU SD SDN 736 .sd Suriname NS SR SUR 740 .sr Svalbard SV SJ SJM 744 .sj ISO includes Jan Mayen Swaziland WZ SZ SWZ 748 .sz Sweden SW SE SWE 752 .se Switzerland SZ CH CHE 756 .ch Syria SY SY SYR 760 .sy Taiwan TW TW TWN 158 .tw Tajikistan TI TJ TJK 762 .tj Tanzania TZ TZ TZA 834 .tz Thailand TH TH THA 764 .th Togo TO TG TGO 768 .tg Tokelau TL TK TKL 772 .tk Tonga TN TO TON 776 .to Trinidad and Tobago TD TT TTO 780 .tt Tromelin Island TE - - - - administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands; no ISO codes assigned Tunisia TS TN TUN 788 .tn Turkey TU TR TUR 792 .tr Turkmenistan TX TM TKM 795 .tm Turks and Caicos IslandsTK TC TCA 796 .tc Tuvalu TV TV TUV 798 .tv Uganda UG UG UGA 800 .ug Ukraine UP UA UKR 804 .ua United Arab EmiratesAE AE ARE 784 .ae United Kingdom UK GB GBR 826 .uk United States US US USA 840 .us United States Minor Outlying Islands - UM UMI 581 .um ISO includes Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, Wake Island Uruguay UY UY URY 858 .uy Uzbekistan UZ UZ UZB 860 .uz Vanuatu NH VU VUT 548 .vu Venezuela VE VE VEN 862 .ve Vietnam VM VN VNM 704 .vn Virgin Islands VQ VI VIR 850 .vi Virgin Islands (UK) - - - .vg see British Virgin Islands Virgin Islands (US) - - - .vi see Virgin Islands Wake Island WQ - - - - ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands Wallis and Futuna WF WF WLF 876 .wf West Bank WE PS PSE 275 .ps ISO identifies as Occupied Palestinian Territory Western Sahara WI EH ESH 732 .eh Western Samoa - - - .ws see Samoa World - - - - the Factbook uses the W data code from DIAM 65-18 Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features, Data Standard No. 3, December 1994, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency Yemen YM YE YEM 887 .ye Zaire - - - - see Democratic Republic of the Congo Zambia ZA ZM ZMB 894 .zm Zimbabwe ZI ZW ZWE 716 .zw This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ===================================================================== Appendix E - Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes IHO 23-4th: Limits of Oceans and Seas, Special Publication 23, Draft 4th Edition 1986, published by the International Hydrographic Bureau of the International Hydrographic Organization IHO 23-3rd: Limits of Oceans and Seas, Special Publication 23, 3rd Edition 1953, published by the International Hydrographic Organization ACIC M 49-1: Chart of Limits of Seas and Oceans, revised January 1958, published by the Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC), United States Air Force; note - ACIC is now part of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) DIAM 65-18: Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features, Data Standard No. 4, Defense Intelligence Agency Manual 65-18, December 1994, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency The US Government has not yet adopted a standard for hydrographic codes similar to the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 10-4 country codes. The names and limits of the following oceans and seas are not always directly comparable because of differences in the customers, needs, and requirements of the individual organizations. Even the number of principal water bodies varies from organization to organization. Factbook users, for example, find the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean entries useful, but none of the following standards include those oceans in their entirety. Nor is there any provision for combining codes or overcodes to aggregate water bodies. The recently delimited Southern Ocean is not included. Principal Oceans and Seas of the World With Hydrographic Codes by Institution IHO 23-4th IHO 23-3rd* ACIC M 49-1 DIAM 65-18 Arctic Ocean 9 17 A 5A Atlantic Ocean - - - - Baltic Sea 2 1 B26 7B Eastern Mediterranean 3.1.2 28 B - 8E Indian Ocean 5 45 F 6A Mediterranean Sea 3.1 28 B11 - North Atlantic Ocean 1 23 B 1A North Pacific Ocean 7 57 D 3A Pacific Ocean - - - - South Atlantic Ocean 4 32 C 2A South China and Eastern Archipelagic Seas 6 49, 48 D18 plus 3U plus others others South Pacific Ocean 8 61 E 4A Western Mediterranean 3.1.1 28 A - 8W *The letters after the numbers are subdivisions, not footnotes. This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ===================================================================== Appendix F - Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names Name Entry in The Latitude Longitude World Factbook (deg min) (deg min) Abidjan (capital) Cote d'Ivoire 5 19 N 4 02 W Abkhazia (region) Georgia 43 00 N 41 00 E Abu Dhabi (capital) United Arab Emirates 24 28 N 54 22 E Abu Musa (island) Iran 25 52 N 55 03 E Abuja (capital) Nigeria 9 12 N 7 11 E Abyssinia (former name for Ethiopia 8 00 N 38 00 E Ethiopia) Acapulco (city) Mexico 16 51 N 99 55 W Accra (capital) Ghana 5 33 N 0 13 W Adamstown (capital) Pitcairn Islands 25 04 S 130 05 W Addis Ababa (capital) Ethiopia 9 02 N 38 42 E Adelie Land (claimed by Antarctica 66 30 S 139 00 E France; also Terre Adelie) Aden (city) Yemen 12 46 N 45 01 E Aden, Gulf of Indian Ocean 12 30 N 48 00 E Admiralty Island United States 57 44 N 134 20 W (Alaska) Admiralty Islands Papua New Guinea 2 10 S 147 00 E Adriatic Sea Atlantic Ocean 42 30 N 16 00 E Adygey (region) Russia 44 30 N 40 10 E Aegean Islands Greece 38 00 N 25 00 E Aegean Sea Atlantic Ocean 38 30 N 25 00 E Afars and Issas, French Djibouti 11 30 N 43 00 E Territory of the (or FTAI; former name for Djibouti) Afghanestan (local name for Afghanistan 33 00 N 65 00 E Afghanistan) Agalega Islands Mauritius 10 25 S 56 40 E Agana (city; former name for Guam 13 28 N 144 45 E Hagatna) Ajaccio (city) France (Corsica) 41 55 N 8 44 E Ajaria (region) Georgia 41 45 N 42 10 E Akmola (city; former name for Kazakhstan 51 10 N 71 30 E Astana) Aksai Chin (region) China (de facto), 35 00 N 79 00 E India (claimed) Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah Saudi Arabia 25 00 N 45 00 E (local name for Saudi Arabia) Al Bahrayn (local name for Bahrain 26 00 N 50 33 E Bahrain) Al Imarat al Arabiyah al United Arab Emirates 24 00 N 54 00 E Muttahidah (local name for the United Arab Emirates) Al Iraq (local name for Iraq) Iraq 33 00 N 44 00 E Al Jaza'ir (local name for Algeria 28 00 N 3 00 E Algeria) Al Kuwayt (local name for Kuwait 29 30 N 45 45 E Kuwait) Al Maghrib (local name for Morocco 32 00 N 5 00 W Morocco) Al Urdun (local name for Jordan 31 00 N 36 00 E Jordan) Al Yaman (local name for Yemen 15 00 N 48 00 E Yemen) Aland Islands Finland 60 15 N 20 00 E Alaska (state) United States 65 00 N 153 00 W Alaska, Gulf of Pacific Ocean 58 00 N 145 00 W Alboran Sea Atlantic Ocean 36 00 N 2 30 W Aldabra Islands (Groupe Seychelles 9 25 S 46 22 E d'Aldabra) Alderney (island) Guernsey 49 43 N 2 12 W Aleutian Islands United States 52 00 N 176 00 W (Alaska) Alexander Archipelago (island United States 57 00 N 134 00 W group) (Alaska) Alexander Island Antarctica 71 00 S 70 00 W Alexandretta (region; former Turkey 36 34 N 36 08 E name for Iskenderun) Alexandria (city) Egypt 31 12 N 29 54 E Algiers (capital) Algeria 36 47 N 2 03 E Alhucemas, Penon de (island Spain 35 13 N 3 53 W group) Alma-Ata (city; former name Kazakhstan 43 15 N 76 57 E for Almaty) Almaty (former capital) Kazakhstan 43 15 N 76 57 E Alofi (capital) Niue 19 01 S 169 55 W Alphonse Island Seychelles 7 01 S 52 45 E Alsace (region) France 48 30 N 7 20 E Amami Strait Pacific Ocean 28 40 N 129 30 E Amindivi Islands (former name India 11 30 N 72 30 E for Laccadive Islands) Amirante Isles (island group; Seychelles 6 00 S 53 10 E also Les Amirantes) Amman (capital) Jordan 31 57 N 35 56 E Amsterdam (capital) Netherlands 52 23 N 4 54 E Amsterdam Island (Ile French Southern and 37 52 S 77 32 E Amsterdam) Antarctic Lands Amundsen Sea Southern Ocean 72 30 S 112 00 W Amur River China, Russia 52 56 N 141 10 E Amurskiy Liman (strait) Pacific Ocean 53 00 N 141 30 E Anadyrskiy Zaliv (gulf) Pacific Ocean 64 00 N 177 00 E Anatolia (region) Turkey 39 00 N 35 00 E Andaman Islands India 12 00 N 92 45 E Andaman Sea Indian Ocean 10 00 N 95 00 E Andorra la Vella (capital) Andorra 42 30 N 1 30 E Andros (island) Greece 37 45 N 24 42 E Andros Island The Bahamas 24 26 N 77 57 W Anegada Passage Atlantic Ocean 18 30 N 63 40 W Angkor Wat (ruins) Cambodia 13 26 N 103 50 E Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (former Sudan 15 00 N 30 00 E name for Sudan) Anjouan (island) Comoros 12 15 S 44 25 E Ankara (capital) Turkey 39 56 N 32 52 E Annobon (island) Equatorial Guinea 1 25 S 5 36 E Antananarivo (capital) Madagascar 18 52 S 47 30 E Antigua (island) Antigua and Barbuda 14 34 N 90 44 W Antipodes Islands New Zealand 49 41 S 178 43 E Antwerp (city) Belgium 51 13 N 4 25 E Aomen (local Chinese short- Macau 22 10 N 113 33 E form name for Macau) Aozou Strip (region) Chad 22 00 N 18 00 E Apia (capital) Samoa 13 50 S 171 45W Aqaba, Gulf of Indian Ocean 29 00 N 34 30 E Arab, Shatt al (river) Iran, Iraq 29 57 N 48 34 E Arabian Sea Indian Ocean 15 00 N 65 00 E Arafura Sea Pacific Ocean 9 00 S 133 00 E Aral Sea Kazakhstan, 45 00 N 60 00 E Uzbekistan Argun River China, Russia 53 20 N 121 28 E Aru Sea Pacific Ocean 6 15 S 135 00 E As-Sudan (local name for Sudan 15 00 N 30 00 E Sudan) Ascension Island Saint Helena 7 57 S 14 22 W Ashgabat, Ashkhabad (capital) Turkmenistan 37 57 N 58 23 E Asmara, Asmera (capital) Eritrea 15 20 N 38 53 E Assumption Island Seychelles 9 46 S 46 34 E Astana (capital; formerly Kazakhstan 51 10 N 71 30 E Akmola) Asuncion (capital) Paraguay 25 16 S 57 40 W Asuncion Island Northern Mariana 19 40 N 145 24 E Islands Atacama (desert) Chile 23 00 S 70 10 W Atacama (region) Chile 24 30 S 69 15 W Athens (capital) Greece 37 59 N 23 44 E Attu Island United States 52 55 N 172 57 E Auckland (city) New Zealand 36 52 S 174 46 E Auckland Islands New Zealand 51 00 S 166 30 E Australes, Iles (island French Polynesia 23 20 S 151 00 W group; also Iles Tubuai) Avarua (capital) Cook Islands 21 12 S 159 46 W Axel Heiberg Island Canada 79 30 N 90 00 W Azad Kashmir (region) Pakistan 34 30 N 74 00 E Azarbaycan, Azerbaidzhan Azerbaijan 40 30 N 47 30 E (local name for Azerbaijan) Azores (islands) Portugal 38 30 N 28 00 W Azov, Sea of Atlantic Ocean 49 00 N 36 00 E Bab el Mandeb (strait) Indian Ocean 12 40 N 43 20 E Babuyan Channel Pacific Ocean 18 44 N 121 40 E Babuyan Islands Philippines 19 10 N 121 40 E Baffin Bay Arctic Ocean 73 00 N 66 00 W Baffin Island Canada 68 00 N 70 00 W Baghdad (capital) Iraq 33 21 N 44 25 E Baku (capital; also Baki, Azerbaijan 40 23 N 49 51 E Baky) Balabac Strait Pacific Ocean 7 35 N 117 00 E Balearic Islands Spain 39 30 N 3 00 E Balearic Sea (Iberian Sea) Atlantic Ocean 40 30 N 2 00 E Bali (island) Indonesia 8 20 S 115 00 E Bali Sea Indian Ocean 7 45 S 115 30 E Balintang Channel Pacific Ocean 19 49 N 121 40 E Balintang Islands Philippines 19 55 N 122 10 E Balkan Peninsula Albania, Bosnia and 42 00 N 23 00 E Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey (European part) Balleny Islands Antarctica 67 00 S 163 00 E Balochistan (region) Pakistan 28 00 N 63 00 E Baltic Sea Atlantic Ocean 57 00 N 19 00 E Bamako (capital) Mali 12 39 N 8 00 W Banaba (Ocean Island) Kiribati 0 52 S 169 35 E Banat (region) Hungary, Romania, 45 30 N 21 00 E Serbia Banda Sea Pacific Ocean 5 00 S 128 00 E Bandar Seri Begawan (capital) Brunei 4 52 S 114 55 E Bangka (island) Indonesia 2 30 S 106 00 E Bangkok (capital) Thailand 13 45 N 100 31 E Bangui (capital) Central African 4 22 N 18 35 E Republic Banjul (capital) The Gambia 13 28 N 16 39 W Banks Island Australia 10 12 S 142 16 E Banks Island Canada 75 15 N 121 30 W Banks Islands (Iles Banks) Vanuatu 14 00 S 167 30 E Barbuda (island) Antigua and Barbuda 17 38 N 61 48 W Barcelona (city) Spain 41 25 N 2 13 E Barents Sea Arctic Ocean 74 00 N 36 00 E Barranquilla (city) Colombia 10 59 N 74 48 W Bashi Channel Pacific Ocean 22 00 N 121 00 E Basilan Strait Pacific Ocean 6 49 N 122 05 E Basque Provinces Spain 43 00 N 2 30 W Bass Strait Pacific Ocean 39 20 S 145 30 E Basse-Terre (capital) Guadeloupe 16 00 N 61 44 W Basseterre (capital) Saint Kitts and 17 18 N 62 43 W Nevis Bastia (city) France (Corsica) 42 42 N 9 27 E Basutoland (former name for Lesotho 29 30 S 28 30 E Lesotho) Batan Islands Philippines 20 30 N 121 50 E Bavaria (region; also Bayern) Germany 48 30 N 11 30 E Beagle Channel Atlantic Ocean 54 53 S 68 10 W Bear Island (see Bjornoya) Svalbard 74 26 N 19 05 E Beaufort Sea Arctic Ocean 73 00 N 140 00 W Bechuanaland (former name for Botswana 22 00 S 24 00 E Botswana) Beijing (capital) China 39 56 N 116 24 E Beirut (capital) Lebanon 33 53 N 35 30 E Bekaa Valley Lebanon 34 00 N 36 05 E Belau (Palau Islands) Palau 7 30 N 134 30 E Belep Islands (Iles Belep) New Caledonia 19 45 S 163 40 E Belfast (city) United Kingdom 54 36 N 5 55 W Belgian Congo (former name Democratic Republic 0 00 N 25 00 E for Democratic Republic of of the Congo the Congo) Belgie, Belgique (local name Belgium 50 50 N 4 00 E for Belgium) Belgrade (capital) Serbia 44 50 N 20 30 E Belize City Belize 17 30 N 88 12 W Belle Isle, Strait of Atlantic Ocean 51 35 N 56 30 W Bellingshausen Sea Southern Ocean 71 00 S 85 00 W Belmopan (capital) Belize 17 15 N 88 46 W Belorussia (former name for Belarus 53 00 N 28 00 E Belarus) Benadir (region; former name Somalia 4 00 N 46 00 E of Italian Somaliland) Bengal, Bay of Indian Ocean 15 00 N 90 00 E Berau, Gulf of Pacific Ocean 2 30 S 132 30 E Bering Island Russia 55 00 N 166 30 E Bering Sea Pacific Ocean 60 00 N 175 00 W Bering Strait Pacific Ocean 65 30 N 169 00 W Berkner Island Antarctica 79 30 S 49 30 W Berlin (capital) Germany 52 31 N 13 24 E Berlin, East (former name for Germany 52 30 N 13 33 E eastern sector of Berlin) Berlin, West (former name for Germany 52 30 N 13 20 E western sector of Berlin) Bern (capital) Switzerland 46 57 N 7 26 E Bessarabia (region) Moldova, Romania, 47 00 N 28 30 E Ukraine Bharat (local name for India) India 20 00 N 77 00 E Bhopal (city) India 23 16 N 77 24 E Biafra (region) Nigeria 5 30 N 7 30 E Big Diomede Island Russia 65 46 N 169 06 W Bijagos, Arquipelago dos Guinea-Bissau 11 25 N 16 20 W (island group) Bikini Atoll Marshall Islands 11 35 N 165 23 E Bilbao (city) Spain 43 15 N 2 58 W Bioko (island) Equatorial Guinea 3 30 N 8 42 E Biscay, Bay of Atlantic Ocean 44 00 N 4 00 W Bishkek (capital) Kyrgyzstan 42 54 N 74 36 E Bishop Rock United Kingdom 49 52 N 6 27 W Bismarck Archipelago (island Papua New Guinea 5 00 S 150 00 E group) Bismarck Sea Pacific Ocean 4 00 S 148 00 E Bissau (capital) Guinea-Bissau 11 51 N 15 35 W Bjornoya (Bear Island) Svalbard 74 26 N 19 05 E Black Forest (region) Germany 48 00 N 8 15 E Black Rock (island) South Georgia and 53 39 S 41 48 W the South Sandwich Islands Black Sea Atlantic Ocean 43 00 N 35 00 E Bloemfontein (judicial South Africa 29 12 S 26 07 E capital) Bo Hai (gulf) Pacific Ocean 38 00 N 120 00 E Boa Vista (island) Cape Verde 16 05 N 22 50 W Bogota (capital) Colombia 4 36 N 74 05 W Bohemia (region) Czech Republic 50 00 N 14 30 E Bombay (city; see Mumbai) India 18 58 N 72 50 E Bonaire (island) Netherlands Antilles 12 10 N 68 15 W Bonifacio, Strait of Atlantic Ocean 41 01 N 14 00 E Bonin Islands Japan 27 00 N 142 10 E Bonn (former capital) Germany 50 44 N 7 05 E Bophuthatswana (region; South Africa 26 30 S 25 30 E enclave) Bora-Bora (island) French Polynesia 16 30 S 151 45 W Bordeaux (city) France 44 50 N 0 34 W Borneo (island) Brunei, Indonesia, 0 30 N 114 00 E Malaysia Bornholm (island) Denmark 55 10 N 15 00 E Bosna i Hercegovina (local Bosnia and 44 00 N 18 00 E name for Bosnia and Herzegovina Herzegovina) Bosnia (political region) Bosnia and 44 00 N 18 00 E Herzegovina Bosporus (strait) Atlantic Ocean 41 00 N 29 00 E Bothnia, Gulf of Atlantic Ocean 63 00 N 20 00 E Bougainville (island) Papua New Guinea 6 00 S 155 00 E Bougainville Strait Pacific Ocean 6 40 S 156 10 E Bounty Islands New Zealand 47 43 S 174 00 E Bourbon Island (former name Reunion 21 06 S 55 36 E of Reunion) Brasilia (capital) Brazil 15 47 S 47 55 W Bratislava (capital) Slovakia 48 09 N 17 07 E Brazzaville (capital) Republic of the 4 16 S 15 17 E Congo Bridgetown (capital) Barbados 13 06 N 59 37 W Brisbane (city) Australia 27 28 S 153 02 E Bristol Bay Pacific Ocean 57 00 N 160 00 W Bristol Channel Atlantic Ocean 51 18 N 3 30 W Britain (see Great Britain) United Kingdom 54 00 N 2 00 W British Bechuanaland (region; South Africa 27 30 S 23 30 E former name for northwest South Africa) British Central African Malawi 13 30 S 34 00 E Protectorate (former name of Nyasaland) British East Africa (former Kenya, Tanzania, 1 00 N 38 00 E name for British possessions Uganda in eastern Africa) British Guiana (former name Guyana 5 00 N 59 00 W for Guyana) British Honduras (former name Belize 17 15 N 88 45 W for Belize) British Solomon Islands Solomon Islands 8 00 S 159 00 E (former name for Solomon Islands) British Somaliland (former Somalia 10 00 N 49 00 E name for northern Somalia) Brussels (capital) Belgium 50 50 N 4 20 E Bubiyan (island) Kuwait 29 47 N 48 10 E Bucharest (capital) Romania 44 26 N 26 06 E Budapest (capital) Hungary 47 30 N 19 05 E Buenos Aires (capital) Argentina 34 36 S 58 27 W Bujumbura (capital) Burundi 3 23 S 29 22 E Bukovina (region) Romania, Ukraine 48 00 N 26 00 E Byelarus (local name for Belarus 53 00 N 28 00 E Belarus) Byelorussia (former name for Belarus 53 00 N 28 00 E Belarus) Cabinda (province) Angola 5 33 S 12 12 E Cabo Verde (local name for Cape Verde 16 00 N 24 00 W Cape Verde) Cabot Strait Atlantic Ocean 47 20 N 59 30 W Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos 21 56 N 71 58 W Islands Cairo (capital) Egypt 30 03 N 31 15 E Calcutta (city) India 22 32 N 88 21 E Calgary (city) Canada 51 02 N 114 04 W California, Gulf of Pacific Ocean 28 00 N 112 00 W Cameroun (local name for Cameroon 6 00 N 12 00 E Cameroon) Campbell Island New Zealand 52 33 S 169 09 E Campeche, Bay of Atlantic Ocean 20 00 N 94 00 W Canal Zone (former name for Panama 9 00 N 79 45 W US possessions in Panama) Canarias Sea Atlantic Ocean 28 00 N 16 00 W Canary Islands Spain 28 00 N 15 30 W Canberra (capital) Australia 35 17 S 149 08 E Cancun (city) Mexico 21 10 N 86 50 W Canton (city; now Guangzhou) China 23 06 N 113 16 E Canton Island (Kanton Island) Kiribati 2 49 S 171 40 W Cape Juby (region; former Morocco 27 53 N 12 58 W name for Southern Morocco) Cape Province (region; former South Africa 31 30 S 22 30 E name for Northern, Western, and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa) Cape Town (legislative South Africa 33 57 S 18 25 E capital) Cape of Good Hope (cape; also South Africa 34 15 S 18 20 E alternate name for Cape Province of South Africa) Caracas (capital) Venezuela 10 30 N 66 56 W Cargados Carajos Shoals Mauritius 16 25 S 59 38 E Caribbean Sea Atlantic Ocean 15 00 N 73 00 W Caroline Islands Federated States of 7 30 N 148 00 E Micronesia, Palau Carpatho-Ukraine (region; Ukraine 48 22 N 23 32 E former name for Zakarpats'ka oblast') Carpentaria, Gulf of Pacific Ocean 14 00 S 139 00 E Casablanca (city) Morocco 33 35 N 7 34 W Castries (capital) Saint Lucia 14 01 N 61 00 W Catalonia (region) Spain 42 00 N 2 00 E Cato Island Australia 23 15 S 155 32 E Caucasus (region) Russia 42 00 N 45 00 E Cayenne (capital) French Guiana 4 56 N 52 20 W Celebes (island) Indonesia 2 00 S 121 00 E Celebes Sea Pacific Ocean 3 00 N 122 00 E Celtic Sea Atlantic Ocean 51 00 N 6 30 W Central African Empire Central African 7 00 N 21 00 E (former name for Central Republic African Republic) Ceram (Seram) Sea Pacific Ocean 2 30 S 129 30 E Ceska Republika (local name Czech Republic 49 45 N 15 30 E for Czech Republic) Ceskoslovensko (former local Czech Republic, 49 00 N 17 30 E name for Czechoslovakia) Slovakia Cetinje (capital city) Montenegro 42 24 N 18 55 E Ceuta (city) Spain 35 53 N 5 19 W Ceylon (former name for Sri Sri Lanka 7 00 N 81 00 E Lanka) Chafarinas, Islas (island) Spain 35 12 N 2 26 W Chagos Archipelago (Oil British Indian Ocean 6 00 S 71 30 E Islands) Territory Challenger Deep (Mariana Pacific Ocean 11 22 N 142 36 E Trench) Channel Islands Guernsey, Jersey 49 20 N 2 20 W Charlotte Amalie (capital) Virgin Islands 18 21 N 64 56 W Chatham Islands New Zealand 44 00 S 176 30 W Chechnya (region; also Russia 43 15 N 45 40 E Chechnia) Cheju Strait Pacific Ocean 34 00 N 126 30 E Cheju-do (island) Korea, South 33 20 N 126 30 E Chengdu (city) China 30 43 N 104 04 E Chennai (city; also Madras) India 13 04 N 80 16 E Chesterfield Islands (Iles New Caledonia 19 52 S 158 15 E Chesterfield) Chihli, Gulf of (see Bo Hai) Pacific Ocean 38 30 N 120 00 E Chiloe (island) Chile 42 50 S 74 00 W China, People's Republic of China 35 00 N 105 00 E China, Republic of Taiwan 23 30 N 121 00 E Chisinau (capital; also Moldova 47 00 N 28 50 E Kishinev) Choiseul (island) Solomon Islands 7 05 S 121 00 E Choson (local name for North North Korea 40 00 N 127 00 E Korea) Christmas Island (Indian Australia 10 25 S 105 39 E Ocean) Christmas Island (Pacific Kiribati 1 52 N 157 20 W Ocean; also Kiritimati) Chukchi Sea Arctic Ocean 69 00 N 171 00 W Chuuk Islands (Truk Islands) Federated States of 7 25 N 151 47 W Micronesia Cilicia (region) Turkey 36 50 N 34 30 E Ciskei (enclave) South Africa 33 00 S 27 00 E Citta del Vaticano (local Holy See 41 54 N 12 27 E name for Vatican City) Cochin China (region) Vietnam 11 00 N 107 00 E Coco, Isla del (island) Costa Rica 5 32 N 87 04 W Cocos Islands Cocos (Keeling) 12 30 S 96 50 E Islands Colombo (capital) Sri Lanka 6 56 N 79 51 E Colon, Archipielago de Ecuador 0 00 N 90 30 W (Galapagos Islands) Commander Islands Russia 55 00 N 167 00 E (Komandorskiye Ostrova) Comores (local name for Comoros 12 10 S 44 15 E Comoros) Con Son (islands) Vietnam 8 43 N 106 36 E Conakry (capital) Guinea 9 31 N 13 43 W Confederatio Helvetica (local Switzerland 47 00 N 8 00 E name for Switzerland) Congo (Brazzaville) (former Republic of the 1 00 S 15 00 E name for Republic of the Congo Congo) Congo (Leopoldville) (former Democratic Republic 0 00 N 25 00 E name for the Democratic of the Congo Republic of the Congo) Constantinople (city; former Turkey 41 01 N 28 58 E name for Istanbul) Cook Strait Pacific Ocean 41 15 S 174 30 E Copenhagen (capital) Denmark 55 40 N 12 35 E Coral Sea Pacific Ocean 15 00 S 150 00 E Corfu (island) Greece 39 40 N 19 45 E Corinth (region) Greece 37 56 N 22 56 E Corisco (island) Equatorial Guinea 0 55 N 9 19 E Corn Islands (Islas del Maiz) Nicaragua 12 15 N 83 00 W Corocoro Island Guyana, Venezuela 3 38 N 66 50 W Corsica (island; also Corse) France 42 00 N 9 00 E Cosmoledo Group (island Seychelles 9 43 S 47 35 E group; also Atoll de Cosmoledo) Cotonou (former capital) Benin 6 21 N 2 26 E Cotopaxi (volcano) Ecuador 0 39 S 78 26 W Courantyne River Guyana, Suriname 5 57 N 57 06 W Cozumel (island) Mexico 20 30 N 86 55 W Crete (island) Greece 35 15 N 24 45 E Crimea (region) Ukraine 45 00 N 34 00 E Crimean Peninsula Ukraine 45 00 N 34 00 E Crooked Island Passage Atlantic Ocean 22 55 N 74 35 W Crozet Islands (Iles Crozet) French Southern and 46 30 S 51 00 E Antarctic Lands Cyclades (island group) Greece 37 00 N 25 10 E Cyrenaica (region) Libya 31 00 N 22 00 E Czechoslovakia (former name Czech Republic, 49 00 N 18 00 E for the entity that Slovakia subsequently split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) D'Entrecasteaux Islands Papua New Guinea 9 30 S 150 40 E Dagestan (region) Russia 43 00 N 47 00 E Dahomey (former name for Benin 9 30 N 2 15 E Benin) Daito Islands Japan 43 00 N 17 00 E Dakar (capital) Senegal 14 40 N 17 26 W Dalmatia (region) Croatia 43 00 N 17 00 E Daman (city; also Damao) India 20 10 N 73 00 E Damascus (capital) Syria 33 30 N 36 18 E Danger Islands (see Pukapuka Cook Islands 10 53 S 165 49 W Atoll) Danish Straits Atlantic Ocean 58 00 N 11 00 E Danish West Indies (former Virgin Islands 18 20 N 64 50 W name for the Virgin Islands) Danmark (local name) Denmark 56 00 N 10 00 E Danzig (city; former name for Poland 54 23 N 18 40 E Gdansk) Dao Bach Long Vi (island) Vietnam 20 08 N 107 44 E Dar es Salaam (capital) Tanzania 6 48 S 39 17 E Dardanelles (strait) Atlantic Ocean 40 15 N 26 25 E Davis Strait Atlantic Ocean 67 00 N 57 00 W Dead Sea Israel, Jordan, West 32 30 N 35 30 E Bank Deception Island Antarctica 62 56 S 60 34 W Denmark Strait Atlantic Ocean 67 00 N 24 00 W Desolation Islands (Isles French Southern and 49 30 S 69 30 E Kerguelen) Antarctic Lands Deutschland (local name for Germany 51 00 N 9 00 E Germany) Devils Island (Ile du Diable) French Guiana 5 17 N 52 35 W Devon Island Canada 76 00 N 87 00 W Dhaka (capital) Bangladesh 23 43 N 90 25 E Dhivehi Raajje (local name Maldives 3 15 N 73 00 E for Maldives) Dhofar (region) Oman 17 00 N 54 10 E Diego Garcia (island) British Indian Ocean 7 20 S 72 25 E Territory Diego Ramirez (islands) Chile 56 30 S 68 43 W Dili (capital) East Timor 8 35 S 125 36 E Dilmun (former name for Bahrain 7 00 N 81 00 E Bahrain) Diomede Islands Russia (Big 65 47 N 169 00 W Diomede), United States (Little Diomede) Diu (region) India 20 42 N 70 59 E Djibouti (capital) Djibouti 11 30 N 43 15 E Dnieper (river) Belarus, Russia, 46 30 N 32 18 E Ukraine (Dnyapro, Dnepr, Dnipro) Dniester (river) Moldova, Ukraine 46 18 N 30 17 E (Nistru, Dnister) Dobruja (region) Bulgaria, Romania 43 30 N 28 00 E Dodecanese (island group) Greece 36 00 N 27 05 E Dodoma (city) Tanzania 6 11 S 35 45 E Doha (capital) Qatar 25 17 N 51 32 E Donets Basin Russia, Ukraine 48 15 N 38 30 E Douala (city) Cameroon 4 03 N 9 42 E Douglas (capital) Man, Isle of 54 09 N 4 28 W Dover, Strait of Atlantic Ocean 51 00 N 1 30 E Drake Passage Atlantic Ocean, 60 00 S 60 00 W Southern Ocean Druk Yul (local name for Bhutan 27 30 N 90 30 E Bhutan) Dubai, Dubayy (city) United Arab Emirates 25 18 N 55 18 E Dublin (capital) Ireland 53 20 N 6 15 W Duesseldorf (city) Germany 51 13 N 6 47 E Durban (city) South Africa 29 51 S 31 02 E Dushanbe (capital) Tajikistan 38 35 N 68 48 E Dutch Antilles (former name Netherlands Antilles 12 10 N 68 30 W for the Netherlands Antilles) Dutch East Indies (former Indonesia 5 00 S 120 00 E name for Indonesia) Dutch Guiana (former name for Suriname 4 00 N 56 00 W Suriname) Dutch West Indies (former Netherlands Antilles 12 10 N 68 30 W name for the Netherlands Antilles) Dzungarian Gate (valley) China, Kazakhstan 45 25 N 82 25 E East China Sea Pacific Ocean 30 00 N 126 00 E East Frisian Islands Germany 53 44 N 7 25 E East Germany (German Germany 52 00 N 13 00 E Democratic Republic; former name for eastern portion of Germany) East Korea Strait (Eastern Pacific Ocean 34 00 N 129 00 E Channel or Tsushima Strait) East Pakistan (former name Bangladesh 24 00 N 90 00 E for Bangladesh) East Siberian Sea Arctic Ocean 74 00 N 166 00 E Easter Island (Isla de Chile 27 07 S 109 22 W Pascua) Eastern Channel (East Korea Pacific Ocean 34 00 N 129 00 E Strait or Tsushima Strait) Eastern Samoa (former name American Samoa 14 20 S 170 00 W for American Samoa) Edinburgh (city) United Kingdom 55 57 N 3 11 W Eesti (local name for Estonia 59 00 N 26 00 E Estonia) Eire (local name for Ireland) Ireland 53 00 N 8 00 W Elba (island) Italy 42 46 N 10 17 E Elemi Triangle (region) Ethiopia (claimed), 5 00 N 35 30 E Kenya (de facto), Sudan (claimed) Ellada, Ellas (local name for Greece 39 00 N 22 00 E Greece) Ellef Ringnes Island Canada 78 00 N 103 00 W Ellesmere Island Canada 81 00 N 80 00 W Ellice Islands Tuvalu 8 00 S 178 00 E Ellsworth Land (region) Antarctica 75 00 S 92 00 W Elobey, Islas de (island Equatorial Guinea 0 59 N 9 33 E group) Enderbury Island Kiribati 3 08 S 171 05 W Enewetak Atoll (Eniwetok Marshall Islands 11 30 N 162 15 E Atoll) England (region) United Kingdom 52 30 N 1 30 W English Channel Atlantic Ocean 50 20 N 1 00 W Eniwetok Atoll (see Enewetak Marshall Islands 11 30 N 162 15 E Atoll) Eolie, Isole (island group) Italy 38 30 N 15 00 E Epirus, Northern (region) Albania, Greece 40 00 N 20 30 E Episkopi Cantonment (capital) Akrotiri, Dhekelia 34 40 N 32 51 E Ertra (local name for Eritrea 15 00 N 39 00 E Eritrea) Espana Spain 40 00 N 4 00 W Essequibo (region; claimed by Guyana 6 59 N 58 23 W Venezuela) Etorofu (island; also Iturup) Russia (de facto) 44 55 N 147 40 E Farquhar Group (island group; Seychelles 10 10 S 51 10 E also Atoll de Farquhar) Fergana Valley Kyrgyzstan, 41 00 N 72 00 E Tajikistan, Uzbekistan Fernando Po (island; see Equatorial Guinea 3 30 N 8 42 E Bioko) Fernando de Noronha (island Brazil 3 51 S 32 25 W group) Filipinas (local name for the Philippines 13 00 N 122 00 E Philippines; also Pilipinas) Finland, Gulf of Atlantic Ocean 60 00 N 27 00 E Florence (city) Italy 43 46 N 11 16 E Flores (island) Indonesia 8 45 S 121 00 E Flores Sea Pacific Ocean 7 40 S 119 45 E Florida, Straits of Atlantic Ocean 25 00 N 79 45 W Fongafale (largest island of Tuvalu 8 30 S 179 12 E Funafuti) Former Soviet Union (FSU) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan Formosa (island) Taiwan 23 30 N 121 00 E Formosa Strait (see Taiwan Pacific Ocean 24 00 N 119 00 E Strait) Foroyar (local name for Faroe Faroe Islands 62 00 N 7 00 W Islands) Fort-de-France (capital) Martinique 14 36 N 61 05 W Frankfurt am Main (city) Germany 50 07 N 8 41 E Franz Josef Land (island Russia 81 00 N 55 00 E group) Freetown (capital) Sierra Leone 8 30 N 13 15 W French Cameroon (former name Cameroon 6 00 N 12 00 E for Cameroon) French Guinea (former name Guinea 11 00 N 10 00 W for Guinea) French Indochina (former name Cambodia, Laos, 15 00 N 107 00 E for French possessions in Vietnam southeast Asia) French Morocco (former name Morocco 32 00 N 5 00 W for Morocco) French Somaliland (former Djibouti 11 30 N 43 00 E name for Djibouti) French Sudan (former name for Mali 17 00 N 4 00 W Mali) French Territory of the Afars Djibouti 11 30 N 43 00 E and Issas (or FTAI; former name for Djibouti) French Togoland (former name Togo 8 00 N 1 10 E for Togo) French West Indies (former Guadeloupe, 16 30 N 62 00 W name for French possessions Martinique in the West Indies) Friendly Islands Tonga 20 00 S 175 00 W Frisian Islands Denmark, Germany, 53 35 N 6 40 E Netherlands Frunze (city; former name for Kyrgyzstan 42 54 N 74 36 E Bishkek) Funafuti (capital, atoll) Tuvalu 8 30 S 179 12 E Fundy, Bay of Atlantic Ocean 45 00 N 66 00 W Futuna Islands (Hoorn Wallis and Futuna 14 19 S 178 05 W Islands/Iles de Horne) Fyn (island) Denmark 55 20 N 10 25 E Gaborone (capital) Botswana 24 45 S 25 55 E Galapagos Islands Ecuador 0 00 N 90 30 W (Archipielago de Colon) Galicia (region) Poland, Ukraine 49 30 N 23 00 E Galicia (region) Spain 42 45 N 8 10 E Galilee (region) Israel 32 54 N 35 20 E Galleons Passage Atlantic Ocean 11 00 N 60 55 W Gambier Islands (Iles French Polynesia 23 09 S 134 58 W Gambier) Gaspar Strait Pacific Ocean 3 00 S 107 00 E Gdansk (city; formerly Poland 54 23 N 18 40 E Danzig) Geneva (city) Switzerland 46 12 N 6 10 E Genoa (city) Italy 44 25 N 8 57 E George Town (capital) Cayman Islands 19 20 N 81 23 W George Town (city) Malaysia 5 26 N 100 16 E George Town (city) The Bahamas 23 30 N 75 46 W Georgetown (capital) Guyana 6 48 N 58 10 W Georgetown (city) The Gambia 13 30 N 14 47 W German Democratic Republic Germany 52 00 N 13 00 E (East Germany; former name for eastern portion of Germany) German Southwest Africa Namibia 22 00 S 17 00 E (former name for Namibia) Germany, Federal Republic of Germany 51 00 N 9 00 E Gibraltar (city, peninsula) Gibraltar 36 11 N 5 22 W Gibraltar, Strait of Atlantic Ocean 35 57 N 5 36 W Gidi Pass Egypt 30 13 N 33 09 E Gilbert Islands Kiribati 1 25 N 173 00 E Goa (state) India 15 20 N 74 00 E Gobi (desert) China, Mongolia 42 30 N 107 00 E Godthab (capital; also Nuuk) Greenland 64 11 N 51 44 W Golan Heights (region) Syria 33 00 N 35 45 E Gold Coast (former name for Ghana 8 00 N 2 00 W Ghana) Golfo San Jorge (gulf) Atlantic Ocean 46 00 S 66 00 W Golfo San Matias (gulf) Atlantic Ocean 41 30 S 64 00 W Good Hope, Cape of South Africa 34 24 S 18 30 E Goteborg (city) Sweden 57 43 N 11 58 E Gotland (island) Sweden 57 30 N 18 33 E Gough Island Saint Helena 40 20 S 9 55 W Graham Land (region) Antarctica 65 00 S 64 00 W Gran Chaco (region) Argentina, Paraguay 24 00 S 60 00 W Grand Bahama (island) The Bahamas 26 40 N 78 35 W Grand Banks (fishing ground) Atlantic Ocean 47 06 N 55 48 W Grand Cayman (island) Cayman Islands 19 20 N 81 20 W Grand Turk (capital; also Turks and Caicos 21 28 N 71 08 W Cockburn Town) Islands Great Australian Bight Indian Ocean 35 00 S 130 00 E Great Belt (strait; also Atlantic Ocean 55 30 N 11 00 E Store Baelt) Great Bitter Lake Egypt 30 20 N 32 23 E Great Britain (island) United Kingdom 54 00 N 2 00 W Great Channel Indian Ocean 6 25 N 94 20 E Great Inagua (island) The Bahamas 21 00 N 73 20 W Great Rift Valley Ethiopia, Kenya 0 30 N 36 00 E Greater Sunda Islands Brunei, Indonesia, 2 00 S 110 00 E Malaysia Green Islands Papua New Guinea 4 30 S 154 10 E Greenland Sea Arctic Ocean 79 00 N 5 00 W Grenadines, Northern (island Saint Vincent and 13 15 N 61 12 W group) the Grenadines Grenadines, Southern (island Grenada 12 07 N 61 40 W group) Grytviken (town; on South South Georgia and 54 15 S 36 45 W Georgia) the South Sandwich Islands Guadalahara (city) Mexico 20 40 N 103 24 W Guadalcanal (island) Solomon Islands 9 32 S 160 12 E Guadalupe, Isla de (island) Mexico 29 11 N 118 17 W Guangzhou (city; also Canton) China 23 09 N 113 21 E Guantanamo Bay (US Naval Cuba 20 00 N 75 08 W Base) Guatemala (capital) Guatemala 14 38 N 90 31 W Guine-Bissau (local name for Guinea-Bissau 12 00 N 15 00 W Guinea-Bissau) Guinea Ecuatorial (local name Equatorial Guinea 2 00 N 10 00 E for Equatorial Guinea) Guinea, Gulf of Atlantic Ocean 3 00 N 2 30 E Guinee (local name for Guinea 11 00 N 10 00 W Guinea) Guyane Francaise (local name French Guiana 4 00 N 53 00 W for French Guiana) Ha'apai Group (island group) Tonga 19 42 S 174 29 W Habomai Islands Russia (de facto) 43 30 N 146 10 E Hadhramaut (region) Yemen 15 00 N 50 00 E Hagatna (capital; formerly Guam 13 28 N 144 45 E Agana) Hague, The (seat of Netherlands 52 05 N 4 18 E government) Haifa (city) Israel 32 50 N 35 00 E Hainan Dao (island) China 19 00 N 109 30 E Haiphong (city) Vietnam 20 52 N 106 41 E Hala'ib Triangle (region) Egypt (claimed), 22 30 N 35 00 E Sudan (de facto) Halifax (city) Canada 44 39 N 63 36 W Halmahera (island) Indonesia 1 00 N 128 00 E Halmahera Sea Pacific Ocean 0 30 S 129 00 E Hamburg (city) Germany 53 34 N 9 59 E Hamilton (capital) Bermuda 32 17 N 64 46 W Han-guk (local name for South South Korea 37 00 N 127 30 E Korea Hanoi (capital) Vietnam 21 02 N 105 51 E Harare (capital) Zimbabwe 17 50 S 31 03 E Harvey Islands (former name Cook Islands 21 14 S 159 46 W for Cook Islands) Hatay (province) Turkey 36 30 N 36 15 E Havana (capital) Cuba 23 08 N 82 22 W Hawaii (island) United States 19 45 N 155 45 W Hawaiian Islands United States 21 00 N 157 45 W Hawar (island) Bahrain 25 40 N 50 47 E Hayastan (local name for Armenia 40 00 N 45 00 E Armenia) Heard Island Heard Island and 53 06 S 73 30 E McDonald Islands Hejaz (region) Saudi Arabia 24 30 N 38 30 E Helsinki (capital) Finland 60 10 N 24 58 E Herzegovina (political Bosnia and 44 00 N 18 00 E region) Herzegovina Hiiumaa (island) Estonia 58 50 N 22 30 E Hispaniola (island) Dominican Republic, 18 45 N 71 00 W Haiti Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Vietnam 10 45 N 106 40 E Saigon) Hokkaido (island) Japan 44 00 N 143 00 E Holland (region) Netherlands 52 30 N 5 45 E Hong Kong (special Hong Kong 22 15 N 114 10 E administrative region) Honiara (capital) Solomon Islands 9 26 S 159 57 E Honshu (island) Japan 36 00 N 138 00 E Hormuz, Strait of Indian Ocean 26 34 N 56 15 E Horn of Africa (region) Djibouti, Eritrea, 8 00 N 48 00 E Ethiopia, Somalia Horn, Cape (Cabo de Hornos) Chile 55 59 S 67 16 W Horne, Iles de (island group) Wallis and Futuna 14 19 S 178 05 W Hrvatska (local name for Croatia 45 10 N 15 30 E Croatia) Hudson Bay Arctic Ocean 60 00 N 86 00 W Hudson Strait Arctic Ocean 62 00 N 71 00 W Hunter Island New Caledonia, 22 24 S 172 06 E Vanuatu Iberian Peninsula Portugal, Spain 40 00 N 5 00 W Iceland Sea Arctic Ocean 68 00 N 20 00 W Ifni (region; former name of Morocco 29 22 N 10 09 W part of Spanish West Africa) Inaccessible Island Saint Helena 37 17 S 12 40 W Indochina (region) Cambodia, Laos, 15 00 N 107 00 E Vietnam Ingushetia (region) Russia 43 15 N 45 00 E Inhambane (region) Mozambique 22 30 S 34 30 E Inini (former name for French French Guiana 4 00 N 53 00 W Guiana) Inland Sea Japan 34 20 N 133 30 E Inner Hebrides (islands) United Kingdom 56 30 N 6 20 W Inner Mongolia (region; also China 42 00 N 113 00 E Nei Mongol) Ionian Islands Greece 38 30 N 20 30 E Ionian Sea Atlantic Ocean 38 30 N 18 00 E Irian Jaya (province) Indonesia 5 00 S 138 00 E Irish Sea Atlantic Ocean 53 30 N 5 20 W Iron Gate (river gorge) Romania, Serbia and 44 41 N 22 31 E Montenegro Iskenderun (region; formerly Turkey 36 34 N 36 08 E Alexandretta) Islamabad (capital) Pakistan 33 42 N 73 10 E Island (local name for Iceland 65 00 N 18 00 W Iceland) Islas Malvinas (island group) Falkland Islands 51 45 S 59 00 W (Islas Malvinas) Istanbul (city) Turkey 41 01 N 28 58 E Istrian Peninsula Croatia, Slovenia 45 00 N 14 00 E Italia (local name for Italy) Italy 42 50 N 12 50 E Italian East Africa (former Eritrea, Ethiopia, 8 00 N 38 00 E name for Italian possessions Somalia in eastern Africa) Italian Somaliland (former Somalia 10 00 N 49 00 E name for southern Somalia) Ittihad al-Imarat al-Arabiyah United Arab Emirates 24 00 N 54 00 E (local name for the United Arab Emirates) Iturup (island; see Etorofu) Russia (de facto) 44 55 N 147 40 E Ityop'iya (local name for Ethiopia 8 00 N 38 00 E Ethiopia) Ivory Coast (former name for Cote d'Ivoire 8 00 N 5 00 W Cote d'Ivoire) Iwo Jima (island) Japan 24 47 N 141 20 E Izmir (region) Turkey 38 25 N 27 10 E Jakarta (capital) Indonesia 6 10 S 106 48 E James Bay Arctic Ocean 54 00 N 80 00 W Jamestown (capital) Saint Helena 15 56 S 5 44 W Jammu (city) India 32 42 N 74 52 E Jammu and Kashmir (region) India, Pakistan 34 00 N 76 00 E Japan, Sea of Pacific Ocean 40 00 N 135 00 E Jars, Plain of Laos 19 27 N 103 10 E Java (island) Indonesia 7 30 S 110 00 E Java Sea Pacific Ocean 5 00 S 110 00 E Jerusalem (capital, Israel, West Bank 31 47 N 35 14 E proclaimed) Jiddah, Jeddah (city) Saudi Arabia 21 30 N 39 12 E Johannesburg (city) South Africa 26 15 S 28 00 E Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Pacific Ocean 14 00 S 128 45 E Juan Fernandez, Islas de Chile 33 00 S 80 00 W (island group) Juan de Fuca, Strait of Pacific Ocean 48 18 N 124 00 W Jubal, Strait of Indian Ocean 27 40 N 33 55 E Judaea (region) Israel, West Bank 31 35 N 35 00 E Jugoslavia, Jugoslavija Bosnia and 43 00 N 21 00 E (local names for Yugoslavia, Herzegovina, a former Balkan federation) Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia Jutland (region) Denmark 56 00 N 9 15 E Juventud, Isla de la (Isle of Cuba 21 40 N 82 50 W Youth) Kabardino-Balkaria (region) Russia 43 30 N 43 30 E Kabul (capital) Afghanistan 34 31 N 69 12 E Kaduna (city) Nigeria 10 33 N 7 27 E Kailas Range China, India 30 00 N 82 00 E Kalaallit Nunaat (local name Greenland 72 00 N 40 00 W for Greenland) Kalahari (desert) Botswana, Namibia 24 30 S 21 00 E Kalimantan (region) Indonesia 0 00 N 115 00 E Kaliningrad (region; formerly Russia 54 30 N 21 00 E part of East Prussia) Kamaran (island) Yemen 15 21 N 42 34 E Kamchatka Peninsula Russia 56 00 N 160 00 E (Poluostrov Kamchatka) Kampala (capital) Uganda 0 19 N 32 25 E Kampuchea (former name for Cambodia 13 00 N 105 00 E Cambodia) Kane Basin (portion of Arctic Ocean 79 30 N 68 00 W channel) Kanton Island Kiribati 2 49 S 171 40 W Kara Sea Arctic Ocean 76 00 N 80 00 E Karachevo-Cherkessia (region) Russia 43 40 N 41 50 E Karachi (city) Pakistan 24 51 N 67 03 E Karafuto (island; former name Russia 50 00 N 143 00 E for southern Sakhalin Island) Karakoram Pass China, India 35 30 N 77 50 E Karelia, Kareliya (region) Finland, Russia 63 15 N 30 48 E Karelian Isthmus Russia 60 25 N 30 00 E Karimata Strait Pacific Ocean 2 05 S 108 40 E Kashmir (region) India, Pakistan 34 00 N 76 00 E Katanga (region) Democratic Republic 10 00 S 26 00 E of the Congo Kathmandu (capital) Nepal 27 43 N 85 19 E Kattegat (strait) Atlantic Ocean 57 00 N 11 00 E Kauai Channel Pacific Ocean 21 45 N 158 50 W Kazakstan (former name for Kazakhstan 48 00 N 68 00 E Kazakhstan) Keeling Islands Cocos (Keeling) 12 30 S 96 50 E Islands Kerguelen, Iles (island French Southern and 49 30 S 69 30 E group) Antarctic Lands Kermadec Islands New Zealand 29 50 S 178 15 W Kerulen River China, Mongolia 48 48 N 117 00 E Khabarovsk (city) Russia 48 27 N 135 06 E Khanka, Lake China, Russia 45 00 N 132 24 E Khartoum (capital) Sudan 15 36 N 32 32 E Khios (island) Greece 38 22 N 26 04 E Khmer Republic (former name Cambodia 13 00 N 105 00 E for Cambodia) Khuriya Muriya Islands (Kuria Oman 17 30 N 56 00 E Muria Islands) Khyber Pass Afghanistan, 34 05 N 71 10 E Pakistan Kibris (Turkish local name Cyprus 35 00 N 33 00 E for Cyprus) Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee Atlantic Ocean 53 53 N 9 08 E Kanal) Kiev (capital) Ukraine 50 26 N 30 31 E Kigali (capital) Rwanda 1 57 S 30 04 E Kingston (capital) Jamaica 18 00 N 76 48 W Kingston (capital) Norfolk Island 29 03 S 167 58 E Kingstown (capital) Saint Vincent and 13 09 N 61 14 W the Grenadines Kinshasa (capital) Democratic Republic 4 18 S 15 18 E of the Congo Kipros (Greek local name for Cyprus 35 00 N 33 00 E Cyprus) Kirghiziya, Kirgizia (former Kyrgyzstan 41 00 N 75 00 E name for Kyrgyzstan) Kirguizstan (local name for Kyrgyzstan 41 00 N 75 00 E Kyrgyzstan) Kiritimati (Christmas Island) Kiribati 1 52 N 157 20 W Kishinev (see Chisinau) Moldova 47 00 N 28 50 E Kithira Strait Atlantic Ocean 36 00 N 23 00 E Kobe (city) Japan 34 41 N 135 10 E Kodiak Island United States 57 49 N 152 23 W Kola Peninsula (Kol'skiy Russia 67 20 N 37 00 E Poluostrov) Kolonia (town; former Federated States of 6 58 N 158 13 E capital; changed to Palikir) Micronesia Korea Bay Pacific Ocean 39 00 N 124 00 E Korea Strait Pacific Ocean 34 00 N 129 00 E Korea, Democratic People's North Korea 40 00 N 127 00 E Republic of Korea, Republic of South Korea 37 00 N 127 30 E Koror (capital) Palau 7 20 N 134 29 E Kosovo (region) Serbia 42 30 N 21 00 E Kosrae (island) Federated States of 5 20 N 163 00 E Micronesia Kowloon (city) Hong Kong 22 18 N 114 10 E Kra, Isthmus of Burma, Thailand 10 20 N 99 00 E Krakatoa (volcano) Indonesia 6 07 S 105 24 E Krakow (city) Poland 50 03 N 19 56 E Kuala Lumpur (capital) Malaysia 3 10 N 101 42 E Kunashiri (island; also Russia (de facto) 44 20 N 146 00 E Kunashir) Kunlun Mountains China 36 00 N 84 00 E Kuril Islands Russia (de facto) 46 10 N 152 00 E Kuwait (capital) Kuwait 29 20 N 47 59 E Kuznetsk Basin Russia 54 00 N 86 00 E Kwajalein Atoll Marshall Islands 9 05 N 167 20 E Kyiv, Kyyiv (see Kiev) Ukraine 50 26 N 30 31 E Kyushu (island) Japan 33 00 N 131 00 E La Paz (administrative Bolivia 16 30 S 68 09 W capital) La Perouse Strait Pacific Ocean 45 45 N 142 00 E Labrador (peninsula, region) Canada 54 00 N 62 00 W Labrador Sea Atlantic Ocean 60 00 N 55 00 W Laccadive Islands India 10 00 N 73 00 E Laccadive Sea Indian Ocean 7 00 N 76 00 E Lagos (former capital) Nigeria 6 27 N 3 24 E Lahore (city) Pakistan 31 33 N 74 23 E Lake Erie Atlantic Ocean 42 30 N 81 00 W Lake Huron Atlantic Ocean 45 00 N 83 00 W Lake Michigan Atlantic Ocean 43 30 N 87 30 W Lake Ontario Atlantic Ocean 43 30 N 78 00 W Lake Superior Atlantic Ocean 48 00 N 88 00 W Lakshadweep (Laccadive India 10 00 N 73 00 E Islands) Lantau Island Hong Kong 22 15 N 113 55 E Lao (local name for Laos) Laos 18 00 N 105 00 E Laptev Sea Arctic Ocean 76 00 N 126 00 E Las Palmas (city) Spain (Canary 28 06 N 15 24 W Islands) Latakia (region) Syria 36 00 N 35 50 E Latvija (local name for Latvia 57 00 N 25 00 E Latvia) Lau Group (island group) Fiji 18 20 S 178 30 E Lefkosa (see Nicosia) Cyprus 35 10 N 33 22 E Leipzig (city) Germany 51 21 N 12 23 E Lemnos (island) Greece 39 54 N 25 21 E Leningrad (city; former name Russia 59 55 N 30 15 E for Saint Petersburg) Lesser Sunda Islands Indonesia 9 00 S 120 00 E Lesvos (island) Greece 39 15 N 26 15 E Leyte (island) Philippines 10 50 N 124 50 E Liancourt Rocks (claimed by South Korea 37 15 N 131 50 E Japan) Liaodong Wan (gulf) Pacific Ocean 40 30 N 121 20 E Liban (local name for Lebanon 33 50 N 36 50 E Lebanon) Libreville (capital) Gabon 0 23 N 9 27 E Lietuva (local name for Lithuania 56 00 N 24 00 E Lithuania) Ligurian Sea Atlantic Ocean 43 30 N 9 00 E Lilongwe (capital) Malawi 13 59 S 33 44 E Lima (capital) Peru 12 03 S 77 03 W Lincoln Sea Arctic Ocean 83 00 N 56 00 W Line Islands Jarvis Island, 0 05 N 157 00 W Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Palmyra Atoll Lion, Gulf of Atlantic Ocean 43 20 N 4 00 E Lisbon (capital) Portugal 38 43 N 9 08 W Little Belt (strait; also Atlantic Ocean 55 05 N 9 55 E Lille Baelt) Ljubljana (capital) Slovenia 46 03 N 14 31 E Llanos (region) Venezuela 8 00 N 68 00 W Lobamba (city) Swaziland 26 27 S 31 12 E Lombok (island) Indonesia 8 28 S 116 40 E Lombok Strait Indian Ocean 8 30 S 115 50 E Lome (capital) Togo 6 08 N 1 13 E London (capital) United Kingdom 51 30 N 0 10 W Longyearbyen (capital) Svalbard 78 13 N 15 33 E Lord Howe Island Australia 31 30 S 159 00 E Lorraine (region) France 48 42 N 6 11 E Louisiade Archipelago Papua New Guinea 11 00 S 153 00 E Lourenco Marques (city; Mozambique 25 56 S 32 34 E former name for Maputo) Loyalty Islands (Iles New Caledonia 21 00 S 167 00 E Loyaute) Luanda (capital) Angola 8 48 S 13 14 E Lubnan (local name for Lebanon 33 50 N 36 50 E Lebanon) Lubumbashi (city) Democratic Republic 11 40 S 27 28 E of the Congo Lusaka (capital) Zambia 15 25 S 28 17 E Luxembourg (capital) Luxembourg 49 45 N 6 10 E Luzon (island) Philippines 16 00 N 121 00 E Luzon Strait Pacific Ocean 20 30 N 121 00 E Lyakhov Islands Russia 73 45 N 138 00 E Macao Macau 22 10 N 113 33 E Macau (special administrative China 22 10 N 113 33 E region) Macquarie Island Australia 54 36 S 158 54 E Madagasikara (local name for Madagascar 20 00 S 47 00 E Madagascar) Maddalena, Isola Italy 41 13 N 09 24 E Madeira Islands Portugal 32 40 N 16 45 W Madras (city; see Chennai) India 13 04 N 80 16 E Madrid (capital) Spain 40 24 N 3 41 W Magellan, Strait of Atlantic Ocean 54 00 S 71 00 W Maghreb (region) Algeria, Libya, 34 00 N 3 00 E Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia Magreb (local name for Morocco 32 00 N 5 00 W Morocco) Magyarorszag (local name for Hungary 47 00 N 20 00 E Hungary) Mahe Island Seychelles 4 41 S 55 30 E Maiz, Islas del (Corn Nicaragua 12 15 N 83 00 W Islands) Majorca Island (Isla de Spain 39 30 N 3 00 E Mallorca) Majuro (capital) Marshall Islands 7 05 N 171 08 E Makassar Strait Pacific Ocean 2 00 S 117 30 E Makedonija (local name for Macedonia 41 50 N 22 00 E Macedonia) Malabo (capital) Equatorial Guinea 3 45 N 8 47 E Malacca, Strait of Indian Ocean 2 30 N 101 20 E Malagasy Republic Madagascar 20 00 S 47 00 E Malay Archipelago Brunei, Indonesia, 2 30 N 120 00 E Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines Malay Peninsula Malaysia, Thailand 7 10 N 100 35 E Male (capital) Maldives 4 10 N 73 31 E Mallorca, Isla de (island; Spain 39 30 N 3 00 E also Majorca) Malmady (region) Belgium 50 26 N 6 02 E Malpelo, Isla de (island) Colombia 4 00 N 90 30 W Malta Channel Atlantic Ocean 56 44 N 26 53 E Malvinas, Islas (island Falkland Islands 51 45 S 59 00 W group) (Islas Malvinas) Mamoutzou (capital) Mayotte 12 47 S 45 14 E Managua (capital) Nicaragua 12 09 N 86 17 W Manama (capital) Bahrain 26 13 N 50 35 E Manchukuo (former state) China 44 00 N 124 00 E Manchuria (region) China 44 00 N 124 00 E Manila (capital) Philippines 14 35 N 121 00 E Manipa Strait Pacific Ocean 3 20 S 127 23 E Mannar, Gulf of Indian Ocean 8 30 N 79 00 E Manua Islands American Samoa 14 13 S 169 35 W Maputo (capital) Mozambique 25 58 S 32 35 E Marcus Island (Minami-tori- Japan 24 16 N 154 00 E shima) Margarita, Isla (island) Venezuela 10 00 N 64 00 W Mariana Islands Guam, Northern 16 00 N 145 30 E Mariana Islands Marie Byrd Land (region) Antarctica 77 00 S 130 00 W Marion Island South Africa 46 51 S 37 52 E Marmara, Sea of Atlantic Ocean 40 40 N 28 15 E Marquesas Islands (Iles French Polynesia 9 00 S 139 30 W Marquises) Marseille (city) France 43 18 N 5 23 E Martin Vaz, Ilhas (island Brazil 20 30 S 28 51 W group) Mas a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Chile 33 38 S 78 52 W Island) Mascarene Islands Mauritius, Reunion 21 00 S 57 00 E Maseru (capital) Lesotho 29 28 S 27 30 E Mata-Utu (capital) Wallis and Futuna 13 57 S 171 56 W Matsu (island) Taiwan 26 13 N 119 56 E Matthew Island New Caledonia, 22 20 S 171 20 E Vanuatu Mauritanie (local name for Mauritania 20 00 N 12 00 W Mauritania) Mazatlan (city) Mexico 23 13 N 106 25 W Mbabane (capital) Swaziland 26 18 S 31 06 E McDonald Islands Heard Island and 53 06 S 73 30 E McDonald Islands Mecca (city) Saudi Arabia 21 27 N 39 49 E Mediterranean Sea Atlantic Ocean 36 00 N 15 00 E Melbourne (city) Australia 37 49 S 144 58 E Melilla (exclave) Spain 35 19 N 2 58 W Memel (region) Lithuania 55 43 N 21 30 E Mesopotamia (region) Iraq 33 00 N 44 00 E Messina, Strait of Atlantic Ocean 38 15 N 15 35 E Mexico City (capital) Mexico 19 24 N 99 09 W Mexico, Gulf of Atlantic Ocean 25 00 N 90 00 W Middle Congo (former name for Republic of the 1 00 S 15 00 E Republic of the Congo) Congo Milan (city) Italy 45 28 N 9 11 E Milwaukee Deep (Puerto Rico Atlantic Ocean 19 55 N 65 27 W Trench) Minami-tori-shima (Marcus Japan 24 16 N 154 00 E Island) Mindanao (island) Philippines 8 00 N 125 00 E Mindanao Sea Pacific Ocean 9 15 N 124 30 E Mindoro (island) Philippines 12 50 N 121 05 E Mindoro Strait Pacific Ocean 12 20 N 120 40 E Mingrelia (region) Georgia 42 30 N 41 52 E Minicoy Island India 8 17 N 73 02 E Minorca Island (Isla de Spain 40 00 N 4 00 E Menorca) Minsk (capital) Belarus 53 54 N 27 34 E Misr (local name for Egypt) Egypt 27 00 N 30 00 E Mitla Pass Egypt 30 02 N 32 54 E Mocambique (local name for Mozambique 18 15 S 35 00 E Mozambique) Mogadishu (capital) Somalia 2 04 N 45 22 E Moldavia (region) Moldova, Romania 47 00 N 29 00 E Molucca Sea Pacific Ocean 2 00 N 127 00 E Moluccas (Spice Islands) Indonesia 2 00 S 128 00 E Mombasa (city) Kenya 4 03 S 39 40 E Mona Passage Atlantic Ocean 18 30 N 67 45 W Monaco (capital) Monaco 43 44 N 7 25 E Mongol Uls (local name for Mongolia 46 00 N 105 00 E Mongolia) Monrovia (capital) Liberia 6 18 N 10 47 W Monterrey (city) Mexico 25 40 N 100 19 W Montevideo (capital) Uruguay 34 53 S 56 11 W Montreal (city) Canada 45 31 N 73 34 W Moravia (region) Czech Republic 49 30 N 17 00 E Moravian Gate (pass) Czech Republic 49 35 N 17 50 E Moroni (capital) Comoros 11 41 S 43 16 E Mortlock Islands (Nomoi Federated States of 5 30 N 153 40 E Islands) Micronesia Moscow (capital) Russia 55 45 N 37 35 E Mount Pinatubo (volcano) Philippines 15 08 N 120 21 E Mozambique Channel Indian Ocean 19 00 S 41 00 E Mumbai (city; also Bombay) India 18 58 N 72 50 E Munich, Muenchen (city) Germany 48 08 N 11 35 E Muritaniyah (local name for Mauritania 20 00 N 12 00 W Mauritania) Musandam Peninsula Oman, United Arab 26 18 N 56 24 E Emirates Muscat (capital) Oman 23 37 N 58 35 E Muscat and Oman (former name Oman 21 00 N 57 00 E for Oman) Myanma, Myanmar Burma 22 00 N 98 00 E N'Djamena (capital) Chad 12 07 N 15 03 E Nagorno-Karabakh (region) Azerbaijan 40 00 N 46 40 E Nairobi (capital) Kenya 1 17 S 36 49 E Namib (desert) Namibia 24 00 S 15 00 E Nampo-shoto (island group) Japan 30 00 N 140 00 E Nan Madol (ruins) Federated States of 6 85 N 158 35 E Micronesia Naples (city) Italy 40 51 N 14 15 E Nassau (capital) The Bahamas 25 05 N 77 21 W Natal (region) South Africa 29 00 S 30 25 E Natuna Besar Islands Indonesia 3 30 N 102 30 E Natuna Sea Pacific Ocean 3 30 N 108 00 E Naxcivan (region) Azerbaijan 39 20 N 45 20 E Naxos (island) Greece 37 05 N 25 30 E Nederland (local name for the Netherlands 52 30 N 5 45 E Netherlands) Nederlandse Antillen (local Netherlands Antilles 12 15 N 68 45 W name for the Netherlands Antilles) Negev (region) Israel 30 30 N 34 55 E Negros (island) Philippines 10 00 N 123 00 E Nejd (region) Saudi Arabia 24 05 N 45 15 E Netherlands East Indies Indonesia 5 00 S 120 00 E (former name for Indonesia) Netherlands Guiana (former Suriname 4 00 N 56 00 W name for Suriname) Nevis (island) Saint Kitts and 17 09 N 62 35 W Nevis New Britain (island) Papua New Guinea 6 00 S 150 00 E New Delhi (capital) India 28 36 N 77 12 E New Guinea (island) Indonesia, Papua New 5 00 S 140 00 E Guinea New Hebrides (island group) Vanuatu 16 00 S 167 00 E New Ireland (island) Papua New Guinea 3 20 N 152 00 E New Siberian Islands Russia 75 00 N 142 00 E New Territories (mainland Hong Kong 22 24 N 114 10 E region) Newfoundland (island, with Canada 52 00 N 56 00 W mainland area, and a province) Niamey (capital) Niger 13 31 N 2 07 E Nicobar Islands India 8 00 N 93 30 E Nicosia (capital; also Cyprus 35 10 N 33 22 E Lefkosia) Nightingale Island Saint Helena 37 25 S 12 30 W Nihon, Nippon (local name for Japan 36 00 N 138 00 E Japan) Nomoi Islands (Mortlock Federated States of 5 30 N 153 40 E Islands) Micronesia Norge (local name for Norway) Norway 62 00 N 10 00 E Norman Isles (Channel Guernsey, Jersey 49 20 N 2 20 W Islands) North Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean 30 00 N 45 00 W North Channel Atlantic Ocean 55 10 N 5 40 W North Frisian Islands Denmark, Germany 54 50 N 8 12 E North Greenland Sea Arctic Ocean 78 00 N 5 00 W North Island New Zealand 39 00 S 176 00 E North Ossetia (region) Russia 43 00 N 44 10 E North Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean 30 00 N 165 00 W North Sea Atlantic Ocean 56 00 N 4 00 E North Vietnam (former name Vietnam 23 00 N 106 00 E for northern portion of Vietnam) North Yemen (Yemen Arab Yemen 15 00 N 44 00 E Republic; now part of Yemen) Northeast Providence Channel Atlantic Ocean 25 40 N 77 09 W Northern Areas Pakistan 36 0 N 75 0 E Northern Cyprus (region) Cyprus 35 15 N 33 44 E Northern Epirus (region) Albania, Greece 40 00 N 20 30 E Northern Grenadines Saint Vincent and 12 45 N 61 15 W (political region) the Grenadines Northern Ireland United Kingdom 54 40 N 6 45 W Northern Rhodesia (former Zambia 15 00 S 30 00 E name for Zambia) Northwest Passages Arctic Ocean 74 40 N 100 00 W Norwegian Sea Atlantic Ocean 66 00 N 6 00 E Nouakchott (capital) Mauritania 18 06 N 15 57 W Noumea (capital) New Caledonia 22 16 S 166 27 E Nouvelle-Caledonie (local New Caledonia 21 30 S 165 30 E name for New Caledonia) Nouvelles Hebrides (former Vanuatu 16 00 S 167 00 E name for Vanuatu) Novaya Zemlya (islands) Russia 74 00 N 57 00 E Nubia (region) Egypt, Sudan 20 30 N 33 00 E Nuku'alofa (capital) Tonga 21 08 S 175 12 W Nunavut (region) Canada 72 00 N 90 00 W Nuuk (capital; also Godthab) Greenland 64 11 N 51 44 W Nyasaland (former name for Malawi 13 30 S 34 00 E Malawi) Nyassa (region) Mozambique 13 30 S 37 00 E Oahu (island) United States 21 30 N 158 00 W (Hawaii) Ocean Island (Banaba) Kiribati 0 52 S 169 35 E Ocean Island (Kure Island) United States 28 25 N 178 20 W Oesterreich (local name for Austria 47 20 N 13 20 E Austria) Ogaden (region) Ethiopia, Somalia 7 00 N 46 00 E Oil Islands (Chagos British Indian Ocean 6 00 S 71 30 E Archipelago) Territory Okhotsk, Sea of Pacific Ocean 53 00 N 150 00 E Okinawa (island group) Japan 26 30 N 128 00 E Oland (island) Sweden 56 45 N 16 40 E Oman, Gulf of Indian Ocean 24 30 N 58 30 E Ombai Strait Pacific Ocean 8 30 S 125 00 E Oran (city) Algeria 35 43 N 0 43 W Orange River Colony (region; South Africa 28 20 S 26 40 E former name of Free State Province of South Africa) Oranjestad (capital) Aruba 12 33 N 70 06 W Oresund (The Sound) (strait) Atlantic Ocean 55 50 N 12 40 E Orkney Islands United Kingdom 59 00 N 3 00 W Osaka (city) Japan 34 42 N 135 30 E Oslo (capital) Norway 59 55 N 10 45 E Osumi Strait (Van Diemen Pacific Ocean 31 00 N 131 00 E Strait) Otranto, Strait of Atlantic Ocean 40 00 N 19 00 E Ottawa (capital) Canada 45 25 N 75 40 W Ouagadougou (capital) Burkina Faso 12 22 N 1 31 W Outer Hebrides (islands) United Kingdom 57 45 N 7 00 W Outer Mongolia (region) Mongolia 46 00 N 105 00 E P'yongyang (capital) North Korea 39 01 N 125 45 E Pacific Islands, Trust Marshall Islands, 10 00 N 155 00 E Territory of the (former name Federated States of of a large area of the Micronesia, Northern western North Pacific Ocean) Mariana Islands, Palau Pagan (island) Northern Mariana 18 08 N 145 47 E Islands Pago Pago (capital) American Samoa 14 16 S 170 42 W Palawan (island) Philippines 9 30 N 118 30 E Palermo (city) Italy 38 07 N 13 21 E Palestine (region) Israel, West Bank 32 00 N 35 15 E Palikir (capital) Federated States of 6 55 N 158 08 E Micronesia Palk Strait Indian Ocean 10 00 N 79 45 E Pamirs (mountains) China, Tajikistan 38 00 N 73 00 E Pampas (region) Argentina 35 00 S 63 00 W Panama (capital) Panama 8 58 N 79 32 W Panama Canal Panama 9 00 N 79 45 W Panama, Gulf of Pacific Ocean 8 00 N 79 30 W Panay (island) Philippines 11 15 N 122 30 E Pantelleria, Isola di Italy 36 47 N 12 00 E (island) Papeete (capital) French Polynesia 17 32 S 149 34 W Paramaribo (capital) Suriname 5 50 N 55 10 W Parece Vela (island) Japan 20 20 N 136 00 E Paris (capital) France 48 52 N 2 20 E Pascua, Isla de (Easter Chile 27 07 S 109 22 W Island) Pashtunistan (region) Afghanistan, 32 00 N 69 00 E Pakistan Passion, Ile de la (island) Clipperton Island 10 17 N 109 13 W Patagonia (region) Argentina 48 00 S 61 00 W Peking (see Beijing) China 39 56 N 116 24 E Pelagian Islands (Isole Italy 35 40 N 12 40 E Pelagie) Peleliu (Beliliou) (island) Palau 7 01 N 134 15 E Peloponnese (peninsula) Greece 37 30 N 22 25 E Pemba Island Tanzania 5 20 S 39 45 E Penang Island Malaysia 5 23 N 100 15 E Pentland Firth (channel) Atlantic Ocean 58 44 N 3 13 W Perim (island) Yemen 12 39 N 43 25 E Perouse Strait, La Pacific Ocean 44 45 N 142 00 E Persia (former name for Iran) Iran 32 00 N 53 00 E Persian Gulf Indian Ocean 27 00 N 51 00 E Perth (city) Australia 31 56 S 115 50 E Pescadores (islands) Taiwan 23 30 N 119 30 E Peshawar (city) Pakistan 34 01 N 71 40 E Peter I Island Antarctica 68 48 S 90 35 W Petrograd (city; former name Russia 59 55 N 30 15 E for Saint Petersburg) Philip Island Norfolk Island 29 08 S 167 57 E Philippine Sea Pacific Ocean 20 00 N 134 00 E Phnom Penh (capital) Cambodia 11 33 N 104 55 E Phoenix Islands Kiribati 3 30 S 172 00 W Pinatubo, Mount (volcano) Philippines 15 08 N 120 21 E Pines, Isle of (island; Cuba 21 40 N 82 50 W former name for Isla de la Juventud) Pleasant Island Nauru 0 32 S 166 55 E Plymouth (capital) Montserrat 16 44 N 62 14 W Podgorica (administrative Montenegro 42 26 N 19 16 E capital) Polska (local name) Poland 52 00 N 20 00 E Polynesie Francaise (local French Polynesia 15 00 S 140 00 W name for French Polynesia) Pomerania (region) Germany, Poland 53 40 N 15 35 E Ponape (Pohnpei) (island) Federated States of 6 55 N 158 15 E Micronesia Port Louis (capital) Mauritius 20 10 S 57 30 E Port Moresby (capital) Papua New Guinea 9 30 S 147 10 E Port-Vila (capital) Vanuatu 17 44 S 168 19 E Port-au-Prince (capital) Haiti 18 32 N 72 20 W Port-of-Spain (capital) Trinidad and Tobago 10 39 N 61 31 W Porto-Novo (capital) Benin 6 29 N 2 37 E Portuguese East Africa Mozambique 18 15 S 35 00 E (former name for Mozambique) Portuguese Guinea (former Guinea-Bissau 12 00 N 15 00 W name for Guinea-Bissau) Portuguese Timor (former name East Timor 9 00 S 126 00 E for East Timor) Poznan (city) Poland 52 25 N 16 55 E Prague (capital) Czech Republic 40 55 N 21 00 E Praia (capital) Cape Verde 14 55 N 23 31 W Prathet Thai (local name for Thailand 15 00 N 100 00 E Thailand) Pretoria (administrative South Africa 25 45 S 28 10 E capital) Prevlaka peninsula Croatia 42 24 N 18 31 E Pribilof Islands United States 57 00 N 170 00 W Prince Edward Island Canada 46 20 N 63 20 W Prince Edward Islands South Africa 46 35 S 38 00 E Prince Patrick Island Canada 76 30 N 119 00 W Principe (island) Sao Tome and 1 38 N 7 25 E Principe Prussia (region) Germany, Poland, 53 00 N 14 00 E Russia Pukapuka Atoll Cook Islands 10 53 S 165 49 W Punjab (region) India, Pakistan 30 50 N 73 30 E Puntland (region) Somalia 8 21 N 49 08 E Qazaqstan (local name for Kazakhstan 48 00 N 68 00 E Kazakhstan) Qita Ghazzah (local name Gaza Gaza Strip 31 25 N 34 20 E Strip) Quebec (city) Canada 46 48 N 71 15 W Queen Charlotte Islands Canada 53 00 N 132 00 W Queen Elizabeth Islands Canada 78 00 N 95 00 W Queen Maud Land (claimed by Antarctica 73 30 S 12 00 E Norway) Quemoy (island) Taiwan 24 27 N 118 23 E Quito (capital) Ecuador 0 13 S 78 30 W Rabat (capital) Morocco 34 02 N 6 51 W Ralik Chain (island group) Marshall Islands 8 00 N 167 00 E Rangoon (capital; also Burma 16 47 N 96 10 E Yangon) Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Chile 27 07 S 109 22 W Ratak Chain (island group) Marshall Islands 9 00 N 171 00 E Red Sea Indian Ocean 20 00 N 38 00 E Redonda (island) Antigua and Barbuda 16 55 N 62 19 W Republica Dominicana (local Dominican Republic 19 00 N 70 40 W name for Dominican Republic) Republique Centrafricain Central African 7 00 N 21 00 E (local name for Central Republic African Republic) Republique Francaise (local France 46 00 N 2 00 E name for France) Republique Gabonaise (local Gabon 1 00 S 11 45 E name for Gabon) Republique Rwandaise (local Rwanda 2 00 S 30 00 E name for Rwanda) Republique Togolaise (local Togo 8 00 N 1 10 E name for Togo) Revillagigedo Island United States 55 35 N 131 06 W (Alaska) Revillagigedo Islands Mexico 19 00 N 112 45 W Reykjavik (capital) Iceland 64 09 N 21 57 W Rhodes (island) Greece 36 10 N 28 00 E Rhodesia, Northern (former Zambia 15 00 S 30 00 E name for Zambia) Rhodesia, Southern (former Zimbabwe 20 00 S 30 00 E name for Zimbabwe) Riga (capital) Latvia 56 57 N 24 06 E Riga, Gulf of Atlantic Ocean 57 30 N 23 30 E Rio Muni (mainland region) Equatorial Guinea 1 30 N 10 00 E Rio de Janiero (city) Brazil 22 55 S 43 17 W Rio de Oro (region) Western Sahara 23 45 N 15 45 W Rio de la Plata (gulf) Atlantic Ocean 35 00 S 59 00 W Riyadh (capital) Saudi Arabia 24 38 N 46 43 E Road Town (capital) British Virgin 18 27 N 64 37 W Islands Robinson Crusoe Island (Mas a Chile 33 38 S 78 52 W Tierra) Rocas, Atol das (island) Brazil 3 51 S 33 49 W Rockall (island) United Kingdom 57 35 N 13 48 W Rodrigues (island) Mauritius 19 42 S 63 25 E Rome (capital) Italy 41 54 N 12 29 E Roncador Cay (island) Colombia 13 32 N 80 03 W Roosevelt Island Antarctica 79 30 S 162 00 W Roseau (capital) Dominica 15 18 N 61 24 W Ross Dependency (claimed by Antarctica 80 00 S 180 00 E New Zealand) Ross Island Antarctica 81 30 S 175 00 W Ross Sea Antarctica, Southern 76 00 S 175 00 W Ocean Rossiya (local name for Russia 60 00 N 100 00 E Russia) Rota (island) Northern Mariana 14 10 N 145 12 E Islands Rotuma (island) Fiji 12 30 S 177 05 E Ruanda (former name for Rwanda 2 00 S 30 00 E Rwanda) Rub al Khali (desert) Saudi Arabia 19 30 N 49 00 E Rumelia (region) Albania, Bulgaria, 42 00 N 22 30 E Macedonia Ruthenia (region; former name Ukraine 48 22 N 23 32 E for Carpatho-Ukraine) Ryukyu Islands Japan 26 30 N 128 00 E Saar (region) Germany 49 25 N 7 00 E Saaremaa (island) Estonia 58 25 N 22 30 E Saba (island) Netherlands Antilles 17 38 N 63 10 W Sabah (state) Malaysia 5 20 N 117 10 E Sable Island Canada 43 55 N 59 50 W Safety Islands (Iles du French Guiana 5 20 N 52 37 W Salut) Sahara Occidental (former Western Sahara 24 30 N 13 00 W name for Western Sahara) Sahel (region) Burkina Faso, Chad, 15 00 N 8 00 W The Gambia, Guinea- Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal Saigon (city; former name for Vietnam 10 45 N 106 40 E Ho Chi Minh City) Saint Barthelemy (island; Guadeloupe 17 55 N 62 52 W also Saint Bart's) Saint Brandon (Cargados Mauritius 16 25 S 59 38 E Carajos Shoals) Saint Christopher (island) Saint Kitts and 17 20 N 62 45 W Nevis Saint Christopher and Nevis Saint Kitts and 17 20 N 62 45 W Nevis Saint Eustatius (island) Netherlands Antilles 17 30 N 63 00 W Saint George's (capital) Grenada 12 03 N 61 45 W Saint George's Channel Atlantic Ocean 52 00 N 6 00 W Saint Helena Island Saint Helena 15 57 S 5 42 W Saint Helens, Mount (volcano) United States 46 15 N 122 12 W Saint Helier (capital) Jersey 49 12 N 2 07 W Saint John (city) Canada (New 45 16 N 66 04 W Brunswick) Saint John's (capital) Antigua and Barbuda 17 06 N 61 51 W Saint Lawrence Island United States 49 30 N 67 00 W Saint Lawrence Seaway Atlantic Ocean 49 15 N 67 00 W Saint Lawrence, Gulf of Atlantic Ocean 48 00 N 62 00 W Saint Paul Island Canada 47 12 N 60 09 W Saint Paul Island United States 57 11 N 170 16 W Saint Paul Island (Ile Saint- French Southern and 38 43 S 77 29 E Paul) Antarctic Lands Saint Peter Port (capital) Guernsey 49 27 N 2 32 W Saint Peter and Saint Paul Brazil 0 23 N 29 23 W Rocks (Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo) Saint Petersburg (city; Russia 59 55 N 30 15 E former capital) Saint Thomas (island) Virgin Islands 18 21 N 64 55 W Saint Vincent Passage Atlantic Ocean 13 30 N 61 00 W Saint-Denis (capital) Reunion 20 52 S 55 28 E Saint-Martin (island; also Guadeloupe 18 04 N 63 04 W Sint Maarten) Saint-Pierre (capital) Saint Pierre and 46 46 N 56 11 W Miquelon Saipan (island) Northern Mariana 15 12 N 145 45 E Islands Sak'art'velo (local name for Georgia 42 00 N 43 30 E Georgia) Sakhalin Island (Ostrov Russia 51 00 N 143 00 E Sakhalin) Sakishima Islands Japan 24 30 N 124 00 E Sala y Gomez, Isla (island) Chile 26 28 S 105 00 W Salisbury (city; former name Zimbabwe 17 50 S 105 00 W for Harare) Salzburg (city) Austria 47 48 N 13 02 E Samar (island) Philippines 12 00 N 125 00 E Samaria (region) West Bank 32 15 N 35 10 E Samoa Islands American Samoa, 14 00 S 171 00 W Samoa Samos (island) Greece 37 48 N 26 44 E San Ambrosio, Isla (island) Chile 26 21 S 79 52 W San Andres y Providencia, Colombia 13 00 N 81 30 W Archipielago (island group) San Bernardino Strait Pacific Ocean 12 32 N 124 10 E San Felix, Isla (island) Chile 26 17 S 80 05 W San Jose (capital) Costa Rica 9 56 N 84 05 W San Juan (capital) Puerto Rico 18 28 N 66 07 W San Marino (capital) San Marino 43 56 N 12 25 E San Salvador (capital) El Salvador 13 42 N 89 12 W Sanaa (capital) Yemen 15 21 N 44 12 E Sandzak (region) Montenegro, Serbia 43 05 N 19 45 E Santa Cruz (city) Bolivia 17 48 S 63 10 W Santa Cruz Islands Solomon Islands 11 00 S 166 15 E Santa Sede (local name for Holy See 41 54 N 12 27 E the Holy See) Santiago (capital) Chile 33 27 S 70 40 W Santo Antao (island) Cape Verde 17 05 N 25 10 W Santo Domingo (capital) Dominican Republic 18 28 N 69 54 W Sao Paulo (city) Brazil 23 35 S 46 43 W Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo, Brazil 0 23 N 29 23 W Penedos de (rocks) Sao Tiago (island) Cape Verde 15 05 N 23 40 W Sao Tome (island) Sao Tome and 0 12 N 6 39 E Principe Sapporo (city) Japan 43 04 N 141 20 E Sapudi Strait Pacific Ocean 7 05 S 114 10 E Sarajevo (capital) Bosnia and 43 52 N 18 25 E Herzegovina Sarawak (state) Malaysia 2 30 N 113 30 E Sardinia (island) Italy 40 00 N 9 00 E Sargasso Sea (region) Atlantic Ocean 30 00 N 55 00 W Sark (island) Guernsey 49 26 N 2 21 W Savage Island (former name Niue 19 02 S 169 52 W for Niue) Savu Sea Pacific Ocean 9 30 S 122 00 E Saxony (region) Germany 51 00 N 13 00 E Schleswig-Holstein (region) Germany 54 31 N 9 33 E Schweiz (local German name Switzerland 47 00 N 8 00 E for Switzerland) Scopus, Mount Israel, West Bank 31 48 N 35 14 E Scotia Sea Atlantic Ocean, 56 00 S 40 00 W Southern Ocean Scotland (region) United Kingdom 57 00 N 4 00 W Scott Island Antarctica 67 24 S 179 55 W Senegambia (region; former The Gambia, Senegal 13 50 N 15 25 W name of confederation of Senegal and The Gambia) Senyavin Islands Federated States of 6 55 N 158 00 E Micronesia Seoul (capital) South Korea 37 34 N 127 00 E Serendib (former name for Sri Sri Lanka 7 00 N 81 00 E Lanka) Serrana Bank (shoal) Colombia 14 25 N 80 16 W Serranilla Bank (shoal) Colombia 15 51 N 79 46 W Settlement, The (capital) Christmas Island 18 44 N 64 19 W Severnaya Zemlya (island Russia 79 30 N 98 00 E group; also Northland) Shaba (region) Democratic Republic 8 00 S 27 00 E of the Congo Shag Island Heard Island and 53 00 S 72 30 E McDonald Islands Shag Rocks South Georgia and 53 33 S 42 02 W the South Sandwich Islands Shanghai (city) China 31 14 N 121 30 E Shenyang (city; also Mukden) China 41 46 N 123 24 E Shetland Islands United Kingdom 60 30 N 1 30 W Shikoku (island) Japan 33 45 N 133 30 E Shikotan (island) Russia (de facto) 43 47 N 146 45 E Shqiperia (local name for Albania 41 00 N 20 00 E Albania) Siam (former name for Thailand 15 00 N 100 00 E Thailand) Siberia (region) Russia 60 00 N 100 00 E Sibutu Passage Pacific Ocean 4 50 N 119 35 E Sicily (island) Italy 37 30 N 14 00 E Sicily, Strait of Atlantic Ocean 37 20 N 11 20 E Sidra, Gulf of Atlantic Ocean 31 30 N 18 00 E Sikkim (state) India 27 50 N 88 30 E Silesia (region) Czech Republic, 51 00 N 17 00 E Germany, Poland Sinai Peninsula Egypt 29 30 N 34 00 E Singapore (capital) Singapore 1 17 N 103 51 E Singapore Strait Pacific Ocean 1 15 N 104 00 E Sinkiang (autonomous region; China 42 00 N 86 00 E also Xinjiang) Sint Eustatius (island) Netherlands Antilles 17 29 N 62 58 W Sint Maarten (island; also Netherlands Antilles 18 04 N 63 04 W Saint-Martin) Sjaelland (island) Denmark 55 30 N 12 00 E Skagerrak (strait) Atlantic Ocean 57 45 N 9 00 E Skopje (capital) Macedonia 41 59 N 21 26 E Slavonia (region) Croatia 45 27 N 18 00 E Slovenija (local name for Slovenia 46 00 N 15 00 E Slovenia) Slovensko (local name for Slovakia 48 40 N 19 30 E Slovakia) Smyrna (region; former name Turkey 38 25 N 27 10 E for Izmir) Society Islands (Iles de la French Polynesia 17 00 S 150 00 W Societe) Socotra (island) Yemen 12 30 N 54 00 E Sofia (capital) Bulgaria 42 41 N 23 19 E Solomon Islands, northern Papua New Guinea 6 00 S 155 00 E Solomon Islands, southern Solomon Islands 8 00 S 159 00 E Solomon Sea Pacific Ocean 8 00 S 153 00 E Somaliland (region) Somalia 9 30 N 46 00 E Somers Islands (former name Bermuda 32 20 N 64 45 W for Bermuda) Songkhla (city) Thailand 7 12 N 100 36 E Sound, The (strait; also Atlantic Ocean 55 50 N 12 40 E Oresund) South Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean 30 00 S 15 00 W South China Sea Pacific Ocean 10 00 N 113 00 E South Georgia (island) South Georgia and 54 15 S 36 45 W the South Sandwich Islands South Island New Zealand 43 00 S 171 00 E South Korea South Korea 37 00 N 127 30 E South Orkney Islands Antarctica 61 00 S 45 00 W South Ossetia (region) Georgia 42 20 N 44 00 E South Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean 30 00 S 130 00 W South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and 57 45 S 26 30 W the South Sandwich Islands South Shetland Islands Antarctica 62 00 S 59 00 W South Tyrol (region) Italy 46 30 N 10 30 E South Vietnam (former name Vietnam 12 00 N 108 00 E for the southern portion of Vietnam) South Yemen (People's Yemen 14 00 N 48 00 E Democratic Republic of Yemen; now part of Yemen) South-West Africa (former Namibia 22 00 S 17 00 E name for Namibia) Southern Grenadines (island Grenada 12 20 N 61 30 W group) Southern Rhodesia (former Zimbabwe 20 00 S 30 00 E name for Zimbabwe) Soviet Union (former name of Armenia, Azerbaijan, a large Eurasian empire, Belarus, Estonia, roughly coequal with the Georgia, Kazakhstan, former Russian Empire) Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan Spanish Guinea (former name Equatorial Guinea 2 00 N 10 00 E for Equatorial Guinea) Spanish Morocco (former name Morocco 32 00 N 7 00 W for northern Morocco) Spanish North Africa Spain (Ceuta, Islas 35 15 N 4 00 W (exclaves) Chafarinas, Melilla, Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera) Spanish Sahara (former name) Western Sahara 24 30 N 13 00 W Spanish West Africa (former Morocco, Western 25 00 N 13 00 W name for Ifni and Spanish Sahara Sahara) Spice Islands (Moluccas) Indonesia 2 00 S 28 00 E Spitsbergen (island) Svalbard 78 00 N 20 00 E St. John's (city) Canada 47 34 N 52 43 W (Newfoundland) Stanley (capital) Falkland Islands 51 42 S 57 41 W (Islas Malvinas) Stockholm (capital) Sweden 59 20 N 18 03 E Strasbourg (city) France 48 35 N 7 44 E Stuttgart (city) Germany 48 46 N 9 11 E Sucre (constitutional Bolivia 19 02 S 65 17 W capital) Suez Canal Egypt 29 55 N 32 33 E Suez, Gulf of Indian Ocean 28 10 N 33 27 E Suisse (local French name for Switzerland 47 00 N 8 00 E Switzerland) Sulawesi (island; Celebes) Indonesia 2 00 S 121 00 E Sulawesi Sea Pacific Ocean 3 00 N 122 00 E Sulu Archipelago (island Philippines 6 00 N 121 00 E group) Sulu Sea Pacific Ocean 8 00 N 120 00 E Sumatra (island) Indonesia 0 00 N 102 00 E Sumba (island) Indonesia 10 00 S 120 00 E Sumba Strait Pacific Ocean 9 10 S 120 00 E Sumbawa (island) Indonesia 8 30 S 118 00 E Sunda Islands (Soenda Isles) Indonesia, Malaysia 2 00 S 110 00 E Sunda Strait Indian Ocean 6 00 S 105 45 E Suomi (local name for Finland 64 00 N 26 00 E Finland) Surabaya (city) Indonesia 7 13 S 112 45 E Surigao Strait Pacific Ocean 10 15 N 125 23 E Surinam (former name for Suriname 4 00 N 56 00 W Suriname) Suriyah (local name for Syria 35 00 N 38 00 E Syria) Surtsey (volcanic island) Iceland 63 17 N 20 40 W Suva (capital) Fiji 18 08 S 178 25 E Sverdlovsk (city; also Russia 56 50 N 60 39 E Yekaterinburg) Sverige (local name for Sweden 62 00 N 15 00 E Sweden) Svizzera (local Italian name Switzerland 47 00 N 8 00 E for Switzerland) Swains Island American Samoa 11 03 S 171 15 W Swan Islands Honduras 17 25 S 83 56 W Sydney (city) Australia 33 53 S 151 13 E T'bilisi (capital) Georgia 41 43 N 44 49 E Tadzhikistan (former name for Tajikistan 39 00 N 71 00 E Tajikistan) Tahiti (island) French Polynesia 17 37 S 149 27 W Taipei (capital) Taiwan 25 03 N 121 30 E Taiwan Strait Pacific Ocean 24 00 N 119 00 E Tallinn (capital) Estonia 59 25 N 24 45 E Tanganyika (former name for Tanzania 6 00 S 35 00 E the mainland portion of Tanzania) Tangier (city) Morocco 35 48 N 5 45 W Tannu-Tuva (region) Russia 51 25 N 94 45 E Tarawa (island) Kiribati 1 25 N 173 00 E Tartary, Gulf of Pacific Ocean 50 00 N 141 00 E Tashkent (capital) Uzbekistan 41 20 N 69 18 E Tasman Sea Pacific Ocean 4 30 S 168 00 E Tasmania (island) Australia 43 00 S 147 00 E Tatar Strait Pacific Ocean 50 00 N 141 00 E Taymyr Peninsula (Poluostrov Russia 76 00 N 104 00 E Taymyr) Tchad (local name for Chad) Chad 15 00 N 19 00 E Tegucigalpa (capital) Honduras 14 06 N 87 13 W Tehran (capital) Iran 35 40 N 51 26 E Tel Aviv (capital, de facto) Israel 32 05 N 34 48 E Teluk Bone (gulf) Pacific Ocean 4 00 S 120 45 E Teluk Tomini (gulf) Pacific Ocean 0 30 S 121 00 E Terre Adelie (claimed by Antarctica 66 30 S 139 00 E France; also Adelie Land) Terres Australes et French Southern and 43 00 S 67 00 E Antarctiques Francaises Antarctic Lands (local name for the French Southern and Antarctic Lands) Thailand, Gulf of Pacific Ocean 10 00 N 101 00 E The Former Yugoslav Republic Macedonia 41 50 N 22 00 E of Macedonia Thessaloniki (city; also Greece 40 38 N 22 57 E Salonika) Thimphu (capital) Bhutan 27 28 N 89 39 E Thuringia (region) Germany 51 00 N 11 00 E Thurston Island Antarctica 72 20 S 99 00 W Tiberias, Lake Israel 32 48 N 35 35 E Tibet (autonomous region; China 32 00 N 90 00 E also Xizang) Tibilisi (see T'bilisi) Georgia 41 43 N 44 49 E Tien Shan (mountains) China, Kyrgyzstan 42 00 N 80 00 E Tierra del Fuego (island, Argentina, Chile 54 00 S 69 00 W island group) Timor (island) East Timor, 9 00 S 125 00 E Indonesia Timor Sea Pacific Ocean 11 00 S 128 00 E Timor-Leste, Timor Lorosa'e East Timor 9 00 N 126 00 E (local names for East Timor) Tinian (island) Northern Mariana 15 00 N 145 38 E Islands Tiran, Strait of Indian Ocean 28 00 N 34 27 E Tirana, Tirane (capital) Albania 41 20 N 19 50 E Tirol, Tyrol (region) Austria, Italy 47 00 N 11 00 E Tobago (island) Trinidad and Tobago 11 15 N 60 40 W Tokyo (capital) Japan 35 42 N 139 46 E Tonkin, Gulf of Pacific Ocean 20 00 N 108 00 E Toronto (city) Canada 43 40 N 79 23 W Torres Strait Pacific Ocean 10 25 S 142 10 E Torshavn (capital) Faroe Islands 62 01 N 6 46 W Toshkent (see Tashkent) Uzbekistan 41 20 N 69 18 E Transcarpathia (region; Ukraine 48 22 N 23 32 E alternate name for Carpatho- Ukraine) Transjordan (former name for Jordan 31 00 N 36 00 E Jordan) Transkei (enclave) South Africa 32 15 S 28 15 E Transvaal (region; former South Africa 25 10 S 29 25 E name for northeastern South Africa) Transylvania (region) Romania 46 30 N 24 00 E Trindade, Ilha de (island) Brazil 20 31 S 29 20 W Trinidad (island) Trinidad and Tobago 10 22 N 61 15 W Tripoli (capital) Libya 32 54 N 13 11 E Tripoli (city) Lebanon 34 26 N 35 51 E Tripolitania (region) Libya 31 00 N 14 00 E Tristan da Cunha Group Saint Helena 37 15 S 12 30 W (island group) Trobriand Islands Papua New Guinea 8 38 S 151 04 E Trucial Coast (former name United Arab Emirates 24 00 N 54 00 E for the United Arab Emirates) Trucial Oman (former name for United Arab Emirates 24 00 N 54 00 E the United Arab Emirates) Trucial States (former name United Arab Emirates 24 00 N 54 00 E for the United Arab Emirates) Truk Islands (former name for Federated States of 7 25 N 151 47 E the Chuuk Islands) Micronesia Tsugaru Strait Pacific Ocean 41 35 N 141 00 E Tuamotu Islands (Iles French Polynesia 19 00 S 142 00 W Tuamotu) Tubuai Islands (Iles Tubuai) French Polynesia 23 00 S 150 00 W Tunb al Kubra (island) Iran 26 14 N 55 19 E Tunb as Sughra (island) Iran 26 14 N 55 09 E Tunis (capital) Tunisia 36 48 N 10 11 E Turin (city) Italy 45 04 N 7 40 E Turkish Straits (see Bosporus Atlantic Ocean 40 40 N 28 00 E and Dardenelles) Turkiye (local name for Turkey 39 00 N 35 00 E Turkey) Turkmenia, Turkmeniya (former Turkmenistan 40 00 N 60 00 E name for Turkmenistan) Turks Island Passage Atlantic Ocean 21 40 N 71 00 W Tuscany (region) Italy 43 25 N 11 00 E Tutuila (island) American Samoa 14 18 S 170 42 W Tyrrhenian Sea Atlantic Ocean 40 00 N 12 00 E Ubangi-Shari (former name for Central African 6 38 N 20 33 E the Central African Republic Republic Ukrayina (local name for Ukraine 49 00 N 32 00 E Ukraine) Ulaanbaatar (capital) Mongolia 47 55 N 106 53 E Ullung-do (island) South Korea 37 29 N 130 52 E Ulster (region) Ireland, United 54 35 N 7 00 W Kingdom Uman (local name for Oman) Oman 21 00 N 57 00 E Unimak Pass (strait) Pacific Ocean 54 20 N 164 50 W Union of Soviet Socialist Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republics or USSR (former Belarus, Estonia, name of a large Eurasian Georgia, Kazakhstan, empire, roughly coequal with Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, the former Russian Empire) Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan United Arab Republic or UAR Egypt, Syria (former name for a federation between Egypt and Syria) Upper Volta (former name for Burkina Faso 13 00 N 2 00 W Burkina Faso) Ural Mountains Kazakhstan, Russia 60 00 N 60 00 E Urdunn (local name for Jordan 31 00 N 36 00 E Jordan) Urundi (former name for Burundi 3 30 S 30 00 E Burundi) Ussuri River China, Russia 48 28 N 135 02 E Vaduz (capital) Liechtenstein 47 09 N 9 31 E Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor) Afghanistan 37 00 N 73 00 E Valletta (capital) Malta 35 54 N 14 31 E Valley, The (capital) Anguilla 18 13 N 63 04 W Van Diemen Strait (Osumi Pacific Ocean 31 00 N 131 00 E Strait) Vancouver (city) Canada 49 16 N 123 08 W Vancouver Island Canada 49 45 N 126 00 W Vatican City (capital) Holy See 41 54 N 12 27 E Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Spain 35 11 N 4 18 W (island) Venda (enclave) South Africa 23 00 S 31 00 E Verde Island Passage Pacific Ocean 13 34 N 120 51 E Victoria (capital) Seychelles 4 38 S 55 27 E Victoria (island) Canada 71 00 N 110 00 W Victoria Land (region) Antarctica 72 00 S 155 00 E Vienna (capital) Austria 48 12 N 16 22 E Vientiane (capital) Laos 17 58 N 102 36 E Vilnius (capital) Lithuania 54 41 N 25 19 E Viti Levu (island) Fiji 18 00 S 178 00 E Vladivostok (city) Russia 43 10 N 131 56 E Vojvodina (region) Serbia 45 35 N 20 00 E Volcano Islands Japan 25 00 N 141 00 E Vostok Island Kiribati 10 06 S 152 23 W Wake Atoll Wake Island 19 17 N 166 39 E Wakhan Corridor (see Vakhan) Afghanistan 37 00 N 73 00 E Walachia (region) Romania 44 45 N 26 05 E Wales (region) United Kingdom 52 30 N 3 30 W Wallis Islands Wallis and Futuna 13 17 S 176 10 W Walvis Bay (city; former Namibia 22 59 S 14 31 E exclave) Warsaw (capital) Poland 52 15 N 21 00 E Washington, DC (capital) United States 38 53 N 77 02 W Weddell Sea Southern Ocean 72 00 S 45 00 W Wellington (capital) New Zealand 41 28 S 174 51 E West Frisian Islands Netherlands 53 26 N 5 30 E West Germany (Federal Germany 53 22 N 5 20 E Republic of Germany; former name for western portion of Germany) West Island (capital) Cocos (Keeling) 12 10 S 96 55 E Islands West Korea Strait (Western Pacific Ocean 34 40 N 129 00 E Channel) West Pakistan (former name Pakistan 30 00 N 70 00 E for present-day Pakistan) West Siberian Plain Russia 60 00 N 75 00 E Western Channel (West Korea Pacific Ocean 34 40 N 129 00 E Strait) Western Samoa (former name Samoa 13 35 S 172 20 W for Samoa) Wetar Strait Pacific Ocean 8 20 S 126 30 E White Sea Arctic Ocean 65 30 N 38 00 E Wilkes Land (region) Antarctica 71 00 S 120 00 E Willemstad (capital) Netherlands Antilles 12 06 N 68 56 W Windhoek (capital) Namibia 22 34 S 17 06 E Windward Passage Atlantic Ocean 20 00 N 73 50 W Winnipeg (city) Canada 49 53 N 97 10 W Wrangel Island (Ostrov Russia 71 14 N 179 36 W Vrangelya) Xianggang (local name for Hong Kong 22 15 N 114 10 E Hong Kong) Y'israel (local name for Israel 31 30 N 34 45 E Israel) Yaitopya (local name for Ethiopia 8 00 N 38 00 E Ethiopia) Yalu River China, North Korea 39 55 N 124 20 E Yamoussoukro (capital) Cote d'Ivoire 6 49 N 5 17 W Yangon (see Rangoon) Burma 16 47 N 96 10 E Yaounde (capital) Cameroon 3 52 N 11 31 E Yap Islands Federated States of 9 30 N 138 00 E Micronesia Yaren (governmental center) Nauru 0 32 S 166 55 E Yekaterinburg (city; formerly Russia 56 50 N 60 39 E Sverdlovsk) Yellow Sea Pacific Ocean 36 00 N 123 00 E Yemen Arab Republic (also Yemen 15 00 N 44 00 E Yemen (Sanaa); former name for northern portion of Yemen) Yemen, People's Democratic Yemen 14 00 N 46 00 E Republic of (also Yemen (Aden); former name for southern portion of Yemen) Yerevan (capital) Armenia 40 11 N 44 30 E Yokohama (city) Japan 35 26 N 139 37 E Youth, Isle of (Isla de la Cuba 21 40 N 82 50 W Juventud) Yucatan Channel Atlantic Ocean 21 45 N 85 45 W Yucatan Peninsula Mexico 19 30 N 89 00 W Yugoslavia (former name for a Montenegro, Serbia 43 00 N 21 00 E federation of Serbia and Montenegro) Yugoslavia, Kingdom of Bosnia and 43 00 N 19 00 E (former name for a Balkan Herzegovina, federation) Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Bosnia and 43 00 N 19 00 E Republic of (former name for Herzegovina, a Balkan federation) Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia Zagreb (capital) Croatia 45 48 N 15 58 E Zaire (former name for the Democratic Republic 15 00 S 30 00 E Democratic Republic of the of the Congo Congo) Zakhalinskiy Zaliv (bay) Pacific Ocean 54 00 N 142 00 E Zaliv Shelikhova (bay) Pacific Ocean 60 00 N 157 30 E Zambezia (region) Mozambique 16 00 S 37 00 E Zanzibar (island) Tanzania 6 10 S 39 11 E Zhong Guo, Zhonghua (local China 35 00 N 105 00 E name for China) Zion, Mount (locale in Israel, West Bank 31 46 N 35 14 E Jerusalem) Zurich (city) Switzerland 47 23 N 8 32 E This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006 ===================================================================== Appendix G - Weights and Measures Note: At this time, only three countries - Burma, Liberia, and the US - have not adopted the International System of Units (SI, or metric system) as their official system of weights and measures. Although use of the metric system has been sanctioned by law in the US since 1866, it has been slow in displacing the American adaptation of the British Imperial System known as the US Customary System. The US is the only industrialized nation that does not mainly use the metric system in its commercial and standards activities, but there is increasing acceptance in science, medicine, government, and many sectors of industry. Mathematical Notation Mathematical Power Name 10^18 or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 one quintillion 10^15 or 1,000,000,000,000,000 one quadrillion 10^12 or 1,000,000,000,000 one trillion 10^9 or 1,000,000,000 one billion 10^6 or 1,000,000 one million 10^3 or 1,000 one thousand 10^2 or 100 one hundred 10^1 or 10 ten 10^0 or 1 one 10^-1 or 0.1 one-tenth 10^-2 or 0.01 one-hundredth 10^-3 or 0.001 one-thousandth 10^-6 or 0.000 001 one-millionth 10^-9 or 0.000 000 001 one-billionth 10^-12 or 0.000 000 000 001 one-trillionth 10^-15 or 0.000 000 000 000 001 one-quadrillionth 10^-18 or 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 one-quintillionth Metric Interrelationships Prefix Symbol Length, weight, Area Volume or capacity exa E 10^18 10^36 10^54 peta P 10^15 10^30 10^45 tera T 10^12 10^24 10^36 giga G 10^9 10^18 10^27 mega M 10^6 10^12 10^18 hectokilo hk 10^5 10^10 10^15 myria ma 10^4 10^8 10^12 kilo k 10^3 10^6 10^9 hecto h 10^2 10^4 10^6 basic unit - 1 meter, 1 gram, 1 meter^2 1 meter^3 1 liter deci d 10^-1 10^-2 10^-3 centi c 10^-2 10^-4 10^-6 milli m 10^-3 10^-6 10^-9 decimilli dm 10^-4 10^-8 10^-12 centimilli cm 10^-5 10^-10 10^-15 micro u 10^-6 10^-12 10^-18 nano n 10^-9 10^-18 10^-27 pico p 10^-12 10^-24 10^-36 femto f 10^-15 10^-30 10^-45 atto a 10^-18 10^-36 10^-54 Conversion Factors To Convert From To Multiply By acres ares 40.468 564 224 acres hectares 0.404 685 642 24 acres square feet 43,560 acres square kilometers 0.004 046 856 422 4 acres square meters 4,046.856 422 4 acres square miles (statute) 0.001 562 50 acres square yards 4,840 ares square meters 100 ares square yards 119.599 barrels, US beer gallons 31 barrels, US beer liters 117.347 77 barrels, US petroleum gallons (British) 34.97 barrels, US petroleum gallons (US) 42 barrels, US petroleum liters 158.987 29 barrels, US proof spirits gallons 40 barrels, US proof spirits liters 151.416 47 bushels (US) bushels (British) 0.968 9 bushels (US) cubic feet 1.244 456 bushels (US) cubic inches 2,150.42 bushels (US) cubic meters 0.035 239 07 bushels (US) cubic yards 0.046 090 96 bushels (US) dekaliters 3.523 907 bushels (US) dry pints 64 bushels (US) dry quarts 32 bushels (US) liters 35.239 070 17 bushels (US) pecks 4 cables fathoms 120 cables meters 219.456 cables yards 240 carat milligrams 200 centimeters feet 0.032 808 40 centimeters inches 0.393 700 8 centimeters meters 0.01 centimeters yards 0.010 936 13 centimeters, cubic cubic inches 0.061 023 744 centimeters, square square feet 0.001 076 39 centimeters, square square inches 0.155 000 31 centimeters, square square meters 0.000 1 centimeters, square square yards 0.000 119 599 chains, square surveyor's ares 4.046 86 chains, square surveyor's square feet 4,356 chains, surveyor's feet 66 chains, surveyor's meters 20.116 8 chains, surveyor's rods 4 cords of wood cubic feet 128 cords of wood cubic meters 3.624 556 cords of wood cubic yards 4.740 7 cups liquid ounces (US) 8 cups liters 0.236 588 2 degrees Celsius degrees Fahrenheit multiply by 1.8 and add 32 degrees Fahrenheit degrees Celsius subtract 32 and divide by 1.8 dekaliters bushels 0.283 775 9 dekaliters cubic feet 0.353 146 7 dekaliters cubic inches 610.237 4 dekaliters dry pints 18.161 66 dekaliters dry quarts 9.080 829 8 dekaliters liters 10 dekaliters pecks 1.135 104 drams, avoirdupois avoirdupois ounces 0.062 55 drams, avoirdupois grains 27.344 drams, avoirdupois grams 1.771 845 2 drams, troy grains 60 drams, troy grams 3.887 934 6 drams, troy scruples 3 drams, troy troy ounces 0.125 drams, liquid (US) cubic inches 0.226 drams, liquid (US) liquid drams (British) 1.041 drams, liquid (US) liquid ounces 0.125 drams, liquid (US) milliliters 3.696 69 drams, liquid (US) minims 60 fathoms feet 6 fathoms meters 1.828 8 feet centimeters 30.48 feet inches 12 feet kilometers 0.000 304 8 feet meters 0.304 8 feet statute miles 0.000 189 39 feet yards 0.333 333 3 feet, cubic bushels 0.803 563 95 feet, cubic cubic decimeters 28.316 847 feet, cubic cubic inches 1,728 feet, cubic cubic meters 0.028 316 846 592 feet, cubic cubic yards 0.037 037 04 feet, cubic dry pints 51.428 09 feet, cubic dry quarts 25.714 05 feet, cubic gallons 7.480 519 feet, cubic gills 239.376 6 feet, cubic liquid ounces 957.506 5 feet, cubic liquid pints 59.844 16 feet, cubic liquid quarts 29.922 08 feet, cubic liters 28.316 846 592 feet, cubic pecks 3.214 256 feet, square acres 0.000 022 956 8 feet, square square centimeters 929.030 4 feet, square square decimeters 9.290 304 feet, square square inches 144 feet, square square meters 0.092 903 04 feet, square square yards 0.111 111 1 furlongs feet 660 furlongs inches 7,920 furlongs meters 201.168 furlongs statute miles 0.125 furlongs yards 220 gallons, liquid (US) cubic feet 0.133 680 6 gallons, liquid (US) cubic inches 231 gallons, liquid (US) cubic meters 0.003 785 411 784 gallons, liquid (US) cubic yards 0.004 951 13 gallons, liquid (US) gills (US) 32 gallons, liquid (US) liquid gallons (British) 0.832 67 gallons, liquid (US) liquid ounces 128 gallons, liquid (US) liquid pints 8 gallons, liquid (US) liquid quarts 4 gallons, liquid (US) liters 3.785 411 784 gallons, liquid (US) milliliters 3,785.411 784 gallons, liquid (US) minims 61,440 gills (US) centiliters 11.829 4 gills (US) cubic feet 0.004 177 517 gills (US) cubic inches 7.218 75 gills (US) gallons 0.031 25 gills (US) gills (British) 0.832 67 gills (US) liquid ounces 4 gills (US) liquid pints 0.25 gills (US) liquid quarts 0.125 gills (US) liters 0.118 294 118 25 gills (US) milliliters 118.294 118 25 gills (US) minims 1,920 grains avoirdupois drams 0.036 571 43 grains avoirdupois ounces 0.002 285 71 grains avoirdupois pounds 0.000 142 86 grains grams 0.064 798 91 grains kilograms 0.000 064 798 91 grains milligrams 64.798 910 grains pennyweights 0.042 grains scruples 0.05 grains troy drams 0.016 6 grains troy ounces 0.002 083 33 grains troy pounds 0.000 173 61 grams avoirdupois drams 0.564 383 39 grams avoirdupois ounces 0.035 273 961 grams avoirdupois pounds 0.002 204 622 6 grams grains 15.432 361 grams kilograms 0.001 grams milligrams 1,000 grams troy ounces 0.032 150 746 6 grams troy pounds 0.002 679 23 hands (height of horse) centimeters 10.16 hands (height of horse) inches 4 hectares acres 2.471 053 8 hectares square feet 107,639.1 hectares square kilometers 0.01 hectares square meters 10,000 hectares square miles 0.003 861 02 hectares square yards 11,959.90 hundredweights, long avoirdupois pounds 112 hundredweights, long kilograms 50.802 345 hundredweights, long long tons 0.05 hundredweights, long metric tons 0.050 802 345 hundredweights, long short tons 0.056 hundredweights, short avoirdupois pounds 100 hundredweights, short kilograms 45.359 237 hundredweights, short long tons 0.044 642 86 hundredweights, short metric tons 0.045 359 237 hundredweights, short short tons 0.05 inches centimeters 2.54 inches feet 0.083 333 33 inches meters 0.025 4 inches millimeters 25.4 inches yards 0.027 777 78 inches, cubic bushels 0.000 465 025 inches, cubic cubic centimeters 16.387 064 inches, cubic cubic feet 0.000 578 703 7 inches, cubic cubic meters 0.000 016 387 064 inches, cubic cubic yards 0.000 021 433 47 inches, cubic dry pints 0.029 761 6 inches, cubic dry quarts 0.014 880 8 inches, cubic gallons 0.004 329 0 inches, cubic gills 0.138 528 1 inches, cubic liquid ounces 0.554 112 6 inches, cubic liquid pints 0.034 632 03 inches, cubic liquid quarts 0.017 316 02 inches, cubic liters 0.016 387 064 inches, cubic milliliters 16.387 064 inches, cubic minims (US) 265.974 0 inches, cubic pecks 0.001 860 10 inches, square square centimeters 6.451 600 inches, square square feet 0.006 944 44 inches, square square meters 0.000 645 16 inches, square square yards 0.000 771 605 kilograms avoirdupois drams 564.383 4 kilograms avoirdupois ounces 35.273 962 kilograms avoirdupois pounds 2.204 622 622 kilograms grains 15,432.36 kilograms grams 1,000 kilograms long tons 0.000 984 2 kilograms metric tons 0.001 kilograms short hundredweights 0.022 046 23 kilograms short tons 0.001 102 31 kilograms troy ounces 32.150 75 kilograms troy pounds 2.679 229 kilometers meters 1,000 kilometers statute miles 0.621 371 192 kilometers, square acres 247.105 38 kilometers, square hectares 100 kilometers, square square meters 1,000,000 kilometers, square statute miles 0.386 102 16 knots (nautical mi/hr) kilometers/hour 1.852 knots (nautical mi/hr) statute miles/hour 1.151 leagues, nautical kilometers 5.556 leagues, nautical nautical miles 3 leagues, statute kilometers 4.828 032 leagues, statute statute miles 3 links, square surveyor's square centimeters 404.686 links, square surveyor's square inches 62.726 4 links, surveyor's centimeters 20.116 8 links, surveyor's chains 0.01 links, surveyor's inches 7.92 liters bushels 0.028 377 59 liters cubic feet 0.035 314 67 liters cubic inches 61.023 74 liters cubic meters 0.001 liters cubic yards 0.001 307 95 liters dekaliters 0.1 liters dry pints 1.816 166 liters dry quarts 0.908 082 98 liters gallons 0.264 172 052 liters gills (US) 8.453 506 liters liquid ounces 33.814 02 liters liquid pints 2.113 376 liters liquid quarts 1.056 688 2 liters milliliters 1,000 liters pecks 0.113 510 4 meters centimeters 100 meters feet 3.280 839 895 meters inches 39.370 079 meters kilometers 0.001 meters millimeters 1,000 meters statute miles 0.000 621 371 meters yards 1.093 613 298 meters, cubic bushels 28.377 59 meters, cubic cubic feet 35.314 666 7 meters, cubic cubic inches 61,023.744 meters, cubic cubic yards 1.307 950 619 meters, cubic gallons 264.172 05 meters, cubic liters 1,000 meters, cubic pecks 113.510 4 meters, square acres 0.000 247 105 38 meters, square hectares 0.000 1 meters, square square centimeters 10,000 meters, square square feet 10.763 910 4 meters, square square inches 1,550.003 1 meters, square square yards 1.195 990 046 microns meters 0.000 001 microns inches 0.000 039 4 mils inches 0.001 mils millimeters 0.025 4 miles, nautical kilometers 1.852 0 miles, nautical statute miles 1.150 779 4 miles, statute centimeters 160,934.4 miles, statute feet 5,280 miles, statute furlongs 8 miles, statute inches 63,360 miles, statute kilometers 1.609 344 miles, statute meters 1,609.344 miles, statute rods 320 miles, statute yards 1,760 miles, square nautical square kilometers 3.429 904 miles, square nautical square statute miles 1.325 miles, square statute acres 640 miles, square statute hectares 258.998 811 033 6 miles, square statute sections 1 miles, square statute square kilometers 2.589 988 110 336 miles, square statute square nautical miles 0.755 miles miles, square statute square rods 102,400 milligrams grains 0.015 432 358 35 milliliters cubic inches 0.061 023 744 milliliters gallons 0.000 264 17 milliliters gills (US) 0.008 453 5 milliliters liquid ounces 0.033 814 02 milliliters liquid pints 0.002 113 4 milliliters liquid quarts 0.001 056 7 milliliters liters 0.001 milliliters minims 16.230 73 millimeters inches 0.039 370 078 7 minims (US) cubic inches 0.003 759 77 minims (US) gills (US) 0.000 520 83 minims (US) liquid ounces 0.002 083 33 minims (US) milliliters 0.061 611 52 minims (US) minims (British) 1.041 ounces, avoirdupois avoirdupois drams 16 ounces, avoirdupois avoirdupois pounds 0.062 5 ounces, avoirdupois grains 437.5 ounces, avoirdupois grams 28.349 523 125 ounces, avoirdupois kilograms 0.028 349 523 125 ounces, avoirdupois troy ounces 0.911 458 3 ounces, avoirdupois troy pounds 0.075 954 86 ounces, liquid (US) cubic feet 0.001 044 38 ounces, liquid (US) centiliters 2.957 35 ounces, liquid (US) cubic inches 1.804 687 5 ounces, liquid (US) gallons 0.007 812 5 ounces, liquid (US) gills (US) 0.25 ounces, liquid (US) liquid drams 8 ounces, liquid (US) liquid ounces (British) 1.041 ounces, liquid (US) liquid pints 0.062 5 ounces, liquid (US) liquid quarts 0.031 25 ounces, liquid (US) liters 0.029 573 53 ounces, liquid (US) milliliters 29.573 529 6 ounces, liquid (US) minims 480 ounces, troy avoirdupois drams 17.554 29 ounces, troy avoirdupois ounces 1.097 143 ounces, troy avoirdupois pounds 0.068 571 43 ounces, troy grains 480 ounces, troy grams 31.103 476 8 ounces, troy pennyweights 20 ounces, troy troy drams 8 ounces, troy troy pounds 0.083 333 3 paces (US) centimeters 76.2 paces (US) inches 30 pecks (US) bushels 0.25 pecks (US) cubic feet 0.311 114 pecks (US) cubic inches 537.605 pecks (US) cubic meters 0.008 809 77 pecks (US) cubic yards 0.011 522 74 pecks (US) dekaliters 0.880 976 75 pecks (US) dry pints 16 pecks (US) dry quarts 8 pecks (US) liters 8.809 767 5 pecks (US) pecks (British) 0.968 9 pennyweights grains 24 pennyweights grams 1.555 173 84 pennyweights troy ounces 0.05 pints, dry (US) bushels 0.015 625 pints, dry (US) cubic feet 0.019 444 63 pints, dry (US) cubic inches 33.600 312 5 pints, dry (US) dekaliters 0.055 061 05 pints, dry (US) dry pints (British) 0.968 9 pints, dry (US) dry quarts 0.5 pints, dry (US) liters 0.550 610 47 pints, liquid (US) cubic feet 0.016 710 07 pints, liquid (US) cubic inches 28.875 pints, liquid (US) deciliters 4.731 76 pints, liquid (US) gallons 0.125 pints, liquid (US) gills (US) 4 pints, liquid (US) liquid ounces 16 pints, liquid (US) liquid pints (British) 0.832 67 pints, liquid (US) liquid quarts 0.5 pints, liquid (US) liters 0.473 176 473 pints, liquid (US) milliliters 473.176 473 pints, liquid (US) minims 7,680 points (typographical) inches 0.013 837 points (typographical) millimeters 0.351 459 8 pounds, avoirdupois avoirdupois drams 256 pounds, avoirdupois avoirdupois ounces 16 pounds, avoirdupois grains 7,000 pounds, avoirdupois grams 453.592 37 pounds, avoirdupois kilograms 0.453 592 37 pounds, avoirdupois long tons 0.000 446 428 6 pounds, avoirdupois metric tons 0.000 453 592 37 pounds, avoirdupois quintals 0.004 535 92 pounds, avoirdupois short tons 0.000 5 pounds, avoirdupois troy ounces 14.583 33 pounds, avoirdupois troy pounds 1.215 278 pounds, troy avoirdupois drams 210.651 4 pounds, troy avoirdupois ounces 13.165 71 pounds, troy avoirdupois pounds 0.822 857 1 pounds, troy grains 5,760 pounds, troy grams 373.241 721 6 pounds, troy kilograms 0.373 241 721 6 pounds, troy pennyweights 240 pounds, troy troy ounces 12 quarts, dry (US) bushels 0.031 25 quarts, dry (US) cubic feet 0.038 889 25 quarts, dry (US) cubic inches 67.200 625 quarts, dry (US) dekaliters 0.110 122 1 quarts, dry (US) dry pints 2 quarts, dry (US) dry quarts (British) 0.968 9 quarts, dry (US) liters 1.101 221 quarts, dry (US) pecks 0.125 quarts, dry (US) pints, dry (US) 2 quarts, liquid (US) cubic feet 0.033 420 14 quarts, liquid (US) cubic inches 57.75 quarts, liquid (US) deciliters 9.463 53 quarts, liquid (US) gallons 0.25 quarts, liquid (US) gills (US) 8 quarts, liquid (US) liquid ounces 32 quarts, liquid (US) liquid pints (US) 2 quarts, liquid (US) liquid quarts (British) 0.832 67 quarts, liquid (US) liters 0.946 352 946 quarts, liquid (US) milliliters 946.352 946 quarts, liquid (US) minims 15,360 quintals avoirdupois pounds 220.462 26 quintals kilograms 100 quintals metric tons 0.1 rods feet 16.5 rods meters 5.029 2 rods yards 5.5 rods, square acres 0.006 25 rods, square square meters 25.292 85 rods, square square yards 30.25 scruples grains 20 scruples grams 1.295 978 2 scruples troy drams 0.333 sections (US) square kilometers 2.589 988 1 sections (US) square statute miles 1 spans centimeters 22.86 spans inches 9 steres cubic meters 1 steres cubic yards 1.307 95 tablespoons milliliters 14.786 76 tablespoons teaspoons 3 teaspoons milliliters 4.928 922 teaspoons tablespoons 0.333 333 ton-miles, long metric ton-kilometers 1.635 169 ton-miles, short metric ton-kilometers 1.459 972 tons, gross register cubic feet of permanently 100 enclosed space tons, gross register cubic meters of 2.831 684 7 permanently enclosed space tons, long (deadweight) avoirdupois ounces 35,840 tons, long (deadweight) avoirdupois pounds 2,240 tons, long (deadweight) kilograms 1,016.046 909 8 tons, long (deadweight) long hundredweights 20 tons, long (deadweight) metric tons 1.016 046 908 8 tons, long (deadweight) short hundredweights 22.4 tons, long (deadweight) short tons 1.12 tons, metric avoirdupois pounds 2,204.623 tons, metric kilograms 1,000 tons, metric long hundredweights 19.684 130 3 tons, metric long tons 0.984 206 5 tons, metric quintals 10 tons, metric short hundredweights 22.046 23 tons, metric short tons 1.102 311 3 tons, metric troy ounces 32,150.75 tons, net register cubic feet of permanently 100 enclosed space for cargo and passengers tons, net register cubic meters of 2.831 684 7 permanently enclosed space for cargo and passengers tons, shipping cubic feet of permanently 42 enclosed cargo space tons, shipping cubic meters of 1.189 307 574 permanently enclosed cargo space tons, short avoirdupois pounds 2,000 tons, short kilograms 907.184 74 tons, short long hundredweights 17.857 14 tons, short long tons 0.892 857 1 tons, short metric tons 0.907 184 74 tons, short short hundredweights 20 townships (US) sections 36 townships (US) square kilometers 93.239 572 townships (US) square statute miles 36 miles, square statute acres 640 miles, square statute hectares 258.998 811 033 6 miles, square statute square feet 27,878,400 miles, square statute square meters 2,589,988.110 336 miles, square statute square yards 3,097,600 yards centimeters 91.44 yards feet 3 yards inches 36 yards meters 0.914 4 yards miles 0.000 568 18 yards, cubic bushels 21.696 227 yards, cubic cubic feet 27 yards, cubic cubic inches 46,656 yards, cubic cubic meters 0.764 554 857 984 yards, cubic gallons 201.974 0 yards, cubic liters 764.554 857 984 yards, cubic pecks 86.784 91 yards, square acres 0.000 206 611 6 yards, square hectares 0.000 083 612 736 yards, square square centimeters 8,361.273 6 yards, square square feet 9 yards, square square inches 1,296 yards, square square meters 0.836 127 36 yards, square square miles 0.000 000 322 830 6 This page was last updated on 11 July, 2006 ===================================================================== End of Project Gutenberg's The 2006 CIA World Factbook, by United States *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE 2006 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK *** ***** This file should be named 27509.txt or 27509.zip ***** This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/5/0/27509/ Produced by Al Haines Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. *** START: FULL LICENSE *** THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at https://gutenberg.org/license). Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg-tm License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided that - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org. Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official page at https://pglaf.org For additional contact information: Dr. Gregory B. Newby Chief Executive and Director gbnewby@pglaf.org Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit https://pglaf.org While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: https://www.gutenberg.org This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.